I have always had a major fascination with tarot/inspirational/oracle cards… and I love collecting different decks as well. One of my favorites is the Lo Scarabeo Dream Deck.
I’ve thought about designing my own deck for a while now, and finally got around to making my first card today. The cards are not going to be traditional at all… it will be more like inspiration cards and I will be breaking the unwritten rule of keeping them all vertical. Final images will be mixed mediums including all of my own photography, paintings, photo transfers, ink, digital photography & digital editing, etc. The symbolism can mean different things to different people, so there is no wrong or right way to read the cards. I will keep all of the updates in this blog post, so check back once in a while if you would like to see updates on new cards. I started this project October 2011, and plan to have a full deck by December 2011.
I would love to hear your thoughts, please feel free to comment at the bottom of the page. Thanks!!
*Cards are subject to change. I will delete and re-post if change anything
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More about the cards…
Card #1: Crows
About this card: The crows came from a photograph that I took in San Francisco. I had my friends stop the car so I could jump out and photograph this awesome bird. He was just sitting there watching me as I got closer and closer. Eventually I got close enough to where he flew away and I just kept taking pictures. It wasn’t until I was home reviewing the photos, that I thought about putting all the crow shots together in one image.
Symbolism:
Crows have many different meanings depending on what part of the world you are in. They can symbolize anything from war, death, ill omen, tricksters, good luck, bad luck, change, spiritual strength, messengers, etc. They are also considered to be among the worlds most intelligent animals.
A Human skull can represent death & mortality, equality of all human beings in the face of death, a past life, or even a past life within this life. The Skeleton Key (master key) can open many doors which provides access.
The circle with a diamond shape in the middle is a symbol for a few different things: The astronomical sign of the sun, The open eye of god;purpose and revelation, Air, pregnancy and new human life, Sunday (Roman), Annual.
The sunset/sunrise is a symbol of death, resurrection and immortality.
The crow is standing on the edge of a gate, and below that hangs a rich tapestry which can symbolize love for luxury.
The symbol on the top left is an oriental symbol of the soul’s pilgrimage through life.
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Card #2: Magical Wishing Fountain
About this card: This card is based off of a picture that I took of a fountain in Florence, Italy (located inside the Courtyard building in the Palazzo Vecchio). I loved it so much, that I was inspired to draw it once I got back to my hotel room. Something about it is so magical.
Symbolism:
A wishing well is know for being good luck. It can also represent deep desires & inspirations, wishful thinking and good health.It is full of coins which can mean good fortune, power of manifestation, Happiness, Positive thinking.
I may end up adding a fish to this card some time in the future which could symbolize spirituality, going with the flow, searching, subconscious & depth of knowledge, happiness, good luck, eternity, fertility, etc.
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Card #3: Prayer and Protection
About this card: I took this picture of my daughter in the Nevada desert (Valley of Fire). We had some angel wings from a previous photo shoot and decided to bring them with us on our road trip. She did such a great job modeling for us! The moon (taken by my hubby) was added in later during post processing.
Symbolism:
Angels are often seen as messengers, warriors, guardians or protectors. They can represent hope, goodness, purity, protection, comfort and consolation.
The full moon shares the symbolism of the circle as an image of wholeness and strength. The Chinese associate it with the essence of Yin and the feminine; to Buddhists it represents spiritual power. The Harvest Moon (a full Moon near the September equinox) symbolizes agricultural fertility. The word “lunatic” comes from the Latin for moon, luna, and originally meant “Moonstruck”. The full Moon was thought to worsen lunacy and is associated with wild behavior in animals and humans.
The Stars are connected with spiritual illumination and divine presence. In native American traditions stars are seen as campfire of the ancestors.
The child is a symbol of the future, youthful enthusiasm, impressionability, and potential.
The symbol on the bottom right is a Triquetra, which represents love, honor, and protection.
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Card #4: Good vs. Evil
About this card: This card was created from one of my acrylic paintings. It is my take of good vs evil in the modern world.
Symbolism:
I am going to write my own personal definition for this card, and remember, you can always create your own meanings. For me, this is a card of choice… everyone has the choice of good or evil and both are always there and readily available. This can apply to your actions, your thoughts, or hidden in agreements and belief systems you make with yourself. Sometimes negativity sneaks up on you and then builds upon itself. Pay close attention to your thoughts and actions to see what is going on, and ask yourself… are you building yourself and other people up or destroying yourself and other people?
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Card #5: Creativity
About this card: It was early in the year of 2010 that I decided to buy and airbrush and learn how to use it with the intention of later painting people. A few months later, this checkered image was born. I airbrushed the model, as well as the background and then took her picture in our studio. It is not photo-shopped although, for this card, it has been transferred from rice paper to watercolor paper and stylized in post processing with a grunge look . The original image is crisp and black & white. This is one of my favorite images from all of the body paintings we have done.
