Alright, gather ’round folks, today’s story is a bit wild. So, picture this: I’m surfing the web, totally random, right? Then BAM! These tarot cards pop up – Nathalie Ceccoli’s artwork. They looked… weirdly magical. Little dolls, floating things, kinda dreamy but also a tiny bit creepy. Hooked me straight away. My brain just went, “Who even made these? What’s the story here?” And yeah, that’s how this whole rabbit hole started.
Down the Artist Rabbit Hole
First things first, I needed to find the artist. Simple Google search, obviously. Typed in “Ceccoli Tarot”. Easy. Found her name: Nathalie Ceccoli. Okay, cool. But who is she? Kept digging. Discovered she’s an illustrator from San Marino – like, that tiny country inside Italy? Didn’t even know they had artists! Anyway, her stuff is everywhere: kids’ books, gallery walls, album covers. But the tarot? That felt… different.
Next step: watched a bunch of interviews. Her voice is quiet, sorta shy. Talked about loving dolls as a kid, Japanese animation, old paintings. She said the tarot images just kinda came to her, like flashes. Not from some big tarot book study. That clicked for me – the cards felt personal, like her own dream diary, not a copy of the Rider-Waite meanings everyone else uses.
Playing Detective with the Cards
Armed with that artist insight, I grabbed my new deck – yeah, bought it after seeing her stuff online, couldn’t resist! – and laid them out. Big spread on my living room floor, my cat immediately trying to sit on the Emperor. Rude.
Started slow. Picked one card: The Magician. Rider-Waite shows a guy with tools. Ceccoli’s? A puppet-looking figure holding… an apple? Or is it a lantern? Confusing! Then I remembered her talking about childhood play. Suddenly, the puppet made sense. It’s about crafting your own reality, playing with life’s toys. Boom! Personal meaning unlocked.
- Tried The High Priestess next. Big glowing eye in the sky, tiny figures below. Less about mystery, more about… being seen? Unsettling, honestly.
- Then Death. Usually skeletons, grim reapers. Hers? A girl peacefully holding a sleeping doll. Felt less like an ending, more like… a gentle transition? Major vibe shift.
Getting Stuck & My Messy Workaround
Hit a wall with some cards though. The Devil? Showed a guy trapped inside… maybe a bottle? Or was it a bubble? Had zero clue. My usual tarot meanings just didn’t fit. Felt frustrating. I even spilled coffee on The Star trying to flip through the guidebook too fast. Smooth.
So, what’d I do? Gave up trying to force the “right” meaning. Dumb, right? Instead, I just stared at the pictures. Like, really stared. Let them feel weird or uncomfortable. The Tower? Not lightning striking a building. Ceccoli’s is a wooden tower crumbling, birds flying away. Didn’t feel like disaster. Felt like… release? Letting old structures fall? That was pure gut feeling, no book.
Started scribbling words in my practice journal. Just pure reaction stuff: “Trapped? But light outside?” “Doll looks bored.” “Too many eyes, freaks me out.” Not deep analysis. Messy notes, pen smudges everywhere – looked like my toddler got hold of it. But slowly, connections started happening. Patterns in the colors, repeated symbols (so many floating islands!), that feeling of gentle melancholy.
What’s Up Now?
Honestly? Still figuring it out! It’s not a deck where you memorize a list of meanings. It’s… conversation with Nathalie’s imagination. Sometimes it clicks fast. Other times? Totally confusing. I pulled the Five of Cups last night – spilled cups (obviously, relatable after my coffee disaster), but the figure’s just… sitting there looking resigned, not even crying. Hit me weirdly hard about accepting everyday messes.
So yeah. That’s where I’m at. Digging into who made the cards (Nathalie Ceccoli, the dreamy artist lady) totally changed how I use them. Less rulebook, more gut instinct and letting the images talk. Still messy, still practicing, still knocking over drinks onto them. But that’s the journey, right?
