King of Wands Tarot of the Valley of Mirages. Features of the Valley of Mirages tarot deck

Online fortune telling using the Valley of Mirages Tarot

Tarot of the Valley of Mirages is a fabulously beautiful deck of cards that will take you into the mysterious world of images that can answer any exciting question. The Valley of the Mirages Tarot is great for getting answers to questions from a wide variety of areas of life. With this Tarot deck you can learn more about yourself, get answers regarding your personal sphere, work, career, relationships and much more.

Tarot reading of the Valley of Mirages - Road of Desires. This layout will show how realistic it is from your point of view to fulfill your desire within the specified time frame, whether this coincides with reality, what are your true motives for fulfilling your desire, what will you get when the desire comes true, what kind of help can you resort to, what are the obstacles and obstacles on the way to the goal, prospects, and also - advice cards; Is it worth spending time and energy to achieve what you want?

Fortune telling on the Valley of Mirages Tarot - A lit lantern. This layout will show how you see the situation, what keeps you in the dark, where you can find light, what will illuminate your situation, in which direction I will move

Fortune telling on the Valley of Mirages Tarot - Flight of the Soul. This alignment will help you study the desire or desired situation in more detail, thanks to which you will find out what you need to work on in order for the necessary changes to occur, what you should rely on in your desire to achieve what you want, how to motivate yourself, where you can get additional help and support, as well as - will it be possible to achieve what you want, - what the soul strives for.

Fortune telling on the Valley of Mirages Tarot - London Fog. This fortune telling is used in a situation when you have been criticized and want to find out what makes another person criticize you, what the critic himself is going through, what you should agree with and what is worth defending, whether you should seek outside support, and also what feelings and emotions you must be left forever in the fog

Fortune telling on the Valley of Mirages Tarot - About your talents. This fortune telling will show what talent you have and how you could use it. With this layout, you will learn how this talent manifests itself in your life, how you can develop and realize it, how it helps other people, what you need to follow to achieve success

Fortune telling on the Valley of Mirages Tarot - Two wings. With the help of this fortune-telling, you will learn more about the thoughts and feelings of your loved one, conscious and unconscious, about the relationship between you at the moment and the prospects for the development of relationships in the future

Fortune telling on the Valley of Mirages Tarot - Island of Bad Luck. This fortune telling can be used in a situation when for some reason you are unlucky, when there is a black streak in life. With the help of this fortune-telling, you will find out what the internal and external reasons for what is happening, what you need to do to avoid bad luck, and also what it will bring you

Fortune telling with the Valley of Mirages Tarot - For your well-being. This fortune telling will help you understand the reasons for your poor health (however, it will not replace a trip to the doctor). With this layout you will find out what affects your health; how your lifestyle affects your mental balance, what should be done to improve your well-being, what is the objective state of your body

Fortune telling on the Valley of Mirages Tarot - Telepathy. This layout will help you find out what the other person thinks about you. With the help of this fortune telling, you will find out how he feels about your appearance, what feelings you awaken in him, how he perceives you, how much he likes your behavior, how close you are to him in spirit, what he is afraid of, what actions he expects from you, what he hopes for

