La Xaula Tarot

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About

La Xaula's Tarot cards, like life, are meant for whatever the operator chooses to do with them.

1 LU MARREC (the rascal -masc.)
2 LINFANTA (the infanta -fem.)
3 LA PORTAL (the gate -androgynous)
4 LO MÚSIC (the musician -masc)
5 LA JOBELLA (“the jobella” -fem)
6 LA MORTERA (the mortar -androgynous)
7 EL REIETÓ (the little king -masc.)
8 LA REINETA (the little queen -fem.)
9 EL LLUNA (the moon -androgynous)
10 LO SORRO (the fox -masc.)
11 LA RAPOSA (the vixen -fem.)
12 LA GAIATA (the cane -androgynous)
13 L'AGÜELO (grandpa -masc.)
14 L'ÀVIA (grandma -fem.)
15 LA SOL (the sun -androgynous)
16 LA BRUIXA (the witch -fem.)
17 L'ABALANSA (the scale -androgynous)
18 EL BRUIXOT (the sorcerer -masc.)
19 L'ARQUITECTE (the architect -masc.)
20 LA DEESSA (the goddess -fem.)
21 L'ARMAFRODITE (“the armafrodite” -androgynous)
LO MÓN (the world -neutral)
LO NOMÓN (“the noworld” -neutral)
LO MÓN DEL MITX (the middle world -neutral)

In this brief introduction, we will abstain from offering literal meanings for each of these cards. Since, undoubtedly, the reader will recognize in the deck images derived from multiple traditions as well as others newly coined, to which they will easily be able to assign contents, whether classic or more personal. In fact, we encourage the reader to abandon this text and, without further ado, extract from the observation of the cards themselves their way of using them.

Anyway, we shall here focus on discussing the structure of the deck, laying some foundations that might help the users to find their way through the cards, regardless whether this takes the form of a game, an object of contemplation, an oracle or something completely unsuspected. If the penultimate is the case, to those who want to use it in the way of a tarot, la Xaula offers the advantage of allowing more intuitive associations and projections, free from the pre-learnt system of the arcanes, but, at the same time, allowing to apply, in new ways, the bulk of knowledge of the traditions present in classic tarot. To those who want to use la Xaula as a form of entertainment, the multiple ways in which the cards can interact will allow them to create games with rules that can go from the very simple to high levels of complexity.

La Xaula consists of 7 masculine cards, 7 feminine cards, 7 androgynous cards and 3 neutral cards. Being each card duplicated in color and in black & white. Please note that nouns and articles in Catalan, La Xaula's original language, are gendered. Quite often, its nouns and articles seemingly contain misspellings or are oddly gendered, with articles unsuitable for the gender of the noun, thus creating a third gender category which we have noted in the translation as “androgynous”. The translations above include the categories masc. (masculine), fem. (feminine), androgynous and neutral, so that non-Catalan readers can fully grasp this aspect of the deck. Of these cards, the first 21 are figurative and portray people, animals, celestial bodies, objects and spaces. The remaining cards, the three worlds, are much more abstract.

Each card has three colours, leaving aside the white colour of the background and the black colour of the line. Overall, the deck has a heptadic color scheme: magenta, orange, yellow, green, turquoise, blue and gray. As to the meaning of black & white vs coloured cards, they can be assigned to potential vs. factual, past vs. future or any other parameter the reader finds convenient.

The interactions between the different cards can take place at many levels: numerical value, content, objects, gaze direction, colour, etc. The images draw from multiple traditions and can operate at different planes. If, for instance, someone inclined towards astrology would like to apply zodiacal correspondences to the cards, they could, according to their pictorial content, use the following: Aries - 13 L'AGÜELO, Taurus - 14 L'ÀVIA, Gemini - 10 LO SORRO, Cancer - 12 LA GAIATA, Leo - 15 LA SOL, Virgo - 9 EL LLUNA, Libra - 17 L'ABALANSA, Scorpio - 20 LA DEESSA, Sagittarius - 19 L'ARQUITECTE, Capricorn - 11 LA RAPOSA, Aquarius - 21 L'ARMAFRODITE, Pisces - 16 LA BRUIXA.

