Haindl Tarot Deck
Art is a legal way to veil the truth without much consequence. Blurred images, strange backgrounds, mythical characters – all this creates a certain atmosphere with subtext. The Heindl Tarot deck is a good example of this approach. The author created his own system based on the classics. He showed the inner world of a person, reflected in unusual landscapes, trees and animals. The soul is full of surprises – hidden experiences, talents, aspirations. The deck, on the other hand, helps to bring all your secrets to light, cleanse yourself and become more conscious. This is the spiritual path leading to freedom.
History of creation of the Haindl Tarot Deck
The Heindl Tarot deck is a symbiosis of several cultures and occult currents at once. In his work, the German artist and mystic concurrently expressed a difficult life experience. Hermann Heindl was imprisoned in a camp during World War II. He endured many hardships and hardships. Then the artist traveled the world, bit by bit collecting the spiritual knowledge of many practitioners. The man attached special importance to trees. He considered them a symbol of wisdom, inner strength and at the same time flexibility, plasticity. After all, man himself combines two poles. On the one hand, his life is fragile. The individual is defenseless in the face of eternity. However, at the same time, people go through so many trials in their short life, they are spiritually tempered. They are strong and beautiful, smart and empathic. This is the ideal to which one should strive, according to the artist.
For the first time, the Heindl Tarot was released in Germany back in 1989. However, the deck cannot be called outdated or out of date. On the contrary, every year the cards seem to “infuse” like wine. They are still extremely popular among experienced practitioners. The deck resembles Pandora’s box – it is impossible to predict what exactly the Arcana will be thrown out this time. They are sublime, subtle, but at the same time very vital. After all, the author took life itself as a basis with all the hardships and joys. The images of people in the Heindl Tarot deck are organically inscribed in the context of myths and fairy tales, the characters share the planet with animals, birds and spirits. With each glance at this deck, new thoughts, ideas, meanings come.
Key features of the Hermann Haindl Tarot
The Heindl Tarot combines the approaches of Crowley and Arthur Waite. There are 78 cards in the deck, the Fool without a number, Strength – 8th. This structure helps not to get confused in the vision of the artist. The Major Arcana of Heindl Tarot show familiar archetypes from a spiritual angle. For example, on the High Priestess, a female silhouette with a tiara in the form of the moon is guessed. However, now it seems to dissolve into the sky. Below is a camel. The same meaning is duplicated by the Hebrew letter in the left corner of the card. Similar symbolism is found in Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot. The Devil is depicted with a mythical animal paired with a snake – the archetype of wisdom, but also deceit. The character has a third eye in the middle of the forehead, which indicates insight, superpowers. But on the Sun card, the author shows a more iridescent plot. He painted a scarlet rose blooming in a light-filled garden.
The suits of the Heindl Tarot deck remained the same, except for the Pentacles. The author renamed the Earth group into Stones. Each element is now shown by a specific culture – Cups (Northern tradition), Wands (Hindu), Swords (Egypt), Stones (American Indians). Such a correlation of meanings already contains a combination of opposites. The court group also changed its structure. The author of the Heindl Tarot deck took Crowley’s work as a basis, but slightly modified them – Daughter, Son, Mother and Father. This approach made it possible to achieve harmony and balance, removing the bias towards female energies. With Crowley, the place of the King was taken by the Knight, and in front of him was the Queen. The characters from the court group show gods and goddesses. For example, the Father of Wands is Brahma, and the Son of Swords is Osiris.
At the same time, the Minor Arcana of the Heindl Tarot combines plots with surrealism. The questioner can see the symbols of suits, which facilitates interpretation. Interestingly, the stones on the group of the same name represent the severity of worldly life, money, which can become a burden. And at the same time, they symbolize "gravity", that which gives a feeling of the ground under your feet. The background for the Arcana will often serve as a variety of landscapes. So, on the Ten of Cups in Heindl Tarot, the sea is drawn, and on the Four of Swords – a hollow in a tree. At the same time, some landscapes will be very metaphorical, for example, as on the Five of Wands – some pillars of dust, as if raised by rivals. The card itself is called Conflict.
Style and symbolism of the deck
The Heindl Tarot deck is made in the style of surrealism. At the same time, the images are quite blurry, multi-level. They resemble stereo images for eye training. However, in this case, the author allows you to work on your spiritual vision. He deliberately chose muted tones in order to lull vigilance. The fortuneteller has almost nothing to cling to. He is forced to build a series of metaphors to describe his own feelings. As signal beacons, the author leaves the letters of the Hebrew alphabet, runes and symbols of the planets. On some cards of the deck, there are I-Ching hexagrams. Such a move allows you to choose the most understandable system and focus on it.
