Tarot of Oppositions - mirrored illustrations show light and shadow at once
Most tarot decks have a system for reversed cards. This deck makes that system obsolete by building the shadow side directly into each card. Every illustration is mirrored vertically, with the top half showing the light aspect and the bottom half the shadow.
Pierluca Zizzi designed the structure, Michele D'Aloisio drew the cards. The result is a deck in which duality is not just a meaning but a visual principle running through every image.
What you see on the cards
The compositions are symmetrical from top to bottom. Where the upper half might show growth or hope, the lower half shows decay or fear. Both halves form a single image together.
The style is detailed and symbolic, with clear contrasts between the two halves. The colours remain consistent throughout the deck, which makes moving between cards easy.
The 160-page guidebook explains for each card how both sides relate to each other. Not as 'positive' and 'negative', but as two aspects of the same archetype.
How this works in practice
You draw a card and notice which half draws your attention. The top often points to what is manifest, the bottom to what plays beneath the surface. Some readers work with both halves simultaneously, others choose one side as their focus.
The deck forces you to allow nuance. A card does not give a single answer, but a tension between two forces. That suits shadow work and questions where no simple yes or no exists.
When drawing a card, notice which half catches your eye first. That often tells more about your own position than the card meaning itself.
About Pierluca Zizzi and Michele D'Aloisio
Pierluca Zizzi is an Italian designer who works with dream analysis and spiritual symbolism. For this deck he developed a system in which opposites strengthen rather than exclude each other.
Michele D'Aloisio is an illustrator known for his detailed, almost engraving-like style. His work for this deck combines classical tarot symbolism with a contemporary visual language.
Specifications
- Number of cards: 78 (Major and Minor Arcana)
- Card size: 70 x 120 mm
- Guidebook language: English
- Guidebook pages: 160
- Card quality: Premium with smooth coating
- Packaging: Luxury box with magnetic closure
- Designer: Pierluca Zizzi
- Illustrator: Michele D'Aloisio
- Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
Questions we often get
Do I still need to work with reversed cards with this deck?
No. The shadow side is already built into each card. You can choose to lay a card upside down for extra depth, but the system is not built on that.
Is this an RWS-based deck?
Yes, the structure and symbolism largely correspond with the Rider-Waite-Smith system. The mirrored form is the main deviation.