Symbolism:
Art and creativity ~ “Imagination rules the world.” Napoleon Bonaparte
Sunglasses can mean several different things including: “Shading” or protecting yourself—for example, from people around you or from facing reality. Trying to control or affect your perception of situations, events, or people in an unnatural or skewed way (other than reality). Distancing yourself from people, relationships, or social interactions. Feeling private, or like you want to hide yourself or your feelings, or like you don’t want to be bothered by others
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Card #6: Spiritual Mirror
About this card: This photograph was from a shoot that we did for Andrea Hansen /Pretty Macabre (wardrobe designer) , located in SLC, UT. I was also working on creating ghosted images (one shot taken with a long & and multiple exposures to capture movement and “ghosted” images) for an exhibit that is on display during October 2011. This was one of my favorite images from the show. She is wearing a vintage style carnival performer sort of outfit, standing in front of a blue theater curtain.
Symbolism:
Spiritual reflection. The Spiritual Mirror Truthfully reflect the Consequences of our actions along with the Karmic rewards, or punishments, which the consequences of our actions have brought upon us.
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Card #7: Living in the Now
About this card: This is a collage of about 7 images & textures. The moon image was taken by my lovely husband. The desert image was taken in Southern Utah, the flying bird is form Italy, and the man in the mask is our friend James Morris who models for us often.
Symbolism:
“Now is the only time that has ever existed. There is only now. The past is an illusion, the future is an illusion, time is an illusion. There is only now”
The man standing in the moon light wearing a gas mask is protecting himself from any possible toxic gasses, but as you can see there is a bird flying that is just fine. This card can represent past issues affecting your present decisions. You may be feeling like you need to protect yourself which is preventing you from enjoying the current moment to its fullest.
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Card #8 Furious
About this card: I was photographing students for my friends makeup class. This was a fun shot that was later photo-shopped with added smoke and textures. After transferring this image for the tarot card, I painted some mazes on each side of the image.
Symbolism:
This girl came prepared for battle, and she is about to destroy someone! Smoke is rising from her fingers as if she just threw a fireball at someone/something.
Mazes can symbolize that you must untangle the maze in order to clear the path to self-knowledge and inner wisdom. You may be feeling like you’re running into walls in life. Try to identify those obstacles and think of ways to work through them. Are you using the same methods that don’t work over and over again? You may need to change your beliefs and expectations in order to make changes.
A mask is an article normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance or entertainment.
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Card #9: Post Card
About this card: While out looking for cool, old paper textures, I found this vintage blank post card at a bookstore down town in Salt Lake City.
Symbolism:
You may need to get in touch with someone. These days it is too easy to send a text or email… going out of your way to write a letter is usually done with a lot of thought and care. Make sure you take your time, there is an art to delivering a message.
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Card #10: Young Lovers
About this card: I took this shot of our friends up by the Salt Lake City, UT Capital building for some of their engagement photos.
*There will be one or two more lovers cards in the deck.
Symbolism:
Young lovers, passionately kissing and so in love, about to start their life together. Everything is new and exciting!
This could be about putting your heart and soul (optimistically with the best intentions) into something whether it is is a person, hobby, work, or project.
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Card #11: Adventurous / Travel Alone
About this card: This is a shot of another friend of ours… we were meeting out at the Salt Flats in Utah to take engagement photos for him and his wife to be.
Symbolism:
Adventurous: 1.Willing to take risks or to try out new methods, ideas, or experiences. 2. Involving new ideas or methods.
Could also be about traveling alone (mentally and/or physically)
This card van be about a male person in your life, or possibly adventure & taking risks… or maybe even both 
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Card #12: Time
About this card: This shot came from a photography project called “Are You Interesting?” … Our friend who modeled for this had this cool watch collection so we had her put them all on. Who knew it would make such a cool tarot card?! Hehe
Symbolism:
Time. Waiting. Maternal Clock. Time running out? etc.
Numbers falling on clock could mean losing track of time.
From Wikipedia: A Green Man is a sculpture, drawing, or other representation of a face surrounded by or made from leaves. Branches or vines may sprout from the nose, mouth, nostrils or other parts of the face and these shoots may bear flowers or fruit. Commonly used as a decorative architectural ornament, Green Men are frequently found on carvings in churches and other buildings (both secular and ecclesiastical). “The Green Man” is also a popular name for English public houses and various interpretations of the name appear on inn signs, which sometimes show a full figure rather than just the head.
