Tarot Wayang
Indonesian wayang shadow-puppet aesthetic bringing cultural theater to tarot.
by Ani Sekarningsih · Grasindo Deck Type: Tarot Deck Cards: 78 Rating: stars out of five Where to
Find a copy →We link out and never sell decks. Buying through links may earn us a small commission.
The record
Picture this. You are in a small village somewhere in Indonesia. It is late in the evening and you are sitting on the ground. In the dark, a coconut oil lamp flickering behind a large white cloth screen stretched between wooden poles, casts the only light. From behind the cloth comes music performed by four musicians (the gendér wayang) on xylophone-like instruments. You are at one of the frequent and ever-popular wayang kulit (shadow puppet) performances, on which the Tarot Wayang deck is based. More accurately, the Tarot Wayang beautifully depicts photographs of some of the characters/puppets (known as wayang) used in the shadow puppet plays. In the actual wayang kulit, a dalang, or priest puppeteer, sits cross-legged behind the screen as he manipulates the flat, elaborately carved, painted, and jointed leather stick puppets. He and they enact one of the many stories from the great Hindu epics the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The dalang, a keeper of religious stories and sacred traditions, is a spiritual teacher with magical powers. He knows how to consecrate and bring the puppets alive for their performances. Every object, every article of clothing, and every move the puppets m
The cards
