By SusanGe1'uIs12is~Es The Book 04: TAROT Tbe Book 04: TAROT Illustrated with the Morgan-Greer Tarot By Susan Gerulskis-Estes U.S GAMES SYSTEMS, INC Publishers o Stamford, CT 06902 USA ©1981 by U.S Games Systems, Inc All rights reserved No part of this bookmaybereproduced or translatedin any form whatsoever,including microfilming, without permission in writing from the publisher 10 l U.S Games Systems, Inc Publishers 179 Ludlow Street Stamford, CT 06902 USA International Standard Book Number Printed in the United O-88079-277-9 States of America Contents Preface Origin of the Tarot Structure 13 Kabalah and the Suits 15 Numerology and the Tarot 19 The Major Arcana 21 The Minor Arcana 51 Storage of the Cards 85 Reading the Cards 86 The Ancient Celtic Method of Divination 87 Astrological Readings 90 European Method 93 Meditation and the Tarot 94 Bibliography 95 THE WORLD I saw eternity the other night Like a great ring of pure and endlesslight All calm, as it was bright And round beneath it, time in hours, days, years Driven by the spheres Like a Vast shadow moved; in which the World And all her train were hurled Henry Vaughan 1621-1695 PREFACE Pnepace Conscious thought and meditation upon the Tarot over the centurieshave causedthe Tarot to exist as a very powerful entity It has survived through the agesfrom so distant a past that no one can accurately trace its origin There is a real presenceof power behind the magical images of the Tarot When using the Tarot cards one is in actuality invoking the state of ones being Therefore,the Tarot is not to be taken lightly From its earliest creation, the Tarot was drawn with highly psychic images meant to provoke particular thoughts and feelings for the viewer to explore.Thesepsychic imagesinclude universal symbols that have beenbuilt up in strength over the years through contemplation and meditation Meditation acknowl- edgesand developsthe entity each card represents,thus causing its greater existence For example, each time a person acknowledgesand then meditates upon a symbol, the very fact that the person is meditating upon it causes its being Continued acknowledgment and meditation reinforces the entity Different thoughts will add or detract from the original concept of the image, which will cause it to grow or wither in its own development But, nevertheless, it does exist The idea of the Tarot is subjectiveto the individual personality Some opposethe Tarot; certain religious organizations consider the cardssacrilegiousand condemntheir use Throughout history there has been much religious opposition to using cards of any sort, including the Tarot In 1378, cards in general were banned in Regensburg,Germany Somewhere between 1450-70 in Italy, a Franciscan friar condemned dice and cardsincluding the twentytwo cardsof the Major Arcana The Tarot is certainly not sacrilegious and it is a lack of knowledge of the Tarot that causessuch harsh judgment PREFACE Anything that falls into the wrong hands can be used in a nega- tive way, such as a knife, but one could certainly not condemn the use of a knife A knife can be destructive but if used in a positive way, it becomes a very helpful and necessary tool So with the Tarot The Tarot contains knowledge that is eternal, therefore invaluable There is no limit to the extent of the wisdom con- tained in the cards What they reveal about this life, the before- life, the afterlife, the whole of nature, causeand effect, and the paths of existence, is remarkable When a person fears or condemns the Tarot, one wonders What is really being feared or condemned The Tarot is an entity meant to be taken seriously Using the Tarot for gamesof entertainment is not their correct or intended use.Peoplewho use them as such will, hopefully, lose interest in them Divination is the art of revealingwhat is in onesmind, conscious or subconscious, and the probability of future events through the cards.The person who foretells events or reads the cardsis referredto as the Diviner and the personwho searchesfor answers is referred to as the Seeker Divination increases aware- nessand developsintuition It also brings one to a better understanding of ones position in the universe Fortune-telling for its own sakeor for amusementis another form of misuse of the Tarot However, foretelling probable events basedupon the knowledgeof the Tarot for the sincerepurposeof examining ones life and direction is a noble use of the cards Divination will developintuition and easespiritual development into daily life if doneproperly.Readingsshould be usedto analyze and understandsituations so that they can be improved ORIGIN or THE