This material is for informational and educational purposes only and is not medical, psychological, or psychotherapeutic advice. If you are experiencing an acute psychological condition or need professional support, please contact a doctor, psychologist, psychotherapist, or crisis service.
MAC Cards Online and in Print: How Metaphoric Cards Help You Hear Yourself Without an Interrogation Lamp
MAC cards: when the soul doesn't want to fill out a questionnaire but is ready to talk through a picture
Metaphoric associative cards, or MAC, are a tool for self-reflection that works not through a direct "so what's wrong with you?", but through an image, an association, a story, and quiet inner recognition.
A bit of history and facts: The very idea of creating such cards emerged in 1975. They were invented by Canadian art professor Ely Raman, who wanted to bring art closer to people and "take it out" of galleries. Later, psychotherapist Moritz Egetmeyer saw in these cards a perfect tool for psychology that could help clients open up in candid conversations. This is how the first OH Cards appeared—named after the exclamation of surprise and insight "Oh!" that often accompanies the working process.
Sometimes a person can spend an hour explaining that "everything is fine" with them, and then pull a card with a tiny figure standing next to a huge door and say: "Oh, that's me. I'm standing before a decision and pretending that I'm just admiring the architecture". That is the power of MAC: the card doesn't impose an answer, but helps you see what has long been walking around inside with a "pay attention to me" sign.
The psychological mechanism here is very simple but powerful—it is based on projection. The picture itself has no "fixed" meaning. What you see in it is a projection of your own unconscious: accumulated experience, memories, and emotions.
On MriyaRun, there are two formats for working with metaphoric cards:
- online MAC cards — when you want to quickly ask a question, pull a card, and immediately switch to self-reflection;
- printed decks — when you need physical contact, a sense of ritual, slowness, working with your hands, laying cards on the table, and the feeling of "I have truly set aside time for myself".
Online versions are gathered here: online MAC decks
Printed decks can be viewed in the catalog: printed MAC card catalog
Online or print: what to choose?
In short: online is for quick contact, print is for a deeper physical practice. But in reality, they work very well together.
Online MAC cards are convenient when you:
- want to quickly clarify your state;
- don't have a printed deck on hand;
- are working from a phone or laptop;
- want to try a deck before purchasing;
- prefer clear algorithms: one card, several cards, questions for each stage.
This is the format of "I have 10 minutes between tasks, but instead of just scrolling the news, I want to ask myself at least once today: what am I feeling?".
Printed MAC cards are better suited when you:
- want to work more slowly;
- like laying out the cards physically;
- are conducting a practice for yourself, a client, a group, or a couple;
- want to return to the cards, sort them, choose, set aside, and compare;
- use cards along with a workbook, journal, or therapy session.
A printed deck is no longer about "quickly pulling an answer," but rather "sitting with yourself". Sometimes this sounds very mature. And sometimes it looks like this: a person spends half an hour shifting cards and finally honestly admits that the issue isn't the deadline, but the fear of doing something their own way. The deadline was just standing nearby looking guilty.
In addition, interacting with paper stimulates fine motor skills, which, as neuroscientists have proven, helps calm the amygdala in the brain (our center for fear and anxiety) and tune into a deeper, more creative process.
How to work with MAC cards without mysticism and unnecessary drama
MAC cards don't predict the future, don't read minds, and don't know whether you should text your ex. And that's wonderful. Their power lies not in a magical answer, but in initiating an inner dialogue.
The basic algorithm is simple:
- Formulate a request. For example: "What is currently preventing me from moving forward?", "What resource am I not noticing?", "What do I truly feel in this situation?".
- Pull a card. Don't rush to interpret it "correctly". There is no correct meaning in MAC, only your response.
- Describe what you see. Who or what is on the card? What is the mood? Where is the tension here? Where is the movement? Where are you?
- Connect the card to your life. "What does this resemble in my situation?", "What is this card highlighting?", "What did I not want to notice?".
