Meditations on the Tarot
Description:
Tarot metaphysics.Full description
Download
https://www.scribd.com/document/549675979/Meditations-on-the-Tarot
A Great Mystical Book — With a Surprising Title | Carl McColman
Get newsletters and updates
Toggle navigation
CONTEMPLATIVE
A Great Mystical Book — With a Surprising Title
DECEMBER 28, 2021 BY CARL MCCOLMAN
0 COMMENTS
I’ve recently been re-reading one of the most fascinating and unusual books of mystical wisdom to have been written within the last 100 years. This is actually my third time through the book, and I know I will read it again, certainly more than once. It’s one of those rare books that rewards multiple readings, each new journey through it yielding new insights.
I’m not the only one who feels this way about this 20th-century contemplative masterpiece. Look at some of the wonderful endorsements this book has received, from recognized leaders in the Christian contemplative world:
Bede Griffiths, the legendary English monk who established a Christian ashram in India, said “There is hardly a line without some profound significance… To me it is the last word in wisdom.”
Therese Schroeder-Sheker, renowned harpist and music-thanatologist, describes it as a “work of staggering insight, intelligence, imagination and service” and goes on to say it “is quite simply manna in the desert.”
Basil Pennington, OCSO, one of the founders of the Centering Prayer movement, said “It is without doubt the most extraordinary work I have ever read. It has tremendous spiritual depth and insight.”
Thomas Keating, OCSO, also a key voice in the Centering Prayer world, offers this praise: “This book, in my view, is the greatest contribution to date toward the rediscovery and renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition.”
Cynthia Bourgeault said that this book “represents a brilliant synthesis of esoteric and mystical wisdom.”
Others who have endorsed this modern mystical classic include Hans Urs Von Balthasar, Stratford Caldecott, Michael Martin, and — rumor has it — even Pope John Paul II read it (at least, there’s a picture of him sitting at his desk, with the German edition of this book plainly visible).
So what book are we talking about? Many students of Christian mysticism and contemplative prayer are frankly taken aback by the title: Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism.
The Tarot?!?!
Recently when a friend of mine heard about this book, she replied, “But the Bible is clear, fortune telling is against God’s will.” So let me hasten to point out that Meditations on the Tarot is not a book about fortune telling or psychic predictions. It is written very much from within the Christian contemplative tradition — and while the author shows a remarkable knowledge of, and even respect toward, non Christian spiritualities ranging from Hinduism to Buddhism to various esoteric and occult practices, even a casual reading of this book reveals that it is anchored in a very traditional understanding of the mystical and contemplative path, a tradition rooted in following Jesus and based the wisdom of the great Christian mystics.
So why would a Christian mystical author structure his meditations around the Tarot, for heaven’s sake?
The book was published anonymously in 1980, several years after the writer’s death. It is generally accepted that the author was a Russian-Estonian scholar named Valentin Tomberg, who worked for the BBC during the Cold War as a Russian translator. Tomberg (1900-1973) had been involved in theosophy, anthroposophy, Martinism, and other esoteric and occult movements since his youth, but in midlife he converted to Roman Catholicism. With an amazing grasp of both Christian theology and non-Christian philosophy, he seemed to embody the gracious spirit of what Brian McLaren called “a generous orthodoxy” — pairing his own fidelity to Christian wisdom teachings with a willingness to see what is good and true and beautiful in other traditions as well.
The twenty-two archetypal images that make up the Major Arcana of the Tarot — images such as “the Fool,” “the Lover,” “the Wheel of Fortune” and “Judgement” — gave the author a framework for reflecting on the depth and beauty of mystical spirituality — and the philosophy and theology that support the mystical life.
The mystic who wants only the experience of mystical states without understanding them, without drawing practical conclusions from them for life, and without wanting to be useful to others, who forgets everyone and everything in order to enjoy the mystical experience, can be compared to a spiritual drunkard.
— Anonymous, Meditations on the Tarot
Another voice of praise for this book, from a writer in the National Catholic Reporter, Richard W. Kropf, notes, “the book begs not only to be studied cover to cover, but also to be savored, meditated upon and assimilated into one’s life.” That, it seems to me, captures the beauty and promise of Meditations on the Tarot — it is a densely philosophical/theological work, as profound and mind-expanding as anything by Thomas Aquinas, John of the Cross or Pierre Teilhard de Chardin; but it is also a practical book that offers insight into contemplative prayer and meditation, making it as useful as The Cloud of Unknowing or the writings of Teresa of Ávila. This is a book that artfully weaves theory and practice into a single statement of mystical vision. You study this book, but you also seek to live it.
Enjoy reading this blog?
Click here to become a patron.
