Spiritus Mundi Tarot

Major Arcana (2020-2021)

Artist Statement:

I think of the present as a “revenant” experience: After experiencing isolation and loss, during the pandemic I find the present moment to be a challenge to “return” to the world. It is, however a return to a new world; the old world has been lost. It has changed by, altered by, the pandemic.

In my art I strive to convey a sense of human experience. During the pandemic, I found myself returning to, and mulling over, questions such as “Why does this happen? What will happen next?” What does the future hold?”

I found myself drawn to the Tarot. Its images are iconic and have evolved over time from being understood as a “simple deck of Italian playing cards” to being viewed as a constellation of images with oracular power. Over the past year of isolation in the time of COVID, I found myself drawn to the Tarot as a source of both meditation and creativity. Rather than experiencing the imagery as divinatory, I found them revelatory of what it is to be human.

Each of the images in Tarot Major Arcana represent an aspect of being human that I experienced during the past year. As such this series, this Spiritus Mundi set, is a personal chronicle of my life in 2020/2021. It was only after I finished them that I realized that the images that came to me differ from the traditional Tarot images in that -apart from Wheel of Fortune and the World - they are solitary. COVID-19 separated us physically from one another; many of us could not mourn in the company of others. These images came to me spontaneously, in their one time and order and provided comfort.

Although these Tarot capture and illuminate aspects of my personal life, I hope they remain true to the original spirit and meanings of the Tarot and provide meaning to viewers as well.

A.M. 2021