TAROT Onigin oi: the Tanot The origin of the Tarot cards is surrounded by mystery However, there are interesting theories about their creation, each extremely different and unrelated One theory propoundsthat the Tarot was invented by prehistoric man for use as a calendarnoting nature's cycles Another theory suggests an artist named Iacquemin Gringonneur invented the deck for the amusement of Charles VI of France Antoine Court de Gebelin wrote in 1392 that the Tarot was actually a book savedfrom one of the temples of Egypt, when all other writings were destroyedby fire He believed the Tarot cards were the remains of The Book of Thoth, Lord of Magic Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom, occult knowledge, and the arts and sciences,was also secretary to other gods in the Egyptian pantheon The invention of numbers and sacredwritings were both attributed to Thoth He is often depicted with a man's body and the head and neck of an ibis and often carrying a tablet, pen, and palm branch The Book of Thoth, written in hieroglyphics, and also referred to as the Book of Tarot, is supposedto have contained all wisdom and occult knowledge The Greeks gave Thoth the name Hermes Trismegitus and referred to his sacred abstruse works as Hermetic The twentytwo pictures of the Major Arcana were painted on the walls of an Egyptian initiation chamber located in the lower chambers of the Sphinx To be initiated into the order of Hermes Thoth, the neophyte was taken through the gallery by a memberof the order who would explain the symbolic meaning of 10 ORIGIN or THE TAROT the twentytwo pictures The aspirant had to realize and understand the meaning of the pictures in order to gain enough courage, strength, and knowledge to complete the initiation If the neophyte failed any of the initiation tests, he would be put to death Another theory states that the cards originated in India The androgynousfigure of the Hindu god Ardhanari contains in its four arms objects similar to those which represent the four suits of the Tarot The objects to the right of Ardhanari, which is called Siva for its female form, resemble the staff and cup On the left side is Sivas consort Devi, the male half, who holds a sword and a ring Hanuman, the monkey god, is also depicted bearing the same objects Vishnu, the god known as the Preserver,is depicted as a god with four hands holding a lotus, mace, conch, and discus These four objects can be compared with the four suits of the Tarot Vishnu also has ten incarnations which correspond numerically to the ten Sepirothof the Treeof Life and the ten pip cardsin each card suit At the end of the fourteenth century, large groups of people were driven from India by the Islamic ruler Timur Lenk, who con- queredmuch of central Asia Many of the banished groupswandered to Europe bringing cards used for divination However, cardswere supposedlybrought to Europeas early as the seventh century by the Arabs During the fifteenth century, the Tarot cards received much attention and use in Italy By the sixteenth century, the cards gained popularity and had spreadto France The French occult revival in the nineteenth century caused the Tarots popularity to soar A The Torah is the Hebrew system of organizing all knowledge and experience.Many scholarsbelieve the Tarot is the development or offspring of the Torah or Hebrew alphabet since the two relate in theme and number THE ANCIENT CELTIC METHOD OF DIVINATION The Ancient Metbob 87 Celtic op Divination In the Ancient Celtic Methodof Divination as in any other method,the qualityof a readingis dependent on the sensitivity andintuitive ability of the Diviner andon his or her growthand perceptionof the wide rangeof human experience.Whoever decides to readfor anothershouldapproach the readingwith a respectful spiritandanopenmind,asfreeofpersonal biasaspossible He or sheshould alwaysconsiderthe cardsrelative to the sub- jectsage,sexandpositionin life andadaptthemeanings thereby TheAncientCelticMethodof Divinationis usedfor answering a subject's definite question TheDivinerfirst selects a cardfromthesuitpertaining to the nature of the question RodsSpiritua1 matters CupsEmotional matters SwordsPower or position PentaclesMonetary matters Fromthat suit, the Diviner selectsa court cardto represent thesubject, orthestage heorsheis currentlyin regarding theques- tion TheKingis amatureman;theQueenis amaturewoman;the Knightis a youngman;andthe Pageis a youthfulmaleor female This card is known as the Significator Placethe Significator faceup on thetable.Concentrating on thequestion hewishesto ask,thesubjectnowshufflesthepack thoroughlythree