Tarot of Oneiros

Dream-realm of somebody older and vaster than humanity, unchanged even after the dreams of previous rulers of earth all but faded away.

Place of infinite red skies, of dry lightning, of fragmented ruins not sized for human proportions or use, of monoliths wormed with vast caverns. Self-sufficient, unending, perhaps eternal. The anti-thesis to the endless fragile acceptance of the abyss. Oneiros indifferently rejects everything that isn't Oneiros itself, as if only itself is real, and all pieces of waking world that come in touch with it are just an ephemera.

Cats swear that this place is not their doing, and seem to be truthful in this as much as any cat can be truthful. Spiders stay silent on the issue but do avoid this place at all cost, and given how bored serpents are of it, it is likely not their fault either.

Also known as The Oldest Dream, Red Dreamland, The Exile, Big Empty, The Quiet Nightmare, Light Below, and Ziggurat-upon-Wind. 

 

Oneiros by Norbert Toth

Who comes to Oneiros?

Exiles with no other place to go, those curious about the realm, those ambitious to grab more power than waking world allows, scavengers of secrets or of whatever had remained from other travellers, those forlorn in search of place to be. People trapped in what looks like Hell until they breathe in its air, and people tossing away a key from the only door back, and dream-tourists who slide in and out without purpose only to wake up with bloodshot eyes and a strange sense of longing. 

But what is for them to long for? In the unending expanse of the dreamland there are no bustling cities, no warring nations, almost no danger but the realm itself which slowly but surely takes away humanity out of visitors. There is only the red sky, there is only endless falling, the drift of ruins, the absence of bounds. 

Over time, Tarot of Oneiros was created through the persistent human desire to impose some sort of sense on the unknown. This tarot is used for focus and divination, where it can be used in any kind of layout, with a caveat that for any card in this set there is no upright or reverse position, and any meaning simultaneously includes its own opposition.

Here is The Tarot, in no particular order:
(I've omitted 'The' from the names of the cards to keep it thematically appropriate with Red Dreamland dislike for binaries, although in hindsight it looks a little strange in English)

(also: it is best viewed on desktop version of the site, even on mobile, so use this link: https://noisesanssignal.blogspot.com/2025/07/tarot-of-oneiros.html?m=0 )

