Tarot and Magic
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December 1, 2002
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THE TAROT AND MAGIC (Excerpt) This book is especially intended for people who already have some experience with the Tarot and magic. However, if you don't have such experience, this chapter will fill you in on the basics of what you need to know. If you have never worked with the Tarot before, or never practiced real magic, start with this chapter. Read it several times. Think about any concepts in this chapter that are new to you. I suggest that you read this chapter even if you already have experience with either the Tarot or magic, or with both. That way you will understand the terms and concepts in the same way they are presented in this book, and you will grasp the information presented later even better. Of course, since you already know some or all of this material, you may not have to study it as thoroughly as someone who has no experience. Whether you are new to either magic or the Tarot or have lengthy experience with both, when you understand and can work with this chapter, you will be ready to use the Tarot for magic!
The Tarot and Symbolism
Although the approximate date of the Tarot's first appearance in Europe
(early fifteenth-century Italy) is known, its sources and development
before that time are highly debatable. After all, something as
complex as the Tarot does not simply appear without predecessors.
Some scholars look to India as the source of the cards, while others
suggest China and even more romantic places such as Egypt and Atlantis.
There are many good books on the history of the Tarot, so there
is no need to repeat that information here. Look in the bibliography
for books with information on the origins and history of the cards.
Even the source of the name Tarot is a guess. If you change the letters
of the word around, you could get the Hebrew word Tora, which
means "Law." Ator is a version of the name of the Egyptian goddess
Hathor. Going back to Hebrew, Troa means a "gate." Orat is Latin for
"it speaks" and Hebrew for "Thou art light." Other writers have suggested
that the name might come from a river in northern Italy
named the Taro.
Whatever their origins, we do know for sure that the cards first appeared
in Europe during the early fifteenth century. Since that time
they have gone through numerous evolutionary changes. There have
been two major evolutions, which have lead to the current selection of
what I call the "standard" Tarot decks. The first evolution was a standardized
number of cards split into two parts. One part is the Minor
Arcana. This is composed of fifty-six cards separated into four suits,
each running from Ace to ten plus four face cards. This corresponds to
a deck of modern playing cards, which is identical to the Minor Arcana
except for the names of the suits and the fact that it has only
three face cards per suit. The second part is the Major Arcana, which has twenty-two cards illustrating certain conceptual ideas. The only card of the Major Arcana that may have made its way into modern decks of playing cards is "The Fool," which relates to the Joker.
Traditionally, the numbered Minor Arcana cards did not have images
giving their meanings. The second evolution took place in 1910
when the Rider publishing company produced a deck drawn by Pamela Coleman ("Pixie") Smith (18781951), under the guidance of famed
occultist A. E.Waite (18471942). This deck, known as the Rider-Waite deck, featured illustrations on all the cards. Waite also published a book to go along with it, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, making this an easyto-use deck with a concurrent instruction manual. Another first.
Waite referred to this as a "rectified" deck in that he took the spirituality and mysticism he knew and united it with the designs of the Tarot cards. Since that time, hundreds of decks have appeared. The majority of them have been variations of the Rider-Waite deck.
Inevitably, it is reasonable to ask, "Why did this deck catch on? Was it only because it was easier to use and had a book explaining it?" I don't think so. Rather, the images created by Smith and Waite, many of which are new versions of older images, somehow affect us. Smith's art is rather plain, but there is great beauty in it. It strikes a chord. It means something.
The images mean something different than just the simple pictures
on the cards. They are symbolic. Virtually every part of every image has a meaning.What is the color of the sky? That has a meaning. Is a character looking up or down? That, too, has a meaning.What is the symbol floating above that person's head? It has an important meaning.
In a very real sense, the Tarot can be seen as a complete course in
spirituality.The Tarot can be an incredibly powerful resource to guide you on your spiritual path. Its value is immense. One famous nineteenth-century occultist, Eliphas Levi, suggested that if a person was left for years on a desert island with nothing but the Tarot, and that person knew how to understand it, when that person returned to civilization he or she could discuss any subject with complete knowledge. (Personally, I always thought that was quite an exaggeration, but the more I work with the Tarot, the more I am inclined to agree with Levi.) Is it any wonder that some people treat their Tarot deck with such incredible care?
In this book I will be working with four decks, and I want to explain why I chose them.
The Tarot and Magic 3
4 The Tarot and Magic
The Universe
Golden Dawn Magical Tarot
The Hierophant
Golden Dawn Magical Tarot
Prince of Pentacles
Golden Dawn Magical Tarot
Ace of Wands
Golden Dawn Magical Tarot
The Golden Dawn Magical Tarot by Chic and Sandra Tabatha Cicero.
Primarily, the focus here will be on the pictorial Major Arcana. The reason I am using this deck is twofold. First, there is no other deck quite like it. Its symbolism taps into a deep mystical area that, I think, no other deck reaches. Second, it is a re-creation and enhancement of the deck that A. E.Waite and Aleister Crowley used for years. It heavily influenced them both.
The Tarot and Magic 5
Strength Golden Dawn Magical Tarot
Two of Cups (Love) Golden Dawn Magical Tarot
6 The Tarot and Magic
Five of Wands
Universal Tarot
Ten of Swords
Universal Tarot
Six of Swords
Universal Tarot
Knight of Wands
Universal Tarot
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