Description
Book SynopsisThe origins of the tarot have been lost in the mists of time. Most scholars have guessed that its origins were in China, Egypt, or India. In Mystical Origins of the Tarot, Paul Huson has expertly tracked each symbol of the Minor Arcana to roots in ancient Persia and the Major Arcana Trump card images to the medieval world of mystery, miracle, and morality plays. A number of tarot historians have questioned the use of the tarot as a divination tool prior to the 18th century. But the author demonstrates that the symbolic meanings of the Major Arcana were evident from the time they were first employed in the mid-15th century in the popular divination practice of sortilege. He also reveals how the identities of the court cards in the Minor Arcana were derived from a blend of pagan and medieval sources that strongly influenced their interpretation in tarot divination. Mystical Origins of the Tarotprovides a thorough examination of the original historical source for each card and how the cards’ divinatory meanings evolved from these symbols. Huson also provides concise and practical card-reading methods designed by the cartomancers of the 18th and 19th centuries and reveals the origins of the card interpretations promoted by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and A. E. Waite.
Trade Review“Thirty years ago, at the very start of the modern tarot renaissance, Paul Huson showed us how to uncover the mythical images and truths of the tarot. Now he has returned to incorporate modern scholarship into a visionary new concept for deciphering the mystery of the tarot’s origins and meaning.” * Rachel Pollack, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Book of Tarot *
“Paul Huson brings to his quest for the origins of tarot the insight of an accomplished practitioner and the scholarship of a dedicated historical detective. The result is a fascinating ‘biography’ of the tarot images, tracking their shifting forms and attributions from their earliest appearances.
Mystical Origins of the Tarot will undoubtedly be a classic in the field of tarot studies.” * Robert Moss, author of Conscious Dreaming and Dreamgates and creator of the “Tarot for Dreamer *
"Huson has produced the most enjoyable and fascinating history of the Tarot." * Paul Hughes-Barlow, Supertarot, September 2004 *
"For people interested in traditional cartomacy, this book is the best source we have in English. . ." * Sherryl Smith, American Tarot Association, October 2004 *
". . . a well researched, well written resource that allows [readers] to follow the origins and development of Tarot. . ." * Bonnie Cehovet, World Tarot Network, 2004 *
"If you already have some knowledge of the various cards, and some experience in reading, you will find Huson's scholarly analysis and deconstruction of Tarot mythology invaluable." * Kevin Filan, Mysteries Magazine, Feb-Apr 2006 *
"
Mystical Origins of the Tarot is Huson's most solid work to date, and I highly recommend it to all serious students of tarot." * Psyche, Spiral Nature, July 2007 *
Table of Contents Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction: Of Playing Cards and Tarot Decks
The Mamlûk Cards
The Creation of the Court Cards
The Naming of the Court Cards
The Creation of the Tarot Trumps
Tarot in the Sixteenth Century
Further Developments
1 The Origin of the Suit Signs
Sufis and the Suit Signs
The Four Cardinal Virtues
The Four Castes of Ancient Persia
2 The Origin of the Trumps
Petrarch’s I
Trionfi
Medieval Drama
The Four Last Things
The Tale the Trumps Tell
3 Of Cartomancy and the Tarot
The Ancient Art of Sortilege
Egyptian Magic and the Book of Thoth
Etteilla’s System
The Kabbala and Éliphas Lévi
The Golden Dawn Attributions
Papus and His “Bohemian” Tarot
4 The Meanings of the Trump Cards
The Major Arcana
0 The Fool
I The Juggler
II The Female Pope
III The Empress
IV The Emperor
V The Pope
VI The Lovers
VII The Chariot
VIII Justice
IX The Hermit
X The Wheel of Fortune
XI Fortitude
XII The Hanged Man
XIII Death
XIV Temperance
XV The Devil
XVI The Tower
XVII The Star
XVIII The Moon
XIX The Sun
XX The Judgment
XXI The World
5 The Meanings of the Suit Cards
The Minor Arcana The Suit of Coins or Pentacles
The Suit of Cups or Chalices
The Suit of Swords
The Suit of Batons or Wands
6 Reading the Tarot Selecting a Tarot Deck
Getting in Touch with Your Cards
Preparing for Divination
General Rules of Cartomancy
Simple Tarot Spreads
Advanced Cartomancy--Linking the Cards
Complex System
Last Words of Advice
Appendix 1. Historical Tarot Decks
Appendix 2. Where to Buy Your Cards
Appendix 3. Where to See the Originals
About the Illustrations
Bibliography
Index