A peculiarity specific to La Xaula is, though, the card interactions through “escletxes” (cracks) and “forats” (holes). Each of the figurative cards has a white gap or “escletxa” (crack) near one of its corners. This "escletxa" can combine or not with other “escletxes” of adjacent cards. When two “escletxes” touch, they form a “forat” (hole). “Escletxes” have several shapes: semicircle, semisquare, up horn, down horn, spike and bone. The resulting “forats” can have 1, 2, 3 or 4 lines.

Two coincident semicircles, for instance, create a circular shape or "forat aigüera” (sink hole) which is considered to have a single line. A bone and a horn or a bone and a spike create a “tita” (willie) hole, which has 2 lines. The “tita” type “forats” can be, according to their shape, “trempats, destrempats” or “templats” (horny, flaccid or tempered). A semisquare plus a semicircle create a “tambor” (drum); two horns or a horn plus a spike create a “xona” (pussy) that, depending on its shape, can also be “somrient, disgustada” or “templada” (smiling, upset or tempered). A semicircle plus a spike or horn forms a “llàgrima” (tear). Two bones form, you guess, an “Os” (bone). All of the above “forats” have 2 lines. A semisquare plus a horn or spike creates an “ullal” or “estaca” (fang or stake) respectively. Both having 3 lines. Finally, two semisquares create a square hole or “finestra” (window), the only shape with four lines.

“Escletxes” (cracks) and the characters' gaze directions give two possible directionalities for each card. We can interpret the card's content according to its directional interaction with other cards using any of these two codes. For instance, in an oracular context, the gaze of the character could apply to the aim of a person's actions whereas, in parallel, the “escletxa” might point to the directionality of the context or, in other words, the inertia of the situation.

When “escletxes” coalesce, a “forat” of one of the above types is formed. Moreover, when the cracks' positions do not match but are in coincident sides of the cards they can be “mounted”, sliding up or down one of the cards, so that a shape is formed. In that case we talk about a “forat xuscat” (xuscat hole). When they are in opposite sides of the cards, we have a “contra” (opposition). “Contras” can also be “direct” or “xuscat”, depending on whether the position of the cracks is at the same height or not. Finally, when two “escletxes” do not coalesce, but both face the same side (for example, the right side of their respective card), we have a “fugida” (escape), which can also be “direct” or “xuscat” following the same rule.

Unnumbered cards (LO MÓN, LO NOMÓN and LO MÓN DEL MITX) have cracks open to all directions, so they always match and can act as bridges between entities or worlds.

We hope you enjoy the game and the game enjoys you.

Gerard Gil
Disclaimer

The creators of the Tarot’s Oraclem provide this experience for entertainment purposes only. No guarantees are made regarding the accuracy, reliability, or outcomes of any advice, predictions, or interpretations offered. The creators accept no liability for any decisions, actions, or consequences resulting from use. All choices and their outcomes remain solely the responsibility of the player.
Instructions

Begin your journey by invoking the game. With each card you touch, listen closely to the oracle’s whisper, revealing secrets veiled within its image. Should you wish, immerse yourself in the original soundtrack, a subtle score weaving through the experience as your companion.

Our intent has been to preserve the purity of play, inviting each player to embark on a journey of imagination and discovery. The intricate interplay woven within the cards is left to your intuition to unravel, for embedding it too explicitly would diminish the mystery and depth that breathe life into the game. For those who wish to delve beyond the surface, there lies a profound philosophy waiting to be explored—a delicate balance between the timeless wisdom of classic card traditions and the effortless grace of a casual digital experience.

This creation is yours to explore on any modern device — smartphone, tablet, or desktop — a portal open for all seekers. Embrace the simplicity, yet surrender to the complexity beneath, and may your path through the cards reveal more than mere play.

Omnia ad uno
Sara Ferro & Chris Weil