The Philosophy
~
The origins of Tarot are not taken into consideration with the creation of the Portal Tarot. The deck was not designed based on any of the existing historical theories or traditional themes. It simply unfolded as an exploration of the archetypes. David and I shared in our common experiences albeit from completely different perspectives, in creating the deck. We each hold different yet parallel views of what defines each separate archetype. That's the power and beauty of Tarot - it defies differences in individual details regarding our unique experience via the commonality of human experience. We all experience the same human conditions; fear, pain, joy, love, but each in our own unique way. However, we do agree on a common definition for the term archetype:
Our Portal archetypes represent the human experience, the same as all Tarot decks. Like them, each card or combination thereof, tells a story about the leg of the particular journey we are on. However, we view the Portal Tarot as a deck to be used in self-exploration - more meditative in nature, rather than as a tool for divination. Subsequently, our philosophy and card descriptions focus on this role. However, the cards don't belong to us...they belong to all of us. We hope that they will help you on your journey in whatever form you use them.
Tarot is Mystery. It is a reflection of human creativity, which itself is an expression of universal creativity. The universe speaks through Tarot, and it's language is symbolic. Symbols are the way Mystery presents itself in an endless display of creativity. These symbols are not static "things" but dynamic processes that continuously invoke new meanings and subtleties in understanding. They are interrelated, interpenetrating and always present, though only certain facets may be displayed (e.g. in a spread).
A portal is a gateway to Mystery. It allows one to enter into the presence of Mystery's symbolic display. But it is also a challenge, for it takes an act of creative perception to see and experience the symbolic display in all of its beauty, power, and subtlety. This creative act is inherently meaningful in and of itself, but it will also generate "worlds of meanings" that will relate to our experience. All of the Tarot philosophies, descriptions and intellectual frameworks are guides that allow one to approach the portal. They point us in the right direction and introduce the possibility of transformation through creativity. But the meaning of Tarot and it's symbolic display is revealed through experience and the living of the transformative process. Ultimately, the creative process, with it's co-present status of awareness and freedom, bring us to the realization that we are the Mystery -- constantly creating our own symbolic displays that have universal meaning.
For David, portals had an inherent archetypal meaning that was cross cultural. Portals are gateways to sacred space, a point of transition from one mode of being to another. Like the entrance to a Gothic Cathedral or a Zen Monastery, they can point to rich symbolic systems or to enigmatic challenges to awareness. They can represent initiation, affirmation or challenge depending on the state of the "one who enters". As David and Traci began actually developing concepts for each card, it occurred to him that the process of Tarot was one of integration and that in a sense all of the images were of wisdom. His intuitive sense of Tarot was that it could be either a transparent or opaque symbol system.
Transparent versus opaque symbols have the power to enslave or liberate. A true (transparent) symbol is a referent to an ‘open dimension' of meaning -- as it is experienced, the symbol slowly fades. It no longer has meaning as a symbol, but has been incorporated into the actual lived experience of the person, no longer restricted by an visual or verbal description. An opaque symbol is a referent to conceptual frameworks that hides the 'open dimension'. That is, it encourages endless intellectual speculation without encouraging direct experience.
The Tarot is a referent to universal archetypes of our consciousness that will have equivalent expressions in many symbol systems. As archetypes, they are inherently 'open' in terms of meaning. That is, their meaning can not be contained or captured in any symbolic system. They can only be pointed at or referred to....they are mysterious. Mystery is itself, the gateway.
For Traci, Tarot was a gateway of insight into the mystery of a destroyed psyche. She had been diagnosed with bi-polar illness about two years earlier and had only recently become ‘medically stable’ (the medications finally stabilized her mood swings). When she first came across David’s original portal artwork, she found herself catapulted into a new place of serenity. This startled her because it was an odd feeling for her...in the past, similar incidents had been precipitated by a manic phase. But this was different...she simply found herself transported into a new realm of insight...something that she had been unsuccessfully attempting with meditation. David's portal artwork was the closest she had come to 'entering' an image. Based on this, she wrote to him.
