Tarot of the Everlasting Day - AI Generated Tarot

Published January 27, 2023 Updated February 18, 2023

Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated tarot deck produced by Marcus Katz. Is this science fiction or the future of tarot?

2022 United Kingdom Marcus Katz Midjourney Artificial Intelligence (AI) Computers & Technology Fantasy Innovation Kickstarter Tarot

Artificial Intelligence (AI) generated tarot decks are a recent phenomenon in the tarot industry, as advancements in AI technology have made it possible for commercial applications. It has been suggested that AI technology has progressed to the point of being able to pass the Turing test, which is a test designed to determine whether a machine's intelligence is distinguishable from that of a human. Is this science fiction or the future of tarot?

AI Generated Tarot created using Midjourney. Queen of Pentacles, The Emperor and the Artificial Intelligence cards.

Above: selection of AI-genrated tarot cards created by Marcus Katz using the Midjourny application.

The process of using AI to generate artwork is known as "prompt-craft", where the creator provides prompts in a chat-like fashion to the AI to generate the desired result. This method of creating artwork has led some to speculate that it could replace certain roles within a traditional workplace, such as graphic designers or copywriters, with those who are skilled in "prompt-craft" and can find the optimal prompts to give to the AI.

AI Generated Tarot - The Chariot generated by Midjourney

Above: the Chariot, which Katz said was particularly hard to create.

Marcus Katz used the AI application Midjourney to create the Tarot of the Everlasting Day deck. By using the “prompt-craft” technique to give the AI concepts for the design of each card, the AI would then generate a result.

Katz explains "the process of using Midjourney to generate tarot card artwork is not a one-way street, it has been a surprisingly two-way conversation. [...] Sometimes, despite re-inputting modified prompts for a card over a hundred times, I have had the feeling 'we' are after something else, and then, re-input a totally new prompt based on that intuition, and the A.I. has delivered something very different, almost with a sigh of 'yes, that’s what we were trying to do'."

"Some cards took much longer than others to generate," Katz noted. "The Chariot out of the Majors was one which took several days, with constant pruning of prompts and returning to basics before finalising the image.

The process of generating tarot cards using AI can be time-consuming and require constant adjustments to the prompts. Katz likely spent a considerable amount of time experimenting with different prompts to find the optimal ones for each card, resulting in over 130 pieces of artwork with consistent styles and themes.

A Demonstration

I signed up for Midjourney to try it for myself. Initially I prompted the AI with this: “colourful Rider-Waite tarot deck. The fool tarot card.

AI Generated Tarot - The Fool generated by Midjourney

Above: the Midjourney chat-like interface used to prompt the AI.

A few moments later Midjourney returned these results:

AI Generated Tarot - The Fool generated by Midjourney

Above: four example AI-genrated Fool designs. I've noticed that the AI is unable to properly create words and hands.

From here the AI gives me options of which version I like the most to develop further.

AI Generated Tarot - The Fool generated by Midjourney

Above: here you have four choices to upscale your image to a large size (U1-U4) and options to generate further versions of a particular design concept (V1-V4).

I chose the first option and Midjourney produced four further variants:

AI Generated Tarot - The Fool generated by Midjourney

Above: the AI refined the concept of the Rider-Waite Fool, with minor variations such as various colour trousers, staff and plants.

The prompts can be as long, elaborate and descriptive as you like. Here’s another example of a more complex prompt: “Colourful tarot card. The High Priestess Tarot Card. Exotic woman. Exotic headdress. Mediaeval. Illuminated. On both sides of the High Priestess are two big pillars. They mark the entry to this mystical place. One pillar is black and has the alphabet B the other is white and engraved with the letter J.

AI Generated Tarot - The High Priestess generated by Midjourney

Above: in these further examples, you can see that the AI didn't fully understand my instructions, there are letters, but they aren't the correct ones or in the correct place.


The Tarot of the Everlasting Day is based on the Rider-Waite cards, which is considered the "tarot template" for most modern decks. According to Katz, this structure is said to give readers "readily recognised scenes" that are suitable for beginners. The deck includes a total of 80 Minor Arcana cards (two sets of 40 cards), which includes a “scenic set” of pictorial illustrations as well as a "pip set" similar to traditional suit pips. Additionally, the deck includes the 22 Major Arcana cards, an alternative Empress card, and nine unique cards that fit into Katz's own tarot system called "Tarosophy". The deck also contains a Kabbalah Tree of Life card (See the card ) and a Kickstarter certificate of authenticity.

The Tarot of the Everlasting Day was funded through a Kickstarter campaign, where Katz raised £110,942 from over 1,200 people to bring the deck to life. The use of AI technology in this deck is a unique and innovative approach to tarot card creation, and it will be interesting to see how it is received by the tarot community.

AI Generated Tarot - Selection of the pips set, wands, cups, blades and coins, from Tarot of the Everlasting Day

Above: selection of the AI-generated 'pips set'.

The new unique cards are:

Card Keywords & Notes
The Artificial Intelligence Interference, algorithm, pattern, prediction
The Great Work By Our Work We Are Changed
Initiation The Worker is Hidden in the Workshop
The Gate Enter The Order of Everlasting Day
The Rose Key In Arkartia, We Are
The Angel of Earth Pentacles, North, Body
The Angel of Air Swords, East, Mind
The Angel of Fire Wands, South, Spirit
The Angel of Water Cups, West, Emotions
AI Generated Tarot - Selection of extra cards included in the Tarot of the Everlasting Day. The Artificial Intelligence, Initiation, The Great Work, Kickstarter Certificate, The Gate and the Rose Key cards.