Let me immediately note that the delightful Shadowscapes Tarot was my very first Llewellyn deck, and at the same time it still remains in the top twenty favorites. The Russian edition was superbly executed by the Tarot Box - from a technical point of view, no complaints. An excellent reprint containing the signature “Casket” feature - Strength and Justice in the deck exist under both numbers - that is, the cards themselves are not 78, but 80. For me, this is a very convenient move, for me it even complicates the work on the deck itself, since it’s fun to leave two Powers and two Justices at once and interpreted depending on the number rolled. In addition to the book, the deck in collectible packaging comes with a traditional box a la Llewellyn, which is completely unsuitable for storing cards, and it also comes apart very quickly. The pouch was not provided, but this, again, is a chronic phenomenon for this publisher. The booklet accompanying the deck clearly demonstrates the fact that Llewellyn never strives to save paper - the companion is almost three times thinner than the original edition, but there is no loss of content to speak of. It’s just that Barbara Moore’s publishers think that a larger book looks brutal. Further, there are direct consequences of the presence of Mrs. Moore in the authors of the deck - a rather flat description of both images and meanings, which in her interpretation turn out to be too close to canonical and somewhat reminiscent of the doggerel of the notorious Doreen Virtue, who embeds her interpretations directly into the cards. Alas, Moore frankly botched her work on the companion. But let's get back to the cards. The entire deck is a very bright string of brilliantly drawn images, almost completely devoid of any negative overtones. The deck is overly positive, even the Tower does not look scary at all and can only scare you if you look at it for a very long time. This, by the way, is the main difficulty of the Valley of Mirages - there are a lot of details and details on each map. The layout for the querent can turn into a very long task, during which he risks falling asleep until you take into account all the nuances (note that Mrs. Moore in the companion did not bother to explain them all). For example, a dozen swords, the companion directly describes how bad everything is, “she is falling,” we will all die. Let's look at the map - the heroine is simply tired of the whirlpool she is in, this is clearly visible in her gesture. On the Nine of Swords they impose on us the “Funnel of a Monstrous Vortex”, which looks almost like a staircase to heaven towards the rays of the sun. The desire for comprehensive simplification, of course, is commendable, but I would feel sorry for those girls who bought into the frankly bright artistic component of the deck, and were confused by the inconsistency of the manual with what they saw on the card. To summarize, the deck is complex, almost worthy of three stars out of five. It’s unlikely to be suitable for beginners, except perhaps as an addition to a collection that one can look at for a long time and dream that someday it will be possible to make the first layout... For myself, from the height of my experience, I made many different conclusions from working with this deck, the most important of them is that not everything that is visually flawless will also work flawlessly for you without any special glitches. This must be taken into account especially. Well, the final touch is the price. The deck is very affordable in terms of quality and price. The original is about a third more expensive. The deck itself deserves a FOUR star rating. The reprint can easily get FIVE stars for the quality of workmanship combined with the price.

Tarot "Valley of Mirages" contains the meaning of human transformation. It can be called the deck of dreamers, people who leave home and a profitable place of work to find a calling and purpose in life. People who choose the difficult path to achieve their goals, pioneers, those who neglect comfort for the sake of spiritual quest.

Major Arcana

Arcana	Interpretation
Jester	Children's openness and frankness, a sense of joy in life
Mage	Success in endeavors that were previously unattainable, activity in movement
Priestess	The fortuneteller knows which direction to go, you need to trust your intuition and leave the lives of other people. They are able to choose for themselves. Don't miss out on opportunities
Empress	Gaining new experiences that may be unpleasant, but necessary for personal growth and development
Emperor	Pragmatic, logical, following order and a clear plan
Hierophant	Previous values ​​and ideas will be analyzed and criticized, as a result new ones will be formed that will help move towards the goal
Lovers	Awareness of one’s own capabilities, loyalty to the chosen path
Chariot	Symbolizes the desire for freedom, the choice of a new life path, the destruction of boundaries
Force	Passion, liveliness of temperament, sometimes conflict
Hermit	A feeling of being closed off from the world and loved ones in order to understand one’s purpose and the path to be taken
Wheel of Fortune	Life requires constant growth and development
Justice	Trying to understand the problems and find the right solution
Hanged	Crisis, the need to reconsider views
Death	To develop and move forward, you need to part with the old form of relationships and take a fresh look at your own personality.
Moderation	The trials are over, a period of peace, harmony and trust has begun
Devil	Understanding the dark side of your inner personality, recognizing the presence of addiction to something. It could be love, drug, gaming, or alcohol addiction.
Tower	Destruction of the old, something that the fortuneteller should have let go of long ago, but could not do this for certain reasons
Star	Success is entirely in the hands of the fortuneteller, but in order to achieve it, you will have to make some efforts
Moon	A person has a unique chance to transform his life, take it to a qualitatively new level, but he will have to face all his fears and doubts
Sun	A happy period of life, pleasure and joy, conflict resolution, finding answers to tormenting questions that were hidden from view
Last Judgment	The person was able to look inside himself, find and understand the dark sides of his personality and come to terms with them. Revival of relations, truce
World	The fortuneteller’s awareness of a breakthrough to achieve the goal, a feeling of harmony and joy