It draws from the Tarot a series of images or archetypes that, in the author’s unique presentation, provide a road-map to the mystical life. I’m not knowledgeable enough to comment on whether this is strictly the author’s own unique interpretation, or if he was drawing on established esoteric teachings about the Tarot, filtering them through his knowledge of contemplative wisdom. It really doesn’t matter. So many of the great mystics have brought creativity to their interpretation of spirituality or their use of guiding metaphors, like Teresa of Ávila’s interior castle or Thomas Merton’s seven storey mountain. Valentin Tomberg (or whoever the anonymous author was) stands in this tradition of creatively expressing the mysteries-that-cannot-be-put-into-words by using a powerful image, or in this case a set of images, to function like a scaffold on which those mysteries are presented, explained, and celebrated.
There’s so much that I love about this book, but I think what is most compelling is how well the author articulates a beautiful vision of the cosmos as filled with mystery and wonder. He describes a universe where angels are real, God is continually loving God’s creation, and we as human beings have the tremendous opportunity to calibrate our lives according to the reality of this wondrous love. He also has an uncanny ability to take commonplace elements of Christian spirituality — such as the threefold vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, or the Benedictine motto of ora et labora (prayer and work) — and offer insightful new ways of seeing or thinking about them, that reveal previously hidden dimensions of meaning and insight. The cumulative effect of reading Meditations on the Tarot is to have the world of Christian spirituality come alive in lovely and startling new ways.
It’s not a perfect book, by any stretch. Written in the 1960s, it assumes a Euro-centric view of the world and relies on exclusively masculine language as was customary for its time. The author has some very old-fashioned ideas; for example, his uncritical advocacy for hierarchy will rub many twenty-first century readers the wrong way. He was clearly a believing/practicing Christian, and sometimes comes across almost chauvinistic in his assumption that the Christian Church is the only custodian of complete truth. On the other hand, his beliefs are somewhat idiosyncratic, no doubt thanks to his long association with esoteric communities: for example, he believes in reincarnation, and presents it as a settled fact! This does not particularly bother me — I read Buddhist writers all the time — but it is rather odd coming from someone who in so many ways toes the Christian party line.
But perhaps most challenging of all is that Meditations on the Tarot is simply somewhat difficult to read. I say “somewhat” because compared to many works of philosophy or academic theology, it’s lucid. You do not need to be a scholar to unlock this book’s mysteries; but you do need to be willing to grapple with abstract and at times arcane ideas. But the book’s very difficulty has led me to a new initiative that I plan to offer beginning next year.
Last month I acquired a copy of the newest edition of Meditations on the Tarot — a recently published beautiful hardcover edition from one of the most interesting of independent Catholic publishers, Angelico Press. When my copy arrived, I posted a picture of it on Instagram, and rather playfully asked, “I think that I’d like to reach an in-depth course on this book. Any takers?”
I was surprised by how many people volunteered as “takers.” Clearly, I’m not the only person who has found this book as challenging as it is enlightening. So I’m hoping to offer a course on this book beginning in February.
But like the old infomercials on late night TV: “But wait, there’s more!”
The more I thought about it, the more I realized that there are several “difficult” mystical texts I would love to teach, including Meditations on the Tarot, The Collected Works of St. John of the Cross, The Complete Mystical Works of Meister Eckhart, The Essential Writings of Christian Mysticism and others. Each of these books is luminous but also challenging — and lengthy, so it wouldn’t do to just offer a short, four-to-six-week course on them: these are books that need to be read slowly, over time, and as part of an overall contemplative practice. So this is my idea: why not start an ongoing program for the practical study of contemplative and mystical books?
Does that appeal to you? I’ve set up a Zoom meeting for January 13, 2022 for anyone who might be interested in studying Meditations on the Tarot with me, and/or participating in an ongoing program that I am calling “The Contemplative Study of Mystical Writings.” Please sign up for the Zoom meeting if you’re interested (and if you can’t make it on the 13th, sign up anyways; that way I can send you a recording of the meeting along with details about what we discuss).
Here’s the link to register for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMkduCspzsiHtb_iNErCyMMa6DD_MEnKI79
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
But even if studying this book with me isn’t your cup of joe, I hope you’ll read Meditations on the Tarot anyway. It will deepen your appreciation of contemplative spirituality, and a truly sapiential (wisdom-centered) approach to the mystical life.
Enjoy reading this blog?
Click here to become a patron.
