Review by Mara Thorson
Thoughts on the Trilateral Tarot by creator, Mara Thorson
Trilateral Tarot offers what I believe is a unique approach to the traditional Major Arcana. Each of the twenty-two hand-crafted cards in this deck and book set:
- Portrays a familiar yet unique symbolic representation of the conventional Trumps.
- Mirrors a Universal Truth or Law associated with the card.
- Parallels three psycho-metaphysical interpretations based on the specific card and its direction in the Tarot spread.
The idea for these triangular-shaped Trump cards
emerged in stages. They evolved from thoughts about the
traditional Tarot images and the meanings, names and numbers
generally assigned to them. It began as a reflection on my
first encounter with the Tarot over twenty-five years
ago when I revisited the feelings of esoteric
excitement and euphoric recognition that the pictorial images
had elicited. Suddenly I understood. The archetypal
imagery had touched a part of me which had lain dormant
for many years. It had reached out to my Soul and
encouraged me to remember my connection with the Source.
Through a conscious union with my Spirit, I had found my
way home, the path to my Self.
It was at this point
that I knew my cards would have to take on a
non-traditional shape to address the multifaceted personality.
They would be triangular with each side addressing a
different level of the mind—the conscious, unconscious and
meta-conscious. The interpretations would be based on a
metaphysical, psychological approach highlighting aspects of the
Soul’s journey back to the “home” I had glimpsed through
the Tarot so many years before.
When I began to
consider the numerological significance of each numbered
Trump and its relationship to the names and meanings of
the cards, patterns of triangles began to emerge,
forming different possible conscious, unconscious and
meta-conscious paths to enlightenment. I think it was then that
the number six, the Lovers card, literally jumped from
my hands. I realized that when all twenty-one
numbers of the Major Arcana are added together and
reduced, the result is the number six, the card of
Wholeness, the card of Unity, the key to spiritual
enlightenment. And just as spontaneously, the cards began to
associate themselves with various Universal Laws or Truths.
It was more of a happening than a concerted effort to
orchestrate a connection, and before long, I had been given
corresponding Universal Truths for each of the Major Arcana.
The shape of these Major Arcana cards lends itself to multiple interpretations of the same theme. With cards shaped as equilateral triangles, we are immediately alerted to the particular level of significance indicated by the position of the image that is drawn and placed before us. For example, in the upright position, the symbolism of the card relays an interpretation of the Universal Truth associated with that specific Trump. Ideally, this upright position communicates with our meta-conscious mind, the part of us that remains forever connected to our eternal Spirit. When the Tarot card points to the right, the card speaks of issues related to the conscious level of the mind. Pointing to the left, the same Tarot image addresses concerns of the unconscious mind.
Just as the idea materialized in stages, the actual
cards developed piece by piece from scraps of fabric
constructed in a collage-type fashion. The related
interpretations arose from the images as well as the Universal
Truths reflected in the individual cards. Finally,
corresponding affirmations and the design for the back of the
cards presented themselves, and Trilateral Tarot:
Universal Truths Consciousness was born.
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