Minor Arcana

Let's look at some of the minor arcana from the perspective of the Valley of Mirages tarot:

Tarot of the Valley of Mirages is necessary in order to analyze your own capabilities, understand what is and what is hidden from view, internal resources to achieve what you want and what needs to be done to reach your final destination and find the philosopher's stone, the treasure for which you started spiritual search.

Llewellyn 2010, Russian edition Tarot Box and Avalon, 2013

Samsonov Anton

Let me say right away that it’s amazing Shadowscapes Tarot was my very first Llewellyn deck, and at the same time it still remains in the top twenty favorites. The Russian edition was superbly executed by the Tarot Box - from a technical point of view, no complaints. An excellent reprint containing the signature “Casket” feature - Strength and Justice in the deck exist under both numbers - that is, the cards themselves are not 78, but 80. For me, this is a very convenient move, for me it even complicates the work on the deck itself, since it’s fun to leave two Powers and two Justices at once and interpreted depending on the number rolled. In addition to the book, the deck in collectible packaging comes with a traditional box a la Llewellyn, which is completely unsuitable for storing cards, and it also comes apart very quickly. The pouch was not provided, but this, again, is a chronic phenomenon for this publisher.

The booklet accompanying the deck clearly demonstrates the fact that Llewellyn never strives to save paper - the companion is almost three times thinner than the original edition, but there is no loss of content to speak of. It’s just that Barbara Moore’s publishers think that a larger book looks brutal. Further, there are direct consequences of the presence of Mrs. Moore in the authors of the deck - a rather flat description of both images and meanings, which in her interpretation turn out to be too close to canonical and somewhat reminiscent of the doggerel of the notorious Doreen Virtue, who embeds her interpretations directly into the cards. Alas, Moore frankly botched her work on the companion.

But let's get back to the cards. The entire deck is a very bright string of brilliantly drawn images, almost completely devoid of any negative overtones. The deck is overly positive, even the Tower does not look scary at all and can only scare you if you look at it for a very long time. This, by the way, is the main difficulty of the Valley of Mirages - there are a lot of details and details on each map. The layout for the querent can turn into a very long task, during which he risks falling asleep until you take into account all the nuances (note that Mrs. Moore in the companion did not bother to explain them all). For example, a dozen swords, the companion directly describes how bad everything is, “she is falling,” we will all die. Let's look at the map - the heroine is simply tired of the whirlpool she is in, this is clearly visible in her gesture. On the Nine of Swords they impose on us the “Funnel of a Monstrous Vortex”, which looks almost like a staircase to heaven towards the rays of the sun. The desire for comprehensive simplification, of course, is commendable, but I would feel sorry for those girls who bought into the frankly bright artistic component of the deck, and were confused by the inconsistency of the manual with what they saw on the card. To summarize, the deck is complex, almost worthy of three stars out of five. It’s unlikely to be suitable for beginners, except perhaps as an addition to a collection that one can look at for a long time and dream that someday it will be possible to make the first layout...
For myself, from the height of my experience, I made many different conclusions from working with this deck, the most important of which is that not everything that is visually flawless will also work flawlessly for you without any special glitches. This must be taken into account especially.
Well, the final touch is the price. The deck is very affordable in terms of quality and price. The original is about a third more expensive.
The deck itself deserves a FOUR star rating. The reprint can easily get FIVE stars for the quality of workmanship combined with the price.