Featured photo of Valentin Tomberg by Unknown Photographer; source: National Archives of Estonia (ERA.957.3.507), CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
TAGGED WITH:
BOOKS
CATHOLICISM
MYSTICISM
===
Meditations on the Tarot
.jpg) 2005 edition published by Penguin Group | |
| Author | Anonymous |
|---|---|
| Original title | Méditations sur les 22 arcanes majeurs du Tarot |
| Translator | Robert A. Powell |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Publisher | Éditions Aubier-Montaigne (French edition) Amity House; Penguin Group (English edition) |
Publication date | 1980 |
Published in English | 1985 |
| Pages | 774 (first French edition) 658 (first English edition) |
| ISBN | 9782700702088 |
Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism (French: Méditations sur les 22 arcanes majeurs du Tarot) is an esoteric Christian book originally written in French with the date of 21 May 1967 given by the author at the end of the last chapter, and published posthumously and anonymously in 1980. This was followed by translation into German (Die großen Arcana des Tarot : Meditationen, ISBN 978-3906371054). An English translation was then published in 1985, with Robert A. Powell basing his rendering on the author's original French manuscript, whereas the published French edition (ISBN 978-2700703696) does not always follow the French original manuscript.
The author is known, but requested to remain anonymous. It is included in the bibliography of books ascribed to Valentin Tomberg.
The afterword states that "The author wished to remain anonymous in order to allow the work to speak for itself, to avoid the interposition of any kind of personal element between the work and the reader - reasons that we respect."[1]
The author is clearly a Roman Catholic, although the ideas expressed are often not commonly associated with Catholic dogma. The body of the work is divided into 22 chapters, called "letters", with a Foreword by the author and an afterword by Hans Urs von Balthasar, a Swiss theologian nominated to be a cardinal. Each chapter is centered on a card from the Major Arcana of the Tarot of Marseilles.
Each card is taken as an "arcanum," which the author defines in part in Letter I: The Magician as "that which it is necessary to 'know' in order to be fruitful in a given domain of spiritual life. ... a 'ferment' or an 'enzyme' whose presence stimulates the spiritual and the psychic life of man." He writes that they "are neither allegories nor secrets ... [but] authentic symbols ... [which] conceal and reveal their sense at one and the same time according to the depth of meditation." The symbolism of the cards is taken as a springboard for discussing and describing various aspects of Christian spiritual life and growth.
Sources cited in the work are many; the most common one is the Bible, followed by an array of saints, theologians, mystics, philosophers, occultists, and other writers, notably including Henri Bergson, Buddha, Goethe, Jung, Kant, Eliphas Lévi, Nietzsche, Fabre d'Olivet, Origen, Papus, Joséphin Péladan, Philip of Lyons, Plato, St. Albertus Magnus, St. Anthony the Great, St. Augustine, St. Bonaventura, St. Dionysius the Areopagite, St. Francis of Assisi, St. John of the Cross, St. Theresa of Ávila, St. Thomas Aquinas, Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, Saint-Yves d'Alveydre, Rudolf Steiner, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Laozi, Hermes Trismegistus, and Oswald Wirth (major entries taken in alphabetical order from the index).
References[edit]
- ^ Anonymous (1985). Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism. New York: Jeremy P. Tarcher / Putnam. ISBN 1-58542-161-8.
External links[edit]
===
...Less DetailEdit Details
More lists with this book...
Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism Kindle Edition
by Anonymous (Author), Robert Powell (Translator), & 1 more Format: Kindle Edition
4.7 out of 5 stars 355 ratings
Part of: Element Classic (3 books)
See all formats and editions
Hardcover
from $29.74
5 Used from $29.74
4 New from $38.49
Paperback
from $12.50
30 Used from $12.50
22 New from $15.26
Now in a fully corrected edition, one of the true spiritual classics of the twentieth century.
Published for the first time with an index and Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar’s afterword, this new English publication of Meditations on the Tarot is the landmark edition of one of the most important works of esoteric Christianity.
Written anonymously and published posthumously, as was the author’s wish, the intention of this work is for the reader to find a relationship with the author in the spiritual dimensions of existence. The author wanted not to be thought of as a personality who lived from 1900 to 1973, but as a friend who is communicating with us from beyond the boundaries of ordinary life.
Using the 22 major arcana of the tarot deck as a means to explore some of humanity’s most penetrating spiritual questions, Meditations on the Tarot has attracted an unprecedented range of praise from across the spiritual spectrum.
