Transparent Universal Tarot

Universal Transparent Tarot - 78 cards you stack instead of laying side by side

Most decks you lay out next to each other. This one you lay on top of each other. The Universal Transparent Tarot consists of 78 transparent cards you can slide over one another until symbols overlap, figures merge and new images emerge.

Roberto de Angelis drew classic tarot imagery with one difference: every element is positioned to overlap meaningfully with other cards. Slide the High Priestess over the Moon and you see how the veil of one blends with the water of the other. It does not just work visually. It forces you to stop interpreting cards in isolation.

What you see on the cards

The style is illustrative and clear. De Angelis sticks to the Rider-Waite structure: 22 Major Arcana, four suits of court cards, forty numbered cards. The linework is crisp enough to stay readable when you stack three or four cards.

The colours are saturated but not overpowering. Because the plastic has a slight tint, stacked cards mute each other. That is not a bug, that is the system. The guidebook explains how you can use layering to show relationships between cards.

The material is sturdy. The cards bend but do not tear easily. They feel smooth, which helps when sliding them over each other. The size is standard: roughly 66 by 120 millimetres.

How you work with it

You can use this deck just like regular tarot, lay the cards side by side and interpret them as usual. But the real value lies in the stacking. Pull three cards, layer them and notice which elements touch.

If you work with a lightbox or a white surface underneath, the colours stay vibrant and all layers remain sharp. Without extra light the bottom cards become hard to read from the fourth layer onward.

Lay the outcome card of a reading over the question card and notice which symbols overlap. That intersection often tells you more than both cards separately.

Who this works for

This deck asks for curiosity. You need to be willing to experiment and see what happens when images coincide. The imagery is classic enough for people familiar with Rider-Waite, but the method is new.

Beginners can do well with this deck because the overlap shows how cards influence each other. That insight takes months of practice with a regular deck. Advanced readers appreciate the space to create visual patterns that remain invisible in a standard spread.

About Roberto de Angelis

Roberto de Angelis is an Italian illustrator whose work appeared in dozens of tarot decks for Lo Scarabeo. His style is recognisable: clear lines, rich colours, faithful to traditional symbolism but with a contemporary hand.

For this deck he adjusted his approach. Every element had to function on its own and as part of a stacked whole. That requires a different composition than a regular deck.

Specifications

• Number of cards: 78
• Material: Transparent plastic
• Card size: approx. 66 x 120 mm
• Publisher: Lo Scarabeo
• Guidebook language: English, Italian, Spanish, French, German
• Weight: 281 g
• ISBN: 9788865271094
• Illustrator: Roberto de Angelis

Questions we often get

How many cards can you layer before it becomes unclear?
Up to four cards everything stays readable, provided you work with a white surface or light source underneath. At five or six cards you really need extra lighting to keep the bottom layer sharp.

Is the plastic sturdy enough for daily use?
Yes. The material is flexible and withstands repeated sliding and stacking. The cards cannot tear like paper, but they can scratch if you drag them over a rough surface.