She had been working with the Thoth and Universal Waite Tarot decks in combination with cognitive therapy to get at a truer perspective of ‘who she was’. (Please see her site for more details concerning bi-polar illness and her experience in coping with it.) Having been undiagnosed for as long as she was, her self-perception was defined by the illness. Working with Tarot gave her a way to view herself and her life from an objective perspective, separate from her perception of life as being a victim to 'mental illness'.
As they worked on the cards, Traci was really working on herself. She would relate an experience that had held her spirit captive for years, in an attempt to explain what the archetype they were working on meant for her. As David created the image, the experience’s significance faded. This is an example of a transparent symbol; where the memory was the symbol, being assimilated to make way for a new interpretation. As a consequence of her work in therapy and through working with David in creating the Portal Tarot, she came to realize that what had been destroyed in her psyche by the illness was meant to be, in order to pave the way to a greater sense of self-understanding. This insight didn't occur all at once and is ongoing. The symbols of Tarot never remain constant, they shift in meaning and perspective as we grow in self-understanding and experience. The archetypes are forever a mystery for her because she is forever a mystery to herself. Subsequently, Traci views the Tarot as a living symbol system. No matter how many times she looks at the Portal Tarot she sees something unique - the stories or history of each card hold little meaning compared to the mystery contained in the present. For her, Tarot simply mirrors the mystery of life.
Thoughts from David ~
When Traci wrote and told me that the Portal imagery could be
applied to Tarot, I was intrigued by the possibilities. I knew
of Tarot only in a vague way, and had no idea of the variety of
visual approaches used in numerous Tarot Decks. My work is inherently
experimental, more of a discovery process, and I was not sure
if I could "shape" the process in such a targeted way.
When I suggested a collaboration, and Traci agreed, I was essentially
"jumping into the unknown". For me, the Portal Tarot
was born out of a love a Tarot (Traci), a love of art (me) and
a leap of faith by both of us.
The synergy from this collaboration has produced something that
is greater than the individuals. We dialoged on Tarot, looked
at decks on-line and exchanged life stories. Each of the images
took on it's own character, seeming to pull together whatever
was needed for completion. Some were "lucky stabs" resulting
from my intuitive but uninformed understanding. Others were responses
to Traci's life stories. Some involved an intense exploration
of meaning and symbols -- a mutual discovery. And some were "found"
by Traci -- attempts at one card that actually better suited another
card. Through it all, Traci's aesthetic sense and intuitive grasp
of Tarot were essential in making the deck what it is.
Thoughts from Traci ~
Working with David in creating the deck has been one of the most
excruciating and rewarding experiences of my lifetime.
Excruciating because Tarot will not tolerate self-deceit; even
if it is born from self-ignorance. In trying to convey my understanding
of the archetypes to David, I have been forced to confront all
aspects of myself, some of which are terribly ugly and damaged.
I have also been forced to acknowledge that for all of my 36 years
on this planet - for everything I think I know, I know absolutely
nothing. A very painful lesson for a life lived in mania’s
delusion.
Rewarding because I have re-discovered my own creativity through
David’s gentle, persistent and determined belief in me. Rewarding
to be a part of something as beautiful as his creative process
and to be a part of his vision of the archetypes. For me to feel
so intensely over beauty rather than pain has been the most liberating
aspect of my recovery thus far. Most of all though, rewarding
to have become so intimate with the archetypes. Words can not
do that relationship justice...suffice it to say that when I doubt
in the existence of something larger than humanity, I pull out
my deck and I know that I truly am not alone in this Universe.
** I would like to give a special thanks to the women in my life - all of you have been the foundation of my recovery and my backbone: Nancy Ann, Susan Quinn; Wounded Healer, Cherry, and most of all - my Mother, who gave me the power of choice when I needed it most and thus gave me back my life. Thank you.