Transparent Tarot

“Personally, I believe that whatever the earthly origins of Tarot may be, they are a gift to us which can aid us in our search for self-knowledge, understanding, and universal truth. And though it is interesting and rewarding to study the roots of where Tarot has come from and where and what it has been, with The Transparent Tarot I am far more interested in looking at where Tarot is going.” – Emily Carding

Finally, a truly visionary deck arrives in the Tarot landscape that not only allows beginners to grasp the archetypal import of the cards, but also rewards advanced students/experts with a fresh, visual, and utterly intuitive tool for probing, uncovering and decoding the complexities of any situation.

The Transparent Tarot, the “art child” of U.K. artist Emily Carding, captures the unifying symbol of each of the 78 cards and places them on an actual transparent card. This innovative format allows users to overlap cards, to “see through” the myriad suggestions and nuances that arise when the characters and symbols interact through layering.

Measuring 4-5/8 x 3-3/8 inches, these cards provide a seemingly infinite array of images, especially when lain one upon another. For example, the familiar Celtic Cross Spread becomes the Triple Layered Celtic Cross when three cards, instead of one, fills each position.

Alternatively, The Transparent Tarot cards can be read side by side in a filmstrip type of pattern, or they can be turned sideways, upside down, vertically—whatever your mind and playful nature can imagine!

The 280-page guide, also by Emily, is truly beyond the typical deck companion book. She not only provides a thorough and refreshing perspective for each of the cards, but also gives a three-card combination example reading after each of the Major Arcana descriptions.

For example, after The Hierophant interpretation (cleverly depicted in the Transparent Tarot as an ancient oak tree), Emily merges the Hierophant, Seven of Cups and Nine of Wands cards (which is illustrated for the reader), and explains how these three cards might interact in this particular combination.

In less skillful hands, this unusual design risks muddled messiness, but in the artist’s foresight, the symbols are painted on varying spots from card to card, resulting in an intriguing montage when layered together.

For right-brained, visually oriented individuals, The Transparent Tarot offers rampant freedom for brainstorming, intuitive deduction and storytelling. I’ve been using this deck daily for the last few weeks and find my Tarot practices and personal readings reinvigorated with the anticipation of discovery. The three-card layered readings I perform daily have been deeply insightful, inspiring me to begin a daily journaling practice using The Transparent Tarot; it’s been an exciting and fun process so far!

In addition to the 78 transparent cards and companion book, the Transparent Tarot box set also comes with a large white linen reading cloth (just shy of two feet square), affording a stark background to see the cards easily. However, if you happen to have a table or desk made of light colored wood, you could forgo the reading cloth altogether.

One of the touches that I particularly like is how each of the Pages, represented by a little girl, wear skirts of varying lengths denoting level of maturity (Page of Wands wears the shortest, while the garment lengthens through Cups, Swords and Pentacles).

It’s truly thrilling to see where visionary thinkers and artists are taking Tarot these days, and I feel that Emily Carding’s Transparent Tarot signifies a watershed moment for cartomancy. I count it a privilege to own and use such an inventive tool, and I feel those comfortable (and brave) enough to trust their intuitive ability and the power of visual archetypal symbols would feel the same.