Songs for the Journey Home
Alchemy Through Imagery
A Tarot Pathway
Songs for the Journey Home is a celebratory topographical mapping of the peaks and valleys that make up
the integral landscape of human experiences. At times we are able to view the events of our lives from an
elevated vantage point, seeing the big picture and identifying both the pathways that had lead us here and
our future route. However, when we move down into the shady groves, it is easy to lose the sense of perspective
and direction and become paralyzed through fear of taking a wrong turning.
The archetypal imagery of tarot shows us symbolically where we are. These images also awaken our recognition
of the pertinence of all our encounters, so that we move away from harshly judging our times in the valleys,
through longing to remain on the peaks. Tarot imagery also affirms the high points of our meetings with our
creativity, compassion and joy. These are some of the moments through which we refine our understanding of
life mysteries, of truth, death, love and power.
In essence Songs for the Journey Home is a celebration and recognition of human strengths, frailties and the
ability we each have to transform our relationships with each other and with our planet.
The Co-Creators of
Songs For The Journey Home
Catherine Cook & Dwariko von Sommaruga
Catherine Cook first became involved in the intuitive art of the tarot interpretation in the mid-1980s,
initially using the cards as a basses for meditation. After some years of working with decks developed by other people, she
felt a strong need for a deck that would express both the meditative journey and the need for spirituality and practical
action to become unified.
The deck of cards that accompany Songs for the journey Home is the result of a very close collaboration with Dwariko von
Sommaruga. Thus the partnership of Alchemists and Artists was born. Catherine and Dwariko worked together defining the images
over a period of four years with Dwariko translating each of them into seventy eight exquisite pieces of artwork. The flavour
of the landscapes, flora and fauna found in New Zealand - the birthplace of this tarot – permeates the images.
Catherine Cook
Catherine sees her tarot work with 'Songs' as a respectful unfolding of the tapestry of each person's life. She encourages
people to notice the threads and textures of their experiences that are often unseen and therefore unavailable as a source of
self knowledge and inspiration. She seeks to name and honour transitions and turning points that would otherwise be invisible
within the dominant culture.
Catherine has recently completed a Master of Counselling. She has worked extensively in the fields of nursing and midwifery
and currently works as a counsellor in a university setting.
Dwariko von Sommaruga
Dwariko is travelling with “Songs for the Journey Home’ through America, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand exploring and adventuring in places and events that she goes to. Working as a tarot counsellor and fine arts teacher, she is particularly interested in supporting people as they venture beyond narrowly prescribed lifestyles and beyond the beliefs that support a limited view of what is and is not possible. She experiences tarot as a powerful medium which assists people to view their lives as if from a mountain top – with a panoramic perspective. She also views creative expression as the lifeblood and birthright of every person on this planet and all her work upholds this belief.
