Each transformational tool that
we bring into our lives teaches us something. The
Tarot and its archetypal images is a teacher that can
take us into many worlds other than our own. The "Tarot
of Transformation" works with imagery that goes far
afield from that of more traditional decks. The creators
of this deck draw from their own backgrounds to
create this tool of transformation - Willow Arlenea holds
degrees in Fine Arts and Transpersonal Psychology, Jasmin
Lee Cori is a licensed psychotherapist who uses the
transpersonal approach in her work.
The authors see the "Tarot
of Transformation" as a tool of deep spiritual
transformation, and have approached all of the cards in this
manner. From the book:
"The goal of transformation is not
just to experience higher states of consciousness;
that, more accurately, is the role of transcendence. The
goal of transformation is to have your human person and
human life transformed or reshaped in accordance
with your spiritual realization. Spiritual experiences
(or any experience, for that matter), mean little if
they are not integrated into your life. ...
One route
to transformation is to work with present
experiences. These are the grit that forms the "pearl" or
wholeness of your being. Every topic discussed in this deck
- including creating balance in your life, working
with the Shadow, recovering your instinctual wisdom,
releasing stuck energy, the need to inspire and refresh
yourself, dealing with doubt and developing compassion, is a
building block for transformation."
The Major Arcana,
renamed, and their themes are as follows:
0 Fool: Innocence or Ignorance?
1 The Magician: Master of Conscious Creation
2 The High Priestess: Feminine Mysteries and Intuitive Wisdom
3 The Earth Mother: Queen of Life
4 The Green Man: Ruling In Harmony With Nature
5 Spiritual Leaders: Taking The Hierophant Off The Pedestal
6 The Lovers: Love In The Highest Octave
7 The Chariot: Agent of Change
8 Balance: Restoring Cosmic Order
9 The Crone: The Light of Introspection
10 Wheel of Fortune: Flowing With Change
11 Strength: Moving From The Core
12 The Hanged Man: Not In Control
13 Death: Grieving And Letting Go
14 Temperance: Integrating Polarities
15 The Devil: Separation From The Source
16 Kali: Shattering The Structure
17 The Star: Guiding Light
18 The Moon: Peace In The Darkness
19 The Sun: The Radiance of Being
20 Compassion: Transcending Judgment
21 The Cosmos: The Multidimensional Universe
The interpretation of the suits follows traditional form. Wands are
creativity, represented as "chi", or life force, which is
explored here under the guise of the chakra system. Cups
represent the emotional world, explored in this deck through
the framework of several psychotherapeutic approaches
(i.e. the Ace of Cups discusses the energy of Watsu, a
form of water therapy). Swords represent the mental
realm, and what the authors term "original patterns".
Disks represent the material world and daily life, which
is expressed in this deck through animal imagery.
To
give you an idea of how the pips are presented, I am
going to present the author's version of the Aces in
each suit. (I have to say, I was a tad irritated at the
term "one" being used for the aces. Yes - the aces
vibrate to the number one, but have you ever thought or
heard of the "One" of
Wands/Cups/Swords/Pentacles?)
Grounding For Creativity (Ace of Wands): This card is done
in tones of pink and purple. In the center of the
card is what the authors term a nature spirit,
squatting on the ground with arms raised to the heavens, and
"roots" going down into the earth. The authors describe
this card as representing the grounding of the fiery
energy of the Wands. The number one provides the base to
support the personal energy of creativity.
Dissolving
Into Oneness (Ace of Cups) is a very heartwarming card,
done in shades of blue and purple. This card represents
our sense of wholeness in the emotional plane of life.
It is where our needs are met, where we are nurtured.
The illustration is fascinating - a female figure
is pictured, with her head literally going into and
being part of the universe. Her shoulders and arms are
shown - with her arms spread wide to encompass a large
"belly", in which we see a fetus, surrounded by liquid. The
sense of the fluid nature of the fetus encompasses the
authors feeling of the fetus being connected to the waters
of the ocean.
Point of Origination (Ace of Swords)
is done in shades of pink, purple and blue. The
authors portray this card as the process of our ideas and
patterns coming into consciousness (Swords being the mental
suit). This card is very fantasy like, showing a crystal
ball like structure with people sitting in a circle.
Atop this - coming out of it, actually - is a form
playing a flute like instrument. For the authors, this
card represents the moment when our ideas are
conceived.
Birth into Form (Ace of Disks/Pentacles) is very free
form fantasy, done in shades of pink and purple. The
authors refer to this card as representing new beginnings
in the world of our daily life. The representation on
this card is that of eggs in a nest - the new
beginnings of life.
The presentation of the court cards in
this deck is interesting. The authors have attempted to
take them into the "gender neutral" realm. That
certainly blows the traditional Tarot court card cosmology
all to heck! They go further than that - they say that
there is "no connection" between the cards - that they
are simply four ways to express the nature of their
suit.
The Server expresses our impulse to help in each of
the realms (mental, emotional, physical, spiritual).
The Teacher is the embodiment of some type of wisdom
in our lives pertinent to that suit. The Healer is
the influence of healing - whether we are healing
ourselves or enabling the healing of someone else. The
Master is all of the lessons of each suit coming together
in our lives. The authors see the combination of the
four master cards in the deck as being symbolized in
card 21 of the deck - the Kosmos (The Universe).
The
authors discuss ways in which the cards can be used - one
of which is to use them as a jumping off point for
work with other modalities. There are three basic
spreads presented in the book.
The two card spread
places the bottom card as the issue/situation being
addressed, and the crossing card as representing additional
(often unseen) influences.
The three card spread
presents card number one as largely unconscious feelings,
attitudes and forces in our lives; card number two
represents our more conscious feelings and attitudes - how we
are currently handling things; card number three
represents the "key" - the tool or perspective that will
facilitate transformation. This spread is done in the form of
a triangle.
The six card spread deals with
relationship. Card numbers one and two are the same as in the
three card spread. Card numbers three and four have the
same meaning for the other person in the relationship.
These cards are placed facing each other, with card
number two over card number one, and these two cards
facing cards number three and four, with card number four
being over card number three. Card number five is below
and between the first four cards, and represents the
interaction of the first four cards - what they have
"created". Card number six is above cards number two and
four, and between them. It represents the "higher way
out", similar to card number three in the three card
reading.
There are some nice reference charts at the end of the
book that show what is termed the "card correspondence"
for each card - basically the "meaning" or energy of
the card. There is also a reference chart that I
believe is unique to this deck - on that talks about
"themes", and the authors choice of cards for working with
specific themes. For instance, under creativity they list:
the Sun, Freeing Your Expression (Five of Wands) and
Grounding For Creativity (One of Wands - my version = Ace of
Wands). I beg to differ with many of t heir choices here -
but these are personal choices, and this is a chart
that each person working with the Tarot needs to make
for themselves. What a wonderful tool of
transformation this can be!
This deck would a good choice for
someone working on their own life choices, or working with
their clients to make better choices. It is not a deck
for beginning Tarot students, as in many ways it does
not follow the lines of Tarot at all. An interesting
use here might be to read with a more traditional
Tarot deck, and then do a comparative reading with the
"Tarot Of Transformation" - that is, to lay out the same
cards that were drawn for the traditional reading and
see what new insights are gained.
Bonnie Cehovet is Certified Tarot Grand Master, a professional Tarot reader with over ten years experience, a Reiki Master/Teacher and a writer. Bonnie has served in various capacities with the American Tarot Association, is co-founder of the World Tarot Network, and Vice President (as well as Director of Certification) for the American Board For Tarot Certification. She has had articles appear in the 2004 and 2005 Llewellyn Tarot Reader.
