ARTICLE
A Tarot cards deck meant to explore psychism in Jungian terms.
Created in 1983, the images have an astrological and also a psychological dimension by referring to the concept of multiple personalities introduced by the Swiss psychoanalyst. Each card represents an inner personality, behavior and motivation. The basic idea was to represent twelve inner personalities corresponding to astrological archetypes (12 major arcana) and their combinations (66 minor arcana).
The authors, Peter Orban and Ingrid Zinnel, counted on the illustrative art of the painter Thea Weller to create 3.14" ×4.92" cards representing major arcana, inspired by the European lifestyle and Greek mythology, especially by the mother of muses Mnemosyne (in Greek language, "memory"). Besides, the deck includes an explanatory guidebook in which each card is described for a 3-card reading: as a problem (initial position), as a pathway to get out of the problem (middle card) and as a solution (final position).
There are 12 major arcana (signs of the Zodiacs and rulers) and 66 minor ones, with names referring to archetypical interactions of two signs and rulers. As each card also holds symbols in the upper and lower areas, we can choose cards to symbolize a birth chart! Some examples:
For Sun in Leo semi-sextile Moon in Cancer on a chart (30º aspect), search for the card displaying both signs in the upper area (it will show Sun and Moon's symbols in the lower area): Incompatibility. If Mercury in Gemini squares Mars in Virgo, you may associate Mediator (major card for Mercury's rulership in Gemini), Strategist (minor arcana for Gemini / Virgo interaction) and Block (minor card for Mercury / Mars interaction).
Besides, keep in mind a particular characteristic of the deck: there're different archetypes to associate to Mercury and Venus, depending on their rulerships (Mercury in Gemini or Virgo, and Venus in Taurus or Libra). Without considering signs, for a Mercury / Pluto aspect, you may explore two cards: Pied Piper of Hamelin (Mercury in Gemini / Pluto) and Punishment (Mercury in Virgo / Pluto). For a Venus / Jupiter aspect, you may explore two cards, too: Matter and Spirit (Venus in Taurus / Jupiter) and Symbolon (Venus in Libra / Jupiter).
The spirit of the deck is for inner development, a private exploration, and the authors don't consider it as a predictive game: cards are trying to bring to the present time the memory of different characters in the Jungian psychism. Visit Peter and Heidemarie Orban's official website to find more about Symbolon, purchase the deck in e-book format, and access to seminaries, therapies, videos and new publications related to archetypes and Astrology.
By touching cards, you'll find below a brief reference including the main subjects and meanings for a 3-card spread. Keep in mind it's not a complete, exact or profound reference. And you won't find any comment at all in some cards. I'm sure the original book has many useful and much more specific contents to keep on exploring archetypes seriously, as well as meditating and relating situations by using Symbolon.
12 major arcana
Subjects. Agression, conquer, instigator, phalic power, energy for a new start.
As a problem. Anger and agression are not noticed, are hidden or not recognized as such.
As a way out of a problem. Take action.
As a solution. Now you have the strenght to take action.
Subjects. Value, possession, attraction, sociability.
As a problem. You are a prisioner of your feelings. Searching for people's attention to know if they like you or you can make them feel attracted to you.
As a way out of a problem. Set yourself free and think on Venus. Be her friend and live life as a sensual experience. Respect and estime your body.
As a solution. Be realistic and appreciate the material value of things.
Subjects. Messenger of gods, intellect, contact, watcher, skill.
As a problem. Not being happy about the situation. Finding life boring and superfitial. Lack wings and lightness.
As a way out of a problem. Mercury offers taking distance and face things in an objective and detached way.
As a solution. Use wings to gather unconsciousness with consciousness, meeting a neutral position.
Subjects. Feminity, family, child, feelings, devotion, acceptance, the past.
As a problem. Dry feelings or fear to feel.
As a way out of a problem. Follow your feelings. Dismiss reasoning for a while and trust your intuition.
As a solution. Arrive to homeland, come back to your feelings and find self-confidence.
Subjects. Power, desire, being only one, glory, fertility, creativity, sexuality.