times, the facesalwaysdownward.After shuffling, he cuts the pack into three piles and placesthem face downward to his left TheDivinernowpicksupthepackfromtheleft,still keeping the cards face downward And now begins the Divination 88 THE ANCIENT CELTIC METHOD or DIVINA'I'lON Turn up the First Card and cover the Significator with it and say: This covers one This card represents the general atmosphere relevant to the question asked Turn up the Second Card and lay it across the first, saying: This crosses one This card indicates the nature of the forces opposing one, for good or evil Turn up the Third Card and place it above the Significator, saying: This crowns one It represents what the sub- ject hopes for in relation to the question and has not yet been realized but may be in the future Turn up the Fourth Card and place it below the Significator, saying: This is beneath one The card shows the foundation of the matter, that which the subject has already experienced relevant to it Turn up the Fifth Card and place to the left of the Significator and say: This is behind one This card shows the inuence that has just passed or is now passing away Turn up the Sixth Card and place it to the right of the Significator and say: This is before one It shows the inuence that will operate in the near future Now turn up the Seventh, Eighth, Ninth and Tenth Cards and place one abovethe other in a line to the right side of the cross The Seventh Card represents the attitude of the subject toward the matter The Eighth Card represents the subject's environment and those tendencies or inuences in family and friends which may have a bearing on the matter The Ninth Card indicates the hopes and fears of the subject concerning the matter 10 The Tenth Card indicates the outcome of the matter, the culmination of all the inuences at work in the preceding cards The operation is now completed;however, should the Tenth Card indicate an uncertain nature from which no conclusions can be drawn, one can repeat the process using the Tenth Card as Significator The pack should be shufed again, cut three times and the first ten cards taken as before By this method, a more thorough account of the outcome may be procured Should the Tenth Card be a court card, the outcome of the matter may lie in the hand of the personsuggestedby the card.For further information as to the outcome, one may take the court card in question and use it as Significatorand repeatthe processagain In any divination, if the majority of the cards in the lay-out come from the Major Arcana, the Diviner may deduce that there arepowerful forcesinfluencing the subject's affairseither from the outside or from the subject's own unconscious THE ANCIENT CELTIC METHOD or DIVINATION Diagnam Metbob 0;: the Ancient 89 Celtic 0;: Divination I The Signicator under N0.1 This covers one This crosses one This crowns This is beneath This is behind This is before one 5P@N one one one Oneself Ones environmentfamily, Ones hopes and fears friends The culmination of all precedinginfluences; the outcome 90 ASTROLOGICALREADINGS Astnological Reabings METHOD1 Obtain a cloth with the twelve houses of the Zodiac drawn upon it in a circular fashion.If you cannotfind one in a store,make it yourself Any material cut into a squarelargeenoughto draw the houses of the Zodiac upon, will The twelve houses of the Zodiac and what they representare: Aries Taurus Gemini Cancer ASTROLOGICALREADINGS 91 METHOD II The majorinuence of eachmonth in a newyearcanbetold by what cardlandson the corresponding sign January Capricorn February Aquarius March Pisces April Aries May Taurus Iune Gemini Iuly Cancer August Leo September Virgo October Libra November Scorpio December Sagittarius 92 ASTROLOGICALREADINGS EUROPEANMETHOD Eanopean 93 Metbob TheEuropean methodof reading cardswaspopularin Europe around the turn of the century Shuffle the cardsand pick nine from the deck Placethree to theleft; threein the center;andthreeto the right The threecards on theleft represent importanteventsof thepastthat leadup to theactionsof thepresent Thethreecardsin thecenterrepresent thepresent.The threecardson theright representthe future.The cardsreadacrossfromleft to right fromthemostdistantpastto the most distant future PAST PRESENT FUTURE BBBBBBBBB 94 MEDITATION AND THE TAROT Mebitation the Tanot club The only Way to meditate is the Way in which one personally feels the most comfortable A quiet area where there will be no distractions or intrusions is important in enabling one to apply total concentration It doesn't matter upon which card one chooses to begin meditating It is interesting to