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Alchemy - (English: Alchemy, Arabic: الكيمياء‎ ( 'al-khīmiyā'), Greek χυμεία - “fluid”, χυμος - “juice”, χυμενσιζ - “casting”) is the science of mixing various chemical elements and the transformation of some elements into others.

In the works of alchemists, much attention was paid not only to the composition and structure of the substances being mixed, but also to the state of mind of the practitioner in which these manipulations had to be performed, leading them to the desired transformation. A deep understanding of the connection of everything with everything, naive, in the opinion of contemporaries, the animation of substances and the poeticization of the process, still attract the attention of researchers of this scientific and cultural phenomenon, in attempts to unravel the true meaning of mysterious alchemical allegories and metaphors.

Alchemists have in common with the tarological paradigm the play of symbols, the attempt to express large contents with a small form, and the distinction of meanings achieved by various displacements of their “components”. The Arcana of the Tarot, moreover, carry not only information, they themselves “plunge” into a state, conveying the entire palette of meanings, and the emotional charge that is inherent in each of the archetypes presented in them. And each of the “alchemist” creators who create Tarot decks fills them with their own specific “ingredients” - images, vision, understanding, details and end-to-end development of the plot.

It happens that alchemical concepts are reflected quite literally in Tarot decks, and then decks are created with appropriate names and symbolic rows - for example, “Alchemical Tarot” by R. Place or “Tarot of the Alchemists” by J. Bochard. But it also happens that the deck is filled with an “alchemical” spirit as if by itself, without the clearly expressed will of its creators. And then we get into our hands a deep and subtle, “psychological” tool that allows us to “mix” and live, pass through our experience, at the level of sensations in the body, playing with a palette of feelings, a wide variety of states.

This is how the alchemical game of personal transformation becomes possible. For me, a striking representative of such decks was, for example, the deck of Stephanie Pui-Mun Low - “Tarot of the Valley of the Mirages”.

Deck Features

In my collection as a helping practitioner, there are several decks that, in their imagery and content, fit the definition of “transformative” decks, used by me in long-term thematic programs of the “Psychology and Tarot” cycle - each of them is strong and effective in its own area . But only this deck, in my opinion, has the elusive spirit of medieval romantic seekers who, in order to acquire the “philosopher’s stone,” embarked on a long journey through those “valleys of mirages” that represented science and the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthe world of those times.

Without electricity or microscopes, by the power of intuition, experiment and supreme intuition, they paved their thorny path - they walked through the unsteady swamp of uncertainty and the lack of ready answers through hope and faith.

Translucent, watercolor, as if swaying in the fog of dreams, the images of the “Valley of Mirages” deck are like a secret that eludes understanding, a veil, a veil, peeling back which, layer by layer, you see only new uncertainty, the meaning of which everyone is free to give.

At the same time, the images are full of movement and expression; they have their own will and a call to solve and comprehend their riddles. This combination of space for imagination, images filled with the smallest details, dynamics, and convincing, motivating symbolism creates an incredible effect of presence, no, not you in the lasso, but the lasso in you - broadcast and convey various shades of psycho-emotional states.

Another feature of the deck is its obvious “femininity” - the key figures, with rare exceptions, are female images, and the existing male ones rather hint at their “male” part than are figures opposite in gender. Because of this whole complex of so successfully matching characteristics, I chose the deck to work with women’s themes, to search for the “female” keys that unlock them.

An interesting effect was that the deck seemed to lead itself. The entire program was created intuitively, “by inspiration,” with the hope of further understanding and faith in momentary correctness. And all this reminds me of something already said, doesn’t it? The alchemical principle of knowledge made itself known from the first steps. And then, step by step, from lasso to lasso, we plunge into those states, going through those stages, on the emotional and psychophysical level - nigredo, albedo, rubedo - preparation, remelting and crystallization of the new, which will lead to further sustainable transformation. C. G. Jung interpreted this process in terms of archetypal patterns; Thus, nigredo corresponds to the Shadow, albedo corresponds to Anima and Animus; and rubedo is the archetype of the Self. Of course, this can be discussed when considering any of the Tarot decks. “Valley of Mirages” stands out for its visual nuances, which enhance its impact.