	Lighthouse Light at the distance, guidance, purpose of journey, fragment of normality, sanctuary, promise, hard-won haven, hope, warning of danger, notion of high tide that will come and swallow one whole, necessary distance, vantage point, unstable safety, isolation. There is no darkness in Oneiros and no need of light, but towers of foreign radiance veiled in faraway skies dot The Red Dream. Anchors as much as the ports.
	Four-Winged Butterfly Spirit of paradox, omen of fracture, incongruity, rightful dissonance, discord, unforeseen, uncontrollable change in a situation, breaking of best-laid plans, disassociation of the name and the essence, blindness of unchallenged perception, sudden insight. Four-winged butterfly has five wings, is made out of rocks, and is likely a dragonfly
	Immortal Skin Apotheosis, completion of a search, goal within the grasp, end of struggle, success, safety, immutability, invulnerability, long-term plans coming to fruition, legacy of one's own making that will keep on existing even after all initial meaning of it is gone. Skin filled with divinity of Oneiros. Goal sought by so many seekers, avoided by so fewer of them. Perfect harmony with Red Dream which was never meant for humans to begin with. To never dream again, as there is nothing more to achieve.
	Dreamer Tethers, fetters, uneasy first steps beyond the boundaries of safery, risk-taking, seeking, desire to go forward, desire to return home, breakage of self, larva, exploration, wandering, courage, exposure to harm, nascent and fragile things. In Oneiros dreamers are those who break out of their sleeping self, when they realize that they have to see the real sky of the realm.
	Oracle Somebody's else answer to one's own questions, shortcuts, easy solutions, helping hand that is also a harming hand, obfuscation, meaning behind the meaning, doubtful ally with their own agenda, entanglement in others' plans, necessary but unwanted connections. Borders of Oneiros are strewn with flowers that grow in their steps. Red is a colour of truth of the Oldest Dream, yet step carefully.
	Sacrificial King Bounty, whalefall, abundance, luxury, unexpected surplus, demise of leviathan, fall of the great power, unwilling end, self-sacrifice, sacrifice of the mighty, revolt, revolution, satisfaction of needs and then some, victory for small and feeble, nurture of the next generation, Becoming too big in Oneiros is a sureway to fall; those who wish to live longer never aim for the top spot. Those of ultimate power eventually become the fattest and the slowest, and isn't it a duty of the plump king to provide for his subjects, when all else fails?
	Bubble Tree Settling for less and the least, stunted potential, entrapment, illusions, falsity, deceitful complexity, misconception of (self-)importance, beauty of glamour, ignorance, sleepwalking through life, comfort of unchallenged routine.  Common dreams of the common sleepers cluster the bubble trees in Oneiros, easily recognizable by their unnatural blue colour. One can become a god in a moment within these spheres and then wake up none the wiser.
	Empty Throne Opportunity, seize the moment, do the action, make rapid decision, claim the  power, achieve the resolution, risk to repeat all the previous failures, recurrence, unending cycle. There is a place of power in Oneiros, made by somebody long, long gone. Its promise is real, so there is no shortage of volunteers to try the fresh crown once more again. Certainly, this time it will be different.
	Cocoon Metamorphosis, growth, new beginning, potential, personal risk, transition, change of self, endings, moment of critical vulnerability, uncertain future, letting go of dreck, loss of what was important, bid for understanding. Those who stay in Oneiros forever have a chance to find their place in it and true home, but it will not be possible without letting go of some notions.
	Exile In-between state, forced break away from all that was once important, loss of position in the world, being made expendable, betrayal, elimination, sudden change, freefall, violent but sometimes still necessary detachment, breaking free from the prisons and entrapments even by the one's own high cost. However utterly indifferent Oneiros is to human existence, it is safer than being shot or burnt alive or starved to death. Here, at least, those pushed to the edge do have a chance to learn how to fly.
	Ritual City Step by step progression, binding, containment, restrains, submission to limits, adherence to a strict protocol even without full grasp of what it does, training wheels, insight of a proper actions, cause and effect, consequences, running in circles. Ritual cities is what counts as civilization in Big Empty. In the endless expanse of the realm each Ritual City is created in the very first moment a human makes a cometfall into the vortex. Each city imposes a ritual on anybody who steps inside. Now, if only the originator of such Ritual City could find their own place, the ritual would certainly make sense. But infinity is difficult to parse, and in meanwhile why let these walls go to waste?
	Heartsmith Effort, struggle, purpose, end of naivete, aim for perfection, stumbling around, dead ends, trial by fire, design, creation, art, pushing through everyday drudgery without assurance there ever be something else, continuing despite the failure, self-consumption, self-harm, facing one's own most sincere self. Few are ready to face their own heart, let alone shape it. Yet, if you ever get anywhere at all in the Oldest Dream, you must.
	Willpower Determination, loss of fetters, pushing through fear, taking control, bending the world around one's wishes, selfishness, self-understanding, freedom of movement, alienation. Learn to pivot the world around self or keep on crawling.
	Mound Past, history, things previously lost but found again, remembrance, memory and memories, compassion, nostalgia, landfill, baggage, hoard of irrelevant things, ugly reminder, collection, inability to let go, passage of time, totality of self. In Oneiros it is possible to die in a certain way to become a museum of one's total self, a self-contained nautilus boney pile with chambers full of one's personal history made tangible.
	Hunger Necessity, force beyond one's control, unending need, addiction, obsession, driving urge, essence of living, a problem that doesn't ever go away and can only be dealt with temporarily. Hunger is everpresent in Oneiros, unavoidable. It can be gnarling maw within one's own guts, a low-burning note on a back of a mind, a sharp desire showing its teeth only once in a while but it is always, always here. One can kowtow to it, subjugate it, deal with it, tame it, placate it, resist it but unless they are to become somebody entirely else, hunger remains.
	Catacombs Endless depths, enigma, elusiveness, secrets, absence of clear path or answers, labyrinths with no signage or pattern, inside place larger than outside place, inner world, deadened self, reclusion, crossing sleepless midnight, forever roads. Oneiros detests language in any form but many dead are close enough to the essence of the dream that their words linger in the catacombs, echoes of those who came before us. They will talk to you if you have nobody to talk to. It is peaceful there, among those dead close enough to dream. Stay for longer today?
	Vision High calling, aspiration, ambition, readiness to use anything and everything to achieve one's goals, inspiration, art, reaching into the unknown, alchemy as something that is bigger than the sum of its parts, speaking one's truest self, energy, grandeur, bridges into future, setting new path. Without a vision, what would have become of us in this endless expanse, driven by hunger and determined in power, but lost in mere existence?
	Gates Threshold, Rubicon, irreversible decision, point of no return, facing the unknown, facing one's own fears and hopes, and understanding that all this might still come short of what is needed to make that step, death. Step through the gates of your own face to come to Oneiros
	Hunter Persistence, rivalry, competition for the same end goal which only one of all can archive, struggle for survival, fitting the role for the sake of effectiveness, acute state of danger, threat of harm, pursuit, person of action, being driven, obsession, specific knowledge about the area of interest, accommodation for violence, opportunity to reverse the roles. Oneiros abhors binaries, therefore every prey is also a hunter.
	Life Waking world, reality as it is beyond the edge of dreams in all its multitude, vibrancy and complexity, fear of change, avoiding disaster, utmost safety from the Oldest Dream, end of all questions in a conformity of everyday life. Shh, let it all be just a nightmare that fades in a morning and never returns.
	Dancer Living in a moment, moving with freedom, disregard of norms, absence of self-reflection, harmony with self, self-sufficiency, self-autonomy, narcissism, self-love, rebis, union of opposites, melting of barriers between the self and the world, ecstasy, passion, alchemy as an ultimate transformation, new form of life. Dancer never stops even if the eye of the maelstrom is their own witness.
	Oneiros The Red Dream itself, maelstrom, state of unending motion, vortex, the light below one's feet, stroke of luck and stroke of ruin, spirals, cycles, eternity, timelessness, endlessness, indifference, absolute, state of rejection. The Light Below is really tiny when one to look down at it. But even with somebody thousands and thousands miles away, both will look right into a radiant eye of the storm as if they are touching elbows. Wherever you go, Oneiros is there.
	Sovereign Self-sufficiency, self-understanding, self-control, power over others, authority, ego, self, asceticism, measure, slippery slope of power, gravity, self-made person, lack of introspection, detachment, standaloness, paying of debts, hidden instability. Few ever reach this position on a throne, or settle into it with such arrogance. But true sovereign would never settle for somebody's else trinket.
	Hinterlands Flux, flow, state of change, borderlands, chaos, beauty, edge of the known world travel, wilderness, transition, discovery, adaptation, new horizons, choices (and too many of), lack of knowledge or preparation. It is the place where blue sky isn't false and red sky isn't true; where quiet green grass is braided with flaming wildflowers, and the brooks become the night wind.
	Oneironaut Fear, guard up, denial of one's own weakness, drowning, cowardice, powerlessness, burden, hiding in a shell, inability to reach, or touch, or move freely, lockup, safety or success by disproportional cost, self-delusion, narrow vision on a verge of blindness, being in a hostile environment. To know The Oldest Dream fully there should be no barrier between the skin and the grinding winds of the vortex.
	Idol Showmanship, manipulation, charisma, domination, exploitation, a leader using the flock for their own purpose, loss of self, oppression, self-indulgence, empty promises, false prophet or teacher, glitter in eyes, dazzle, being in a spotlight, glory, giving the crowd what they want. Many of those who claim they've learnt all secrets of Oneiros and can lead others to such enlightenment are standing on pedestals of their own making, fooling the desperate and greedy with parlor tricks. For all its subtle hostility to humankind the Oldest Dream never lies with a promise of ascension.
	Spindlespire Solitude, loneliness, introspection, alone with one's own thoughts, watching world go by as the time passes by, peace, pause, slow time and nowhere space, regret, apathy, disassociation, shutting down, passage of time, fruitless effort, fading away. Spindlespires are always here and always at the distance, strange awkward ruins lost within the clouds. One cannot enter Spindlespire without being welcomed, and one cannot leave without being wanted elsewhere.
	Husk Lack, hollowness, loss, saudade, empty dream within a dream, being unnoticeable, lack of voice, lack of motion, longing, unfulfillment, indecision, failure. Whoever appears from the cocoon cannot be more than went in.
	Strangerkin Contradiction, chimera, doppelganger, chance, anything that can go either way likely will, wildcard, balancing act over the void, enemy and friend, family, opposites co-existing together, uncertainty, turmoil. Said to be the personified Oneiros itself. Although for all its disdain for human form, surely the realm would never stoop that low.