As a problem. Lack of vitality. Can't set energies in motion. This may be a reaction to some dominant behaviour. Express yourself with your ways.
As a solution. Come back to life with strenght and vitality.
Subjects. Reason, accept reality, rationality, sobriety, balance.
As a problem. Refusing to accept current circumstances and blaming others.
As a way out of a problem. Accept yourself and life circumnstances.
As a solution. A quiet order emerges and it is a good one.
Subjects. Other people, relationship, balance, the symbolon, mirror, complement, the half.
As a problem. Other people is expressing their "other ones within" too, as yourself.
As a way out of a problem. Understand yourself through the others. Establish mutual exchanges.
As a solution. Find balance and harmony in a relationship. The symbolon has been reunited.
Subjects. The devil, imagination, idea, suicide, dutie, fixation, fanatism, underworld.
As a problem. Obsession with an idea, and being stacked because of it.
As a way out of a problem. Know the underwold.
As a solution. A metamorphosis takes place.
Subjects. The priest, missionary, therapist, belief, vision, worldview.
As a problem. Imposing opinions and knowledge in others.
As a way out of a problem. Remember.
As a solution. Growth, more open and tolerant. Mnemósyne, the goddess of Memory, holds a treasure: the vision.
Subjects. Legitimity, responsibility, circumstaces, old man, death.
As a problem. Becoming hard and restrained. It's like retiring alone to a fortress.
As a way out of a problem. Take things seriously and honestly.
As a solution. Take responsibility for yourself.
Subjects. Messenger, freedom, foreigner, heroe.
As a problem. Life situation as a prison. Fighting is in vain.
As a way out of a problem. You may find free area a little bit beyond your current problems. Get free from a problem.
As a solution. You moved away from ancient ways to face situations. You got wings without noticing it.
Subjects. Truth, wisdom, intuition, dream, illusion.
As a problem. Your vision is cloudy with illusions and you're not facing reality.
As a way out of a problem. View yourself.
As a solution. You'll see the end of the process internally.
66 minor arcana
Sun (Leo) & ...
Subjects. The double, marriage, day and night, ying and yang.
As a problem. Denying "the woman in you" or "the man in you".
As a way out of a problem. Pay a little more attention to denied characteristics.
As a solution. You're aware of and recognize both aspects.
Subjects. Role, self-portrait, identity, theater, in the backstage, intellectualization.
As a problem. The real person is kept hidden behind a role and a mask.
As a way out of a problem. Play the role.
As a solution. Just play the role and get out of it.
Subjects. A patient, lack of cheerfulness, exhausted, illness, tolerance.
As a problem. Run away and refuse to contact reality.
As a way out of a problem. Resist.
As a solution. You're patient.
Subjects. Feminine power and strenght, greatness and splendor, queen, sensuality and erotic qualities.
As a problem. You left away your ego. Self-steem with no reason to be.
As a way out of a problem. Use your charisma and attraction to reach your goals.
As a solution. Use your position with no false modesty and not hidding yourself.
Subjects. Love (falling in love), couple, climax, euphoria, luck in love, union of opposites.
As a problem. Trying to find happiness through others although it's not a fair trade.
As a way out of a problem. Make plans together.
As a solution. Union.
Subjects. Power, fight, unexisting victory, self-annihilation, the own goal, shadow boxing.
As a problem. You think you have identified the enemy but are defeated. The more you try to win, the more energy you spend.
As a way ouf of a problem. Face your oponent and fight.
As a solution. Decide when to fight and when it's not the time to.
Subjects. Luck, depth, tolerance, admiration, optimism, healer, trust.
As a problem. Lack of trust. You lost optimism. Megalomany.
As a way out of a problem. Find trust.
As a solution. Abundance and luck.
Subjects. Effort, consciousness, holding on, ethics, guilty feelings, responsibility.
As a problem. A heavy load is upon you.
As a way out of a problem. The solution requires dedication, effort and responsibility.
As a solution. You have a conscious, balanced and clear perspective.
Subjects. Letting go the ego, contemplation, deidentification, existential crisis, emptiness.
As a problema. It's time to say goodbye, just it.