It’s incredibly tempting and I really want to talk about all the states and Arcana, but the format of the article does not allow this, so we will focus only on some of them - if not the most important, then undoubtedly the key ones.

Metaphors of the Jester

Any movement towards psychological transformation begins with recognition of the presence of a problem and a willingness to step into the unknown, into an unknown understanding and sense of self. And we start this step with the zero Arcana, with the Fool, with the Jester.

The accompanying commentary to the Arcana from the creator of the deck begins with a beautiful metaphor: “It all begins with a whisper. A bewitching song - an inviting, repeating motif - silently flows through her days and thoughts: “ Go...go...go...""Where?" “she asks curiously, but doesn’t hear an answer. She ignores the call - and one fine day the whispering song that has already become familiar suddenly explodes and fills her to the brim, leaving no room for doubt. "Where should I go?" she asks again, and this time the steady rhythm of her heart is the answer.

She has come a long way to reach this peak at the edge of the world - and yet her journey is only now beginning. She instinctively senses this and rises to her tiptoes, finding herself in the embrace of the wind, a moment before she takes a step. The heart in her chest beats feverishly, like a hundred fluttering wings, trying to escape from the cramped cage of existence - until, finally, she feels that she must allow wings to sprout on her shoulders - and glide forward, transformed. "Wait! No need! - a thin voice cries inside. - Wait! Stop! Back!" Not paying attention, she takes a step forward - and...” This fragment well describes the whole drama of the first step and its attractiveness - to consciously stop relying on your experience, surrender to the processes that occur inside and unfold around, go beyond the comfort of the familiar, remove the importance control, decide to remove the inviolability of your ideas about yourself, your place and role in a given situation. Surrender to the power of the unknown, trust it to lead you somewhere, teach you something. On the Jester card of the deck, a traditional plot is played out - a person, in this case a girl, on the edge of an abyss. The difference is in the creature watching her and other details. A fiery red fox is watching her, and the girl is standing not just on a rock, but on a pedestal, which is supported, on three levels, by three monkeys holding in their paws a yellow butterfly, a red rose, a scarlet heart, their tails are twisted in a spiral, between them bees are flying, and at the base we see a small bright “sunny” ball. The “jester” girl does not carry any bundle behind her shoulders that would contain past or future experience - her arms are freely outstretched towards the wind, and she is supported from behind by scarlet ribbons entwined around her chest and waist by a flock of white birds. Even a quick associative series that arises when looking at this picture makes us understand that we are talking not just about falling into the unknown, but about some kind of preparation for some process, about the deep sacredness of the observed moment.

And indeed, monkeys are not only a symbol of “idle talk”, mischief, thievery and trickery, traditional for Western culture. In ancient Egypt, the connection between monkeys and the sun was known: their cry at dawn was interpreted as reverence and prayer to God. The sunrise serves as a symbol of the creation of the world. Isn’t that what this little “fire” ball is here for? The three well-known mystical monkeys of Japan (“see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”) symbolize the conscious renunciation of evil deeds and wise caution. Among the Aztecs, the monkey was considered the god of play and dance, and those born under this sign were supposed to become jesters, buffoons, dancers or singers. In Ancient Mexico, the monkey has a symbolic connection with the wind.

In many cultures, the butterfly symbolizes the ability to transform and the beauty, cyclicality and immortality (rebirth) of life. Or, in the words of E. Eppley: “The miracle of states passing from one to another, this miracle of the transformation of a sluggish caterpillar, a dull pupa, into a tenderly beautiful butterfly, deeply touched a person, became for him a semblance of his own spiritual transformations, gave him hope that someday he will tear himself away from the earth and rise into the light-illuminated spheres of eternity.” She is also one of the forms of Psyche - in ancient Greek mythology, the personification of breath, soul.

