Welcome to The Orbifold Tarot What is The Orbifold Tarot?
 
The Orbifold Tarot is
a beautiful exploration of
life's endlessly changing cycles From simplicity rises complexity, and
complexity reduces back into simplicity Each card represents rhythm, balance, and
pattern — in contrast to the chaos of life,
reflected within the shuffled deck Elemental interplay expressed
through the basic,
circular form A unique representation of the classic Tarot system, The Orbifold Tarot is simple, clean, and modern. It communicates Tarot's essence through a single form — the circle. The simplest of shapes, the circle contains profound meaning:
it represents unity and diversity, individuality and community, the interior and the exterior, wholeness, continuity, cycles; the All and the nothing. The circle protects and defines.
It is timeless, perfect, and natural.
All forms emerge and return to its essence. The Orbifold Tarot taps into your subconscious and intuitive capacities, based on what you already associate with Numbers, Elements, color, and pattern. Its geometries and intrinsic interconnections are evocative and stimulating, yet strangely calming — they facilitate a deep meditative state from which new connections are drawn, unseen perspectives are revealed, and reflection leads to insight. The practice of gaining insight through symbolic representation is just as relevant today as it ever was. The tarot of today encompasses the guidance and reflection it always has while extending through traditional spheres. Our culture has evolved drastically beyond historical roles and structures, and yet our essence remains the same. We experience the same basic emotions and situations, investigate the same universal questions, and express our fundamental natures in much the same way we always have. Over the past century, our art has expressed this evolution from abstraction to hyper-realism, figurative to non-representational, and more recently, a movement toward the simple beauty of minimal, even "flat" design. Despite these cultural evolutions, tarot has largely favored the scenic depictions established by Pamela Colman Smith over a century ago. While these representations are rich with symbolism and communicate timeless principles, some readers find these traditional scenic depictions somewhat limiting. The Orbifold Tarot opens the possibilities to new and exciting applications of these same timeless principles with our most basic and universal symbol — the circle. As the circle defines space, the four Elements — the essential qualities of nature — are also defined within that space. The Orbifold Tarot reveals the fundamental structure underlying tarot's elegant system through the interplay and proportion of these Elements. Circles, Numbers, and Elements express this system in a way that is both beautiful and minimal. From simplicity rises complexity, and complexity reduces to simplicity. Each card represents rhythm, balance, and pattern — in contrast to the chaos of life, reflected by the shuffled deck. Those familiar with the Marseille tradition will appreciate the freedom afforded by returning to the basic Number and Element associations intrinsic to tarot; those more familiar with the scenic traditions will find The Orbifold Tarot a valuable abstraction that tests and challenges your knowledge while opening up new possibilities for interpretation. The Orbifold Tarot is a mirror through which consciousness is reflected.
It reminds us that wisdom resides within All. What is an Orbifold?