An Introduction to Tarot Anavadya
My name is Erin Dieguez, and I am the creator of Tarot Anavadya. I was given the spiritual name Anavadya by Amma in 2015 and felt the use of this name to be very aligned with this project as the name means “faultless” in Sanskrit. This is how I view the tarot. This project has been a blood sweat and tears kind of undertaking, in the best way possible. I have always been fascinated with the Tarot but was always daunted by the perceived scope and depth of knowledge needed to interpret the cards. Therefore, I decided to take the immersive approach to learning. It took several years to bring Tarot Anavadya earth-side, and I couldn’t be more excited to share it.
In creating this deck, I chose to keep close to the visual and archetypal purity of the Rider-Waite Smith interpretations of the cards; which are arguably the most recognizable and familiar tarot deck. My aesthetic is Celtic leaning with borders and jewels corresponding to the elements of the suits, with clothing stylings of another time or some dreamlike realm where much of my artwork and perhaps my lineage, sort of lingers… neither here nor there. Having a reference point like the Rider-Waite Smith was a great guiding light, but I’ve re-imagined a few as I felt intuitively led to remove certain religious undertones. Diving into the cards with paint, curiosity, and excitement, I learned a great deal more than a book can teach you.
The depth and scope of knowledge I thought was essential to learning the tarot melted away as I studied and painted them. The symbols and colors and general feelings that emerged were more intuitive in nature, therefore opening a door to the idea that there is so much more to a card than the “traditional” interpretation. Reading is subjective and intuitive. To put it plainly, anyone can read tarot! The more you explore your deck the more personal they become to you, and the more openly you look, the more you glean from them!
The Booklet interpretations are a great place to start for beginners. The Tarot Anavadya booklet almost didn’t make it into the printing of this deck because I often found the meanings listed in books to be wildly obtuse and sometimes contradictory. It wasn’t until I really dove into the project that I realized that all meanings listed for a card aren’t all true simultaneously! What a concept!
That’s where your own interpretations and your own personal connection of the tarot dots come into play. It’s just a general guideline, and backbone to the journey; but you, dear reader, are the real information book!