Read less
Print length
681 pages
Language
English
Next page
Books In This Series (3 Books)
Element Classic
Kindle Edition
The Last Barrier: A Sufi Journey (Element Classic Editions)
Reshad Feild
4.9 out of 5 stars (9)
Kindle Edition
Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism
4.7 out of 5 stars (355)
Kindle Edition
Lost Christianity: A Journey of Rediscovery to the Center of Christian Experience (Element Classic)
Jacob Needleman
4.7 out of 5 stars (5)
Kindle Edition
Customers who viewed this item also viewedPage 1 of 11Page 1 of 11
Previous page
Signs & Wonders - Tarot Cards for Christians
Signs & Wonders - Tarot Cards for Christians
Pastor Ahyh
4.5 out of 5 stars 26
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $5.99
The Marseille Tarot Revealed: A Complete Guide to Symbolism, Meanings & Methods
The Marseille Tarot Revealed: A Complete Guide to Symbolism, Meanings & Methods
Yoav Ben-Dov
4.8 out of 5 stars 200
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $18.99
Christ and Sophia: Anthroposophic Meditations on the Old Testament, New Testament, and Apocalypse
Christ and Sophia: Anthroposophic Meditations on the Old Testament,…
Valentin Tomberg
4.7 out of 5 stars 21
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $7.99
Tarot and the Archetypal Journey: The Jungian Path from Darkness to Light
Tarot and the Archetypal Journey: The Jungian Path from Darkness to…
Sallie Nichols
4.7 out of 5 stars 177
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $15.31
The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards
The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards
Alejandro Jodorowsky
4.8 out of 5 stars 347
Kindle Edition
1 offer from $16.99
Next page
Editorial Reviews
Review
“It is without doubt the most extraordinary work I have ever read. It has tremendous spiritual depth and insight.” —Trappist abbot Basil Pennington, OCSO
“It is simply astonishing. I have never read such a comprehensive account of the ‘perennial philosophy.’ ” —Father Bede Griffiths
“This book, in my view, is the greatest contribution to date toward the rediscovery and renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition of the Fathers of the Church and the High Middle Ages.”—Trappist abbot Thomas Keating, OCSO
“Meditations on the Tarot has become instrumental in my thinking….The writer – who calls himself ‘Unknown Friend’ – seems to be speaking to me directly, with endless wisdom and inspiration.” —Gerald Epstein, M.D., author of Healing Visualizations
“The most beautiful and instructive book of the twentieth century concerning Western esotericism.”—Antoine Faivre, professor for the History of Esoteric and Mystical Streams in Modern Europe, the Sorbonne University
“The book begs not only to be studied cover to cover, but also to be savored, meditated upon and assimilated into one’s life.” —Richard W. Kropf, National Catholic Reporter
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Written anonymously and published posthumously in 1980 at the wishes of its author, Meditations on the Tarot has been translated from the original French by writer and esotericist Robert Powell, who lives in Germany. Widely considered one of the greatest Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, the Swiss-born Hans Urs von Balthasar, who wrote the afterword in this new edition, was nominated by Pope John Paul II as a cardinal in 1988, and died in June of that year, two days before his inauguration.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product details
ASIN : B00B1FG9PI
Publisher : TarcherPerigee (August 25, 2005)
Publication date : August 25, 2005
Language : English
File size : 4694 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 681 pages
Lending : Not Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #153,548 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
#47 in New Age Divination with Tarot
#69 in Spiritual Meditations (Kindle Store)
#80 in Mysticism (Kindle Store)
Customer Reviews: 4.7 out of 5 stars 355 ratings
Videos
Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!
Upload video
Sponsored
How would you rate your experience shopping for books on Amazon today?
Very poor Neutral Great
Customer reviews
4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
355 global ratings
5 star
82%
4 star
8%
3 star
6%
2 star
2%
1 star
1%
How are ratings calculated?
Review this product
Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review
Sponsored
Read reviews that mention
unknown friend valentin tomberg meditations on the tarot anonymous author dear unknown beyond the grave ever read eliphas levi hermetic tradition christian hermeticism years ago addressed to the unknown hans urs von balthasar tarot cards back cover highly recommended book i have ever published anonymously couple of years
Top reviews
Top reviews
Top reviews from the United States
Karl3993
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the very best books of the 20th Century.
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
If you have an interest in esoteric Christianity, or an interest in plumbing the depths of what the Apostle Paul called "the secret and hidden wisdom of God" (1Corinthians 2) then this book will be of great interest to you. For many reasons it isn't an easy read. First, you have to be capable of independent thought. Second, you must be open to seeing the world around you in terms that are (at least) somewhat different, maybe very different from those with which you have become accustomed. And finally, for the modern Christian this book is especially challenging because it approaches Christian spirituality from the point-of- view of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. At the outset many a Christian will shrink from this approach as one would surely shrink from a dark and malevolent superstition. However, this would be an error. The Major Arcana provide a framework within which the author discusses many aspects of (again paraphrasing Paul from 1Timothy) "the profound mysteries of our religion." If you are interested in an exploration of these mysteries that is erudite, discerning, and filled with penetrating insight then this may very well be a book for you. In my view this book is one of the few that is worthy to be placed on the bookshelf next to the Holy Scriptures. A book of this kind can be a lifetime study.
One of the very best books of the 20th Century.
Read less
114 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
S. Buday
5.0 out of 5 stars This is an excellent book for meditation on the major arcana of the ...