The rose is a popular and complex flower symbol. It symbolizes beauty, tenderness, and passion. But, among other things, the rose symbolizes silence and secrecy: everything that is said sub rosa (literally: “under the rose”) is not subject to disclosure. In ancient Roman myth, Cupid stopped rumors of Venus's infidelity by bribing the god of silence with a rose. In alchemy, the rose is wisdom and the rosarium is “work.” This is also a symbol of spiritual rebirth after the death of the perishable. The “Rose Garden” is a symbol of paradise and a place of mystical marriage, the unity of opposites.

The heart is a symbolic source of experiences: love, compassion, responsiveness, joy or grief; but also a source of spiritual enlightenment, truth and intelligence. A heart in the palm of your hand is a symbol of trust, the inner life of a person, open to everyone. In alchemy, the heart is associated with the sun. In addition, it symbolizes the state of spiritual search and growth, “impeccability”, so necessary for the alchemist for his activities, on his path.

A white bird, a dove is a symbol of the connection between Heaven and Earth, a pure soul, a divine messenger, a vital spirit. In alchemy, a white dove is a symbol of the process of albification (bleaching, whitening, clarification) of primordial matter, turning into the philosopher's stone: “a black raven becomes a white dove.”

The bee is also a complex, mixed symbol and can reflect abundance, fertility and hard work, as well as purity, the connection between worlds, fertility, rebirth, and a swarm of bees is an attribute of the allegory of hope.

Fox is a cunning, rogue, trickster. But he is smart and a wise mentor.

Thus, interaction with the zero lasso of this deck sets us up for openness and trust in the process, for purity of perception, for reducing the level of criticism towards ourselves, for accepting ourselves - that is, it brings us into agreement with ourselves. And this is the first of the basic states that this deck transmits and allows us to achieve. In the Hermetic (alchemical) tradition, this would be called taking the path of impeccability, “the path of the heart.”

Mage Transformation

Due to its no less importance for the further process of transformation, let us dwell in more detail on one more lasso - Mage.

Here we can observe the first interesting metamorphosis - the girl-jester turns into a young magician. In general, there is nothing special about this, and this move is traditional for most Tarot decks. With the exception of those where, in principle, only female or only male characters are depicted. The peculiarity of “Tarot of the Valley of Mirages,” as noted earlier, is only the delicacy in the depiction of gender transition, without emphasized opposition. For example, the Emperor in the deck is narrow-shouldered and quite feminine; he is not a counterweight to the Empress, but rather “half of the whole,” an essential pair, while the Hierophant is depicted as a tree.

The young Magician sits, or rather, balances on his toes, spreading his black and white wings behind his back. And the four symbols of the four elements - a lantern with fire, a shell, a tree branch and a feather - hang from them, positioned to promote balance. He balances, also, being on a rock, only turned in the other direction, and the rock already looks like a stone, although it seems to be propped up from below by a number of strange small creatures. Perhaps they are fairies. With its entire visual range, this Arcanum tells us the second basic state - the state of balance.

Here you can also see flowers - yellow and red roses, lilies have been added. The golden energy ball changed its color and turned into a glowing green. In the future, wings (with varying intensities of black-and-white transitions), flowers, symbols of the elements and “energy balls” will go into the end-to-end plot of the deck and will create the necessary accents, suggest the stages and shades of emotional states even on the minor arcana, which, by the way, are so are as carefully drawn and independent in plot as the older ones.

From a psychological point of view, in this arcana we encounter the manifestation of four temperaments - a set of individual psychophysiological characteristics of a person - choleric, sanguine, phlegmatic and melancholic. People with pronounced traits of a certain temperament are not common; usually people have mixed temperament in various combinations. “According to the creator’s plan,” writes Mercury Van Helmont, “man, created in the center of the elements, must walk, swim, fly and be renewed in fire.”