- Draw a small conclusion. You don't need to instantly change your life, haircut, job, and password to all social networks. One honest step is enough.
A good rule to follow: image → feeling → realization → action.
That is exactly why MAC cards are useful for people who want not just to "think about themselves," but to see concrete internal material: emotions, roles, scenarios, needs, boundaries, fears, desires, resources.
MriyaRun Decks: not one big box "about everything," but different doors to yourself
At MriyaRun, every deck has its own character. It's not just different pictures in the style of "here is a tree, here is fog, here is a person standing with their back turned feeling a lot". Each deck is created for a specific psychological theme.
Why is this separation important? The human psyche is too multidimensional. Trying to work with deep childhood traumas using a universal deck is like trying to unlock a door with a car key. Thematic tools allow you to narrow your focus and work much more precisely.
Someone needs a deck about dreams and desires. Someone needs one about boundaries. Someone—about the inner child. Someone—about life's journey and transformation. And someone just needs to honestly say: "I have the right not to carry everything on my shoulders," and preferably for the card to say it first, because they themselves are still uncomfortable doing so.
Below is a deeper review of each deck.
"My Myth: The Hero's Journey" is a deck about change, choices, crisis, the call, trials, the shadow, allies, resources, and returning to oneself after an inner journey.
"My Myth: The Hero's Journey" — when life isn't chaos, but a story, the scriptwriter is just sometimes tired
Online version: My Myth online deck
Printed deck: My Myth: The Hero's Journey deck
"My Myth: The Hero's Journey" is a deck about change, choices, crisis, the call, trials, the shadow, allies, resources, and returning to oneself after an inner journey.
The name and concept of this deck are no coincidence. They rely on the famous work of anthropologist Joseph Campbell, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" (1949). Campbell proved that myths in absolutely all world cultures share a common structure (the so-called "Monomyth"): a hero lives an ordinary life, hears the Call, overcomes fear, meets mentors, goes through a deep crisis (The Inmost Cave), and returns transformed, with a new resource.
It is particularly useful when a person feels: the old no longer works, the new is not yet understood, and inside sits a small committee made of anxiety, an inner critic, and "let's start on Monday". This deck helps view the situation not as a set of random problems, but as a stage in a story.
For example, a person is dragging out a decision to change jobs. On the surface: "I need to think about it". Beneath the surface: the fear of stepping out of a familiar role, the shame of wanting more, sadness over the old identity. The card might show not the answer "quit tomorrow," but a point on the journey: you are still at the threshold, you are already in the forest, you have met the shadow, you are searching for an ally, you are reclaiming your power.
What makes the deck unique:
- it translates a personal crisis into the language of a story;
- helps avoid devaluing a difficult phase;
- works well with themes of transformation, choice, growing up, creativity;
- provides a sense of structure: "I didn't just get stuck, I am going through a specific stage".
Who it's for:
- those standing before a choice;
- those experiencing a change in role, job, relationships, or life stage;
- psychologists, coaches, facilitators;
- people who like archetypal images and working with personal history.
Example of a request:
"At what stage of my journey am I now?"
Questions for the card:
- What on this card resembles my current state?
- Where is the trial here?
- Where is the resource here?
- What is the hero's next small step, if the hero doesn't want pathos, but just wants to exhale normally?
For a deeper context, it’s good to cross-link this deck with articles on life scenarios and fairy tale therapy:
- "Trauma and life scenarios: why we repeat mistakes" — trauma and life scripts article
- "Favorite childhood role: scenarios and fairy tale therapy" — childhood role and fairytale therapy article
"Dream, Desire, Feel" is a deck about making contact with your desires, emotions, physical responses, relationships, and inner support.
"Dream, Desire, Feel" — a deck for those who know how to plan, but sometimes forget how to want
Online version: Dream, Wish, Feel online deck
Printed deck "Dream. Desire. Fantasize": Dream, Wish, Feel deck
"Dream, Desire, Feel" is a deck about making contact with your desires, emotions, physical responses, relationships, and inner support.