note, however, that a card to which one feels attracted may present ideas concerning the stage one is presently experiencing A card to which one feels no attraction may represent an area that needs development or with which one should cope There is a reason for ones reaction to every card, including whether or not one finds one Tarot card more appealing than another It is the arrangement of universal symbols in the Tarot that generatesideas in the subconscious.Contemplation on the symbols stimulates mental reactions Relate onesreactions to the presentstate of onesmind Keep an open mind to new ideas or sudden inspirations gained while meditating Let ones whole being get involved in the meditation Imagine one is within the picture on the card, and notice ones reactions Become absorbed in the mood and vibrations of the experience in order to comprehend the subject fully Ideas are most valuable at this time, and it is wise to remember them to record later Somepeople feel relaxed after meditating, while others feel excited and eagerto pursue their experiences.Of course,for every individual there will be a unique reaction BIBLIOGRAPHY 95 Bibliognapbg BENAVIDES, RUDOLFO The Prophetic Tarot, Mexico: Editores Mexicanos Unidos, GRAY, WILLIAM G Inner Traditions of Magic, New York: Samuel Weiser 1970 S.A 1974 I-IELINE, CORINNE CASE, PAUL FOSTER The Bible and the Tarot, Ocean- The Tarot, Richmond, Virginia: Macoy 1947 side, California: New Age Press 1970 CIRLOT, I.E A Dictionary of Symbols, 2nd Edition, New York: Philo- sophicalLibrary 1972 IUNG, CARL G Man and His Symbols, Garden City, New Iersey: Doubleday, 1964 CROWLEY, ALEISTER IUNG, CARL G and KERE NYI The Book of Thoth (Egyptian Essays on a Science of Myth- Tarot), New York: Weiser, Inc 1969 Samuel ology, Princeton, New Iersey: Princeton University Press 1969 DOUGLAS, ALFRED The Tarot, Penguin Books LEVI, ELIPHAS The Key to the Mysteries, New York: Samuel Weiser 1970 FORTUNE, DION The Mystical Qabalah, New York: Alta Gaia Books 1979 PAPUS GRAVES, F.D The Windows of Tarot, Dobbs Ferry, New York: Morgan & The Tarot oftheBohemian Morgan, Inc., Publishers New 1958 1973 York: Arcanum Books GRAY, EDEN A Complete Guide to the Tarot, New York: Crown Publishers TheLiving Bible, Wheaton,Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers 1970 WAITE, ARTHUR EDWARD Pictorial Key to the Tarot, New The Tarot Revealed, New York: Bell York: Samuel Weiser 1979 1960 ZAIN, C.C Sacred Tarot, Los Angeles, California: Church of Light 1969 YTJORQGD-QRQGR COROC The Morgan-GreerTarot deck used to illustrate this book is available at many bookstores and most stores specializingin magic and the occult If not available, you may purchasedirectly from the manufacturer: Morgan 81.Morgan 145 Palisade Street Dobbs Ferry, New York 10522 W,Héiczittr The Book of TAROT SCISGD genalskis-estes SusanGerulskis-Estes, a writer and an artist living in Massachusetts, hasalwaysbeenintriguedby symbolism.Such an interest led her to study the history and meaningof the Tarot,to discussion groupsontheTarotand,Kabalah, andfinally to writing The Book of Tarot, her first book "My greatesthopefor TheBookof Tarotis that peoplewill understand theTarotcardsasa seriousandinformativeentity which [can] explainallegoricallythe subtleforcesin operation in the universe.As onebecomesawareof theseforces,ones consciousnessis elevated and thereforecan deal more effectivelywith the ways (or laws) of the universe bill gneen Bill Greer, born and raised in Missouri, studied at the Kansas City Art Institute and the University of Colorado He has lived and workedmostly in the eastwith periodicforaysinto Texas and Missouri where he has a house For as long as I can remember I've been interested in the Tarot,first respondingto the visualrichnessasmany artists have I've also been interested in metaphysicsthe occult, magic,andpsychicphenomenaaswell asin the writing of lung, Frazer,Frye, and Campbell, who were of considerable influenceasI beganto identify archetypesandhow they are part of our everyday life In this deck,the Casebookwasusedasa primer.Therearecertain colors used as dictated by Casefor symbolic reasons I sought to incorporate thesecolors and elaborate, so as to cre- ate an immediateemotionalreactionto eachcardevenbefore an image could be looked at in depth The work was done in the country away from distractions In a practical way, all the years of researchand study were allowed to flow into form ISBN 0-88079-277-9 U Games Systems, Inc 179 Ludlow Street Stamford, CT06902 I SBN0-B8079-277-9 90000) 780880 792776 $10-00 [...]