Tarot of the Origins

Tarot of the Origins
Sergio Toppi, 2000

This beautifully illustrated deck was published in 2000 by Lo Scarabeo in Torino, Italy. These trumps had previously been published under the same title, but have now been made into a 78-card deck. The Tarot of the Origins depicts the origins of human culture in such realms as tribal community, interaction with the elements, and pathways of the shaman.

The illustrations are rendered in pen and ink with washes of watercolor. Sergio Toppi’s artwork shows a respect for the natural beauty of the human form, and features a variety of races from several continents. The actual cultures represented are not specified, although there is a fold-out sheet in which the artist interprets each image in the deck. The designs are not filled with occult symbols; the meanings are rather expressed through the facial expressions, as well as by the name on each card.

Trump III is called The Mother, shown above, and represents femininity and motherhood as incarnated in a woman of the tribe. She holds a fertility symbol, yet stands as if she herself is the true fertility icon. Trump V represents The Shaman which Toppi describes as Wisdom and Serenity expressed through masculinity.

The Chariot, also shown above, retains it’s traditional name but departs in imagery. Toppi describes this image as “the means used for circulating ideas; non-decorative etchings.” This card usually depicts a charioteered warrior, symbolizing action and dominion in the physical realm. Here, we see a hand inscribing a chariot symbol onto a clay surface. The two symbols make an interesting parallel, although the act of writing represents mastery that is more mental than physical, evoking the addage that “the pen is mightier than the sword.”

Toppi’s Devil is here called The Demon. The illustration shows a tribesman wearing the primitive ritual mask of an ancient culture, but the symbol could just as easily infer a modern costume party, a dramatic play, or Jungian archetype. The image suggests the unexplored forces within ourselves which we may normally be afraid to explore. The artist describes the image as the “freeing of our hidden part, to wear a mask who reveals who we are. Represents Instinct, Freedom, Sensitivity.”

The Tower card is called The Menhir, a word which means a standing stone which has been placed into the ground. The man who stands at the top of the structure represents “the elevation of human consciousness.” Other keywords given for this card are reaching upwards, to construct, to define.

The Moon and The Sun, shown above, show a woman and man wearing hammered amulets around their necks. Each card represents its respective celestial force – the woman as Magic and Hidden Nature, and the man as Logic and Measured Quantities such as Time. The last Trump also bears the traditional title of The World, shown above. On this card we see a large ring of standing stones, behind which is a small figure very similar to the one seen in The Menhir. Toppi says that this card represents “all that which surrounded man, expressed in megalithic circles. Represents Complexity, Reward and Worth.”

Toppi’s Minor Arcana are painted as beautifully as his Trumps. Their main distinction from the Majors is that the Minors have a colored bar at their top. Each suit is identified by its own color scheme: the Wands are the green suit of Nature, the Cups are the blue suit of Soul, the Swords are the red suit of Blood, and Pentacles are the yellow suit of Jewels.

Each pip number is also associated with a visual concept, which is consistent throughout the four suits. The Aces, for example, are all called the Etching, so that the Ace of Wands is called the Etching of Nature, the Ace of Swords is called the Etching of Blood, etc. The other numerical associations are called (2) the Age, (3) the Mask, (4) the Bones, (5) the Stone, (6) the Rite, (7) the Era, (8) the Spirit, (9) the Birth, and (1) the Environment. The court cards are called the Child, Animal, Woman, and Man of each suit.

The suit of Jewels, using the yellow color scheme shown above, represents the forces of daylight, natural energy, and material resources. The Etching of Jewels (1) shows a heavily tatooed woman. The card symbolizes the honoring of the human body, “the basis for constructing.” The Birth of Jewels (9) depicts an old craftsman displaying his handmade vase, a symbol of economic abundance.

The Stone of Nature (5) shows a gorilla with a stone balanced on his head. The symbolism may imply the forces of thought and intellegence entering into the realm of nature. The card which follows this is the Rite of Nature (6) which shows a woman who watches the growth of a plant. The image suggests that we apply our intelligence to the world around us. The meanings which the author gives to these two cards are balance and waiting, respectively.

The suit of Souls is painted in blue, and deals with the forces of magic and spiritual belief. The author describes this suit as one of “dreams, meditation, and spirituality.” The Age of the Soul (2) depicts the spirit of an old shaman speaking to his successor, suggesting focus on an “objective.” The fourteenth card is the equivalent of the King, called here the Man of the Soul. Toppi describes him as “an old and undoubtable wise shaman. A teacher.”

The red cards illustrate the suit of Blood. This is the realm of aggression, instinct, and the actions associated with survival such as hunting and war. The Mask of Blood (3) shows a village leader carrying a war mask, symbolizing “another point of view.” The Knights in this deck are called the Animal of each suit; the Animal of Blood shows a ferocious bear which towers over the hunter below. The meaning given is “the desire to do.”

This unique deck is published in Italy but can be purchased through Llewellyn, which now distributes decks by Lo Scarabeo.

Review by Mark Filipas, 12/29/00