Periodically the subject comes up as to which Tarot is the best/right one for an individual – followed by a profusion of answers from people who claim to have found one particular deck early in their lives that rang all their bells; while other claim to utilise several different versions depending on the reading required. Personally speaking, once I’d discovered the Thoth Tarot the others paled into insignificance but then I’d been originally schooled in the Egyptian Mystery Tradition and was a great fan of Crowley in all his many guises. The symbols and sigils, analogies and metaphors were the language of magic but then a friend always said I had a mind like a corkscrew, which probably explains the lure of the Thoth Tarot. Nevertheless, even on a mundane/everyday level, the Thoth speaks of mundane things and lends itself to simple questioning.
It helps, of course, if the seeker has had some introduction to the esoteric imagery of a particular deck and has familiarised themselves with the archetypes of the Major Arcana and the elementary mysteries of the Court Cards. These archetypes are the images that should speak but all too often the representations are too tame, too bland, or too nice to convey the intensity of the mysticism they need to channel in order to reach into the visceral impressions that relate to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect.
The Tarot is a magico-mystical system, closely intertwined with the mystical Qabalah, which operates on as many levels as can be found on the Tree of Life. ‘You must know the Tree backwards, forwards, sideways, and upside down,’ Crowley wrote to a student . ‘It must become the automatic background of all your thinking. You must keep on hanging everything that comes your way upon its proper bough.’ And in turn, every twist and turn, nuance and subtle meaning of expression in the Tarot has its place on the Tree.
The Hollow Tree: An Elementary Guide to the Qabalah & Tarot by Melusine Draco was originally published by Corvus Books in 1999 with an extended, illustrated version re-printed by Ignotus Books in 2002. ISBN 0 9522689 8 1 : 76 pages : £9.99 including P&P: Order via PayPal invoice on ignotuspressuk@gmail.com
It helps, of course, if the seeker has had some introduction to the esoteric imagery of a particular deck and has familiarised themselves with the archetypes of the Major Arcana and the elementary mysteries of the Court Cards. These archetypes are the images that should speak but all too often the representations are too tame, too bland, or too nice to convey the intensity of the mysticism they need to channel in order to reach into the visceral impressions that relate to deep inward feelings rather than to the intellect.
The Tarot is a magico-mystical system, closely intertwined with the mystical Qabalah, which operates on as many levels as can be found on the Tree of Life. ‘You must know the Tree backwards, forwards, sideways, and upside down,’ Crowley wrote to a student . ‘It must become the automatic background of all your thinking. You must keep on hanging everything that comes your way upon its proper bough.’ And in turn, every twist and turn, nuance and subtle meaning of expression in the Tarot has its place on the Tree.
The Hollow Tree: An Elementary Guide to the Qabalah & Tarot by Melusine Draco was originally published by Corvus Books in 1999 with an extended, illustrated version re-printed by Ignotus Books in 2002. ISBN 0 9522689 8 1 : 76 pages : £9.99 including P&P: Order via PayPal invoice on ignotuspressuk@gmail.com
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