Minchiate

The original dea for this is not mine. On aeclectic, Lady Iron Sides did quite a bit of research linking Aesop's Fables to the few Minchiate minors that had illustrations added to them. A recent thread on the history forum jogged my memory about this, so I thought I would continue this discussion here. In this thread I will include an index that several other threads will link to: Two of Wands Three of Cups Two of Swords Five of Swords Six of Swords Eight of Swords The site for Aesop's Fable I will use is the Library of Congress. I am sourcing my images from en.wikipedia.org

Welcome to the Minchiate Study Group! Flaxen PathWalker luciaeffe Misterei Akhilleus Grizzlykt Please post here if you're interested in learning more about the Minchiate with me. It will be easier in the future in case we want to start a Reading Circle later, and I can PM those who are participating here in the Study Group. This thread will also serve as an Index that I can then update with links as we accumulate more and more study threads. This thread is only for sign-ups and not individual card discussions. Once you start a separate thread on a card of your choice that you would like to discuss, I will link i…

Williams Minchiate Charity: “Spiritual love and generosity are the gifts of Charity. Much greater than the conventional idea of financial generosity, charity instead means true sympathy and empathy, loving another as oneself. This is a love that reaches outward to all creation, to all living beings, and to the very fabric of the cosmos.” From 1 Corinthians 13:13: “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” Other belief systems say precisely the same thing, and Christianity certainly does not have a monopoly on the concept of love. But it is difficult to escape the Christian influence in this deck. And it is help…

Williams Minchiate: “Prudence gives sight and insight. Her mirror of wisdom shows things as they truly are; her serpent translates that sight into wisdom. The ancients defined virtue as ‘the proper medium between extremes.’ Prudence is courageous, but not foolhardy. She is cautious, but not cowardly. Wit her aid we can act in ways that are similarly forthright.” We are the sum of our life experiences. And experience is the best teacher. Along the way, mistakes are to be made and successes gained. This is how we gain confidence. Prudence is an essential skill to aid in this journey. In the pursuit of our dreams, as we look at ourselves, she warns us not to be pride…

Williams Minchiate: "Faith invokes the presence of religious faith, doctrine, and belief. Spiritual zeal, orthodoxy, and fervor characterize her. Faith can be nearsighted, or blinkered. Her zeal for truth—a single truth—sometimes leads to grief. Faith though, is a mighty force, and a great comfort. She presides over other kinds of faith, including in the goodness of creation and in the potential of the individual soul." What direction in life have I taken because of my beliefs? Are there viewpoints I can change, and therefore change my perspective? Where am I headed in life? Am I surrounding myself people who challenge me to change my minds…

Williams Minchiate: "The Four of Staves offers welcome news of ease, pleasure, romance. A harmonious balance of forces." The Staves represent Earth, work, pursuits, the physical. The number four brings 2 two's together into balance: two opposing forces. In our natural lives we have to satisfy our immediate needs, work and pleasure. Although we do not ignore the spiritual aspect of our intimate relationships, this card asks us only to examine the physical side of our romantic nature. I extend this card to one's occupation. This is optional, as most do not enjoy working or education! I see it as a necessity for survival, so I might as well enjoy it! If you deriv…

Williams Minchiate Earth: "... symbolizes the importance of the matrix of life, the earth, in every day life [...] The card represents the renewal of life in the seasons, growing things, and cycles of change. [...] Earth can be quiet, cold, and inward looking [...] the source of riches, literal and material." What healthy choices do I make? Am attuned to my natural biorhythm? How do I make healthier choices? What areas in my life do I need to focus on to ensure better financial stability? Am I focusing too much on one area in life and not enough in others? Am in danger of becoming too isolated from others?

Minchiate card deck - Florence - 1860-1890 - Trumps - 01 - Papa uno A. Baragioli (editor) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons As Il Matto continues on his journey, after some strife and discord, he meets Il Bagatto, the "Trickster"... How do you feel about this card in other decks? Is it the same as this one? There are other people present in this card, too, as there is in the Minchiate Fool. This lends another layer of meaning onto this card, I think. There are two people in this card, as in the Fool, but they are older. Are these the same people as in the first card, now maturing? Is the Fool learning his way through life, as we all do, by t…

"Advancement, progress, gain. The Nine of Cups tells of overcoming difficulties in order to proceed to the chapter of the story, the next stage of life." The 9th Major in this deck is The Wheel of Fortune, and this card corresponds to it. Today we ask ourselves, what lot in life and what choices do we make to help us along the way? How do we hinder making our wishes come true? Should we be careful what we wish for? Will it be "a dream come true?" Is the grass always greener? This card is the proverbial door that is closed, but a window is open. Card ten is just out of reach: We are almost there! It is the "don't give up" card.

Williams Minchiate Hope: "offers her aid to the downtrodden and demoralized. Whatever may be happening at the present moment, we can look skyward with Hope to a better future. The act of reflection, of looking above and beyond, will itself equip us better to achieve that future, to help bring it into being. Hope can be misguided, or too passive, but she is almost always necessary, worthy, welcome, and comforting." It is unfair for anyone to say "all things for a reason," and I think that this card, Williams' interpretation goes beyond saying only this. This card tells us to learn from our mistakes. Life comes with its ups and downs. Sometimes bad things happen…

Williams Minchiate Handmaid of Coins: "... as serious, studious person, perhaps of a scientific, mathematical bent [...] one who works with her hands: a farmer or a gardener, a sculptor or potter." Idle hands are the devil's workshop. This is a busy person who is adept at skillful work, and perhaps the textbook workaholic. Standards for herself are high, and the expectations of those around her are high. Whatever task is at hand will easily be brought to fruition. We can learn a lesson from this card. Follow through with what is started. Tie up loose ends. Make sure every "i" is dotted and "t" is crossed. What does "perfect practice makes perfect p…