Reviewed in the United States on July 31, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is an excellent book for meditation on the major arcana of the tarot through the lens of the Hermetic tradition in Christianity (yes, there is such a thing). This book is not for the tarot novice and it will not explain how to interpret tarot. If this is your aim, there are countless other books that can help you. Hermetic philosophy was strongly influential in Europe during the early years of the Renaissance due to the discovery and translations of Hermetic manuscripts. The Church began to see it as heretical because it challenged the notion of "creatio ex nihilo" (creation out of nothing) and embraced the idea of "creatio ex Deo" (creation out of God). This meant that all things in the universe where made directly from God's own being rather than the still strong held belief that God is completely separate and other from God's creation. Despite this heresy (and a few others), Hermeticism survived in secret throughout the Catholic Church (sometimes even at the rank of the Pope), hence why we have this book today. The meditations in the book show a great understanding of tarot, Hermeticism and Catholic faith, history and mysticism.
46 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
Readsalot
3.0 out of 5 stars Meditations on the Tarot by Cardinal Balthasar.
Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2020
Verified Purchase
Sorry, but a far, FAR better book, more profound, enlightening, by the founder of the once closed international Tarot Organization 'Builders Of The Adytum " (BOTA) by Paul Foster Case is designed to lead reader to Cosmic Consciousness. The book ; Tarot Card Meanings -Fundamentals by P F Case- the book was once only found on their website, but now available on Amason. It is half the size of this book Meditations on Tarot, but considerably more insightful & it a much higher class of it's own. So I cannot give more than an average 2 star to Cardinal Balthasar's book, it simply isn't even close. The P F Case Book is filled with deeper spiritual meanings and symbols.
18 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
amazon customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Surpassed all my expectations.
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2016
Verified Purchase
If I could only keep one book, this would be the book that I would keep for ever. This is a book that I plan to read many times. Not an easy book to read, not a book to "learn how to read the Tarot." However, it is a book that will teach you how to live, learn, and grow as a human being. It would be hard to imagine a more profound book written about Tarot and spiritual life in general. Highly recommended for anyone that want to go deeper into the relationship between Tarot and spiritual life.
56 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
L'Hermite
5.0 out of 5 stars This amazing book is written in the form of 22 letters– ...
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2014
Verified Purchase
This amazing book is written in the form of 22 letters– addressed to the unknown friend –with each letter pertaining to one of the 22 Major Arcana or Trumps of the Tarot. Each letter is a sustained meditation on a particular card, relating it to the teachings of the western, Catholic tradition, to the so-called Hermetic tradition, and to other religious and quasi-religious philosophies from a variety of cultures and epochs. Moreover, most of the letters also refer to several of the other letters, at least in passing (and to their corresponding Trumps), creating a very dense network of interlocking symbols and multifarious modes of discourse which is extremely difficult to summarize, but which– in conjunction with a contemplation of the Trumps themselves –tends to captivate the imagination and open the heart in a way that has, for me, been truly unique and extraordinary. I say this in spite of the fact that I have not been reading it uncritically. At some point, perhaps, I will write a sympathetic critique in which I will address, among other things, what are, in my opinion:
* The Many Imaginative Leaps in the Arguments
* The Seemingly Blind Defense of Catholic Tradition and Dogma
* Its Less than Fair Treatment of Nondual Philosophies
* Its Less than Fair Treatment of Nietzsche
* Its Occasional Lack of Scientific Rigor
These criticisms notwithstanding, it is– in contrast to "Our Sunday School Theology" –a breath of fresh air. And even if it is not (in my opinion) completely fair in its presentation of other philosophies and religions, it at least attempts to represent them as having a share in the truth which, from its own point of view, both antedates and ultimately finds fulfillment in the Catholic faith.
But over and above this, the author seems to appreciate– fully and without reservation –that faith is not merely a matter of believing in sacred texts, religious dogma, or some imagined series of historical or prophetic events, but entails entering into the One life Divine, here and now. And, my brief but pointed criticisms notwithstanding, his treatment of other faiths and other philosophies is, it seems to me, fair enough and comprehensive enough to build a bridge that can allow traffic to pass both ways (i.e. into or out of the Roman Catholic Church for which he is an apologist). Indeed, with respect to the Hermetic tradition, this highly recommended website quotes him as follows:
<<< In May 1967 the author wrote to some friends: “My meditations on the Tarot are no scientific undertaking. Rather, they are a wide-ranging effort, by means of the symbolism of the Hermetic tradition, to enter again deeply into the all-encompassing stream of the Catholic tradition, so through a shift in perspective, through a purifying atonement, the Catholic and the Hermetic traditions might be seen as one, in harmony with each other” >>> (EnglishWordPlay_Com).
So, if one is willing to roll with the punches– to go along and get along so to speak –this book is, on balance, rather ecumenical and inclusive. In fact, I think it could, with sufficient nuance on the part of the instructor (and in conjunction with other texts offering alternative and supplemental points of view), be used in a college level course in comparative philosophy and/or religion.
