Artists and Tarot: The Cosmic Egg

Capturing the mythic dimensions of Easter . . .

In the spring of 1987, Tarot theorist Guido Gillabel created 22 major arcana designs — inspired by the archetypal symbolism of birth and rebirth. The designs were executed in minimalist (almost diagrammatic) ink drawings, and produced in a limited edition of 99 decks.

Here are The Fool and The Empress from Gillabel’s original Cosmic Egg Tarot, which measures 2.5”x 2.5”.

Two years later, artist and collaborator Carol Herzer translated those original designs into a series of richly colorful paintings, producing a slightly larger (3.4” x 3.4”) deck:

A tiny booklet accompanies each of the decks, offering Gillabel’s brief commentaries. For example:

0. The Fool represents “the cosmic egg,” out of which everything arises and in which everything finally disappears. He is the breath of the universe, in and out. He identifies himself neither with the one nor with the other. Thus he is free from the limitation of identification.

. . . freedom / liberation, folly / purity . . .

In revisiting these two wonderfully inventive decks, I discovered that Guido’s brother Dirk had created a counterpart to the “Cosmic Egg” — in this case, the “Physical Egg.”

For his playful project, Dirk painted directly on empty egg shells — creating simplified images that reflect the essentials of Tarot iconography.

And so . . . this gifted trio has provided us with three ways to contemplate the archetypes of birth and rebirth, permanence and change. I don’t have room to chronicle all their creative accomplishments, but here are three you should definitely know about:

• Dirk’s extraordinary Singing Bowl soundscape, shared in a YouTube presentation, accompanied Carol Herzer’s lovely “fractal visuals.” It’s a wonderful experience — and will inspire you to learn about Dirk’s unique Vision Tarot.
• Guido’s Tarot Museum Belgium, an amazing collection of more than 2500 “contemporary and antique tarot decks, fortune-telling games, antique etchings, funny tarot gadgets, etc.” Be sure to browse the well-organized website — and take the YouTube video tour — for an enhanced appreciation of Tarot and its cultural contexts.
• Carol Herzer’s online gallery, showcasing the range of her art. Spend some time with her signature Astrotarot — a striking blend of Tarot, astrology, and vibrant imagery.

Four planetary cards from Carol Herzer’s Astrotaro

I hadn’t thought of it this way until I started writing about the Cosmic Egg Tarot — but perhaps April 1 is a “Fool’s Day” because it offers us a point of demarcation, between one cycle and the next. Although Easter falls on a different date every year (the first Sunday after the first full moon following March 21st!), we always know where to find that spring day when the deck resets to Zero, and The Fool begins a fresh journey of growth and discovery.