Tarot Alive!

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Ghetto Tarot“If a reader reads the tarot deck intuitively, they know that to read any deck is to bring it to life…to situate each card into a living realm and work then through the energies of the spirits within the cards to reveal the unknown – but just what if the reverse was to happen…”

My first deck was given to me by my great grandmother at the age of three. Many fundamentalist and even occultist would say that that was too young, I say keep your opinions, and fears to yourself – I’m not interested in anyone sharing criticism of any sort nor being burdened with queries of the “whys” over the generations my family that occultism is introduced at an early age. I will say that arcane knowledge is introduced at a very early age accordingly to each individual as a way of life.

To read a deck properly, one has to be able to learn the Tarot on many levels. Sure, there’s that little white booklet which comes with most decks leaving the owner with that “feel good fuzzy feeling” that you’ve got all the secrets in tiny booklet – this is only the tip of the iceberg! Without taking away the merit of the bare essentials – that itty bitty booklet is quite valuable in understanding the position in which you must first enter the path to where the artist of the deck was/is coming from. The Tarot is so popular because in many instances manifestation of accuracy can be readily attained. `

Each deck if used in a certain way is a conduit penetrating barriers within the planes to provide insight of the past, present, future and even bend events in ones favour or another not. To date, there are thousands of Tarot decks to choose from unfortunately many have become just 78 ways to express creativity

in mounting a piece of artwork in multiple ways loosing the relationship of the alchemical, astrological and numerological  reference of the card. To explore some of the levels of the Tarot and without leaning into the more paved and popular western occultism, lets explore just two simple but complex angles the Tarot provides:

  • An intuitive insight of the past, present and future
  • A direct connection within each card serving as a portal to each energy which can have many levels within it’s own
If you connect into the vibration within each card, you will know them as portals within each card and the complete deck being that of a door. Skeptics assume to read the tarot is just a matter of choosing cards that have predefined meanings and by lottery the story is built with the combination laid out based on the ones chosen. Most good readers are just good psychics with the more gifted ones tapping into the deeper realms within a given reading or shall I say “possession” through channelling during the session..Then there are some readers who are in constant contact with the energies within the cards, thereby knowing the deck as living – as the spirits never sleep and to think you can shuffle wrap up in the traditional witchy suggestion of silk cloth and be gone of your cards till the next reading is rubbish. You do not put energy of the arcane forces asleep and shuffle when “you” want to play “stroke the magic 8 ball”. (Simply put)

As life is symbolic,  connecting the lifecycle to the arcane meaning of each card becomes surreal, yet sheds both a sense of understanding and wisdom when you have become aware of it’s meaning and cycle. In searching for an example of a deck that demonstrated such experiences, I stumbled upon Belgian Photographer, Journalist, Filmmaker, Artist, Teacher and Traveler,  Alice Smeet, creator of the eclectic of such a deck that reversed the roles of a living deck, “the Ghetto Tarot”. And through interviewing Ms. Smeet, it confirmed what I have said all alone that the the embodiment of each card “has” carries an energy, a link and is a conduit to the forces beyond in which we channel through to deliver messages to all who seek.The Ghetto Tarot project as whole is a transformation of a successful photographic interpretation of the traditional tarot deck in the ghetto. The scenes are inspired by the Rider Waite Tarot deck and are replicated together with a group of Haitian artists called Atis Rezistans (resistant artists) in the Haitian slums using only material we were able to find or create locally. However, it really doesn’t matter be it the Ghetto Tarot or you use other conventional and popular decks you can be assured that there is just more than meets the eye of the 78 cards laid in format to speak back to you on behalf of the gods.

 

 

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