Santa Muerte Tarot Deck
Colorful skirts, scarlet roses and the ringing of gold earrings. When this lady dances, you can’t take your eyes off it. And everything would be fine if Holy Death herself had not turned out to be this beauty. The viewer is invited to go on a dizzying journey to Mexico in order to celebrate the strangest holiday. And the Santa Muerte Tarot deck will be an excellent guide to this unknown world. After all, one has only to gape, as a dark shadow with a sharp scythe can come for the fortuneteller himself.
History of creation of the Santa Muerte Tarot Deck
The author of the Santa Muerte Tarot was Fabio Listrani. The Italian illustrator also turned out to be an occultist. This fact is very striking if you carefully consider the work of Fabio. The artist draws comics, creates covers for musical groups, illustrates novels. Everything he does is imbued with a mystical aura. The first deck of this author was the Night Sun Tarot. It has already set the tone for all subsequent work. So, in 2017, a new masterpiece was released – the Santa Muerte Tarot.
The original idea was to convey the atmosphere of the Mexican holiday of the dead. Here the attitude to the afterlife is strikingly different from the generally accepted one. Santa Muerte is not tears of loss, moaning and fear of the moment of transition. On the contrary, people sing of the end of life, accepting it as an inevitable stage of the same life. This is just the other side of the coin. Therefore, the Santa Muerte Tarot deck turned out to be so fun, non-standard. The author tried to convey the flavor of Mexico.
The publishing house Lo Scarabeo on its 30th anniversary released the Santa Muerte Tarot in a limited edition. The box of the deck was made in the form of a coffin, decorated with traditional Mexican patterns. Included was a small book with brief explanations of the cards. On the cover itself, the bony Goddess herself, flaunted with a golden halo over her skull. Fabio Listrani really managed to impress even the most sophisticated practitioners.
Key features of the Santa Muerte Tarot of the Holy Death
This deck can be attributed to the English school. There are a lot of motives from Waite, but in some places the influence of Crowley can be traced. In any case, the author managed to create a completely new mantic instrument based on some classics. The Major Arcana of the Santa Muerte Tarot deck are very recognizable. The Fool is still the same simpleton, but this time he comes out of his own grave, as if he is going on a long journey. The Emperor and Empress are a couple. If you connect two Arcana, you can see that the hem of the heroine’s scarlet dress reaches the throne of her companion. Behind them both, the background is formed into a single whole – a huge green skull.
The Minor Arcana of the Santa Muerte Tarot vaguely resemble the concept of Arthur Waite. But, if you take a closer look, Listrani’s game becomes clear. Some cards seem to be intentionally swapped for meaning. The author thus makes it clear that the fortuneteller has a completely different system with its own special laws. An example is the Five of Pentacles. There are a bunch of skulls on which a certain character is walking. The questioner can only see his legs, only guessing about the personality of the hero. Thus, a classic need turns into someone’s wealth. So here the situation is completely reversed.
The court Arcana of the Santa Muerte Tarot deck remained quite standard. The exception is the two Pages, which now depict young ladies. This, again, is an echo of Crowley. In all other respects, the heroes of the court cards are typical, but, nevertheless, well-thought-out. Tens deserve special attention. They show butterflies of different types, referring to a particular element.
Style and symbolism of the deck
The world of the Santa Muerte Tarot deck is familiar landscapes, human houses and meadows strewn with flowers. The exception is the heroes themselves. The thing is, they’re all dead. The skeletons are dressed in beautiful clothes and gold jewelry. They interact with each other, living in a parallel universe. The exception is the Arcana of the Moon – here for the first and last time a living person appears. The author seemed to want to say that nothing ends with physical death. On the contrary, the afterlife can be no less fun adventure traveler. The very image of necrotic symbols also reminds of the inevitability of the transition. It is always worth remembering about it in order to keep up with everything on time.
The suits of the Santa Muerte Tarot deck are very interesting. Each element here has its own color scheme, its own symbolism. For example, on the group of Cups, a blue tint prevails. Many cards of this suit have a scarlet heart. Pentacles are a characteristic green color, chests, pouches and ladders. Wands – scarlet buds, matches, red clothes. Swords – black and white with elements of yellow, epees, scissors, nails.
If we talk about the design of Santa Muerte Tarot cards, then here the author adhered to minimalism. Each Arcana is framed in a white frame from below. Here is the name of the suit or the card itself and a numerical designation. There are no correspondences with Kabbalah or astrology. The symbolism of the deck is eloquent and therefore does not require any further clarifications. However, the querent can work according to his usual system. Still, the archetypes of the characters are very reminiscent of Waite’s standard characters.
Interpretation of the Santa Muerte Tarot cards
The interpretation of the Santa Muerte Tarot deck can be done intuitively, based on experience. There are no clear frames and dogmas, cards give freedom of choice. The fortuneteller has the right to correlate the Arcana in meaning with the classical ones. The main difference here lies in the very reality of the deck. It’s just another world, as if turned inside out. Listrani’s vision is like an x-ray that exposes the soul.
It is worth looking closely at all the clues left by the author. The Santa Muerte Tarot is replete with small details and, of course, humor. Here you can see the skeletons of birds, animals and even an angel on the Last Judgment card. Even the sun has a terrifying appearance. But at the same time, the characters play guitars, sing songs and dance. It is important to notice the general mood of the card, its vibrations.
What questions is the deck suitable for?
Oddly enough, but the deck is suitable for viewing any life situations. These are all questions related to career, finding oneself, creating a family and revealing one’s abilities. Four suits perfectly convey all spheres and interests of the human world. After all, all the same skeletons were once alive. The Santa Muerte Tarot spreads will give the key to any situation. Here everything will depend only on the ability to work with images and transfer them to your circumstances..
Separately, it is worth mentioning communication with the dead. Fortune-telling on the Santa Muerte Tarot may also imply a seance of spiritualism. The cards will show departed relatives, loved ones, and allow you to enter into a dialogue with them. To do this, you do not need to conduct special rituals – you just need to concentrate and ask the deck to bring the right soul. You can first draw one card to understand whether the departed is ready to enter into a dialogue.
Also, the Santa Muerte Tarot deck is also suitable for working out situations related to magic. Cards are able to show the method of influence, the necessary items. Also, the Arcana will illuminate the future – how exactly the magic program will fall. In general, the deck is very versatile. It can be conditionally attributed to the dark group, but in fact the cards reflect reality in a neutral way. The prediction will seem shameless to someone, but it all depends on the mood. After all, a divination session implies a search for truth.
Who are the Santa Muerte Tarot cards for?
The Santa Muerte Tarot will primarily appeal to fans of dark decks. The dark yet life-affirming aesthetic will complement any such collection. The same can be said about the fans of Fabio’s work. His detailed images will appeal to connoisseurs of comics. After all, looking at these cards, a person may get the feeling that he is leafing through a colorful magazine with horror stories.
Also, the Santa Muerte Tarot deck will appeal to practitioners who are used to Waite, but want to broaden their horizons. These Arcana will make adjustments to the standard vision of the predictive system. They will softly but persistently add new meanings to classical motifs. But who definitely doesn’t like the deck is the ardent opponents of everything gloomy, otherworldly. For such a group of people, necrotic energies will serve as an obstacle in the perception of information.