Before Tarot Deck
More than a hundred years have passed since the creation of the now popular Rider-Waite deck. However, until now the glory of these cards does not subside. To date, eminent authors create Arcana not just as a classic. Their work can boldly compete or even surpass the role model. One of these decks is the Before Tarot. These are universal cards for all occasions. They seem to show a fascinating slide show, they give a whole story. But it is up to the questioner himself to understand the living images. These Arcana are fraught with many secrets, although they seem simple at first glance.
History of creation of the Before Tarot Deck
The Before Tarot is a versatile deck that immerses viewers in the good old world of Waite. The cards were created by the creative duo of Pietro Alligo and Floreana Nativo. They show events that preceded the classic scenario. The deck was first released in 2018. It was published by the Italian publishing house Lo Scarabeo, whose founder and art director is Pietro Alligo. Floreana Nativo, on the other hand, was liked by readers of the Tarot of Sacred Feminine and Knights Templar. As a result, the new deck turned out to be so lively and logical. It may even seem that Sir Arthur Waite himself and the artist Pamela Smith initially conceived such a development for their characters. The questioner seems to be spying on the heroes of the Arcana, on their lives. The accompanying book for the deck was written by Corinne Kenner, a famous American tarot reader. The woman concurrently has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. This fact is read in her work.
The main idea behind the creation of the Before Tarot deck was the idea of the possibility of regression. Sometimes people cannot draw parallels between their own actions and their consequences. The Arcana offer to return to the past and understand what exactly served as the trigger. Perhaps the querent did not take up a good offer in time, initially chose a problematic person, or missed alarm bells in terms of his health. The cards were rendered by two artists, Eon and Simone Rossi. Corinne Kenner in her book puts the deck on a par with Waite and the After Tarot. Together, these Arcana seem to make up a film that immerses you in certain events.
Key features of the Before Tarot
The Before Tarot belongs to the English school. In total, there are 78 cards in the deck, the minor group has plot illustrations. Justice comes at number 11. In general, the cards repeat the motives of Arthur Waite. Artists in most cases simply added only a few details. For example, consider the Major Arcana in the Before Tarot. On the Fool, the character only goes to the bush of white roses in which the dog is hiding. In the Pictorial Key Tarot, or Waite’s classic, the hero walks towards a cliff, holding a flower in his hand. That is, the author proposes to consider what happened before the hero went to the cliff. On the Magician, the artists added to everything a monkey with a pentacle, which symbolizes the skill of a magician. A snake wraps around the hero’s neck.
The Minor Arcana of the Before Tarot deck also repeat the classic motifs. For example, on the Seven of Cups, all the same golden bowls are visible in the sky. However, now the hero stands with his back to them, covering his eyes with his hands. He only imagines what he will see later. A second character appears on the Two of Wands. He follows the guy standing on the balcony. It turns out that the character from the classics was inspired by someone else’s example and is thinking of going on a trip. The appearance of a second character is also seen in the Eight of Swords. A man in a black robe touches a bound girl. The hero here is more like an executioner. It can indicate both a specific person who creates problems, and an internal critic who drives one into embarrassment and fears.
The Before Tarot suits remained standard. But the author added Aces with important details. On the Ace of Cups, a fish jumps out of a golden bowl. It can mean comfort, life in love and harmony, as well as the possibility of becoming pregnant. A second hand appears on the Ace of Pentacles. It hints that the chance came from a specific person. This is an exchange card. On the Ace of Wands, the palm only reaches for the burning staff. This is the initial impulse, desire. And on the Ace of Swords, the blade has yet to be pulled out of the rock. Below is a crown that will go to the chosen one. The image itself refers to the story of King Arthur, who managed to get the legendary sword Excalibur from stone.
The court Arcana of the Before Tarot deck further reveal Waite’s characters. So, on the Queen of Cups, a dolphin appears from the water, giving the heroine a sacred cup. On the King of Swords, a hand emerges from a cloud, holding out a blade to the ruler. A similar scene appears on the Knight of Cups. But here a girl is holding out a bowl to the hero. All this hints at the fact that power, love, knowledge do not come at once. A person goes to his goal and achieves what he has planned. The only exception to the deck is the Seven of Swords. Here the character is stealing blades while people are sitting by the fire. The card directly shows the scene where the guy pulls swords from a wooden bipod.
