Arcana of the Tree

Arcana of the Tree
Ernesto Solari, 1997

This interesting deck is based on the universal archetype of the tree. Although many cultures have tree mythologies, this deck focuses primarily on Biblical and Kabbalistic mythology. It is also based upon the symbolism of a large Byzantine mosaic found within an ancient Italian basilica, explained below.

The full name of this deck is Gli Arcani dell’Albero della Vita e della Conoscenza, or The Arcana of the Tree of Life and of Knowledge. It also refers to itself simply as The Arcana of the Tree. The illustrations are by Ernesto Solari, an Italian art professor whose paintings for this deck were presented as part of a larger exhibition. The guidebook to this exhibition is an overview of several cultural tree archetypes: Yggdrasil of Norse mythology, the tree of Brahma in the second Upanishad, the Navaho Indian World Axis, the Celtic tree alphabet of Ogham, the tree of Christ’s cross, Egypt’s Pillar of Osiris, the Bodhi Tree of the Buddha, the alchemist’s Tree of Philosophy, and the Cabalist’s Tree of the Sephiroth.

As the title of this deck suggests, these designs allude primarily to Biblical archetypes. The Genesis story of Eden tells us that Elohim placed two trees in the center of the Garden: The Tree of Life and The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Neither of these trees is explained in the text, yet both were forbidden by God to the first couple. This mysterious myth has been interpreted in a myriad of ways. Solari describes his own perspective in the opening words of his introduction: “The Tree of Life is for mankind a principle of unity, unlike the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil which is the principle of that duality to which man becomes victim. The two trees of Life and of Knowledge form a union in the Sephirotic Tree.”

Trump I, shown above, is titled The Man Tree, and Solari’s interpretation says “the union of complements: will, activity, initiative.” The documentation included with this deck is a single folded sheet, which contains a brief introduction, a chart outline of meanings, and a short paragraph on each card’s symbolism. Solari describes this card’s image as “The man-tree, Adam, symbol of virility and all the attributes which characterize it, comprising the mysterious creative ability.”

The Emperor, titled Power, represents the solidification of the first three Trump forces – Will, Knowledge, Action. Solari writes “The Tree-Emperor of grounded realizations: all that which had begun to germinate is here realized on very solid ground.” While the first Trump depicts the essence of mankind’s power, this Trump shows the form of those forces; the image of a human has taken shape, and stands superimposed with the middle Sephirotic pillar of the Kabbalistic Tree: Kether, Tipharet, Yesod and Malkuth. This card is a profound and beautiful diagram. Both of the Trumps shown above remind me of the New Testament passage where Jesus restores the sight of a blind man who, upon using his eyes for the first time, declares “I see men as trees walking.”

This deck is largely influenced by the floor mosaic of an ancient Byzantine basilica in Otranta. This town is situated within the ‘heel’ of the Italian peninsula. Its vulnerable position here made it a favorite target of invading conquerors for centuries. Solari writes that the richness of the Italian mosaics in this region show the influence of these many and varied cultures. He says that “The Basilica of Otranta, in fact, marks the point of highest tension of art forms and faiths, at a time in which two religions (Christianity and Judaism) were dominant in the south and where multiple cultures flourished: the Italian, the Byzantine, the Jewish, the Norman and the Latin.”

The art of Byzantine mosaic was revived with passion in 11th century Italy and spread also to France and Germany. Many of the large Italian churches are in fact decorated with similar kinds of artwork, but the Otranta floor mosaic is one of the best-preserved and most beautiful examples, dating from between 1163 and 1166. Its elaborate design depicts scenes from the Old Testament as well as Greek mythology, the Zodiac, fantastic monsters, and the labors of the month.

What interests Solari are the icons in the Otranta mosaic which seem to prefigure Trump images. He also finds significance in the trees which run throughout the mosaic: the side trees represent to him the two trees of the Garden, which are bound together by the central tree which represents to him the kabbalistic Tree of Life. Trump VII, shown above, was inspired by the two elephants which support the base of the mosaic’s trees. Solari says that “the Elephants of the Tree of Otranta represent Adam and Eve, while in this painting I have given to these animals a different meaning: the Tree as protagonist, guided with firmness by the two pachyderms – representing opposites – toward a sure goal, victorious over time and natural obstacles.”

This deck follows the Tarot attributions popular in many European countries, which assigns the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet after the manner of the French occultist Eliphas Levi. This tradition gives the letter Ayin, meaning eye, to The Tower. Solari’s version of the sixteenth Trump bears the unusual title Il Vitello, or The Calf, and the meanings which he gives to it are “Eye, Perfection, Equilibrium.”

The image and title of this card allude to the Old Testament, which is replete with references to the sacrificial use of cattle and other animals to secure atonement, ‘perfection, equilibrium’. While these ideas may at first seem unrelated to more familiar interpretations, they again follow European occult traditions which describe The Tower as signifying the descent and materialization of spirit into matter, as well as the converse principle of fire released from matter. The suggestion is that the immortal life-force finds itself bound and then loosed from a physical vessel. This principle parallels the ancient belief that the spirit is contained in the blood, and that blood sacrifice expiates sin by releasing that spirit back to the gods.

The concept of ‘releasing the spirit’ can be seen behind Solari’s description: “When the subterranean fire reaches its maximum intensity, the celestial fire descends vehemently upon the tower, toward the center of the divine pyramid and, uncovering it, permits the release of transformative fluid. The transformation which happens below ignites by analogy the fire above, since above and below are both united.”

Continuing the theme of the sacrificial offering is The Fool, called The Tree of Jesse. It depicts Jesus as the fruit of this tree, being descended from the lineage of Jesse. In the New Testament, the tree-symbolism is that of the wooden cross of Christ’s crucifixion. Solari writes: “The tree-cross symbolizes the passage of Christ to the Father, the elevation of the Lord, the manifestation of the Glory of God.”

Following this card is Trump 22, shown above as Gli Elementi, or The Elements. Solari writes that “The tree of this Arcana indicates the complete realization of the union of opposites, and shows the moment in which many paths are made one on the plane of reality, which is that of the world.” The card seems to show the same tree from the previous card, after “the passage of Christ to the Father.” The aura still appears at the vertex of a cross, perhaps marking the point of Christ’s departure. If the tree in this card represents the cabalistic Tree of Life, then this focal point may represent Tipharet, where all of the paths of the tree converge.

This Arcana of the Tree was published by Aisthesis & Magazine in 1999. It can usually be found at Alida, based in San Marino, Italy.

Review by Mark Filipas, 10/20/00