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Tarot of the Imagination The Tarot of the Imagination might best be described as a ‘fine art’ deck. There is little if any occult symbolism here; instead, the artist Ferenc Pintér has created 78 scenes reflecting many different cultures and periods. This deck would have been more accurately named The Tarot of Western Civilization. |
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There is a wonderful range of historical periods represented here. The Trumps are difficult to pin-point to any single era yet appear to be primarily Elizabethan. Most of them stray significantly from traditional Tarot imagery. For example, The Magician appears to be an absent-minded illusionist, raising one hand to quiet his spectator and seemingly unsure himself as to which cup the ball might be under. It is not clear whether he realizes that three balls float mysteriously behind him. His comedic hat is pierced with a syringe and spoon, and a bag is tied around his waist. In addition to a brief description of the image, the included booklet gives this card’s meaning as “Ability, spirit of initiation, self-confidence, higher powers, deception.” The Sun departs from tradition by depicting the myth of Apollo’s Chariot. The driver’s expression tells us that he is not the Sun god Apollo but Apollo’s son Phaeton, who – against his father’s warnings – took the reins into his inexperienced hands. For this card, the booklet says only that “The passionate, fiery heart burns everything in its wake. Sincerity, clarity, conviction, purification, direction, talent, focusing, brilliant idea, novelty, warmth.” The booklet also tells us that a visiting rider has just passed through the The Tower’s entry gates. As the heavy door is slammed closed, the tower collapses – a scene which suggests accidents or unavoidable crisis. Other meanings given for this card include “Arrogance, pride, over confident, ruin, prison, trap.” |
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The publisher Lo Scarabeo should be commended for having left the keywords off of the cards themselves and relegating them to a more appropriate place: in the booklet. The keywords themselves are quite thought provoking, particularly those for the fifty-six suit cards whose corresponding images show virtually no resemblance to the Waite-Smith imagery. All of the keywords fit their images well but are presented as hints only, as the images suggest more than one possible meaning. The pips are based upon a numeric symbolism which is summarized in the booklet: “It is the Ace of each suit which represents its abstract form and a synthesis of its essence. The two is the crucial point from which all begins. The three is decision, the end to waiting or procrastination, the beginning. The four is stability, when a situation appears to have reached an equilibrium. The five is change or a new development. The six is a dream which leads to awareness, interior search, analysis. The seven is mental approach and how our intellect tries to interpret things. The eight is the struggle to obtain what one wants and to get where one wants to be. The nine is experience and the ability to make abstract desires become reality. The ten is the greatest expansion, the result, the point of arrival, the end.” Unlike some decks which claim to incorporate numeric symbolism, the Tarot of the Imagination tangibly incorporates the above concepts into its designs. The domain represented by each of the four suits is somewhat non-traditional, with Coins representing the unknown and mysterious, Staves the mundane and familiar, Chalices the emotional realm, and Swords conflict and the darker sides of life. Each suit symbol is clearly displayed like an icon at the top of the card. The Four of Cups is sometimes seen as a card representing mixed blessings. In this deck, the design shows what appears to be French woman conversing with a foreign soldier; the booklet gives the keyword Discomfort, and explains this card as “The formal relationship between different worlds which would like to believe they are at peace with each other.” |
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The Ace of Clubs is one of the most striking images in the deck, showing an early atomic bomb in mid-air, as if hovering just before impact. The image fits this suit perfectly, corresponding as it does to the element of Fire, and strikes me as a highly imaginative way of illustrating the potent meaning of this card. The booklet gives it the keyword Immobility, describing it as “A moment which lasts forever, for the whole of time.” The allusion to Hiroshima is clear, bringing a fresh approach to this card. The Eight of Swords is called The Sacrifice and depicts a French soldier carrying a fallen comrade to safer territory. The booklet says “Over valleys and mountain passes, never wanting to stop, nevermore.” Being an image of struggle (Eight) within conflict (Swords), this card is an excellent example of the deck’s harmony between numeric idea and suit. In my opinion, the single blemish of this attractive deck is the image for Trump XII, The Hanged Man. The illustration presents a man’s profile, from whose oversized nose hangs snot in the form of an inverted figure. The booklet explains that the man is motionless except for his gaze, and that he restrains himself no matter what the unpleasantry. Consequently, all else around him “takes on a life and will of its own”. The interpretations given include “Disinterest, suspension of judgment, waiting, detachment.”— interesting meanings, but ones which I don’t think compensate for the artist’s choice of image. |
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The court cards express underlying themes common across the suits: the Knave is the potential and youth of the suit, the Knight is the energy and strength, the Queen is the emotion, conscience, and understanding, and the King is the experience and authority. To emphasize the court card personalities, every Page, Knight, Queen and King is represented by a different famous personage. Their names are not given in the booklet but many can be readily identified. The Queen of Wands (shown above) depicts the irrepressible Elisabeth of Austria, affectionately known as Sissi; the booklet defines this card as: “Dignity. The quality of not refraining from being oneself.” The King of Cups (shown above) is represented by Henry XIII, along with portraits of his six wives; the booklet says: “Experience. Never forget the loves of the past.” There are many, many beautiful images in this deck, both in its Major and Minor Arcana. Perhaps even more interesting is the way in which these images capture their divinatory meanings. Some of the scenes have the charm of Norman Rockwell paintings, such as the Nine of Cups (The Announcement) which shows a kneeling, surprised young girl looking up at a hovering figure, an allusion to the virgin Mary, or the Two of Coins (The Gift) which shows a boy and his parents being presented with a gift from a visiting relative. Some of the scenes are emotionally unpleasant, such as the Ace of Swords (Violence) which depicts a masked executioner carrying a head on a platter, likely an allusion to John the Baptist, or the Four of Swords (Massacre) which shows an armed German soldier in the foreground facing a row of well-dressed figures in the distance, the booklet’s text saying “Nobody looked them in the face nor asked their names.” Other scenes are comical and quircky, such as the Eight of Wands (Inattention) which illustrates a gentleman reading books at a bedside while a woman in negligee glares disapprovingly, or the Four of Wands (Society) which shows older folks in a nondescript location, for which the booklet says cryptically: “People came and went conversing about Michaelangelo.” Though perhaps its name is not a perfect fit, this deck has a visual and interpretive diversity which is quite imaginative. The Tarot of the Imagination is readily available from most Tarot retailers. |