Above: a variety of new cards were added to the deck. The Artificial Intelligence card includes the terms interference, algorithm, pattern and prediction. The phrase "The Worker is hiding in the Workshop" is on an Initiation card. The subtitle "By Our Work We Are Changed" is seen on the Great Work card. The cards The Gate and The Rose Key, with the subheads "Enter the Order of Everlasting Day" and "In Arkartia, We are." These keywords only provide a start, the booklet does not fully interpret these new cards. The Kickstarter Certificate of Authenticity, which is also displayed above, features an AI-created self-portrait; my deck was number 1,383.

The nine new cards fit into Katz’s own tarot system, "Tarosophy", which he has developed over the course of his career as a tarot reader and author. In the booklet, it’s explained that "Tarosophy" is “the living wisdom of the tarot” of which we “use tarot to engage life, not escape it”.

I couldn’t find any interpretation of the nine new cards in the booklet or the PDF supplement, which I found to be a disappointment, leaving a tarot reader to create their own interpretations for these new cards, or dive into Katz’s own tarot mythology and Kabbalism.

The Kickstarter Certificate of Authenticity features an image prompted by asking the AI “how it imagined itself as an artist” which Katz says is a “rare and unusual self-image in which we perhaps see how the machine intelligence sees itself”.

The use of Midjourney enabled Katz to create the tarot deck without the need for collaboration with an artist or illustrator, and the resulting deck is a novel combination of AI-generated artwork and Katz's own tarot system. This innovative approach resulted in a tarot deck that is both unique and visually striking.

Where is Tarot heading in the future?

Of course, it's difficult to predict exactly where tarot will head in the future, as it's now become a dynamic and ever-evolving tool. However, based on current trends and the growing interest in self-help and personal development, it's likely that the use of tarot as a tool for self-discovery and developing your own mystic lifestyle will continue grow.

As we can see here with Tarot of the Everlasting Day the integration of AI technology to generate personalised tarot decks and readings is starting to emerge. AI can provide an individualised approach to tarot and can adapt to the needs and preferences of the individual. It could also provide a more convenient and efficient way of generating tarot readings and interpreting the results, making it more accessible to a wider audience.

The tarot of tomorrow may embrace a more personalised approach, utilising AI personal assistants from tech giants such as Microsoft and Facebook, that already possess a digital representation of the user's life, such as your searches, online shopping preferences and travel history. These AI assistants could generate a customised tarot experience, reflective of the individual's unique beliefs and lifestyle, and deliver on-demand interpretations.


The Major Arcana

AI Generated Tarot - The Major Arcana AI Generated Tarot - The Major Arcana AI Generated Tarot - The Major Arcana AI Generated Tarot - The Major Arcana

The Courts

AI Generated Tarot - The Courts AI Generated Tarot - The Courts AI Generated Tarot - The Courts AI Generated Tarot - The Courts

The Angels

AI Generated Tarot - The Angel cards

References

avatar
146 Articles

By Adam Wintle

Member since March 15, 1997

Adam has been involved in developing the site as well as reviewing new decks and conducting research. He is particularly interested in innovation, Kickstarter and East Asian cards. He is a member of the IPCS and webmaster of the EPCS.

Related Articles

1981 Alan Tarot Deck

Alan Tarot Deck

Reprint of a Tarock pack originally designed by Argio Orell for the Austrian Lloyd shipping company....

1975 Tarot Baraja Egipcia

Tarot Baraja Egipcia

Curious Tarot with Egyptian-style trumps issued by Franco Mora Ruiz from Mexico.

1992 Disney’s Aladdin playing cards

Disney’s Aladdin playing cards

Characters from the 1992 Disney film Aladdin.

2011 2011 Worshipful Company Pack

2011 Worshipful Company Pack

Celebrating the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Dickens, with characters adapted from drawings b...

2021 Le Tarot de Sète

Le Tarot de Sète

Reinterpretation of the Tarot de Marseille by Julien Labat, an artist from Sète.

1926 Jockey Club de Buenos Aires

Jockey Club de Buenos Aires

Spanish-suited pack by Chas Goodall & Son Ltd for the Jockey Club, Buenos Aires.

1920 Mexican ethnic playing cards

Mexican ethnic playing cards

Mexican ethnic groups depicted on playing cards by Fábrica de Naipes Cuauhtemoc.

1990 Tarot Philatélique

Tarot Philatélique

Tarot game pack with French postage stamps on all the courts, aces and trumps.

New interest in old games

New interest in old games

Games once fashionable are now eclipsed by quicker gratifications.

1999 Polygo™

Polygo™

Cards of irregular, four-sided shape for playing word and colour games as well as more traditional o...

1991 Il Tarocco del Mondo Nuovo

Il Tarocco del Mondo Nuovo

Imaginative Tarot card designs by Amerigo Folchi relating to Columbus and the New World.

1992 22 Artisti Liguri in 22 Arcani

22 Artisti Liguri in 22 Arcani

Collaborative set of major arcana devoted to Christopher Columbus and his voyages of discovery.

1995 Treasures from the Bodleian Library

Treasures from the Bodleian Library

Rare books, manuscripts, music scores, portraits, maps, gospels, chronicles and other valuable artef...

1975 The Tarot of Meditation – Yeager Tarot

The Tarot of Meditation – Yeager Tarot

Marty Yeager’s original Tarot of Meditation from 1975, republished later by U.S. Games Systems, Inc....

1987 Engel-Tarot

Engel-Tarot

Set of major arcana designed by Alois Hanslian depicting angels throughout.

1863 Victorian grocer’s scale plate

Victorian grocer’s scale plate

Large flat plate decorated with highly coloured English cards and royal arms.