Absurd Magic: The Hysterical Divination of Best Tarot

Tarot cards are a system of divination that explores the different aspects of the human journey using symbolism. This symbolism is expressed through various archetypes, elements, astrology, The Qabalah, color, and other forms of "the formless."

The Rider-Waite deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, is the most well-known. By working with the cards and discovering the maps of meaning within them, you can gain insight into the present and future potential.

Mike Costaney, an NJ-based creative, found inspiration in the tarot and created a deck that explores the major and minor arcana in imaginative and playful ways. He asked over 40 artists and creatives to artistically reinterpret the cards using a "Tarot from memory" experiment, which he found to be a strangely therapeutic process.

BEST TAROT

Best Tarot is the product of over 40 professional artists, amateur doodlers, and people who haven’t attempted to draw since grade school art class (one of our artists haven't reached grade school). These folks were given...

1. 60 seconds to look at a classic tarot card
2. an unwieldy black marker
3. a sheet of paper

Then, they had to draw the card they had been looking at using only their memory as a reference, some artists executing most of the 60 second reference onto paper and some failing ​beautifully​. The end product still maintains the concepts of classic tarot, but when passing it through our faulty computers we call brains, something a bit different emerges from the symbolism.

You can divine with them, use them on your journey to understanding Qabalistic teachings, or even make a killer card castle of which you can promptly knock down after building just to see ancient imagery of all schools of Magick tumble in slow-motion to the ground provoking you to commune with the Godhead or Primum Mobile, THE ONE... or maybe just break it out at small gathering for some ridiculous readings.

In this amalgam of imagination, absurdity, psychomagic and more - the resulting cards inspire a sense of whimsy, connection, and levity, which are all essential qualities to experience when taking a dip into the subconscious mind.

At times, a tarot reading can feel dense, presenting a potential of things you may not want to see, hearing things that feel uncomfortable, sitting with discomfort, but ultimately, it intends to offer an experience of growth and clarity.

Best Tarot is a tool, and overall experience, which lightens the journey into “enlightenment” (whatever that means), and tickles the heart.

We highly suggest checking out this deck and experiencing it for yourself. Even, perhaps, taking a cue from Costaney and seeing how drawing Tarot from memory can inspire your own relationship to the meanings of the cards.

To purchase your own copy, please click here.