I have never been a big fan of using tarot as a way to predict the future. I always saw the tarot as a beautiful illustration of the path of life with all its obstacles and disappointments. You learn to walk, you learn to talk, you learn to crawl, you learn to please the people who take care of you. And at one point in time, you are on your own. You need to make a decision about the path you are going to choose. And that pattern is perfectly illustrated in the major arcana.
A couple of year ago I visited the tarot garden of Niki de Saint Phalle, a French artist: ‘Giardino dei Tarocchi’, in Tuscany. It took her up to fifteen years to design and build it. And while she was working and living in this garden she really added some significant interpretations to the symbols. The pictures illustrating this blog (courtesy Juvani photo) were taken when we visited the tarot garden in Garavicchio.
Let’s have a look at the first example of the stunning art work in the tarot garden.
One of the many handcrafted sculptures tiled with tiny mosaics of glas, porcelain and shattered mirror.
It is card 8, Strength.
The young girl finally dares to look her dragon in the eyes. He is mesmerized by her acknowledgment. He lets her lead he way. We all know this feeling. Tired of running away, let’s face our dragons. It is the only way to gently lead them.Each piece of art is carefully placed in the hilly tarot garden, surrounded by olive trees and other nature.
Tarot garden’s interpretation of Card 15: The Devil
Another example is Niki’s Devil, who has two people that long for each other but are not able to come close. One is red, the other purple. Two opposites of the spectrum, longing but unable to unite.
They are not chained, there is no need for that. The devil has their feet. One red feet, the other purple. It is the longing for something we think we can never have that urges us to develop those qualities in ourselves.
If you look at tarot cards as a way of guiding your life’s journey you gain another perspective on hem. They are often used to predict the future and perhaps if you are on a certain journey the outcome can be accurately predicted by using the cards. But I am more in favor of using the cards as guideline for your life-journey.
Visiting the tarot garden is a great excursion when you are in Italy, and when you have some basic knowledge of the tarot itself.
Do you want to learn more about the archetypical images on the tarot? You can sign up now for the Good the Bad and the Ugly a unique course that combines archetypes tarot and dreaming.
This course features all the cards of the major arcana and their symbolic meaning. Each card has an incubation that is tailor made to comprehend the archetypical features of that card. In a closed, private Facebook group you can share the dream(s) you capture and see if and how this archetype plays a role in your current life. At the end of the course you will have an in depth understanding of the symbols in the tarot and a new way of looking at your dreams.