Style and symbolism of the deck
The Before Tarot deck is made in the style of a pencil drawing. The shades are muted, the background is often beige. Eon and Simona Rossi worked out the characters and their faces in detail. Now a fortuneteller can easily count emotions from the once exaggerated heroes. In addition, the author added details in the form of birds, animals or plants. On the Eight of Wands, a salamander appears in the air – a symbol of fire. On the Five of Cups, a ginger cat pours the cup. On the Page of Pentacles, a guy stands in a field of sunflowers and pulls out a gold coin. All these details give the main meaning additional shades. Animals and birds can be considered totems and also read information from them.
The Before Tarot cards have a white border. At the top there is a numerical designation in Roman numerals, and at the bottom there is a signature. In this regard, the deck completely repeats the old Waite. At the same time, Pietro Alligo and Floreana Nativo paid great attention to Masonic symbolism. Even on the back of the cards, there are white lilies and red roses. A wreath of these flowers appears on the Strength Arcana. But on the Six of Cups, there are only lilies. They here denote purity of soul and innocence. On the Three of Cups, the artists depicted grapes, which symbolizes joy, intoxication with life. The heroines only crush the fruits into bowls, but on the classics, the ladies are already starting to dance.
Interpretation of the Before Tarot cards
The Before Tarot deck suggests looking at the cards from Waite’s point of view. These are excellent Arcana for working out the main meanings. However, foremost, the querent must take into account the plot itself and the characters. All this together will give an understanding of the motives of behavior and the consequences in the future. Of particular importance in Before Tarot are the colors used by the artists. You can read about their interpretation in the accompanying book. For example, the scarlet clothes of the hero of the Emperor indicate passion, health and strength. The black apron from the Eight of Pentacles signifies discipline and giving up something in order to achieve mastery. But all the same gloomy shades on Death or the Devil will indicate uncontrolled destructive energy.
In order to correctly interpret the spreads of the Before Tarot, you must also pay attention to the postures and facial expressions of the characters. The artists did their best and gave the characters living faces. Now they are visible: a smile, a sly squint, anger or contempt. An open palm, a clenched fist, a hunchback and a closed posture – all this gives hidden meanings, helps to give a more detailed prediction. And in order to perceive information together, the authors suggest using three decks at once – Before, the Pictorial Key and the After Tarot, or New Vision. All this is described in the accompanying literature, along with a brief description of each individual card.
What questions is the deck suitable for?
The Before Tarot is great for situations involving a person’s past. The querent can deal with the reasons for the breakup of relationships, dismissal at work, or a series of failures in one area or another. The cards give a clear and concise answer. And sometimes it can be associated with magical intervention. But even such nuances the deck easily raises to the surface, because it is universal. Arcana show the causes of health problems, diseases. The study of characters gives a whole field for the interpretation of everything related to the body or energy. The correct understanding of the information given out by the cards depends on the developments of the practice.
Reading on the Before Tarot can also be used as a past life regression. The questioner will thus find answers to the most important questions, understand the true reasons for what is happening. Cards will help close gestalts, work out karma and get out of a repeating scenario. The deck gives a chance to independently fill in the gaps in memory, to find out what directly affects today. Arcana show childhood traumas, as well as a way to close them. A person is able to rewrite the script of life and start acting differently.
Who are the Before Tarot cards for?
The Before Tarot will appeal to fans of classic decks. The scripts and characters here practically copy the work of Colman Smith. This approach allows you not to get confused and operate with standard values. Also, the deck is suitable for those who love the detailed drawing of people. This style opens up new possibilities in reading, applying cards to a wide range of situations. Also, the deck will appeal to lovers of mysticism. It has a place for magic, totem animals and birds, the language of flowers. Such symbolism is able to convey answers regarding spirituality and the search for oneself. Everything here, as usual, depends on the savvy of the fortuneteller.
In terms of gender, the Before Tarot deck is universal. It can please both men and women. Bright detailed images will not let you get bored. Separately, it is worth noting the practitioners who already have the After Tarot in their collection, as well as the Pictorial Key. The Before Tarot is a kind of addition to this category of cards, although optional. However, working with three decks at once gives a clearer description of what is happening, answers all questions. In order to properly interact according to this scheme, you need to study the approach of Corinne Kenner in advance.