Modern society actively sets "dopamine traps" for us—fast, artificial desires like "buy, achieve, show off." Because of this, we often face emotional deafness (alexithymia)—the inability to recognize what we truly want.
It is needed where a person seems to be living correctly, functionally, productively, but inside something quietly asks: "Am I even here?". Because you can have a list of goals, a plan for the quarter, 18 tabs open in your browser, and no answer to the question: "What do I truly want?".
This deck doesn't push you into a motivational "visualize success and run" mode. It rather stops you and asks: "What do you feel? Where does your desire live in your body? Is it yours, or did you take it from the 'I must' list?".
What makes the deck unique:
- it works not only with dreams but with sensitivity;
- helps distinguish a true desire from a social scenario;
- is suitable for themes of relationships, intimacy, inner support;
- nicely opens up gentle, yet very precise insights.
Who it's for:
- those who have lost contact with their desires;
- those who often choose "what is right," but not "what feels alive";
- people going through a period of emotional exhaustion;
- those who want to hear themselves more in relationships.
Example of a request:
"What desire am I currently not allowing myself to hear?"
Questions for the card:
- What in this card draws me in?
- What causes resistance?
- What desire is hidden here?
- What will I do for myself if I stop postponing my life until the perfect moment?
It is great to link this deck with emotional literacy topics:
- "Emotional intelligence: how to turn anger into power" — emotional intelligence and anger article
- "The Three 'M' rule: emotional intelligence navigator" — three M rule article
"Dreams" is a deck about inner roles, desires, prohibitions, permissions, deficits, and the image of the future. It can be described as a gentle encounter of the Inner Child, the Inner Parent, and the Adult.
"Dreams" — when the inner child wants, the inner parent forbids, and the adult looks for coffee
Online MAC cards page: online MAC decks
Printed MAC decks catalog: printed MAC card catalog
"Dreams" is a deck about inner roles, desires, prohibitions, permissions, deficits, and the image of the future. It can be described as a gentle encounter of the Inner Child, the Inner Parent, and the Adult.
This is a direct reference to Eric Berne's transactional analysis. He proved that these three ego-states live in each of us simultaneously. When our "Parent" becomes overly critical, it suppresses the "Child," who is the only one of the three that knows how to truly dream and enjoy life.
For many people, the dream doesn't die. It just sits in the corner, covered with a blanket woven from phrases like "now is not the right time," "first we need stability," "what will people say," "you're an adult now, what kind of desires are these". Sometimes this blanket is so heavy it could be used as a family heirloom.
The "Dreams" deck helps you see exactly who is speaking inside:
- the child part that wants, plays, fantasizes;
- the parent part that forbids, criticizes, or protects through control;
- the adult part that can weigh reality and take a step.
What makes the deck unique:
- it is suitable for working with dreams without infantilism;
- helps to see the inner conflict between "I want," "I shouldn't," and "I can";
- works well with themes of the future, permissions, self-worth;
- gently brings a person back to an adult choice.
Who it's for:
- those who postpone their dreams;
- those who frequently hear their inner critic;
- people who want to distinguish a true dream from a compensatory desire;
- those who are building a new stage of life.
Example of a request:
"Which inner voice currently affects my dream the most?"
Questions for the card:
- Where is my Child on the card?
- Where is my inner Parent?
- What would my Adult say?
- What small realistic step can I take without forcing myself?
For this theme, it is logical to cross-link to the page about MriyaRun and self-reflection:
- About MriyaRun — about MriyaRun
- Free and online MAC tools — online MAC decks
"Children of the Dungeon" is a large series of 150 cards about the inner child, childhood experience, fantasies, fears, shame, boundaries, group scenarios, play, pain, and the reclamation of one's own power.
