SHAMAN TAROT

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Shamanism may be considered the oldest spidtual practice of humanity ln fact, Shamanism has been present in every era and every place: it can be found in the forests of the Amazon and the Siberian steppes, in the sacred woods of the anciert Celts and the istands oI Oceanta. The shamanistic practices of these peoples so distant from us in time and space are highly diversified, yet present surprising analogies and are united by the awareness of an archetypal reality that is deeper than what man is capable o[ perceiving with his five senses. To this view, populadom considered to be primitive have demonstrated that they know much more than we do about the invisible, or about that part of reality that our modem and radonal mentality fails to explain and, as a consequence, does not even take into consideration. Shamanism is neither a religion nor a philosophy The Shaman finds it easy to believe in something transcendent, because he possesses direct knowledge of the

infinite worlds that

fom reality; he travels humbly through them, dealing with the spidts who live there so he might gain wisdom and power - never for his om personal benefit, but for the common good. For the Shaman the world we live in ls a tiny portion of Universal Reality Thanks to the profound perception of things, the shaman realises that every being and every thing is inhabited by a spirit, and that even what we consider to be arid and inanimte is actually alive. The thought of the Shaman, channelled thanks to some particular practices that induce the Tiance, allows him to
influence events. This power, however, must not be used unless it is in hamony with nature and in respect for the

spirit of Mother Earth and every other liying being.

The message of the ancient Shamans has not been lost: never before has the dream of an escape from the alien-

ating mechanisms of ciyilization and the return to a vision of existence that is magtcal and more authentic become such an impelling necessiry for modem man. The Path of the Shaman is the path of healing md the world. The Tarot of the
The Tarot of the

The suits of the Minor Arcana The four sults of the Tarot of the Shamans have been associated with the four main momenB of the shamanic experience, which are in turn connected to the four
Power Objects.

1 o*-.
the element of the Earth _ correspond to Pentacles in traditional Tarot. This suit includes the ex?erience of the "Dance,,. The .Dance,, is rhe ecstatic movement through which the shaman enters into con_ tact and in slarch with the allied Spirits, thereby gaining
Drums,

onell

Shmm
is coneived for those who

Shmm

reking greater awarens md hamony with thm*lves, with reality and with nature. The erds re
intended for all modem-day Shamans lost in their contmporary present and wish to rediscover the path in the brst, to unveil their animal nature and reawaken their

re

their favour Bows

imer

Shaman.

Bows, the element of Air conespond to Swords in tra_ ditional Tarot. This suit includes the experience of the "Voyage". The "Voyage,, is the detaciment Shaman's spirit from his body, which enables him to prcject his consciousness across spiritual realms. Bones
Bones, the element of Fire

of

the

rdds md with the archetypal forces of existence. fftr,ltug to the Shamans, time is merely an illusion hal to our world (the Middle World) and in reality d todividual spirit is parr of an inlinite Flow of Enw- In fact, each spirit lives its om existences on many levels. ryrmeousiy
of *ris deck is intended as a voyage to that, in the same way as the "power -furEsourc lH of rhe Shmm, wait patiendy ro be sum-

Tarct of the Shamans retraces the essence of the <lEmmi$ic ex?erience. Ilc frlcnm of this experience is contact with other

Ih

working against him, or other Shamans

obtain the necessary power and wisdom.

"Combat", when the Shaman confronts himself, Spirits

ditional Tarot. This suit embodies the experience of

conespond to Wands in tra_

in order

to

ffumharion dol&u-

"Healing". "Healing" is the fruit of the Shaman,s retum or the spiritual hamony rhat Viddle World gains.

Stones Stones, the element of Water correspond to Cups in traditional Tarot. This suit includes the Lxperlence of the

Major Arcana

- The Sacred Fool He who is touched by the spirits. The traveller of the spiritual world. Freedom, The melting away of material ties. Flowing. I - The Ancestral Shaman The first Magician. The desire to modify reality with the strength of one's imagination. lnitiation. Practical and dialectical skills. Great potential that has not yet been
0
expressed.

