Topic: Justinian

The worldview embedded in the Sola Busca deck draws from Orphism and Neoplatonic philosophy, maintaining a continuous tradition from the 8th century BC through the 15th century. Despite attempts by Christian Emperor Justinian to suppress these ideas, the Byzantine civil service remained imbued with Hellenistic values. This allowed pagan philosophical and magical concepts to survive within the imperial elite for centuries.

Randall Carlson links the legendary Battle of Camelot (dated circa 539 AD) to a real-world climatic disaster beginning in 536 AD. Scientific evidence from tree rings and ice cores shows a period of extreme cooling, likely caused by volcanic activity or impacts, which led to global crop failures. This environmental collapse facilitated the spread of the Justinian Plague, which decimated the population of Europe and initiated the Dark Ages.

The worldview expressed in the deck involves the reincarnation of souls, or metempsychosis, with the Milky Way serving as a portal between worlds. This Orphic tradition survived for over 1,200 years despite attempts by the Christian Emperor Justinian to suppress it. The Byzantine civil service remained deeply imbued with Hellenistic pagan values through the study of classical literature and philosophy well into the 15th century.