Japaridze Tarot - MJS Tarot

I am in the process of creating a multi-purpose story spread as part of a bigger project so each day I test it from different perspectives using different decks. This morning when I turned to grab a deck my hand rested on the Japaridze Tarot. And, to be honest, my first reaction was “pick again.” Fortunately I didn’t. I trusted my process — work with whichever deck stands out to me. Surrealist art draws me in because it challenges me. With a headache, and a lingering viral-type illness, I wasn’t feeling the need to add any additional challenges, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover I hadn’t. This deck spoke to me so loudly and so clearly that I felt compelled to write about it now.

Straight up, I’ll admit that I know this deck won’t be for everyone. But for those whose interest it piques — I doubt you will be disappointed.

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot titled XVII • THE STAR shows a nude woman with long dark hair sitting on a white rock, gazing at a starry night sky filled with large glowing stars and swirling galaxies.

Illustration of two girls on a beach, one in a blue dress and one in a pink dress, each holding a balloon. Fluffy clouds fill the sky. Inspired by the Japaridze Tarot, text at the bottom reads Six of Tides.

The Japaridze Tarot Cards

I’ve had the Japaridze Tarot for a few years, and each time I pull it out, I admire Nino Japaridze’s artwork. Slated as collage-style surrealism, she uses a combination of gouache, ink, collage, acrylic, and oils to share her vision of each card. Unlike The Dreamkeepers Tarot and the Surrealist Tarot, I would also say that this deck is a combination of art styles but is does have surrealist elements on many of the cards.

Three horses—white, black, and brown—gallop along the shore beneath a vibrant sky in this Japaridze Tarot scene. The ocean and golden sunlight shimmer in the background. The card is labeled Three of Tides.

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot titled Seven of Winds depicts a person sneaking away with five swords, glancing back over their shoulder, in a snowy, mountainous landscape with bare trees.

Some cards, such as the Three of Tides are straight up gouache paintings, whereas others, such as the Seven of Winds use a combination of gouache, ink and collage. Each entry in the guidebook tells the mediums chosen and the size of the original artwork for those like me that are curious.

A tarot card labeled IV WAR from the Japaridze Tarot shows groups of figures in chaotic battle, some holding spears and shields, with bodies on the ground and ethereal figures above, all sketched in monochrome lines against a pale background.

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot titled XII The Drowned shows a blue, human figure suspended upside down amid swirling, colorful, abstract patterns in blue, yellow, purple, and orange hues.

Name changes – Major Arcana

While for the most part the cards follow traditional meanings she has deviated with some. For example, IV The Emperor has been renamed IV War. And, as can be seen from the image, takes quite a harsh stance in regards to masculine energy. That might not gel with some, however, she doesn’t take a negative stance to the Kings or male energy in general. In regards to this card book author, Steve Lucas, writes as part of his description of the card:

There are of course both positive and negative characteristics of authority and control. The artist has chosen in this work to portray a particular view of social order wherein emperors send other men off to war. While this is certainly a less harmonic facet of patriarchal power, it is important to note that this card speaks to the entire spectrum of unpredictable outcomes that may result from the utilization of force in the attempt to control or maintain order.

When I first saw this image I baulked because I felt it was way too limiting but Steve Lucas’s description helped me to see it differently. Most of us won’t be in a position to send people to war but that doesn’t mean that our actions don’t have the potential to negatively affect other’s sense of wellbeing. I live with my four grandchildren — aged between 4 and 8 — and sometimes when I’m tired, stressed, frustrated and missing my peace and quiet it is easy to forget that they are just little people trying to exert some control over their lives. This image speaks to that for me.

Right on cue, Zayne, aged 5 just came to my office door and said unprompted “I love you Nanny.” I stopped writing. So, point made. I have to admit I do wonder who really runs the show though.

A colorful Japaridze Tarot card labeled Ten of Gardens features a serene woman with long hair surrounded by abundant grapes and lush foliage, with a vibrant village and rolling hills in the background.

A tree with bare blue branches holds ten hanging bats against a vibrant sky of purple, pink, and orange hues. Inspired by the Japaridze Tarot, the card is labeled Ten of Winds at the bottom.