According to the Bon teaching about the return of the soul, we lose a part of ourselves the moment we lose the qualities of certain elements.

The original purpose of alchemy is to bring all things, including humans, to perfection. According to the alchemical worldview, a person is considered as a world in miniature, as a reflection of the Cosmos, that is, as a combination of its four primary elements. Achieving their balance and harmony within is both the goal and the means on the path to creating the Philosopher's Stone and achieving “spiritual gold.”

Interaction between the Major and Minor Arcana

Traveling through the arcana of the “Valley of Mirages Tarot” deck to achieve this goal, using their certain combinations, it is possible to experience such states as inspiration and self-love (), the ability to calmly accept duality and carry out mutual exchange (Wheel of Fortune); experience the triumph of will (Chariot) and the sweetness of overcoming (Strength); live with detachment and detachment (Sacrifice and Moderation); reflect on age-related crises (Justice), learn patience (Hermit); understand and accept the masculine and feminine in oneself (Empress, Emperor); meet your deepest intuition and learn to accept things as they are (Priestess, Hierophant); experience the various aspects of male and female sexuality and the fruitfulness of various processes (Devil, Tower, Moon) and, of course, go through the processes of restoration and transformation with the help of the arcana Death, Peace, Sun, Judgment, Star.

And on this path the Minor Arcana will join them, acting as catalysts or, conversely, pacifiers of certain processes. So, for example, the stage of living the states of the “Chariot” is accompanied in my program by a quartet of Threes, which are milestones on the path of movement of the “chariot”, setting the direction - where to direct the volitional effort, in which of the areas of life, symbolized by the suits, requiring change. At the same time, the “Chariot” will, if necessary, act as both a catalyst and that symbolic island of safety, the “Grail,” which will ensure a quick but safe passage through these stages. And the Aces will extinguish and buffer with their content and meaning those processes that are symbolized by such an lasso as the Tower. In one article it is impossible to list all the other symbolic passages and combinations that are used within the program. Not to mention what keys each of their participants finds in this deck on their own. Therefore, let's return to talking about alchemical principles, stages and some analogies.

Let's list some more of them.

Alchemical animals in the Valley of Mirages deck

In the deck we meet such birds from alchemical treatises as ravens and swans: the body must be cleansed by a raven and a swan, representing the division of the soul into two parts - evil (black) and good (white). The entire dramaturgy of this postulate is revealed in images of the suit of Swords. The merging and division of this black and white bird kingdom, its interpenetration personify conflict and spiritual quest in it - from the greatest harmony in Ace, reconciliation of conflicting parties in Six, to the highest point of rebellion and confusion in Eight and Nine. It is curious that, apparently in order to emphasize the special power of the processes, on some lassos the crows are replaced with white doves, and the swans themselves become black. In addition, the raven symbolizes nigredo ( nigredo- Greek melanosis, blackening) - everything associated with death and decay, as well as the experience of the deepest depression, through the passage of which knowledge and a new understanding of one’s capabilities and oneself are gained. After nigredo, a person feels empty, as if after a long, prolonged illness. As soon as the feeling of renewal and cleansing comes, and with it the feeling of victory over the disease, the albedo stage begins ( albedo―Greek leukosis, whitening). There is undoubtedly an interesting detail here - in the Knight of Swords we can observe a bird somewhat reminiscent of a peacock. The peacock in alchemy, its “iridescent feathers,” symbolize that “the process of transformation has begun.” In my opinion, this is an important touch, illustrating and symbolically (“alchemically”) supporting what we are after when we want to achieve psychological transformation. The same “king bird” is found in the Sun lasso.

The phoenix bird, a universal symbol of immortality - death and rebirth in fire - and another important alchemical symbol, personifying the completion of the process and its transition to another level, we see in the XIII Arcana of the deck.