... representsthe developmentof the soul ThePagerepresents thebody;a beingnot yet fully developed or out in the world The numbered cards of the Tarot develop from the Ace, which is the essenceof the suits meaning, to ten The four objectsusedto representthe suits arepicturedin the amountof the number of eachcard For example ,the Four of Rods contains four rods KABALAH AND THE SUITS Kabalab Suits The Hermetic... cardsare the collective traits or qualities personified They represent the forces of the dynamic psyche The secondseptenaryof the Major Arcana contains the cards numberedfrom eight to fourteen They are: Strength, the Hermit, the Wheel of Fortune, Iustice, the Hanged Man, Death, and Temperance.This group makes clear the Spiritual influence, the positionof the soulaffectedby the waysandvariablelaws of the. .. Mark World Anothertheorysuggests the Tarotoriginatedin Morocco.Fez became the intellectual center of the world after the ruin of Alexandria.Sagesgatheredtherefromall cornersof the worldbut had a difficult time communicatingsincethey spokedifferent languages To overcome the languagebarrier, a group of them invented a seriesof picturesand symbols :the Tarot This methodwasused to containtheir combinedwisdomin... and their translated meanings.Ain SophAour is the Godheador Life Source.Malkuth representsearth and man's physical body The theme of the numbered cards of the Lesser Arcana relate to the theme of the samenumber Sepiroth .The twenty-two cardsof the Major Arcana which describe physical and spiritual forces constantly in operationrelate to the twenty-two connectingpaths of the Tree of Life The Tarot, ... forces of energy before the first 14 STRUCTURE manifestation It also can be placed after the World (21) Not counting the Fool, the World is the last card in this sphereof existence and the first in the next sphere,which is heaven The first septenary of the Major Arcana includes: the Magician, the High Priestess, the Empress, the Emperor, the Hierophant, the Lovers, and the Chariot Basically, these seven... Influence: The meet- ing of opposites and the addition of another force is represented by the number two The High Priestess is the personification of the female She is seated on a cube symbolic of earth between two pillars of the mystic temple The pillar on the left, Boaz, is black and represents the negative life force The pillar on the THE MAJOR ARCANA right, Iachin, is white and represents the positive... universe The Major Arcana is divided into three groups of seven, or septenaries Distinct from the three groups is the Pool The Pool is the unnumbered or zero card Given the number zero, the Fool may appear to be a card of less importance than the others since zero signifies nothing However, zero is of such importance that the system of measurement could not exist without it Neither could the Tarot exist without... related to the Tarot NUMEROLOGY AND THE TAROT Nanoenologgy the 19 anb Tanot Numerology is the occult meaning of numbers concerning their influence on life The Tarot cardsincorporate numerology to expressitself since the meaningof numbers is ageless,changeless, and has the sameconnotation universally In the Minor Arcana, an essential part of the meaning of a card is derivedfrom the knowledgeof its number... represented by the Suit of Pentacles Their element is earth and its solidity Pentaclesrepresentindustry, business,commerce,trade, and financial awards.They also representthe comfort and security that come with financial success The Kabalist philosophy is illustrated in the Tree of Life, a system of arranging the various levels of consciousness.In the diagramof the Tree of Life are the namesof each Sepiroth... Eleusis, near Athens The Hierophant presided over the Eleusinian mysteries which were rites that took place in the temple at night Neophytes were subjected to diverse tests in order to be ini- tiated into the mysteries They were under threat of punishment if they revealed any of the secrets made known to them during the ceremonies The crossed keys at the bottom of the card are the keys of the conscious ... representsthe developmentof the soul ThePagerepresents thebody;a beingnot yet fully developed or out in the world The numbered cards of the Tarot develop from the Ace, which is the essenceof the suits... mysteries They were under threat of punishment if they revealed any of the secrets made known to them during the ceremonies The crossed keys at the bottom of the card are the keys of the conscious... center of the ing the truth Our earthly bodies 44 THEMAJORARCANA seeking the truth Our earthly bodies are vehicles of the soul We can either go the way of the Angel or fall by the way of the Devil