Deck Structure

The deck is elementally based, although rather than naming the suits Air, Fire, Water and Earth she chose Winds for Swords, Tides for Cups and Gardens for Pentacles. She has stuck with Fire for Wands. Apart from the Winds suit that often features bats, there is no obvious motif for the other suits.

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot, titled Jester of Tides, shows a figure in a purple top, black skirt, and hat holding a glass. The background features a blue gradient with a small pink circle in the upper right corner.

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot, titled Stranger of Tides, shows a blue, mystical figure with a mask-like face, surrounded by bubbles and water-like patterns, blending into an abstract, oceanic background.

The Court also has some name changes. Pages are Jesters and Knights are Strangers. I can see the relationship between Jester and Page because I connect them with Fool energy and the idea of having no preconceived notions of how things are. Therefore, for me, this name change adds something to the interpretation and it serves as a great reminder of the energy. Strangers on the other hand I’m not as convinced about. The need to get to know the energy comes to mind but it is a forced layering rather than an intrinsic one for me. That may change though. The Kings and Queens retain their usual titles.

In the Japaridze Tarot Justice is VIII and Strength is XI. I don’t tend to relate to them in that way, as few of my decks follow that order, but I don’t have an issue with working with this numbering. It does change how I see the cards slightly though because of the cards they now sit alongside in the Major Arcana.

A Japaridze Tarot card shows two somber figures in a white boat on blue water. Trees with twisted branches appear in the background. The card is labeled FOUR OF TIDES.

Two people sit back-to-back in a white boat on blue water, with abstract, swirling trees and land in the background. This dreamy scene from the Japaridze Tarot appears above the card title, “Four of Tides.”.

Physical elements

The Japaridze Tarot cards are not borderless. I trimmed the white borders from mine and edged them in a sunflower yellow. Usually they look something like the image above without the slight yellow bleed around the edges. Mine measure 6.75 x 12.75cm whereas the original measures 7.75 x 13.5cm. It’s not that they were unwieldly in the bigger size, I was just going through my, aagh-I-really-don’t-like-white-borders phase. It hasn’t completely gone away, but I don’t automatically reach for the scissors anymore.

The cardstock is on the thicker side but it is still easy enough to work with and shuffle in any manner. Plus it fans well and is quick to flick through. I like that in a deck because it makes any approach to reading the cards so much smoother.

My interpretations/comments on some card pairings

A tarot card labeled XX Judgment from the Japaridze Tarot shows dark birds flying through a stormy, blue and yellow sky. Light breaks through clouds, illuminating a dramatic, swirling scene below.

A surreal Japaridze Tarot card labeled Stranger of Gardens shows a figure with a shell headdress, a bird-like wing arm, and a dress made of flowers. The bright yellow sky features seashells and a butterfly nearby.

XX Judgment & Stranger of Gardens

When I first looked down at the Judgment card I saw bats – talk about being pre-conditioned – but then I realised they were birds. That struck me for several reasons. Firstly, the whole pre-conditioned idea suggests just naturally doing what I think I should be doing rather than what I want to do. And secondly, since bats rely on a specialised sense to navigate seeing them as birds suddenly felt more open. Also the birds are moving towards the light whereas bats are nocturnal and thus stay in the shadows. This felt highly relevant.

Then I noticed the “face” in the top right hand corner and saw it as bringing the “demons” to light so you can move them on. This felt like a call to do so. Plus, this Stranger of Gardens feels light which isn’t something I’d normally equate with the energy of this card. But seeing the butterfly and the bird and the flowers being carried along makes it feel calm, transitional, freeing, blossoming. There’s also a strange sense of knowing the way.

The shells also stood out to me because I have several of those very shells in my crystal cabinet. They sit next to my rose quartz generators.

Therefore for me this pairing is suggesting, rather than having a plan, have an intention, one that is focused on following your heart and then going wherever that takes you. Don’t be in a hurry. Just keep moving forward. The bird on the Stranger of Gardens is looking back towards the light section on the Judgment card which serves as a reminder to remember where you’re thoughts and intentions are coming from.

A tarot card illustration from the Japaridze Tarot of the Queen of Winds, showing a regal woman in elaborate red, gold, and white robes, wearing a dramatic black and gold headpiece, set against a green and yellow background.

A Japaridze Tarot card labeled Ten of Fire shows chess pieces: a black bishop holding a staff, a yellow king with crown and red robe, and a yellow knight on a green and white chessboard.