As a way out of a problem. Relax and let yourself go. Let things flow. Close your eyes to the world and see inside.
As a solution. Take a step ahead to grow and make the existence richer.
Subjects. Creating life, black magic and white magic, perfectionism, genetic engineering.
As a problem. You're under a magic spell.
As a way out of a problem. Free the energy from the bubble.
As a solution. You move yourself around your star.
Moon (Cancer) & ...
Subjects. Getting in contact with feelings, therapy.
As a problem. Remaining on the surface, ignoring feelings, avoiding noticing or expressing them.
As a way out of a problem. Express what's going on and feel.
Subjects. Sympathy, taking care, someone who worries.
As a problem. Someone is dependent.
As a way out of a problem. Look at your own emotional wellness.
As a solution. Mother-child relationship has been restored. You take care of yourself.
Subjects. Conflict of roles, ambivalent feelings, wife and lover.
As a problem. Indecision about two feminine aspects appearing as a conflict in you or in the affair (for instance, with a mother or a lover). Not playing any of those roles.
As a way out of a problem. Recognize conflictive aspects.
As a solution. Find a way to gather them.
Subjects. "Us", confessing to a relationship, composing, cohession.
As a problem. You refuse to be involved.As a solution. A shared entity emerges, has own life and is greater than single components.
Subjects. Destructing child, anger, hating the mother.
As a problem. A child is angry.
As a way out of a problem. Free anger.
As a solution. Embrace anger.
Subjects. Memory, astonishment, personal truth, muses.
As a problem. No chance to remember. Oblivion.
As a way out of a problem. You can only find a solution to your problem by remembering.
As a solution. The process gives an important clue: you remember.
Subjects. Hardened, strict mother, guilty feelings, depression.
As a problem. Feelings are blocked. A wall is all around, and reactions are cold and distant.
As a way out of a problem. Ask yourself what about all your tears.
As a solution. Defrost.
Subjects. Emotional liberation, cold freedom, exile from homeland.
As a problem. Moving beyond is not accepted. Growing is stopped and the limits are not crossed.
As a way out of a problem. Give birth to something new.
As a solution. Stepping over the limits.
Subjects. Dream, desiring the not-born-yet, cast, intuition, woman in oblivion, waiting.
As a problem. You have no home and hide yourself.
As a way out of a problem. Pay attention to your dreams.
As a solution. Discover a more profound world, an invisible one lying next to the visible one.
Subjects. Feminity, motherhood.
As a problem. Not finding a pathway to life.
As a way out of a problem. Recover your feelings to get out of dephts.
As a solution. Now you have more freedom and independence, and you're not tied anymore.
Mercury (Gemini) & ...
Subjects. The intellectual one, control, tactics, science, diplomacy, causality.
As a problem. Trapped by reasons. Moving away from feelings.
As a way out of a problem. Consider movements, perspectives and time carefully, don't just follow your feelings and, instead, take into account the consequences.
As a solution. Things get clearer and reordered. Cause and effect as a whole.
Subjects. Pechmarie by Grimm, cult to romanticism and society, the beauty and the beast.
As a problem. Comparisons and portraits.
Subjects. Seeing and being seen, ego issues, passing time by, keeping company.
As a problem. Empty relationship, as an adornment for self-infatuation. Bored and not being interested in. You both are just existing.
As a way out of a problem. Look deeper.
As a solution. Join without paying too much attention to appearances.
Subjects. Backbiting, slandering, destroying by using words, lament, murder, sharp talk.
As a problem. Being sensitive to backbiting and lies.
As a way out of a problem. Talk about it.
Subjects. Learn and teach, eternal student, apprentice, lack of dedication.
As a problem. You're trapped in between the master role and the student role.
Subjects. Incapacitation, learning problems, lack of contact, invalid, reflecting, clear thinking.
As a problem. Loss of agility.
Subjects. Dreamer, tumbling down, Freudian lapsus, daring, free-thinker, insignificant reason and short effect.
As a problem. Refusing whatever. The flow in events has been altered and decisions have taken you to the limit to an abyss.
As a way out of a problem. Cannot move forwards by using the usual means! Conditions require unsual and spontaneous actions.
