Booknote: Essential Tarot Writings

Donald Tyson, Essential Tarot Writings: a Collection of Source Texts in Western Occultism. Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Worldwide, 2020.  ISBN:

 

Genre: nonfiction, anthologies

Subgenre: Tarot, occult, western occult, divination, playing card divination, cartomancy

Format: e-book galley

Source: NetGalley

 

As the subtitle says, this is a "collection of source texts in western occultism." The texts focus mainly on Tarot with some texts on playing card divination at the end of the book. The book is arranged as follows: a general introduction, eight parts containing the texts and introductory notes by Tyson, biographical notes for the authors of various texts plus some people mentioned in the texts, a bibliography, and an index. 

A reason I wanted to read this book is that in my humble cartomancy student view, to understand Tarot now and where it may be going it helps to know where it came from. I often see Tarotistas being rebellious about Tarot, so for me helps a bit to see and read what they are rebelling against. Plus as a student of history I enjoy reading historical things. 

Tyson has done a good job in selecting, translating, editing, and annotating these texts. Sure, some of these may be freely available, often out of copyright, but Tyson saves us the work by creating this anthology of major works in one volume plus he provides annotations for context and further clarification. I'd say you get pretty good value in this work. In reading these works spanning from 1781 to 1928, you can follow how ideas of Tarot in occultism moved from France to England and Europe to the United States. Along the way, we meet people like Court de Gebelin, Ouspensky, A.E. Waite, and others. Their ideas, many of them fanciful, still survive to this day. As Tyson writes, "authors routinely refer to each other, to the same sources, and to similar esoteric meanings for the cards" (23). They may agree or disagree with each other, and we get to read their conversations and arguments across time. 

Tyson does a good job editing these essays to make them accessible and legible. I found the works relatively easy to read. However, I do wish instead of endnotes he had used footnotes so I can check references and commentary on the spot. In a print edition, flipping pages may not be an issue. In an e-book without hyperlinks it is a significant issue for study, and one I hope the publishers address down the road in future e-book editions. Speaking of the endnotes, they can be just as interesting as the texts. Tyson often uses the endnotes to clarify concepts and often add context to the texts we are reading. In addition, if you want to learn more, there is a bibliography at the end of the book. 

Overall, this is a good and well edited selection of historical essays on Tarot and cartomancy. They capture a time period when occultism was popular and Tarot was right in its midst. Some of the ideas were fancies of imagination (let's call that a polite way of saying they made some stuff up), but many of their ideas are with us today. If you are a Tarot student with an interest in western occultism, or you are curious about the connection, then this book is a good start. 

 

For libraries, I'd say this is one for those that have good esoteric materials collections. For public libraries that may only have "pop" Tarot kind of books, or just a few Tarot books overall, this may be a bit too esoteric. 

In the end, this is a book I really liked, and for serious Tarot and cartomancy students I'd recommend it. I recommend it mainly for its historical interest and, as I said at the start, to see where Tarot comes from, its history, and key authors. 

4 out of 5 stars.

* * * * * 

Additional reading notes: 

Many of the old ideas about Tarot were not supported by evidence, but occultists ran with them: 

"These ideas had profound influence on the French occultists of the 19th century. They were adopted enthusiastically and uncritically in various degrees by such luminaries of the Western tradition as Eliphas Levi, Paul Christian, Rene Falconnier, Papus, Stanislas de Guita, and Oswald Wirth. It seemed not to matter that all these ideas were at best unsupported, and at worst outright falsehoods-- the French occultists embraced them and made the Tarot the centerpiece of their esoteric philosophy" (16). 

In times past, "fortune-telling" with cards was women's stuff. Serious divination and rituals with cards was manly stuff. I do find interesting that today cartomancy is a female dominated field, not unlike librarianship for example. Yes, there are men who do it as well but the prominent Tarotistas who practice, teach, write books tend to be women. I do add this is my observation based on my short time in my cartomancy journey and the books I've read along the way so far. Anyhow, Tyson writes: 

"In past centuries cartomancy was primarily the interest of women, as the essays in Part Eight indicate by their references. Fortune-telling was considered beneath the dignity of men. By contrast, divination with the Tarot by serious occultists such as the members of the Golden Dawn was intended to reveal important spiritual matters of life-altering significance. The Tarot was used esoterically to awaken and expand spiritual awareness, to enable psychic vision and astral travel, and as instruments of ritual magic" (22). 

Some things never change, such as elders complaining the young discard the traditional for new things. Brodie-Innes did it in 1919: 

"In it, Brodie-Innes makes a strong appeal to tradition in the interpretation and use of Tarot symbolism, and expresses dismay at modern Tarot designers who boldly throw out the old symbols and replace them with their own innovations" (207).

On a side note, the book features some illustrations, but I could not comment on those since they were not included in the review galley. 

 

Books from the bibliography I may want to read later. I will indicate if I have it and format: 

 

• Paul Foster Case, An Introduction to the Study of Tarot (e-copy). 
• Paul Foster Case, The Tarot: a Key to the Wisdom of the Ages (e-copy)
  
• Aleister Crowley, The Book of Thoth.(e-copy)
• Decker and Dummett, A Wicked Pack of Cards: the Origins of the Occult Tarot (can likely request an ILL).
• Helen Farley, A Cultural History of the Tarot from Entertainment to Esotericism (e-copy).
• Manly Palmer Hall, The Secret Teachings of All Ages (e-copy).
• Papus, Tarot of the Bohemians (e-copy).
  
• A.E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (e-copy)
• A.E. Waite, Manual of Cartomancy (written as Grand Orient; e-copy).
• Oswald Wirth, Tarot of the Magicians (e-copy)
  

* * * * * 

This book qualifies for the following 2020 Reading Challenges: 

 

 

#ArcApocalypse