It’s wonderful to see Tarot continuing to be an evolving artform and platform for exploring and expressing personal visions.  Like jazz music, Tarot artists can use an established structure or theme as a platform for exploring creative riffs, letting the vibes take them into personal improvisations and expressions.

A nice example of this is the Traumzeit-Tarot, a new deck by German artist Stefan Beckhusen.  The Traumzeit has hints of the Crowley/Harris Thoth deck, particularly in the minor arcana, as well as influences from the Marseilles and Waite/Smith traditions, yet is infused with the personal energy,  perspectives, and motivations of the artist.

One of my favorite cards of the deck that leaped out to me was XX: Gericht, or Court (as translated by Google).  Traditionally this card is titled Judgement, or Last Judgement.  The keywords for this card are:  Selbstschau, der Lebensfilm, which translates to: Self-review, the life film.

Here the Seeker has come to the end of their journey.  The book of their life lies open before them, and the heavenly horns are blaring as if to announce:  Wake Up!  It’s time to assess where you’ve been, and where you are going.

A demon-like figure huddles on the left, and an open chest is on the right from which floats particles of light.  These may represent the dark and the light experiences that the Seeker has encountered on their journey through life.  The particles of Light rise towards the book, indicating that the Seeker has chosen the Light over the Darkness.  The two angels at the top of the card point the way towards the heavens, towards the next destination on the Seeker’s evolutionary journey.

In our lives, there is often darkness and we feel trapped by the machinations of the world and despondent of our failings.  Yet, it is through confronting those demons that we come to know their opposite, the Light.

Here are some additional cards from the Traumseit-Tarot, showing Beckhusen’s space/jazz riffs on archetypal Tarot themes:

Major arcana:

Minor arcana:

Courts: