The Tarot of the New Vision Mini

Tarot of the New Vision mini - the Rider-Waite from the reversed perspective

Most tarot cards show what happens in front of the figures. This deck shows what lies behind them. Tarot of the New Vision mini turns each scene 180 degrees and places you on the other side of the image.

It is a complete Rider-Waite deck, but mirrored. Where you normally see the Magician from the front, here you look over his shoulder. What do you see then? A landscape, new details, sometimes other figures. It adds a second layer to images you already know.

What you see on the cards

Brothers Raul and Gianluca Cestaro have closely followed Pamela Colman Smith's style. The lines, the colours, the posture of the figures: everything connects to the original design. Only the viewpoint has changed.

Sometimes that viewpoint changes little. Sometimes a lot. On some cards you suddenly see a horizon or a building. On others, figures appear that you would not have seen from the classic perspective.

The cards are printed on black-core cardstock. It feels solid and shuffles well. The format is 50 x 81 mm, compact enough to carry and large enough to see all the details.

How you work with it

This deck works best if you are already familiar with the Rider-Waite. Then you know exactly what has been turned around. You can use this deck on its own, but many people lay both versions side by side. Same card, two sides. That gives a fuller picture.

The concept comes from Pietro Alligo, founder of Lo Scarabeo. He came up with the idea of literally turning tarot cards around and seeing what becomes visible. Not a symbolic turn, but a spatial one.

Draw one card from this deck and the same card from a classic Rider-Waite. Place them side by side and notice which details change. That difference often tells as much as the card itself.

About the creators

Raul and Gianluca Cestaro have worked together as illustrators for years. Their strength lies in replicating classic tarot styles without making it a copy. For this deck they redrew every card, rather than copying and mirroring.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 78
• Size: 50 x 81 mm
• Material: black-core cardstock
• Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
• ISBN: 9780738769561
• Guidebook: multilingual
• Illustrators: Raul and Gianluca Cestaro
• Concept: Pietro Alligo

Questions we often get

Are the cards mirrored or redrawn?
Redrawn. The Cestaro brothers re-illustrated each scene from the reversed perspective. It is not a simple mirror, but a complete reconstruction of the scene.

Is this a good starter deck?
Only if you already have some experience with the Rider-Waite. This deck assumes you know what the original cards look like. Without that reference you miss half the information.