Join us for the trip of a lifetime!

NOTE: This trip post is for the friends, family, and extended community of your trip hosts, noted author Amber Jayanti and Bruce Lee, not for the general public. Click the link to read more about them.

Join a small group of seekers as we venture to one of the most artistically inspirational and spiritually influential places on the planet. You will return home transformed, enthused and ready to give your deepest gifts to the world. Treat yourself to the experience of a lifetime.

Be awed by the tarot’s innumerable shapes and faces, excited by life’s work of Niki de Saint Phalle,
stimulated by private tarot collections not available to the public, and
healed by the sacred experience of Damanhur.

SUNDAY Sept 13
Our journey begins. We depart from our home city and arrive in wondrous Milan where we’ll begin the first leg of our journey.

MONDAY SEPT 14:
Settle into our accommodations in Milan

TUESDAY SEPT 15:
We will visit Il Meneghello, the amazing store of Osvaldo Menegazzi, tarot publisher and artist who had made an immense contribution to the world of tarot. Over several decades, Osvaldo has published dozens of historically important tarots and produced the decks of artist friends. Presently, he is creating elaborate shadow boxes and handcrafting beautiful decks with intricate matching boxes.

We will also have the very special opportunity to set eyes on the private tarot collection of Giuliano Crippa.

An optional visit to the ‘ Visconti’ Castle, of importance to tarot history, known in Italy as “Castello Sforzesco’ is available.

WEDNESDAY SEPT 16:
We’ll take a morning train to the Tarot Museum in Riola near Bologna, for an appointment-only guided tour. On display will be an extraordinary collection of tarots by Italian and International artists working in mediums ranging from painting, ink, sculpture and computer graphics, to video presentation and music. We spend the night in Bologna.

THURSDAY SEPT 17:
We’ll journey to Siena to meet with Rossano Betti, who will show us the floor of the Duomo with its tarot symbols. (The floor is only displayed from six to ten weeks each year!) Some of the depictions were made by the graffito technique: drilling tiny holes and scratching lines in the marble and filling these with bitumen or mineral pitch. In others, marble inlay was used resulting in an almost modern, impressionistic composition. Signore Betti will also be honoring us with a showing of his antique tarot collection.

FRIDAY SEPT 18:
Onward to Capalbio to tour the world famous Tarot Garden of Niki de Saint Phalle. Begun in 1978, the garden intended to contain all of the 22 tarot archetypes with monumental sculptures and mosaics. Although the archetypes were not finished in her lifetime, the ones that stand are stunning examples of de Saint Phalle’s dedication to creative self-expression through the tarot. After viewing, we’ll travel to Florence to explore and spend the night.

SATURDAY SEPT 19:
Enjoy an open day exploring the magnificent city of Florence either self-guided or with the group. Participants may take in the Uffizi or some of the lesser know pleasures of Florence such as the Museo Nazionale del Bargello.

SUNDAY SEPT 20:
Journeying by train to Turin, we may be fortunate enough to view the exceptional private collection of Pietro Alligo of Lo Scarabeo. Since 1987, Art Publisher Lo Scarabeo has published over 100 tarot decks that had been acclaimed all over the world for originality and quality.

MONDAY SEPT 21:
Welcome to Damanhur! Settle into your accommodations. We’ll visit Damjl, the central area and “capital” of the Federation and Damanhur Crea where we’ll learn about the philosophy, art and social structure of the community.

In the afternoon we will walk the Stone Circuits in the Sacred Forest. We’ll visit The Labyrinth, the Blue Temple, the Hall of Water, the Hall of Spheres and the Hall of Mirrors.

TUESDAY SEPT 22:
Falco Oberto Airaudi, of Damanhur is known for creating Selfic paintings—pictured left—which have characteristics of living creatures. They are seen to change over time and look different when viewed in different lights. The Selfic Bral Talej Tarot deck created by Falco has 112 cards based on the Sacred Language of Damanhur. In the morning, we’ll learn how these cards relate to the journey of humankind in a special session created just for our group.

In the afternoon, we’ll have another Tarot workshop session on the Enoil Gavat Tarot deck, an Italian esoteric Tarot deck.

WEDNESDAY SEPT 23
We walk the Spiral in Damjl, to prepare for the Meditation in the Temples and in the Hall of Water.

In the afternoon we depart for the Turin airport and home.

Total cost:
$3199

Discount price:
$2949
    if paid in full by May 28

All balances due in full by July 31.

Included in the cost are all accommodations, intercity travel, scheduled admissions and breakfast. You decided what to spend for your lunch and dinner. You’ll have a good amount of autonomy in the food department.

Prices are now very low for airline tickets, so you can choose your own flights so that you arrive the afternoon of the 14th of September.

A non-refundable deposit of $500 by May 28 secures your place on the trip. We are capping the total size of the group at 14, including the hosts, so space on this tour is limited.

To sign up for this amazing trip, contact your trip hosts:

amber@practical-mystic.com
831-423-9742
or
bruce@tchangeinstitute.com
831-596-6971