Le Hoodoo Tarot de Marseille: Playing the ‘Pataphysical Machine Part IIII

HOODOO MAN (MEMPHIS AL)
by Albert Williams

My name is Memphis Al, and they call me the hoodoo man
My name is Memphis Al, and they call me the hoodoo man
Now if you want your fortune told,
          you had better see me when you can

I do my crawlin' at midnight, don't be seen in the day
I do my crawlin' at midnight, don't be seen in the day
Well, you know whilst everything quiet and easy,
          the hoodoo man can have his way
 
If you wanna see me, baby, you had better see me when you can
If you wanna see me, baby, had better see me when you can
'Cause you know I'm a very busy fellow,
          and they call me the hoodoo man

Le Hoodoo Tarot de Marseille is a standard 78 card Marseille deck (e.g. a Noblet or Dodal) that has been ‘Pataphysically re-imagined and re-configured (constrained) into a 33 card conjure inspired hoodoo tarot.

The deck is a singular exception to the normal Marseilles, an anomaly created by imposing a slight swerve onto the protocols determining which cards may be allowed into the deck (along with their new assigned meanings)…the nature of said swerve being inspired by hoodoo belief and practice.

The resulting deck may be read to good effect in several ways, two of which are as follows:

First, according to possible new meanings assigned an individual card (when designated...see below) and/or traditional symbolic meanings (in the case of the trumps whose meanings have not been re-defined) and/or, second, using an “open”, observational/intuitive "what's happening - how does it make you feel" approach (a la Enrique Enriquez, Camelia Elias), or a combination of both.

Potentially intriguing, amusing and significant clinamen, anomalies, syzygies, antinomies and conjurations may be observed, depending on the particular reading style(s) employed. Observing the results of at least two reading styles for any given query is recommended for full effect.

Various spreads may be used, of course, depending on the proclivities of the reader and querent. 

A significator, which is not one of the cards in the reading deck, may used to represent either the querent or the object of the query and/or eventual spell cast by the cards. 

This significator is typically an ordinary playing card, an “identifier” petition paper, or other small object, which the querent can take with them when the reading concludes…to be used as either as a symbolic reminder, continuing “prompt” of the reading…a talisman…or as a “casting” delivered in some way to the object of the query or spell…i.e. the person or thing the querent wants to either attract or repel.

The cards included in the hoodoo deck are:

All of the Major Arcana, some with newly delineated meanings as follows:

The Hanged Man – One who “turns the world upside down”, a genius, an enlightened man…one “in the know”, a trickster.

The Pope – A powerful Hoodoo Man

The Popess – A powerful Hoodoo Woman

Force – Power, not “forcing” or just physical strength

Temperance – Calculating, measuring, scheming

The Hermit – A Man of Knowledge, enlightenment, not hiding

The Sun – “In the know”, exposed, awakened

The Court cards included are:

The Queen of Cups – Healer, rootworker, healing, uncrossing, healed, uncrossed

The Queen of Wands (Batons) – Witch (black magic), harming, crossing, harmed, crossed

The Valet of Coins – Trickster (like the Jack of Diamonds)

The Pips included are:

Ace of Cups – The Holy Grail, abundant blessings, mystical union

Ace of Wands (Batons) – Sexual lust, dominance

Three of Cups – The Holy Trinity, salvation

The fives of all four suits. The quincunx, or “five spot” is an important number in hoodoo workings because it is a symbol of, and a possible stand-in for, the crossroads…a sort of portable crossroads, when the real thing is not available. In the Hoodoo Marseilles, if a five appears it means the querent is at a crossroads…in matters of love if the Five of Cups, in matters of money and luck if the Five of Coins, in matters of business dealings, if the Five of Wands (Batons), and in matters of physical, intellectual or emotional conflict, if the Five of Swords.

Nine of Wands (Batons) – Cast a spell. Nine is an important number in conjure…write a name on a petition nine times, perform a working nine days in a row (or some multiple), the timing of workings in graveyards or at the crossroads, etc.

The number of cards in this Hoodoo Tarot of Marseille is 33…3x3=9.

Additionally, the balance of the cards may be used in the following manner to answer a “yes-no” question. Shuffle the cards thoroughly, then cut the cards and turn the left half of the deck face up.

If the card on top is either Cups or Coins (corresponding to Hearts and Diamonds… the red cards in a playing card deck), the answer to the querent’s question is Yes; if the card on top is either Wands (Batons) or Swords (corresponding to Clubs and Spades…the black cards in a playing card deck), the answer is No. The strength of either the Yes or No may be gauged by the number of the card, with the two being the lowest card and the Ace being the highest, as with playing cards.

It will be noted that there is one fewer Yes cards than No cards because of the way that the suits are deployed in the main body of the “working” deck. Using this method, the deck is slightly “stacked” against a yes answer, so questions should be worded accordingly, or one could simply remove a No card to even the odds.

Le Hoodoo Tarot de Marseille may, of course, be used for ‘Pataphysical spell casting for literal imaginary solutions (as suggested, above), as well as the exposing of fictive truths (within the literal and imaginary constraints imposed by the “experiment”).