On my journey I have travelled the lands encompassing the varied manifestations of western mysticism.

It may be said that this entire body of thought is the father of the tarot, however the mother is of somewhere else. She is the unknown heart of the tarot and were her identity to be known, the cards would lose all of their mystery and fascination.

Where a particular motive has persistently been included within a card over the centuries, I have incorporated it (all the more so if its presence has no logical justification). There are cabbalistic, astrological, biblical, pagan and mythical references and there are also subjective interpretations. Temperance, card XIV of the major arcana, is depicted not as the traditional angel, but as the bodhisattva Quan 'am (Quan Yin) from Vietnam; the goddess of compassion, as she carries so many of the card's attributes and I have an overwhelming conviction that she belongs there.

I find, like many modern tarot scholars, that the medieval representations of the court cards are no longer relevant and have dispensed with them, pages have become children and the knights of the "Yin" suits (cups and disks) are women, which makes the balance of gender equal while also recognising the changing role of women in society.

The seasons of life are depicted on each of the cards as they grow older. For the most part, the rest of the deck is of a traditional nature.

[Click "Page 4" above right, or "Next" below to read on ].