As a solution. You're freed from what's functional.
Subjects. Invisibility, not talking, "silence is gold", keeping a secret, unusefulness, lack of interest.
As a problem. Words don't explain what you want to say.
As a way out of a problem. Keep things for yourself.
As a solution. There's nothing more to say.
Subjects. Being tricked, suggestion, marketer, artisan.
As a problem. Seduction and hoax. Empty promises.
As a way out of a problem. Know more.
As a solution. You realize someone is making you desire on purpose.
Mercury (Virgo) & ...
Subjects. Getting more weight, what is material as a protection and prison, guaranteeing.
As a problem. You were looking for staying secure and got imprisoned.
As a way out of a problem. Some values has become obstacles for progressing.
As a solution. Balance material values.
Subjects. Lack of emotion, boring, duties in a relationship, equity, eroding, lack of motivation.
As a problem. A relationship begins to fade away.
As a way out of a problem. Conform. Find the value of daily life.
As a solution. Daily life as an exercising activity.
Subjects. Act on purpose, blame.
As a problem. A bond around the heart is taking breath and freedom away.
As a way out of a problem. Blaming is unavoidable.
As a solution. Guilt is part of life.
Subjects. Inquiring, intolerance, hypocrite, ignoring different opinions, looking for someone to blame.
As a problem. Foolishness and intolerance to ideas and believes.
As a way out of a problem. Inquiries and perspecutions take place.
Subjects. To life and death, to darkness, being tied to, what is absolute.
As a problem. You're paralized and in a defensive position.
As a way out of a problem. Find your fears and face them.
As a solution. You don't fear anymore.
Subjects. Spirit of vengeance, paranoia, madnesss, discarding conventions, being frightened, extreme nervious states.
As a problem. Rage.
As a way out of a problem. Don't scape from rage.
As a solution. You don't scape from the furies anymore.
Subjects. Dirty play, swindle.
As a problem. You're being tricksted and there's confusion.
As a way out of a problem. Distinguish between realities and ideals.
As a solution. Falsehood is revealed. Living with impredictibility.
Subjects. Self-punishment, compulsion to get free from guilt, flagellation.
As a problem. Compulsive vicious circle related to "innocence and cleaning". Daily rituals stealing your vital strenght are unconsciously controlling you.
As a way out of a problem. Notice subjugating rituals.
As a solution. Rituals are performed to create energy fields by repeating actions.
Venus (Taurus) & ...
Subjects. Taking the partner as a possession, jealousy, devotion.
As a problem. Jealousy and possession.
As a way out of a problem. Notice the loss of freedom.
As a solution. Two people belong to each other but the loss of freedom may be the price to pay for it.
Subjects. Attraction, sex, seducing, physical contact.
As a problem. You may be focused just on yourself or are completely closed to accept other people.
As a way out of a problem. Be a sensual person.
As a solution. Sexuality.
Subjects. "New age" commerce, buying happiness.
As a problem. Buy or sell visions while using them as part of the decoration.
As a way out of a problem. Take a second look at your appreciation of what is material.
Subjects. For the world, the creator and nature, taking care and dedication, usufruct.
As a problem. Lack of care and dedication. Unworrying.
As a way out of a problem. Accept responsibilities.
Subjects. Exile from home, foreign countries, changing residence, breaking a friendship.
As a problem. Cannot be freed from deep-rooted situations.
As a way out of a problem. Leave behind what is secure, friends or groups. Some circumstances are now too old to you, and some people might not stand you anymore.
As a solution. Freedom.
Subjects. The world behind the world, not having a home, not having roots, contempt for the material world, allegory of the visible world.
As a problem. Dream-like time. False sense of reality.
As a way out of a problem. Taking a trip and getting free from belongings.
Subjects. Sensuality, the perfect appearance, being possessed by the material shape.
As a problem. Hanging on invisible threads.
As a way out of a problem. Come back to your individuality.
As a solution. The threads are not controlled by others nor by what is superficial.
Venus (Libra) & ...
Subjects. Battle of sexs, conflict, war axe, breaking the symbolon.