IX - The Seeker of Souls The solitary wayfarer, he who silently probes the souls o[ the World. Wisdom and experience. Detachment. An old
master,

X - The Drum of the Spirits The voice of the Gods. The thunder that announces creation. The beginning of a new cycle. The call of destiny

XI

- Punishment Etemal law, above human law New kamic balance. Hamonization. Perfectionism.
XII

II

- The Mother of the Worlds The intermediary between the Upper World and the
Lower World. The keeper of all knowledge Strength of intuition. Unconsciousness.

- Initiation

The sacrifice of a pan of oneself in favour of the world of the spirits. Necessary moments of pause. Reflection. A new vision of things.

III

She who gives life and is reflected in the

Mother Earth infinity of living

XIII

The Other Existence

foms. Rampant creativity Fecundity Love for Nature IV - The Master of the Drum
material stability.

The other world as a dark mirror of the material world. Radical transfomation. Psychic purification. Complete revolution of a way of being.

He who speaks the language of the spirits. Organlsation. The power of the mind and of rationality Mental and

XIV

Healing

The gift of the Spirits. Alignment of the energies of the

The Hunter of Demons The priest-warrior of the path

of shadows. Spiritual
the

power. New ideal. Secrets unveiled,

VI

fhe attracting force that links the visible world to

inrrsible world. Union

Love

of different envlronments.

,r-hr -hLmes frCretive

fumon viewpoints. Falling in love. lm-Ihe Spinning Shield hhry exists outside of this, life, death, or rebirth 9mrd a1i6n. Awareness in guiding ones own enerir lfzl and mental voyages.
from the world of the spirits. Selfpower. New energies. Courage.

body, heart, and mind. lnvisible protecrion. Changes. Spiritual therapies (yoga, meditarion, etc.). XV - The Lord of Transformations The mocking spirit that stands behind physical mutations. Deception, falsehood. Sexuality. Powerful instinctive energ)a Psychic manipulation. XVI - The Tree of the Cosmos The axis upon which the entire universe turns. A channel of energy. The body intended as the dwelling place oI the spirit. Communicating with those from above.

XVII

Drastic changes. - The Path of the Stars

The silent guide that comes from above. lnspiration. Listening to an inner voice. Benefits for the soul. Spirituality Nostalgia for the past.

- The Moon of Illusion The World under the waters, the dark parallel reality The realm of the unconscious. lllusiore and uncertainties. Ambiguity. The world of dreams. Visions. XIX - The Dance of the Sun Everything is full of light for those who know how to see it. Clarity of visi.on. Vital wamth. New life. Brotherhood. Unconditional 1ove. XX - Evocation The secret music that speaks to the spirit of things. Called to judgment. Things that emerge from the depths.
XVIII
Reawakening o[ a new awareness.

8 - Possession. Reaching high energy levels by "plapng by the rules'. a worthwhrle risk, caurion. 9 - Involvement. The key ro a problem is hidden in everyday living. Subtle perception, good communications.

10 - The Dance of Life. Overturning of the usual results, euphoria, new suggestions. Knave - Shamn of the Earth. Kindness that hides an adamant decision, a conscientious study, elaboration of
one's past.

XXI

- The Upper World Everything that is happening must happen. Full reallsation. Agreement. Renewal. Completeness. Desire for a
new beginning.

- Ally of the Earth. Unstoppable action, inspiration from above, insensitivity towards others' feelings. Queen - Mother Bear. A person who loves simple
Knight
things. Protection, jealousy, excessive caution.