"Children of the Dungeon" — the inner child without pink bows, but with truth, play, and resources
Online version: Children of the Underground online deck
Printed parts:
- Part 1 "Fairy-tale World" — Children of the Underground deck, part 1
- Part 2 "Courtyard Childhood" — Children of the Underground deck, part 2
- Part 3 "Play, Pain, and Magic" — Children of the Underground deck, part 3
"Children of the Dungeon" is a large series of 150 cards about the inner child, childhood experience, fantasies, fears, shame, boundaries, group scenarios, play, pain, and the reclamation of one's own power.
This is the deepest layer of therapy. As Carl Jung said, "I am not what happened to me, I am what I choose to become." But in order to choose, you must first acknowledge what happened.
Its important feature: childhood here is not idealized. It's not just "sunshine, swings, ice cream, mom calling you home". It's also the courtyard where you had to find your place. The shame that no one explained. The fear that adults called "nonsense". The play through which the child survived. The fantasy that wasn't an escape, but a way to avoid breaking.
This deck is for deep, yet gentle work. It doesn't demand that you "dig everything up immediately". Instead, it creates a bridge: image → feeling → realization → action.
Part 1: "Fairy-tale World"
The first part is dedicated to the inner fairy-tale world: fears, fantasies, defenses, dreams, forgotten resources, and deep needs.
This is a space where childhood imagery speaks the language of symbols. A tiny hero, a strange creature, a dark forest, a hiding place, or a magical object might appear here. Sometimes an image like this better explains a state than the phrase "I have an anxious attachment style and difficulty trusting". Though the phrase isn't bad either, you just don't always want to print it on a t-shirt.
Part 2: "Courtyard Childhood"
The second part works with bodily, social, and courtyard childhood: the group, shame, belonging, boundaries, interacting with others.
This is about those situations where the child learned: am I allowed to be myself or do I need to adapt? Is it okay to say "no" or is it better to stay silent? Am I part of the group or an outcast? Am I seen or being used?
This part is especially useful for working with social scenarios, fear of judgment, group pressure, and physical memory.
"Children of the Dungeon" is a large series of 150 cards about the inner child, childhood experience, fantasies, fears, shame, boundaries, group scenarios, play, pain, and the reclamation of one's own power.
Part 3: "Play, Pain, and Magic"
The third part touches on the edge between play, pain, and magic: personal boundaries, guilt, childhood cruelty, independence, complex group situations, and taking back one's power.
This is the part for themes that are often swept under the rug. And under the rug, as we know, nothing disappears except respect for cleaning. Inner childhood stories don't disappear either: they can live on in adult reactions, the choice of partners, fear of conflict, the need to please everyone, a habit of enduring, or suddenly lashing out.
What makes the series unique:
- 150 cards, divided into three standalone parts;
- a deep theme of the inner child without unnecessary sweetness;
- a combination of fairy-tale, physical, social, and resource levels;
- the ability to work with the entire series as well as an individual part.
Who it's for:
- those exploring childhood scenarios;
- people wanting to better understand shame, fear, boundaries, and the need for belonging;
- psychologists and helping practitioners;
- those who want to work with the inner child not superficially, but carefully and honestly.
Example of a request:
"Which inner child part is currently steering my adult reaction?"
Questions for the card:
- How old is this part of me?
- What is she afraid of?
- What resource has she kept?
- What can the adult part do for her right now?
This naturally links to articles on childhood roles, scenarios, and psychosomatics:
- "Favorite childhood role: scenarios and fairy tale therapy" — childhood role and fairytale therapy article
- "Trauma and life scenarios: why we repeat mistakes" — trauma and life scripts article
"I Have the Right" is a resource deck featuring 100 permission cards for women
"I Have the Right" — a deck for women tired of seeking permission for their own lives from the office of other people's expectations
Printed deck: I Have the Right resource cards
Online MAC page on MriyaRun: online MAC decks
"I Have the Right" is a resource deck featuring 100 permission cards for women. Its main theme is returning inner rights: to be, to feel, to want, to ask, to rest, to say "no," to have boundaries, to choose oneself, to be alive, imperfect, and inconvenient for everyone.
