Okay, so the other day I was digging through some old boxes in my attic, and guess what I found? My old Medieval Scapini Tarot deck! I totally forgot I even had these. I remember buying them ages ago because, well, I thought they looked cool. Medieval stuff has always been my jam, you know?
So I sat down and started messing around with them. First off, the artwork on these cards is insane. I mean, each card is like a tiny little painting. They’ve got this whole, like, old-timey vibe, like something you’d see in a museum or an old church. The colors are all rich and kind of muted, which I think adds to the whole mysterious feel. They are really intricate and elegant, I love it.
I tried doing a basic three-card reading, just to see what would happen, you know? Past, present, future, that kind of thing. I’m no expert at this, mind you. I just kinda go with my gut feeling when I look at the cards. I shuffled them a bunch of times, laid them out, and flipped them over. I got some card about a tower falling down for the past, which felt appropriate given some of the rough patches I’ve been through. Made me chuckle, honestly.
For the present, I pulled a card with this regal-looking lady on it. She was holding some kind of…I don’t know, staff or something? It made me think about needing to be more in control of things, maybe take charge a bit more. I do tend to let things slide sometimes, so that’s probably good advice.
Then, for the future, I got this card with a bunch of people dancing around a fire. It looked pretty joyful, which was nice to see after the tower card. Maybe it means good times are coming? I hope so!
I spent a good hour just looking at all the cards. They’ve got these little details in the backgrounds that you don’t even notice at first. Like, there’s one card with a guy on a horse, and in the distance, there’s a tiny little castle on a hill. It’s like there are stories within stories on these things.
I tried to find the little booklet that came with the deck, the guidebook, but no luck. It’s probably lost to the sands of time, which is a bummer. I remember that these cards are fully scenic, even the pip cards. I’d like to know what they all officially mean, especially the ones with the swords and cups and stuff. I did a quick search online, but didn’t really find what I was looking for. All in all, these cards of the Medieval Scapini Tarot recreate the Middle Ages of Europe with symbolism. They are amazing!
Anyway, I ended up putting the cards back in their box, but I think I’ll keep them on my desk for a while. They are just really beautiful to look at, and they kinda make me want to learn more about tarot reading. Maybe I’ll even try to find a new guidebook or something. Who knows, maybe I’ll become a tarot master someday! (Just kidding… unless?)
So, yeah, that was my little adventure with the Medieval Scapini Tarot deck. It was a fun little trip down memory lane, and it definitely sparked my curiosity again. These cards are made by the artist Luigi Scapini. I heard that his wife and eldest daughter are all in his cards. Maybe I should take another look at them. If you’ve ever used these cards before, let me know! I’d love to hear about your experiences.