King - Spirit of Father Buffalo. A man who can be trusted, Ioyalty and trust, patience, reinforcement, slowness, reluctance to change opinion.
Bows, the Voyage - Bow of the Clouds. Each voyage begins with the prqection of the mind. The power of thought, spiritual detachment towards high ideals. 2 - Preparation. Daily reality enters into conflict with your om desires. Indecision, a momentary truce. 3 - Detachment. Loss of interest in everyday things,
Ace intolerance of duties and responsibilities. Soul searching. - The Call of the Spirits. Crisis thar brings about a new equilibrium, need for a pause, answers that arrive through trauma. 5 - Appearmces. Capacity to lnterpret a vadery ofroles, difficulty in knowing how to understand the essence of things, masks. fiction. spirirual dogmatrsm. 6 - The Canoe of the Spirits. Physical and mental voyage, overcoming of emotional block, a desire to evade, even if only with the imagination.

Drums, the Dance Ace - Drum of the Dance. Life is vibration and movement. Material affluence, health, the joy of existence,
sensualiqr

- Listening. Silence is necessary for looking inside, inner worlds, isolation. 3 - Rhythm. Evolution of a situation that has been sralling. opponunities, deadlines. 4 - Contemplation. The search for personal power, knowledge acquired at a high price, greed, and suspiciom. 5 - Collapse. Crisis, loss of stable points of reference, difficulty in remembering that one has friends and allies. 6 - Sound. lnner hamony that manifests itself as [aci]iry in comunications. New friendships, intuitions, and
2
forcbodings. 7 - Suppleness. Capacity to adapt to unfoteseen events, tolemce, adaptation, twist of fate.

tum - Astral Voyage. Astute strategies that somedmes against you. Avoid conflict, indecision that leads to a loss
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sary: illumination is sudden. Concentration of strengths'

a safe place.

of energy

Re"tum. Partial healing, posslbility of a profound change, need to overcome block set up from the out-

side.

can be the first step to a new level of

Fear of Travelling. Fear of solitude or change that

- The Hunt of the Spidts. Obstacles that arise from one's sense of inadequacy, tribulations to be overcome, conflicts. 6 - The A\ Hamony with the strength of ones subconscious. Suppon, social visibility, desewed rewards.
5

maturity Crisis, the

painful birth of new understanding. i0 - Losing Oneself. Painful but therapeutic detachment, problems that can no longer be ignored, conclusion of a cyc1e, hostilitY Knave - S-haman of the Clouds- Underetanding of how the vision of reality is distorted by our mental prcjections. Intelligence, s11ness, overall vision'

fears. Psychological projections onto others, difficuldes that are more imaginary than real. 8 - Meeting with the Spirits. Arcane comprehension, strange intuitions we somehow sense, but are not capable o[ understanding them completely Desire for moveone's

- Spiritual Struggle.
om

Questioning of the nature of

- eily of the Clouds. Revealing dream lnth profiund unionscious contenrc, auiety towards freeiom, a sudden decision followed by acdon, illuminaKnight
don. Queen
lacets. Compiex thought. prejudice. attenlion'

- Mother Crow.

An illuslve person thousands of

King

le.t] *ith controlled emotionalism. Mental openness,

radonality, a calculating mind, laws and authority' Bones, Combat

Spirit that Guides the Clouds' A

mn

of intel-

ment, both physical and mental. 9 - Fear. Fear is our greatest ally, saving us from danger' The moment has come to recognise it for what it is, love it, and overcome it. l0 - The Price of Vision. Necessary sacrifice, momentary loss while seeking a larger gain. Healing through the loss of pans of ourselves we no longer need. I(nave - Shaman of Fire. The fire of ambition, abundance of resources, ample capacity for recovery, trans-

fomism.

Ace

selves. Great potentlal energy, creativity, sexual vigour'

- Horn of Fire.

The true struggle is against our-

fsight - Ally o[ the Clouds. lmpeluosily. unconscious conflicts that have not been clarified, quarrelsomeness and conl roversres. improbable alliances never Queen - Spirit of Mother Snake. A person who forgets insuls, obstinacy that brings success, lack of
independence, jealousies.

