Metaphoric Cards: Mirrors of Time
Inspiration for your “Eureka!” moment
A tool that uses symbolic and projective elements to generate insight, clarity, and new perspectives.
Buy the cardsMirrors of Time is a projective tool that helps clarify one's experience without replacing personal judgment. It enables new insights by connecting different dimensions and concepts through free association.
Each card acts as an indirect mirror. Meaning emerges through your own interpretation. It helps you connect ideas, emotions, and sensations by guiding you toward insight through your own wisdom.
Insight may arise spontaneously, but practice helps it occur more consistently and transforms the way you analyze, understand, and decide.
What are metaphoric cards?
Metaphorical cards are, in essence, visual keys designed to open doors to our inner world.
Metaphoric cards — also called associative, projective, or therapeutic cards — use visual stimuli to generate spontaneous associations, facilitating the exploration and expression of inner content. They engage implicit memory in order to make it explicit: bringing unconscious material into awareness.
Meaning arises from context and personal interpretation. They encourage reflection on experiences and ideas, strengthening insight and creativity through a flexible and adaptable process.
There are many styles of cards with varied approaches, including Dixit, OH, Tandoo, Cope, Resilio, and Inner Active.
Check the FAQsWhat makes Mirrors of time unique?
“The experience of humanity in your hand.”
What if Newton helped you make a decision?
What if Chaplin or Cleopatra revealed something about you that you still could not put into words?
Mirrors of Time cards are part of the The Colorful Self universe. It brings together 108 projective cards inspired by archetypal historical figures throughout history. Each card acts as a symbolic mirror of contexts, actions, strengths, shadow aspects, and worldviews.
Unlike most associative cards — which often center on abstract symbolism — Mirrors of Time draws on concrete references: historical figures and real-world contexts.
This approach makes it possible to activate explicit memory first in order to bring forth more implicit associations, thus facilitating conscious integration and the generation of insights. By starting from the tangible, it bypasses common blocks found in people with a preference for intellectualization, a tendency toward literal thinking, who may feel less at ease with abstraction or inner exploration.
Beyond its value in processes of therapy, coaching, and personal development, this methodology makes these cards a particularly relevant resource for philosophical exploration, creative inspiration, and educational use in learning contexts.
View the FAQs
Let the mirrors of time guide you.
You feel that an idea, an emotion, or a decision is blocked. Nothing shifts.
You have already tried everything: introspection, reflection, techniques, theory. Nothing changes. Frustration and helplessness arise, along with that silent sense of limitation whispering, “I can’t go any further.” You no longer know what to try.
You feel as though you are facing a wall that prevents you from accessing insight.
But perhaps it is not a wall, but a door.
And it does not open by pushing harder, but by finding the right key.
- Your role is to help others open deep conversations without forcing them when language is not enough.
- You seek to enhance insight individually, without a clinical or esoteric approach.
- You feel creative blockage and need a brainstorming method that allows you to access new perspectives.
- You need to redefine a purpose or make a decision and seek clarity.
- You come across a pattern that repeats and want to comprehend it in order to make changes.
- You want to explore your philosophical vision, your identity or refine your critical thinking.
Versatile inspiration in a pocket-sized format
Mini projective spread
Explore a brief sample of the possibilities of the deck and some of its cards.
Guided philosophical spread
Try a FREE guided philosophical spread via ChatGPT to discover one of the many possible ways to use the cards and deepen your personal reflection in connection with your experience. (The Plus version is recommended for smoother use.)
Mini self-exploration
- What unresolved action is causing you doubt?
- Observe the image.
Ask yourself:
- Who does this make you think of?
- If this figure could give you advice about your current situation, what would it be?
There are no right answers.What matters is what it stirs in you.
Choose a card
Who are these cards for?
Every tool implies its own approach to experience; here you can assess whether this one fits yours.
This may be for you if:
- You are looking for a concrete tool to stimulate creative and critical thinking.
- You want to explore your inner world independently, building your own meanings.
- You support others and need resources that help identify needs and foster expression when words are lacking.
This may not be for you if:
- You are looking for fixed meanings attached to each card.
- You expect closed answers rather than open questions.
- You would rather receive a revelation than develop your own interpretation.
Explore with the full deck
The full deck allows for broader and deeper explorations, both personally and professionally.
Explore with the full deck
- 108 cards inspired by historical and archetypal figures
- Introduction guide in PDF format
- Examples of spreads and applications
- Personal and professional uses
No previous experience is required. There is no “right” way to use them.
Every purchase includes a 30-minute session to support you in using the cards in a way that suits your needs.
(We will contact you by email to schedule an online appointment.)
Sometimes, changing perspective is enough to regain clarity.
With Mirrors of Time: explore, connect, reflect, support, create.
If you are:
- ✅ A coach, therapist or social worker
- ✅ A personal development enthusiast
- ✅ A philosopher
- ✅ A creative
- ✅ An educator
This is your tool. Buy the deck and start today.
Yes, I want my deck.Let the echoes of time guide you toward your “Eureka!” moment.
FAQs
The deck was developed and designed by Nadège Seguin, creator of the The Colorful Self project. Both the conceptual design and the original content are protected under intellectual property law.
These cards create a space for symbolic exploration that encourages reflection, emotion, and imagination, supporting the understanding and integration of experience. They also facilitate communication in educational and guidance contexts, stimulate creativity, and contribute to processes of self-knowledge.
The therapeutic use of this tool requires prior professional training. When guiding exploratory processes, it is essential to maintain an appropriate framework that avoids influencing interpretation and respects the participants’ personal meaning.
Remember: This material is a valuable ally for self-knowledge, but it does not replace therapy. Working with a qualified therapist is always recommended when addressing situations involving emotional distress.
Metaphoric cards were created by the Canadian artist Ely Raman, who sought to transform art into an interactive and accessible tool. Their global diffusion began in the 1980s, when the psychologist Moritz Egetmeyer adapted them as a therapeutic resource to facilitate self-exploration and communication.
These terms describe the tool from different angles: the psychological mechanism involved (projective), the process of linking ideas (associative), or its application in guided exploration and healing (therapeutic).
They allow inner experience to be externalized, making it possible to approach complex implicit experiences symbolically—experiences that may be blocked by defense mechanisms and therefore difficult to express in direct conversation.
The practitioners guides the process from their own professional perspective. They help the user move through the exploration while maintaining its rhythm and direction.
No. They are intended for subjective and symbolic exploration. They are not standardized tests or clinical assessments.
Yes. Combining them with other decks can deepen the exploration by giving each deck a different role or function. It also allows you to compare different ways of projecting meaning around the same theme, which can offer complementary perspectives.
Yes. They support communication and help build shared ideas and meanings in group settings.
Yes. Their visual nature helps people express themselves at different ages, with adaptations suited to each stage of development. It is not necessary to recognize every character in order to use the cards; attributing qualities to them is enough.
Mirrors of Time is primarily designed as a physical, hands-on experience. However, it can also be used easily in online sessions, either with the physical deck or through the mini spread available on the website.
Yes. They encourage creative play and spark inspiration. The guide includes a playful idea, although the only real limit is your imagination.
If you are interested in distributing the deck, you can fill out the contact form. It will be a pleasure to share the available options with you.
If there is anything else you would like to know, you can fill out the contact form or click on the WhatsApp icon. You will receive a reply as soon as possible.