Minchiate card deck - Florence - 1860-1890 - Trumps - 05 - Papa cinque A. Baragioli (editor) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons Ah, L'Amore! The Fool has finally arrived! The life skills and wherewithal that was absent before, during the first five steps of the Fool's journey, are now available to him. As a mature adult, decision making is easier and everything starts to fall into place. This is more than a card a wedded bliss. It is an indication that a plan has been laid out and it is the correct plan. All that is needed is your decision to put a plan into action. Surrender to a higher power and/or your trust your instincts. A…

What’s your favorite Minchiate deck on the market that you’d recommend for regular use? I’m eyeing the Al Cigno and Fiorentine by Lo Scarabeo right now. Is it recommended to get the Brian Williams guidebook regardless? I have 0 interest in his deck.

hi is anyone still doing the Minchiate Tarot i love these decks would be nice to have a chat to a few people if anyone is interested

I like to do master studies of art from historical tarot decks. I like to look at the techniques, the material as well as the symbolism and the art style. I was very inspired by this Minchiate deck. It’s one of the loveliest hand painted decks that I’ve come across. All that gold paint speaks to my inner magpie 🤩 The deck is sadly incomplete but I wasn’t exactly planning on copying the whole thing. We shall see how many cards I’ll attempt. I finished the ace of cups today and thought I would share it here. (I hope no one minds?) This is the original version. It is of course much nicer! Those thick lavish gold edges are to die for! …

The Old Lion Moral: "It is cowardly to attack the defenseless, though he be an enemy."

The Hare & His Ears Moral: "Do not give your enemies the slightest reason to attack your reputation. Your enemies will seize any excuse to attack you." For this one, I opted to go to an earlier deck, Minchiate al Leone. There are so many variant of this one card, it was increasingly frustrating to discern what the figures in the card were. I decided finally to use the hare. Also, it looks like the figure at the top of the card may be throwing something, or attacking him with a ball or projectile.

The Sick Stag Moral: "Good will is worth nothing unless it is accompanied by good acts."

Belling the Cat Moral: "It is one thing to say that something should be done, but quite a different matter to do it." Neither the creature nor "that thing" at the top of the card made much sense to me before I looked through the list of Fables, to be honest. When I figured out that the creature was a cat, and the "that thing" was not a disco ball but a bell, it all made sense. Good philosophical advice for anyone: It's good to have a plan, but make sure you can put the bell around the cat's neck!

The Cock & The Fox Moral: "The wicked deserve no aid."

The Fox & The Stork Moral: "Do not play tricks on your neighbors unless you can stand the same treatment yourself." In my opinion, this is the most apparent of the the Fables that map onto the cards. In the story, the Stork serves the Fox a fish dinner in "a tall tall jar with a very narrow neck" after the Fox had given him soup "in a very shallow dish, and all the Stork could do was to wet the very tip of his bill." The Fox could literally dish it out but could not take it, in our modern parlance. The two Wands are equal, yet unequal: a paradox. My question is, who or what is the figure with the quill at the top of the card?…

Starting a thread to posts spreads and interpretations for learning Minchiate. Vitali's instructions are to break the deck into 6 categories ... but they don't match the categories in the deck itself. To use Vitali's system ... mix the 5 Airs + the 17 Trumps = 22 tarocch triunfi. Minchiate structure from Etruria deck and Williams book: 40 pips 16 courts 17 trumps (Fool -- Tower) 4 Virtues (Hope, Prudence, Faith, Charity) 4 elements (fire, water, earth, air) 12 Zodiac signs 5 Airs = Star, Moon, Sun, World, Fame (these resemble the final 5 tarocchi trumps)

Minchiate card deck - Florence - 1860-1890 - Trumps - 06 - La Temperanza A. Baragioli (editor) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons The sixth card in the sequence, La Temperanza, occurs earlier on in the Minchiate Majors sequence than in the Golden Dawn's or OTO's, and it is one of the four Pagan (Cardinal) Virtues. Other systems don't have all four virtues as part of their systems, at least not literally. Where did Wisdom go with GD and OTO? Are we to assume that Hermit was once Wisdom or Prudence? What about Minchiate's Time in that case, then? And what happened to the Theological (Ecclesiastical) Virtues? Did GD and OTO lump these into the Hermit or spr…

I can't take credit for this idea. It was Helvetica/Fudugazi/Sophie from AT who first brought this idea to my attention years ago on AT. She was originally talking about RWS Majors, of course, but it works beautifully for the Minchiate, as well. I have searched and searched the archives at AT, but I couldn't find it. (If anyone can find it, please link it here for me!) She connected Majors via Roman Numeral. I can't remember if she did this for all of them, or whether it was just for a few of them. At any rate, the seed was planted. Since the goal for the other Minchiate Majors threads is to have more detailed study for each card in them, I decided to have a s…

File:Minchiate card deck - Florence - Trumps - 09 - La_Ruota_della_Fortuna.jpg A. Baragioli (editor) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons This card represents the ups and downs of life. The adolescent young actor, learning his role in life becomes the actor ("all the world's a stage" and what-not) albeit a bad one, as he is represented by the character Nick Bottom whose head is turned into that of an ass. As he matures, as we all do, making mistakes, he then ends up rested, learned and well. He looks rather relaxed with his book of hard-earned lessons. Does it represent all of the knowledge he has gained in life? Is it the Book of Life an…