The Hazard Tarot, developed by Organical Mechanical, presents a unique adaptation of traditional tarot structure using public-domain ISO-7010 and NFPA-704 symbols. This deck contains 59 cards, including the complete set of Major Arcana and an altered system of minor arcana, designed for both divination and modified card games. The creator notes that a divination guide book is planned for future release, which would be provided free of charge to purchasers of the original PDF. This innovative approach merges conventional tarot symbolism with modern safety and hazard signage, offering a distinct framework for contemplation and guidance.
Tarot functions as a tool for introspection, providing a mirror into one's spiritual, emotional, and physical journey. A reading offers glimpses into the soul's landscape, helping individuals understand their unique path. The effectiveness of a reading relies on understanding the intricate, multi-layered meanings of the cards, both individually and in combination. While the Hazard Tarot utilizes unconventional imagery, the fundamental purpose remains aligned with traditional tarot practices: to facilitate self-understanding and to offer perspective on current circumstances and potential future trajectories.
The Major Arcana in any tarot deck serves as the anchor, comprising 22 cards that represent archetypal energies and narrate the "Fool's journey" from number 0 (The Fool) to number 21 (The World). These cards address significant life details and major themes. When a Major Arcana card appears in a reading, it signals the importance of the message, impacting the overall interpretation. The Minor Arcana, consisting of 56 cards, complements the Major Arcana by focusing on current challenges, opportunities, and daily situations.
Understanding the meanings of individual cards is essential, yet it is equally important to recognize that no single interpretation is absolute. The reader's training and intuition, combined with the recipient's personal perspective and life context, shape the final understanding. The symbols and imagery presented on the cards are interpreted through the lens of the individual's living experience. Therefore, what the cards represent personally to the seeker is of paramount importance.
Below is a summary of meanings for several Major Arcana cards, derived from the provided source data. These interpretations serve as a guide to help understand the messages the cards may convey.
- The Fool: Upright, this card signifies the middle path, patience, and finding meaning. Reversed, it indicates extremes, excess, and a lack of balance.
- The Magician: Upright, it represents addiction, materialism, and playfulness. Reversed, it suggests freedom, release, and restoring control.
- The Tower: Upright, this card denotes sudden upheaval, broken pride, and disaster. Reversed, it implies that disaster may be avoided or delayed, or it points to a fear of suffering.
- The Star: Upright, it embodies hope, faith, and rejuvenation. Reversed, it reflects faithlessness, discouragement, and insecurity.
- The Moon: Upright, this card points to the unconscious, illusions, and intuition. Reversed, it indicates confusion, fear, and misinterpretation.
- The Sun: Upright, it represents joy, success, celebration, and positivity. Reversed, it signifies negativity, depression, and sadness.
- Judgement: Upright, this card signifies reflection, reckoning, and awakening. Reversed, it suggests a lack of self-awareness, doubt, and self-loathing.
- The World: Upright, it represents fulfillment, harmony, and completion. Reversed, it indicates incompletion and a lack of closure.
- Strength: Upright, this card signifies inner strength, bravery, compassion, and focus. Reversed, it points to self-doubt, weakness, and insecurity.
- The Hermit: Upright, it represents contemplation, a search for truth, and inner guidance. Reversed, it indicates loneliness, isolation, and feeling lost.
- Wheel of Fortune: Upright, this card signifies change, cycles, and inevitable fate. Reversed, it suggests a lack of control, clinging to control, and bad luck.
- Justice: Upright, it represents cause and effect, clarity, and truth. Reversed, it indicates dishonesty, unaccountability, and unfairness.
- The Hanged Man: Upright, this card signifies sacrifice, release, and martyrdom. Reversed, it points to stalling, needless sacrifice, and a fear of sacrifice.
- Death: Upright, this card signifies the end of a cycle, beginnings, change, and metamorphosis. Reversed, it indicates a fear of change, holding on, stagnation, and decay.
- Temperance: Upright, this card signifies the middle path, patience, and finding meaning. Reversed, it indicates extremes, excess, and a lack of balance.
- The Devil: Upright, this card signifies addiction, materialism, and playfulness. Reversed, it suggests freedom, release, and restoring control.
- The Tower: Upright, this card signifies sudden upheaval, broken pride, and disaster. Reversed, it implies that disaster may be avoided or delayed, or it points to a fear of suffering.
The Minor Arcana suits in traditional tarot provide specific insights into daily life. While the Hazard Tarot alters the system, the fundamental categories of action, emotion, thought, and material reality often remain relevant. Traditional suits include:
- Wands: These cards are associated with action, initiative, and invention. They guide decisions regarding when to move forward in life and when to hold back.
- Cups: These cards represent emotions, intuition, and relationships. They offer insight into the heart's matters and interpersonal connections.
- Swords: (Not detailed in source data, but a standard suit) Typically associated with intellect, conflict, and challenges.
- Pentacles (or Coins): (Not detailed in source data, but a standard suit) Typically associated with material wealth, career, and physical health.
The Hazard Tarot's use of ISO-7010 and NFPA-704 symbols introduces a layer of universal, safety-oriented imagery. ISO-7010 is an international standard for safety symbols and signs, designed to be understandable regardless of language. NFPA-704 is a system for identifying hazards, particularly in a workplace or emergency response setting. By applying these symbols to tarot archetypes, the deck invites a unique form of interpretation. For example, a symbol indicating a "hazard" might be applied to The Tower or The Devil, reinforcing the concept of danger or warning. A symbol for "mandatory action" might be applied to cards representing movement or necessity, such as The Chariot or The Fool.
This fusion of systems suggests that the Hazard Tarot may be particularly useful for individuals seeking to identify and navigate risks or structural challenges in their lives. The imagery is stripped of esoteric or culturally specific artistic styles, relying instead on symbols designed for clarity and immediate recognition. This approach may appeal to those who prefer a pragmatic, modern aesthetic while still engaging with the introspective process of tarot.
When using the Hazard Tarot for divination, the reader is encouraged to consider the standard meanings of the tarot archetypes while integrating the specific visual language of the safety symbols. The "guide book" mentioned by the creator would presumably bridge this gap, offering specific interpretations for how each ISO or NFPA symbol correlates with traditional tarot meanings. Until such a guide is available, readers must rely on their own intuition and knowledge of both systems.
The process of a tarot reading, regardless of the deck used, typically involves focusing on a question or area of life and drawing cards to represent the situation, the challenge, the action to take, and the potential outcome. The Hazard Tarot, with its game-like potential, also invites a more playful approach. It can be used for modified card games that incorporate themes of risk assessment and decision-making, perhaps serving as a tool for team building or strategic planning in a casual setting.
For spiritual seekers and those interested in holistic energy, the Hazard Tarot offers a method to contemplate the "hazards" and "safety" of one's spiritual path. It encourages the user to ask: Where are the danger signs in my life? What actions are mandatory for my well-being? Where can I find safety and clarity? The symbols act as prompts for these deeper questions.
In conclusion, the Hazard Tarot represents a modern evolution of tarot practice, merging ancient archetypal concepts with contemporary safety signage. It offers a unique tool for divination and reflection, emphasizing the identification of life's challenges and the navigation of uncertainty. While the deck is new and its specific interpretive guide is forthcoming, its structure aligns with traditional tarot principles, focusing on the Major Arcana for life's significant themes and a modified Minor Arcana for daily matters. The ultimate meaning, as with all spiritual tools, lies in the personal connection and interpretation of the individual user.