[This review is an excerpted from my Wordpress blog: Life Streams--Narrative and Grace... The post is entitled, "Meditations on the Tarot"]
Read less
60 people found this helpful
Helpful
Report abuse
See all reviews
Top reviews from other countries
onesimus
4.0 out of 5 stars Unnecessarily unreadable but containing some remarkable insights
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 9, 2021
Verified Purchase
I suspect that this is on the whole rather a bad book - a sincere one, though, as is (according to Oscar Wilde) all bad art. Possibly the translation accounts for much stylistic badness, by which I mainly mean that it took me an awful long time to read, and I'm sure wouldn't have done if had been more clearly and concisely written.
I don't for a moment doubt Valentin Tomberg's personal sanctity or his humility in (unsuccessfully) suppressing his name as author. Intellectually, though, he lacks discrimination, giving far too much credence to predecessors in the Hermetic and "magical" traditions, many of whom were either - to be blunt - little more than charlatans, or else seekers after scientific truth who never got far along the road.
That said, there are some insights that a present-day, scientifically educated Christian can make use of - as long as she or he is a genuine Christian who believes in the deity and physical Resurrection of Christ, not a "liberal" semi-believer. There are several reminders of the positive uses of patient suffering (as taught for example in 1 Peter but largely ignored by today's Churches). There is a particularly good passage in which he explains why evil cannot be fought, but must simply be opposed by the continued existence of the good. There is also a remarkable suggestion that the Virgin Mary may have been an incarnation of Wisdom. At first blush, this sounds unorthodox, and I've not even begun to unpick the theology of it, but I suspect Tomberg was on to something.
Read less
3 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Marius
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding philosophical work!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2019
Verified Purchase
Wow where to begin. Firstly this book is not the usual Tarot help book. It is profoundly spiritual, reflective, philosophical. It takes the reader into the mindset of someone you is vastly knowledgeable, who uses the Major Arcana cards as reflective mirrors on himself, society, humanity, through a core foundation of christian thought. You will find quotes here covering everything from the Buddha to Darwin. Certainly this is not a book to read superficially, nor is it a book that will help you do the tarots very well (not in the traditional way at least), but it is a book that will expand your mind, see the tarot cards through the lens of Christian hermeticism, it takes you on a journey through the eyes of a remarkable mind. I recommend this book for the advanced reader with a philosophical bend. It would also be helpful if you are at least familiar with the bible.
5 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Spanish Teacher
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest Catholic books of all time.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2021
Verified Purchase
One of the greatest Catholic works ever written. Important to note this book is not about fortune telling or reading cards.
Report abuse
Matt
5.0 out of 5 stars Difficult at times but extremely helpful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
A dense and sometimes difficult read, this book nonetheless has real depth and wisdom. I don't always agree with what the author has to say and he does veer off course from an orthodox Christian perspective at times (reincarnation for example) but I have personally found reading this beautiful book to be extremely helpful and in fact even a healing experience.
3 people found this helpful
Report abuse
Maria
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
good
Report abuse
See all reviews
===
====
Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism
by
4.51 · Rating details · 435 ratings · 54 reviews
Published for the first time with an index and Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar's afterword, this new English publication of Meditations on the Tarot is the landmark edition of one of the most important works of esoteric Christianity. Written anonymously and published posthumously, as was the author's wish, the intention of this work is for the reader to find a relationship with the author in the spiritual dimensions of existence. The author wanted not to be thought of as a personality who lived from 1900 to 1973, but as a friend who is communicating with us from beyond the boundaries of ordinary life. (less)
Paperback, 688 pages
Published June 10th 2002 by TarcherPerigee (first published 1980)
Original Title
Méditations sur les vingt-deux arcanes majeurs du Tarot
Edition Language
English
Recommend This Book None of your friends have reviewed this book yet.
Ask the Goodreads community a question about Meditations on the Tarot
Be the first to ask a question about Meditations on the Tarot
100 Best Spiritual Books of the Century
108 books — 130 voters
Religion, Occultism, Mysticism, Metaphysical and New Age
549 books — 485 voters
More lists with this book...
Showing 1-30
Sui generis, at least as regards my reading experience so far. A profound, beguiling, and massively erudite exposition upon Christian Hermeticism built from within the traditions of the Roman Catholic church. The anonymous author—who insisted that his French original be published posthumously—delivers his perceived insight and transcendent guidance from beyond the grave, in a manner of speaking, via epistolic essays on the twenty-two Major Arcana of the Tarot. Dense and difficult—the more so as I entered the book woefully uninformed about Catholic and Christian Hermetic ritual and terminology—but also endlessly fascinating and edifying, especially in the recondite and convincing manner with which scientific, psychological, and anthropological phenomena are reconciled with the spiritual revelation of Christ. A billion microbes of bacteria find their explicatory place in the Hermetic tradition.