Among the animals that can be classified as “alchemical”, lions and unicorns can be mentioned in the images of the deck. Although there is no direct analogy, it can be useful as an additional stimulus for thought. These animals were used by alchemists to represent various stages of alchemical processes and represent how they understood their intensity and assessed the result.

Thus, the Green Lion could mean sulfuric acid, which produces basic chemical transformations in many substances, including the dissolution of metals. Or be an image of the green, rough energy of nature, “the green fuse that controls the flower” - the green pigment chlorophyll, an extract of plant sap, which was often the primary matter for their alchemical work. In the deck, we see rather the horned lion Baijie - a sage from Chinese and Japanese folklore, who revealed to man all the secrets of the world and taught him to cope with the forces of evil on earth. We meet him in such arcana as Strength, 2 of Wands, 9 of Wands, Knight of Wands. That is, on those arcana, in the tarological meanings of which there is a call to show foresight, wisdom, or which are characterized by the energy of movement and strength. One way or another, the guardian lion, the lion the embodiment of natural strength, personifies the moment of overcoming, struggle, victory.

Unicorns, mythical animals, represent the power that opposes the forces of darkness, maintaining balance in the Universe and purity. The alchemical unicorn represents the stage of purification, the White Work. The white stone was sometimes symbolized by the Unicorn, partly because of the white color of its horn, but also because the Unicorn could only be tamed by the touch of a pure woman. The white tincture, or stone, was often depicted as the appearance of a queen in a vessel, dressed in shining white robes. The white tincture signified the process of internal changes, when the alchemist was already able to sense and bring to harmony the feminine side of the soul. It is a symbol of transmutation, freedom of knowledge and spiritual evolution. His horn symbolizes the possibility of the Spirit penetrating Matter. Images of Unicorns in the deck are found on the arcana Chariot, 4 of Wands and Knight of Cups, in which purity of intentions, thoughts, bright joy, striving for harmony and celebration are emphasized in this deck.

Lovers of the Valley of Mirages

The Lovers arcanum is revealed in this deck with an interesting alchemical meaning.

Unlike traditional three-figure images that show the need for awareness and choice, in the Valley of Mirages Tarot we see a man and woman entering into an apparently loving union. How can one not recall the alchemical “Royal Wedding”: the union of the incompatible - the male (active) and female (passive) principles of a person, the union of opposites.

If we talk about the rubedo stage ( rubedo― lat., “redness”), and in terms of “psychological alchemy”, this is the achievement of one’s own integrity, the Self, as the completion of our journey, and the acquisition of the inner “Rebis”, the philosophical egg, then if you look at how this is depicted and described in ancient engravings - in one hand of Rebis, a perfect being, lies a calcified Philosophical Egg, and in the other a symbol of the microcosm, a person - we can find an interesting echo with this in the lasso of the World, the deck we are considering here. On it, however, it is not androgynous, as the “ideal Rebis” should be, but a beautiful woman holding a white ball in her hands. Her crown seems to reach the sky full of stars with the full Moon, she herself is surrounded by soaring birds, trees, and is in complete harmony with the universe and nature.

conclusions

I do not undertake to judge whether the analogies discovered and considered by us are accidental, or whether the creator of the deck deliberately encrypted her knowledge of alchemy in the images of the arcana, however, this is undoubtedly a useful bonus and advantageously distinguishes this deck from all others, enriching its symbolic and metaphorical language.

And it provides additional opportunities from the point of view of transformative breakthroughs, allows you to touch, at the level of symbols-archetypes, the most ancient science of humanity - the science of a person’s search for himself, the disclosure of his abilities, the understanding of his own will. As Pavel Bersnev noted in his book “Labyrinths of the Mind”: “Alchemical transmutation in its essence is a change in the spatial and quantitative composition of matter, which leads to a radical change in its properties, its qualities. Sublimation is the penetration of spirit into matter, transmutation is the transformation of this matter. Reprogramming in modern language."