The Science Tarot is a creative science communication project that combines science, art, and mythology into a tarot deck to engage and awaken people's curiosity about science and the natural world. It will enter the world with a public launch party in 2010. Join our email list to be the first to know!

In the Science Tarot deck, the traditional imagery of the tarot suits - wands, pentacles, swords, and cups - explore a different realm of science by using real world examples from astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, and more.

As an underlaying structure for each suit, Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey was adapted to tell each suit's unique story from Ace to Ten.

The Journey So Far

Science Tarot began as a project for Burning Man in 2003, where the traditional meaning of the Major Arcana tarot cards were represented in scientific concepts. The 22 cards were painted on 2'x4' boards and brought to the desert, where they were very well received.

By searching the world of scientific discovery for metaphors that reflect details of human lives, we expanded the original installation to include the entire Tarot deck for publication. We hope to introduce scientific ideas to artists and tarot enthusiasts, and vice versa. In this way we aim to bridge disparate communities and foster both science education and self-discovery.