Most astonishing is the vast wealth of scholarship invested by the author in this labour of love. Entire volumes of disparate material have been sifted and parsed through this pen wielded by an unknown hand in order to provide thoroughgoing directions for a mystic augmentation of one's spiritual life. One need not be a Christian, nor even a believer in God, to become lost within the pathways of the Tarot as so rendered—indeed, if it does nothing else, this tome will spark the imagination and stir the creative juices of any reader still capable of drawing breath. A book not to be read so much as studied, pondered over and, inevitably, returned to for another dose of enigmatically bracing wisdom. (less)
Most astonishing is the vast wealth of scholarship invested by the author in this labour of love. Entire volumes of disparate material have been sifted and parsed through this pen wielded by an unknown hand in order to provide thoroughgoing directions for a mystic augmentation of one's spiritual life. One need not be a Christian, nor even a believer in God, to become lost within the pathways of the Tarot as so rendered—indeed, if it does nothing else, this tome will spark the imagination and stir the creative juices of any reader still capable of drawing breath. A book not to be read so much as studied, pondered over and, inevitably, returned to for another dose of enigmatically bracing wisdom. (less)
Mar 22, 2008Cordelia Becker rated it really liked it
This is not a book to read cover to cover. It is a book I keep and read passages. The unknown author is actually a fellow (I've heard that his name is Valentin Tomberg) who was deeply involved in the Golden Dawn/Rosicrusion/Rudolf Steiner crowd and then converted to Catholicism - perhaps becoming a monk (not sure about that). This is no airy fairy, hippie dippie new age book it's a intensely researched tome.
He uses the Tarot Deck to reconcile the modern church with the Gnostic traditions. (I'm not a scholar in these matters this is just my take on it) Anyway I am neither Catholic nor to I practice Hermeticism but something about this book facinates me. I read a page from it weekly. It's giving me a great education because he makes hundreds of references (The dude is uber-erudite) to things I've never heard or things I've heard of but never took the time to understand - he inspires me to look up his various references -- just so I can know what the heck he is talking about. The only thing is my paperback version is a mess - from my scribbled notes and highlighting - I can be cruel to books I love -- I think I'll have to get a hard bound version at some point.
My faviorite chapter is Temperance Card 14 - this card represents genius and our guardian angel. He speaks of this Angel as being an entity whose purpose is only to serve our needs...well he says it better than I:"An Angel depends on man in his creative activity. If the human being does not ask for it (help), if he turns away from him. the Angel has no motive for creative activity".....(the angel) can then fall into a....twilight existence".... "An Angel who has nothing to exist for is a tragedy in the spiritual world. Therefore Unknown Friend, think of your guardian Angel, think of him when you have problems, questions to resolve, tasks to accomplish, plans to formulate, cares and fears to appease! Think of him as a luminous cloud of maternal love above you, moved by the sole desire to serve you and be useful to you."
He also has an interesting take on card #24 - Death which has given me an interesting insight on the millions of women involved in scrapbooking and the new interest North Americans are taking in the Latin American holiday "Dia De Los Muertos_ - Death far from being a scarey card is really a message about memory and memorializing those who are no longer with us. (less)
He uses the Tarot Deck to reconcile the modern church with the Gnostic traditions. (I'm not a scholar in these matters this is just my take on it) Anyway I am neither Catholic nor to I practice Hermeticism but something about this book facinates me. I read a page from it weekly. It's giving me a great education because he makes hundreds of references (The dude is uber-erudite) to things I've never heard or things I've heard of but never took the time to understand - he inspires me to look up his various references -- just so I can know what the heck he is talking about. The only thing is my paperback version is a mess - from my scribbled notes and highlighting - I can be cruel to books I love -- I think I'll have to get a hard bound version at some point.
My faviorite chapter is Temperance Card 14 - this card represents genius and our guardian angel. He speaks of this Angel as being an entity whose purpose is only to serve our needs...well he says it better than I:"An Angel depends on man in his creative activity. If the human being does not ask for it (help), if he turns away from him. the Angel has no motive for creative activity".....(the angel) can then fall into a....twilight existence".... "An Angel who has nothing to exist for is a tragedy in the spiritual world. Therefore Unknown Friend, think of your guardian Angel, think of him when you have problems, questions to resolve, tasks to accomplish, plans to formulate, cares and fears to appease! Think of him as a luminous cloud of maternal love above you, moved by the sole desire to serve you and be useful to you."
He also has an interesting take on card #24 - Death which has given me an interesting insight on the millions of women involved in scrapbooking and the new interest North Americans are taking in the Latin American holiday "Dia De Los Muertos_ - Death far from being a scarey card is really a message about memory and memorializing those who are no longer with us. (less)
Aug 31, 2009Jessecooperlevy rated it it was amazing
Anonymous is the best writer ever.