(card images are (c) Kyana and are not to be used without permission)
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With big thanks to Patrick Stuart for encouraging me to start, Jackie and A.M. for cheering me along the way, Ms. Screwhead for helping me to understand the fear, and to Ramanan for a huge help with digitization.

This is the biggest project I've ever done. Took about a month and a half of just painting cards.

It is based on the realm of Oneiros from "Clive Barker's Undying", which fascinated me for a long time since I've played the game. About a year ago I've noticed that I don't use red and yellow colours enough, so I've painted a couple of sketches of Oneiros for practice. In these sketches I've changed a couple of things, as, for example, I didn't want to paint Keisinger or crow people, and wanted to practice more dynamic poses. Thanks to this I've got the initial idea of making a Tarot set which would try to translate in human symbols the inhuman realm.

After a long break and with encouragement I managed to start, initially thinking that it won't go past first five cards, but one after one, I then somehow finished the series. I still don't fully believe that I could pull off something as big as this.

There is a couple of things about Tarot of Oneiros:

• There is no written language in Oneiros so there are no words or symbols on these cards

• Colour is rather important (for example, "Idol" uses colours that are similar but different from colours used for Oneiros' sky to highlight its false and manipulative side.)

• It has some notions of Painting of Ariandel and Painted World of Ariamis from Dark Souls series as a place that not actively hostile by itself but adapting all visitors to its character and accumulating dangers as more and more various people come to inhabit it. Original Oneiros is a little more demonic, but I didn't want to turn tarot into a bestiary or reuse too much from the game.