Historically, society often instills in women a "good girl syndrome," where their own needs always take a backseat to the needs of those around them. Working with this deck means undergoing a sort of daily assertiveness training (the ability to ecologically protect your boundaries without feeling guilty).
This is a deck for those moments when a person's mind seemingly understands everything: "Yes, I have the right to rest". But as soon as she sits down to rest, a small siren goes off inside: "What about the dishes? And work? Are you sure you've earned it? Maybe go save the world just a little bit more first?".
The deck helps notice where a right is blocked by shame, guilt, fear, or a generational/gender scenario.
What makes the deck unique:
- 100 permission cards;
- a focus on women's self-worth, boundaries, and the right to be oneself;
- working not through pressure, but through gently reclaiming an inner permission;
- very suitable for daily practice: one card a day.
Who it's for:
- women who often put themselves last;
- those working with boundaries and guilt;
- those learning to say "no" without an internal court hearing;
- professionals working with themes of self-worth, roles, and separation.
Example of a request:
"What right is important for me to take back right now?"
Questions for the card:
- Why is this right important to me?
- Who or what inside me forbids me to have it?
- What will change if I allow myself this, even just by 10%?
- What small action will confirm this right today?
For cross-linking, it's good to add materials on anger, boundaries, and emotional intelligence:
- "The Book 'About Emotions. Anger': how to understand and live through it" — About Emotions: Anger book article
- "The Architectonics of Anger: 6 stages of development according to Pamela Levin" — architecture of anger article
- Workbook "About Emotions. Anger" — About Emotions: Anger workbook
"I Live My Happy Life" is a resource deck of 100 cards for women who want to regain contact with themselves, their bodies, desires, boundaries, voices, actions, intimacy, and the future.
"I Live My Happy Life" — a deck not about "successful success", but about quietly coming back to oneself
Printed deck: I Am Living My Happy Life cards
Online MAC page on MriyaRun: online MAC decks
"I Live My Happy Life" is a resource deck of 100 cards for women who want to regain contact with themselves, their bodies, desires, boundaries, voices, actions, intimacy, and the future.
In a culture of overachievement, where burnout is almost considered a status marker and proof of your "hard work," choosing to stop and just be happy is a bold move.
Important: this is not a deck in the style of "wake up at 5 a.m., become a new version of yourself, and if it didn't work out — you just didn't want it enough". No. This deck doesn't hit you over the head with a motivational poster. It asks more softly: "What is a truly happy life for you? Not for Instagram, not for your family, not for 'how it should be,' but for you?".
Its power lies in serving as a daily compass. It helps you pause, hear yourself, and take one honest step toward your own life.
What makes the deck unique:
- 100 resource cards;
- a focus on a life that feels like your own;
- working with the body, desires, voice, action, and intimacy;
- suitable for soft daily practices and longer spreads.
Who it's for:
- women who want to bring back the feeling of life;
- those who have lived a long time in "I have to" mode;
- those who want to not just dream, but build contact with reality;
- specialists for resourceful session closures.
Example of a request:
"What step today will make my life more mine?"
Questions for the card:
- What on this card is about my life?
- Where is the resource here?
- What do I want more of?
- What small action will bring me closer to my happy life without a heroic marathon?
It is great to link this deck to themes of dreams, shaping the future, and self-reflection:
- "Shaping the future" — shaping the future article
- Online MAC cards — online MAC decks
- MAC Catalog — printed MAC card catalog
How to choose your deck: a short navigator
If you want a simple choice, you can navigate like this:
- About changes, crisis, path, choices, archetypes: "My Myth: The Hero's Journey"
- About desires, feelings, relationships, sensitivity: "Dream, Desire, Feel"
- About dreams, inner roles, permissions, and the future: "Dreams"
- About the inner child, childhood scenarios, shame, boundaries: "Children of the Dungeon"
- About women's rights, boundaries, self-worth, the right to be oneself: "I Have the Right"
- About resources, your life, happiness, body, voice, and action: "I Live My Happy Life"
And if you want to choose "correctly," there is an even simpler way: open the online MAC cards page, look at the names of the decks, and notice which one hooked you a little bit. It doesn't necessarily have to be a pleasant hook. Sometimes the right deck isn't the one that says "oh, how beautiful," but the one near which something quietly says inside: "Oh, anything but that". Often, that is exactly where the material for your work lies.