Queen of Winds & Ten of Fire

My first thought when I saw the Queen of Winds with her hand up as if saying no was “rigid thinking, shutting others out.” Next to the Ten of Fire that fear seemed linked to the idea of getting backed into a corner. In other words it felt defensive rather than powerful and intentional.

Looking at the Ten of Fire I found myself mentally moving the chess pieces around using only what I could see. So not only was I trapped as the King, I was trapped as the other pieces as well. It was frustrating. Plus I realised I was potentially working with such a false picture. I didn’t know if they were the only pieces available to me therefore I had no idea who I could call on to help. More surprising still, I initially interpreted the knight as opposing the King. I didn’t notice he too was gold.

My take away? That closed thinking can lead to a belief that everyone is against you rather than considering who might be there to help. Just like the chessboard, it is a very limiting viewpoint.

A man sits at an easel painting a woman in a red and yellow dress who poses on a bed. The vibrant scene, filled with art supplies and a framed painting, captures the essence of the Japaridze Tarot’s Three of Gardens.

A colorful tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot titled II • THE PRIESTESS shows a surreal, dreamlike scene with a blue-haired woman, floating spheres, abstract shapes, and a bright blue and yellow background.

Three of Gardens & II The Priestess

This Three of Gardens took me straight to reading Foucault’s Order of Things and his discussions on Las Meninas. So for me this card is, in part, linked to university and therefore study and skill building. I’m sure that wasn’t the intention. But it also goes deeper than that. Someone is observing that scene in order to paint it. They can see the bigger picture. The empty frames serve as a reminder that they get to decide how they frame the image and therefore the story that is told (School history education just came to mind as I wrote that).

The Priestess is a reminder to consider what is hidden. Further, the way this card presents is a reminder to consider what is being made more confusing than it needs to be and how and why that might be happening. There is also an internal element to that. Are you clear on what you are trying to create or is it still hidden from view?

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot labeled Three of Fire shows a brightly colored hot air balloon with two figures in the basket, floating above a vibrant, multicolored landscape under a dark sky.

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot labeled XVIII - The Moon features a glowing moon resembling a jellyfish, its tendrils hanging over a rocky, icy landscape beneath a dark sky with floating stones.

The Japaridze Tarot Guide Book

The Japaridze Tarot comes with a 180-paged, perfect bound, approximately A6-sized, full-colour guidebook. Steve Lucas pays tribute to artist, Nino Japaridze, in many ways throughout the book, starting with explaining how to correctly pronounce her name — Jah-Pah-REED-Zeh with an emphasis on the third syllable and to a lesser extent on the fourth.

A tarot card titled X FORTUNE from the Japaridze Tarot features a geometric design with bright yellow, blue, and multicolored squares forming circular and triangular patterns. Four gold wheels appear near the corners on a dark background.

A vibrant, abstract tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot titled XXI • THE WORLD features swirling, colorful shapes and patterns, including flowers, waves, and cosmic motifs, symbolizing unity and completion.

Next he moves on to a discussion about the “small round object[s] clearly in motion, perhaps metallic in nature, and with bands of markings around [their] circumference.” These feature on several of the Major Arcana cards such as the two pictured above. He feels they represent “a kind of greater intelligence either from another time or perhaps even beyond time as we know it.” Later he adds that he senses they observe without intervening and Nino agrees with his thoughts on them. For her they appeared “spontaneously without any conscious intention on her part.” This made me more curious about them.

He follows this with information about the deck structure and a couple of pages on “The Road to Japaridze” which as the name suggests tells the story about how the deck came to be. For the most part the introductory sections are a homage to Nino Japaridze. Next come the card meanings.

Card Meanings

The layout is the same for both the Major and Minor Arcana entries. On the left hand page is a full colour reproduction of the card with the information on the right. Rather than write about it I will share the full entry for the Two of Tides.

Two wolves stand together on a shore with ocean waves at their feet, one nuzzling the other affectionately. The sky glows in blue, green, and pink hues, evoking the dreamy style of the Japaridze Tarot. Text below reads “TWO OF TIDES.”.

