Instant Archetypes: A New Tarot For The New Normal

Instant Archetypes: A New Tarot For The New Normal is a 22-card deck focusing exclusively on the Major Arcana, reimagining these timeless archetypes for the complexities of the 21st century. Created by Superflux, this deck serves as a toolkit for exploring new perspectives and multiple futures within a tech-saturated, late-capitalist society. It aims to make the enduring relevance of tarot accessible to a contemporary audience, particularly designers, technologists, and researchers.

The deck reinterprets traditional Major Arcana cards with new names and manifestations that resonate with current global dynamics. For example, The Fool becomes 'The Consumer,' The Magician is 'The Hacker,' The Empress transforms into 'Growth,' The Emperor becomes 'The State,' The Chariot is 'The Drone,' and The Lovers are re-envisioned as 'The Designer.' This renaming is central to the deck's purpose, offering a condensed symbolic mythology of the present moment, mirroring how classic tarot condensed the mythology of its own time.

Beyond its reinterpretation, Instant Archetypes functions as a practical tool for problem-solving, strategy finding, and shifting perspectives. It encourages users to engage in active storytelling and insight gleaning, whether for personal reflection or professional brainstorming. The deck emphasizes that tarot is an exploration of synchronicity, a conversation with the unconscious that reveals valuable insights and affirms intuition, rather than a magical fortune-telling device.

This deck is ideal for designers, technologists, researchers, and anyone interested in critical thinking about contemporary society, technology, and capitalism. It appeals to those who appreciate a modern, conceptual, and visually striking approach to tarot, moving beyond traditional spiritual interpretations. It is particularly suited for individuals seeking a tool for creative problem-solving, brainstorming, and exploring complex societal narratives, rather than for conventional fortune-telling.

Superflux created Instant Archetypes as a reimagining of the Major Arcana for the 'new normal' of tech-saturated late capitalism. Their inspiration stemmed from the belief that archetypes evolve, picking up new names and faces on their travels, and that tarot could serve as a powerful tool for exploring the never-ending narratives of our current world. The project was conceived to lay bare the enduring relevance of these timeless tropes in the present and in unwritten futures, offering a condensed symbolic mythology for contemporary times.