2009, Frog Books, Berkeley, CA
Happy Winter Solstice everyone! …and Happy Summer Solstice for friends in the southern hemisphere.
For a cozy book to curl next to the fire with, I highly recommend Origins of the Tarot – Cosmic Evolution and the Principles of Immortality
Books are special friends to me who share their wisdom and experience. Since I live a mostly isolated life, having a stimulating book is a great companion, one I can grow with over time.
After years of searching I have found the Holy Grail of Tarot history in Dai Léon’s Origins of the Tarot published this year. I had it on pre-order at Amazon for months and squealed with glee when it finally arrived.
Fact is stranger than fiction, so I’ll take a nonfiction, well researched book over a novel any day. I must admit, with over 550 pages between its paperback covers, Origins… took me months to read and will require years to fully digest. Fortunately, there is plenty of room in the margins of each page for jotting notes and posting sticky notes.
To summarize, Origins of the Tarot covers these topics in great detail:
> Traces the religious and philosophical roots of Tarot cards from Indo-Aryan and Asian sources, across the Silk Road, through the Middle East, eventually entering Medieval Italy.
> Details the specific philosophical influences, naming key contributors, especially Neoplatonic and Sufi teachers.
> Makes a strong argument for the nondualist intention of the message of the Tarot, in contrast to the dualistic religious and philosophical powers of the world.
> Informs us of the cosmic hierarchy, steps toward immortality, as presented by nondualistic teachers, and reflected in the major arcana of the Tarot.
> Reconstructs the pre-European structure of the major arcana as pairs of Triumphs (archetypes), each representing an evolutionary principle of immortality.
For decades I’ve developed and taught my version of the “Sacred Journey of the Soul” as an evolutionary process. Once I’ve fully digested the material from this book, my sharing of this powerful information will be greatly enhanced. We could all grow and redefine our points of view if we are open to a larger perspective on history.
My Tarot History poster has already been updated, based on this material, as version #2.
For a complete review on this book, please read my article “ORIGINS OF THE TAROT” Book Review.
Additional fine reviews can be found at the following websites:
– Aeclectic.net
– Amazon.com
– Google.com
MY SACRED JOURNEY . . . 