Two of Tides

(Deux des Marees)

9 1/2″ x 5 1/2″ (24 x 14cm)

gouache and ink

A dog and a wolf meet in a loving and affectionate encounter. This is a card of partnerships or unions. These relationships provide an opportunity for one to learn, examine, and appreciate the similarities and differences we share with those close to us.

Another engaging duality explored in this card is the relationship between the wild nature of the wolf in contrast to the domesticity of the dog. This is of great interest to the artist. Nino identifies strongly with the wolf and considers it her spirit animal.

Divinatory Meanings:

Love and commitment. A bond formed. Establishing a new partnership or joint project. Forgiveness for a past slight. Avoid isolation. Look for connections. Mutual assistance. Attraction of opposites.

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot titled NINE OF TIDES shows a person with long, blonde hair gazing up at a starry night sky, where a bright shooting star streaks among the stars above.

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot, titled Four of Gardens, shows a person controlling a puppet version of themselves with strings, set against a colorful background with trees, hills, and a butterfly. The puppet stands inside a red-curtained booth.

The book wraps up with two final sections. The first has custom spreads designed by Lynn Araujo and Jody Boginski. One is the Four Winds Spread designed for use when you’re feeling pulled in different directions and the other is the Fire and Smoke Five-card Spread. The latter is “to help you separate what is essential for completion of your projects from what is illusion and distracting you from your goals.” Secondly their is an About the Artist section which provides a resume-like breakdown of Nino Japaridze. Her personal information, education, solo exhibits, and group exhibitions are included here.

A woman in a long white dress sits on a bench in a dim, brick-walled room with barred windows. Her head is bowed, hands bound as light shines through. Inspired by Japaridze Tarot. Text below reads Eight of Winds.

A Japaridze Tarot card, the Five of Gardens, depicts a barefoot person sitting near a crumbling brick wall, knees drawn up and head bowed, surrounded by rocks and a distant, gloomy building.

My final thoughts on Japaridze Tarot

So how do I sum up a deck like Japaridze Tarot? It is hard to classify. Some of the artwork is highly evocative. Other cards are beautiful in their simplicity and yet still full of meaning. While others I found confusing and I really had to take the time to feel my way into them.

As I’ve shown earlier, geometric cards such as X The Wheel sit alongside surrealist images such as XXI The World which also sit alongside full combinations of the chosen mediums —acrylic, gouache, ink and collage — such as you can see in the Eight of Winds.

It sounds like it shouldn’t all go together but it does albeit I can’t explain how or why. Maybe that’s the ultimate surrealistic aspect of the deck.

It surprised me with how open and chatty it was when I used it in the reading that precipitated me writing this review. So I can’t say it is difficult to work with. Nevertheless, even though it has a user-friendly guidebook, I wouldn’t recommend this to someone starting out with tarot simply because there are no recurring images, apart from bats, to ground your practice or guide your way. Even though the cards freely talk to each other, you have to find the connections. I love that now, but I think it would have blown my mind in my early days. It still does now but in a good way!

A tarot card from the Japaridze Tarot, titled King of Tides, shows a regal figure in a flowing, translucent blue robe and ornate crown, standing gracefully with one hand extended against a dreamy, watery background.

A Japaridze Tarot card features a smoking volcano erupting against a vibrant pink and orange sky, with billowing clouds and blue mountains in the background. The bottom of the card reads “EIGHT OF FIRE.”.

Summaries

Japaridze Tarot cards

Artist	Nino Japaridze
Card Size	Untrimmed 7.75 x 13.5cm
Card Stock	Satin finish
Shuffle	Easy to shuffle in any manner
Fan & Flip Through	Fine to fan and flip through
Suits	Gardens, Winds, Fire & Tides
Court	King, Queen, Stranger & Jester
Strength / Justice	Justice VIII; Strength XI
Miscellaneous	Solid flip open box

Japaridze Tarot Guidebook

Written by	Steve Lucas
Pages	180 pp
Appearance	Full colour, A6 sized book
Spreads	Four Winds Spread (4 cards) Fire and Smoke Five-card Spread

A Japaridze Tarot book and a cup of coffee rest on the table.

Publishing Details

Created by:

Nino Japaridze with text by Steve Lucas

Pictured Version:

Revised edition published by US Games Inc in 2020

ISBN 13: 978-1-57281-780-7

Websites:

Nino Japaridze via Steve Lucas’s Gallery of Surrealism website