2 - The Other Self. Goals attained thanks to imer

resources yet to be exploited. lnner willpower based on self-knowledge, optimism. 3 - The Meisage of the Sptuits' Favourable circumshnces to undertake a project, outside help, unexpected

- Spidt of Father Crocodile. A man who cherishes tradition, family life, balance among various factions, low sensitivity
King
Stones, Healing Ace - Stone of Healing. The secret ofhealing. Profound

support. 4 - Comprehension. A long preparadon is not neces-

t0

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undersunding of one's own being Love 2 - Hamony. Each healing has love as its nucleus' Attraction, feelings expressed with sincerity. 3 - Concentration of Power. Diverslty, sometimes

of imagination, full of
Emotionalism.

resources. Love

for

Nature.

- Spidt of the Pure Waters. A jovial man with an innate talent for business and opportunities.
King Unorthodox ideas, negotiadons. The Drum of the Spirits The experience of reading Tarot should be perceived as an inner voyage, an attempt to shed lighl not so much on external events as on who we truly are and why certain things happen to us. This divinatory spread is useful for clarifpng a particuIar situadon that is impoftant to us. Separate the Major Arcana from the Minor Arcana and shuffle them separately First, draw one card from the Major Arcana and place it in posidon A (see the diagram on page 2). Then reunite the two decks and shuflle them together before drawing the other cards, which will be placed respectively in position from 1 to 8. Finally, draw a final card to be placed in position B (as an altemative, the card to be placed in position B can be chosen deliberately instead of being dram by chance) Then begin the reading, meditadng on the significance and image of each card. The cards should be interpreted in the following order: B, 1, 7, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, A.
i
I

extreme, that if well organised leads to the conclusion of the

prcject. Profitable collaboration, lntelliSent cooperation' 4 - Sac."d Smoke. Expectations and the fear that they will fly away, like smoke. Dissatisfaction, the need for

inner purification. 5 - Loss of the Soul. Which phantom has abducted our most authentic soul? Expectatioro of success? Illusioro and false objectives? A new vision of things is possible' 6 - Return of the Soul. Even in suffering, a new harmony flows in the depths. Ancient memories once removed come to the surface, bringtng wonder and nos'
talgia. 7 - Serpent of the Visions. in the lablrinth of dmires and posiibilities, all the minors reflect the image of our face. lndecision, fear of success. 8 - Purilication. Pursuit of an ideal that is deeply rooted in our inner self, refusal of what is unusual Advice is

not heeded.
9 - Equilibrium Achieved. True hamony is the balance between us. our sunoundings, and the earth itself' Physical and spiritual well-being, wise counsel' 10 - Self-healing of the Earth. Happiness bom of the understanding that we are part of the whole, all is as lt should be. Conclusion o[ a siluatton Knave - Shaman of Water. The shamanic secret of the Art: nothing is created, all is gathered. Peace of the soul, nurturing o[ sentiments. Knight - Ally of the Water. A capacity to dream that can Iiberate the spirit or lose it amidst useless reveries' Importance of an oneiric life. great power Queen - Mother of the Seas. Person with
).2

The Shaman: ourselves, in relation to the cunent

i
I

situation.

I - The Lower World: what is hidden, the circumsunces that influence the situation without us realising it. 2 - The Upper World: what is in pldin sight, the external conditions that modify the situation. 3 - The Obstacles: what complicates the situation and obstructs our plans.
I3

forces that we can summon in our aid' thal i- ift" i"fpn f sPirit: the extemal circumsmnces can favour our decisions'

unconscrous The Ally (the Animal of Power): the

;:; il

- Th" D",,""' the evolution' the interplay Jr"Jrt.r...",.,hat make up the siuation' weaving
8
and out like in an intricate dancel'iut*rv, u ruaior Arcana) - Healing: what is useful ,"-t*ni,n" sit-uation in our favour' The key'
1 Io enhance the spiritual percepdon of those aroT9:l: rnuy urong" to-. stone; orcry$als i:1: a "sacred circle' during the rea' iir"'riil. i?

in

present'

i'"*.

"i,rt" line quartz, red jasper and camelian

"."r,. ,to..r r..om-"nded

are rock crystal'

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