The Haindl Tarot is designed quite simply. Each card is enclosed in a gray frame. Inside the plot there is a border in the color of the elements. There is a number at the top. The name of the Arcana is written at the bottom of the frame. Moreover, each suit has its own direction – Cups (north), Wands (east), Stones (west) and Swords (south). Now the traditionally cold Taro group becomes the hottest. Interestingly, on the Swords, Hermann Heindl showed the Egyptian culture. As you know, it was this country that became the starting point in the search for Aleister Crowley. There, a famous occultist heard the voice of a certain spirit, which dictated secret knowledge to him. The back of the cards is decorated with the image of the all-seeing eye – one of the main Masonic symbols.
Interpretation of the Haindl Tarot cards
In order to correctly interpret the Heindl Tarot, you need to know at least one of the occult systems – runes, Kabbalah or astrology. At the same time, it is necessary to freely navigate both in the Waite system and in Crowley’s presentation. Of course, the signatures on the cards give a general understanding of the picture, but still, each Arcana contains many hidden meanings. The fluidity of images allows you to see the faces of people, spirits, elementals. The background can tell a lot – whether it’s a snowy landscape or a sunlit lawn. Heaven will indicate the general atmosphere. For example, if a closed space is shown on the map, then this is a signal of a trap or constraint. But the open sky, like on the Ace of Stones, speaks of new perspectives, the opportunity to move forward and grow.
Fortune-telling on the Heindl Tarot deck can be quite difficult for a beginner. There are no usual actions and characters like Arthur Waite. That is why it is worth familiarizing yourself with the writings of Crowley in advance. Only after obtaining the necessary base can you turn on intuition. In this case, both animals and plants should be taken into account. For example, the vine leaves on the Six of Wands in the Heindl Tarot will represent the celebration of victory, the intoxication of one’s success. But the muzzles of wild animals from the Ten of the same suit personify the faces of the difficulties encountered on the way to their goal. An obstacle can also be one’s own disunited desires, pulling in opposite directions.
What questions is the deck suitable for?
The spreads on the Heindl Tarot deck are more suitable for working out spiritual issues, finding yourself and your destiny. Cards can indicate a specific tradition in which the questioner is best to work. In any situation, the Arcana will lead the prediction towards the occult, mysticism. After all, any circumstance should be taken as a lesson. The sum of all troubles and victories should be equal to inner peace, quiet strength. This ideal is shown on the Universe (World) card. Here a dragon is depicted, symbolizing the immortality of the spirit, eternity. Mythical creatures again emphasize the occult nature of the Arcana, their special character.
On the Heindl Tarot deck, you can look at your weaknesses and strengths, talents. Even one card can give a detailed description of a person. For example, the Fool will talk about carelessness, the joy of being. But the Hierophant will show the teacher, the guru. This is a master who has already achieved certain heights in his field. He serves as a priest, an intermediary between pure knowledge and people. Also, the Heindl Tarot deck is suitable for viewing energy, searching for negative programs. At the same time, the cards indicate the internal reserves of the individual, capable of canceling any outside interference. All advice will be directly related to internal growth, the study of plugs in terms of energy.
Who are the Haindl Tarot cards for?
The Heindl Tarot deck will appeal to lovers of metaphorical cards, strange and attractive at the same time. Such Arcana do not give direct answers – they make you look deep into yourself and the situation that has arisen. Often the root of the problem is hidden inside. The person himself, by the power of thinking, creates obstacles for himself on the path to happiness. The deck calls for spiritual and mental purification, to discover new talents in oneself. Heindl’s Arcana is a tool for working with fears, feelings, expectations from other people. It is impossible to unequivocally call a deck light or dark. It contains two poles, both energies.
Of course, the Heindl Tarot deck will appeal to Crowley fans. The language of the system will be understandable to runologists, cabalists, and practitioners of the Eastern I-Ching divination technique. But beginners are likely to be disappointed without understanding the meanings of all the Arcana. This Tarot can be considered the crown of predictive systems. The cards are very difficult to read, while being very informative for the initiates. Separately, it is worth noting the style of the Arcana. It will appeal to fans of surrealism, paintings by Hieronymus Bosch. But who exactly does not like the Heindl Tarot deck is practitioners who are accustomed to the Waite system. Here they will not find classic stories with a simple reading.