Online MAC cards: online MAC decks
Printed MAC decks: printed MAC card catalog
5 simple spreads for self-reflection
1. One card a day
Request: "What is important for me to notice today?"
After the card, write down:
- what I see;
- what I feel;
- what thought came to mind;
- what small step I will take.
This is the perfect format for online MAC when you have no time for deep practice, but still want to stay in touch with yourself.
2. Three cards: state, cause, resource
- What is going on with me right now?
- What stands behind this?
- What resource is available to me?
This spread works well with emotional topics, especially if a person feels "something is wrong," but can't yet name exactly what.
3. Four cards: scenario, role, need, action
- What scenario keeps repeating?
- What role do I play in it?
- What is my true need?
- What new action is possible?
This is a good spread for "My Myth," "Children of the Dungeon," and "Dreams".
4. Resource spread
- What is currently draining me?
- What is supporting me?
- What right am I taking back for myself?
- What step will I take today?
This format is particularly suited for "I Have the Right" and "I Live My Happy Life".
5. "Me and my desire" spread
- What do I want?
- What am I afraid of?
- What is stopping me?
- How can I support myself?
Works well with "Dream, Desire, Feel" and "Dreams".
Why MAC cards pair well with workbooks and journals
The card provides an image. The workbook provides structure. The journal provides a place where the thought won't get lost.
Scientific research on neuroplasticity proves: expressive writing (putting emotions and thoughts down on paper) literally helps to rewire neural pathways. When we transfer anxiety or confusing feelings to paper, we unload our brain's working memory.
Without writing it down, an insight sometimes lives for 12 minutes before it's eaten up by daily routines: messages, boiling the kettle, "where are the keys", "so what are we eating", "did I actually open that file?". Therefore, it is good to combine MAC with written practices.
For example:
- pull a card;
- answer 3-5 questions;
- record one action;
- return in a week and see what has changed.
For regular work, you can use a weekly tracker: mark with circles every day what you noticed—an old role, fear, anger, desire, boundary, a small step for yourself. It is a very simple format, but it shows dynamics. And dynamics are often more honest than our dramatic inner monologues.
Important: MAC cards are a tool for self-reflection, not a replacement for therapy
Metaphoric cards can be very deep. But they do not replace psychotherapy, medical assistance, or working with a specialist during complex states.
Their strength zone is self-discovery, soft reflection, structuring inner experience, finding resources, and working with questions that can be explored at your own pace.
If traumatic material, severe anxiety, panic, a sense of danger, or a state that is difficult to cope with on your own arises during the practice, it is better to turn to a psychologist, psychotherapist, or doctor.
Self-reflection should support, not break you.
Conclusion: the card doesn't know the answer for you, but it can help you hear it
MAC cards are not a magic button, not a test with right answers, and not a psychological attraction of "find out who you are in 30 seconds". It is a way to stop, see an image, hear an association, and talk more honestly with yourself.
Sometimes one card can do more than a long list of rational explanations. Because the image bypasses the internal censor. While the mind is putting together a presentation on "why everything is fine," the card quietly shows a small figure by closed doors. And suddenly it becomes clear: it's not about the doors. It's about the fact that I've been standing in front of them for a long time waiting for permission to enter.
On MriyaRun, you can start with the online format, and then choose a printed deck for deeper work:
- Online MAC cards: online MAC decks
- Printed MAC decks catalog: printed MAC card catalog
- MriyaRun Blog: MriyaRun psychology articles
Choose a deck with more than just your head. See which theme resonates with your body, emotion, curiosity, or even a slight internal "no-no-no, this is definitely not about me". Because sometimes that "not about me" is exactly the door where your next honest conversation with yourself has been standing for a long time.