As a problem. Conflict in a relationship.
As a way out of a problem. Have a discussion.
As a solution. If you prevail, you'll loose "us". If you join, you'll loose yourself. You cannot have both at the same time.
Subjects. A relationship, luck in love, marriage, company, golden anniversary.
As a problem. No knowledge about relationships.
As a way out of a problem. Don't hesitate and start the relationship.
As a solution. Luck, happiness in the union.
Subjects. Abandonment, solitude, sadness and wailing, the widow.
Subjects. Liberation, divorce, going away, having no ties.
As a problem. Roads in different directions are not accepted.
As a way out of a problem. Develop your own pathway.
As a solution. You created your own freedom.
Subjects. Romantic relationship, ideal partner, aim to become one, dreaming on love.
As a problem. Illussory relationship.
Subjects. Chains, hell in relationships, black wedding, slavery, sadomasoquism.
Mars (Aries) & ...
Subjects. Controversy, defending a mission, quarrel against dissidents, persuation.
As a problem. You take actions against your own reason. Blind aggression.
As a way out of a problem. Stand for your convictions, even if it implies fighting.
As a solution. Fight for convictions.
Subjects. Expulsing, blocking, flange.
As a problem. Your efforts are in vain.
As a way out of a problem. Give up!
As a solution. Your energies flow again.
Subjects. Problematic, constant bothering, irritating, trickster.
As a problem. A traitor is working behind you, a troublemaker or a threat.
As a way out of a problem. Search for the troublemaker.
As a solution. Make an ally of him/her.
Subjects. Fighting the intangible, looser, idle, sleeping soldier, lethargy, heroic dream, Percival.
As a problem. You have not enough energy.
As a way out of a problem. Do not compete or fight or consider other people's approval.
As a solution. You don't waste your own energy or build castles on the air.
Subjects. What is not dead.
As a problem. You joined your perpetrator. You share your energy with a person who is controlling you.
As a way out of a problem. Recognize the parasites and ties that pull you back.
As a solution. Whatever is stealing part of your life, it emerges and dies.
Jupiter (Sagittarius) & ...
Subjects. Confession, responsibility, vision.
As a problem. You carry a load.
As a way out of a problem. You must confess.
As a solution. You have confessed.
Subjects. Change of paradigm, jumping to the unknown, the sanyasin, being freed from dogma, the fool, knowing that all is unknown.
As a problem. You lack of courage to leave what is ancient behind.
As a way out of a problem. Taking the risk and jumping. Going to a new state of consciousness.
As a solution. Discover new life realms. You have jumped!
Subjects. Intuition, priestess of the oracle, fortune-teller.
As a problem You hold on tight to advices or prophecies.
As a way out of a problem. Take an important step by using your intuition.
As a solution. Trust your intuition.
Subjects. Idols, dogma, strong belief, fanatics.
As a problem. You got lost in a particular vision.
As a way out of a problem. Look at the model you follow.
Saturn (Capricorn) & ...
Subjects. Excess in the pressure, prisioner, tension.
As a problem. You're a prisioner.
As a way out of a problem. Choosing between responsibility and freedom.
As a solution. You have freedom and, at the same time, a fixed and unchangeable pathway.
Subjects. Covenant, wisdom.
Subjects. Petrification, chamber of Lemosyne, the chair of oblivion, the dark side.
Uranus (Aquarius) & ...
Subjects. Salvation, eternal search, lost knowledge, original cause.
As a problem. Wrong search.
As a way out of a problem. Don't expect for an answer.
As a solution. You know there's no answer.
Subjects. Metamorphosis, death and resurrection, changing the skin.
As a problem. Some ideas and thoughts are ancient and must die.
As a way out of a problem. As the Phoenix, you're born again from dashes.
As a solution. The Phoenix raises up with bright colors.
Neptune (Pisces) & ...
Subjects. Good and Evil (polarity), hypocresy, fallen angel, impartiality.
As a problem. The dark angel is tricking you, has been dressed up with lights and has sentended his work as a noble one.
As a way out of a problem. Remove masks.
Comments
Join and leave a message. I always answer personally, and as soon as possible.