Nov 23, 2013Roger Buck rated it it was amazing
In my experience, to engage sincerely with this book is to engage with more than a book. It is to engage with a living spiritual saint, master and genius of the highest order. A very human being, with the warmest of hearts, the most lucid of minds. A profound, profound thinker whose heart, burning with compassion for the world, gave us a manual of practical Christian transformation – a transformation that has undone my neuroses, strengthened my sanity, vastly enlarged my scope of feeling, vitalised my mind, melted my anger, fired my compassion, deepened my calmness. And more, so, so much, much more besides.
But not only this, he has given us a compendium of psychology, sociology, politics, theology, philosophy and hermeticism that could offer the new millennium – in all its potential horror – the wisest of guides. More here at my website inspired by this book:
http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2009/...
I also have an archive of posts devoted to Valentin Tomberg with material from him which is unusual and hard to find in the Anglosphere: http: //corjesusacratissimum.org/tag/valentin... (less)
But not only this, he has given us a compendium of psychology, sociology, politics, theology, philosophy and hermeticism that could offer the new millennium – in all its potential horror – the wisest of guides. More here at my website inspired by this book:
http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2009/...
I also have an archive of posts devoted to Valentin Tomberg with material from him which is unusual and hard to find in the Anglosphere: http: //corjesusacratissimum.org/tag/valentin... (less)
This is one of the most valuable books I possess - not in terms of how much I would get selling it second hand, but because it has such a depth of valuable scholarship in it. The writer, who chooses (chose) to remain anonymous, poured his/her learning into these 'meditations' on the major arcana of the Tarot. The reader is provided with an education into esoteric symbology that goes far beyond most so called esoteric books, because the writer has/had such a wonderful grasp of the intricacies of the thought that underlies the Tarot.
You can read it from cover to cover but you are more likely to take it a chapter at a time as almost every paragraph has ideas to ponder and penetrate.
I discovered some years back that I had shared a flat in Brighton (UK) with Robert Powell who translated this book from the original German. Strange the byways of fate. (less)
You can read it from cover to cover but you are more likely to take it a chapter at a time as almost every paragraph has ideas to ponder and penetrate.
I discovered some years back that I had shared a flat in Brighton (UK) with Robert Powell who translated this book from the original German. Strange the byways of fate. (less)
Jan 09, 2014Alex Lee rated it it was amazing
Shelves: impressive, philosophy, mystical, 2014, collections, 2021
2014 Review
As creatures of language, we use meaning to tell us who we are, where we are, what we are and how we are to be. This author dives deeply into the meanings of many deep traditions, as is his chosen methodoloy: Christian Hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the interpretation of text; really trying to get meaning out of words. So very exactly, this author has tasked for himself to find the meaning of traditions (religion, philosophy, linguistics, cultural critics, historical figures, literary figures, writers...), anyone or work of art whose sole function is to tell us who we are, where we are, what we are and how we are to be.
To organize this search, he uses the vehicle of Tarot cards, as a spiritual journey, a transformation of self to be more than self, in order to describe the ascent (or the beginning of such an ascent) to have a deeper holistic grasp of the universe around us. This book is not about fortune-telling.
One of the many spoken and returned to themes (and there are many) is the Jungian subconscious. Because we use our internal filing systems qua archetypes to structure relationships in the world, we have access to the outside only in that way. And in that sense, despite archetypes or despite language, we literally have the world through these forms. These forms, like the Tarot, become the Runic gateway not only to our unconscious but also to the outside.
But also because of using forms, we run the risk of producing relations. Because we live in these form arrangements, we otherwise know these forms as reality. The author warns us, there is a difference between reality and truth. That is to say, don't get caught up in your world and lose the true union with the universal-all.
Rightly so. In a Hegelian like synthesis (without the chaos of Hegel), this author runs the gambit, a real cornucopia of meanings, picks and chooses, guides our way across them in argument leading us on a possible path, an interpretation of a huge sum of human knowledge to the point at which portals break down, words become invisible and you understand more than yourself... also your ultimate place, where you can't get knocked down. Literally lodging you so no one can move you from there, you just understand and you are that understanding. No one can beat you talk, or talk you out of yourself. You just are. Nirvana, heaven, you name it, he's considered it and arranged it here for us to see it. See it all in relation.
A real He-man, fascinating piece of work this art. It took me over a decade to get through this book, with many false starts, interruptions of life, and a need to learn how to read better and be more clear in thought... but also, in a way, an impossible pipe-dream too, don't you think? To think we can break the noumenal skin that separates the i from the not-i... and then sort of melt into the rest of the world and become 1.
Yet despite this stated goal, when one reads, one gets a better sense of the larger world around us. Transitory in nature, full of riddles, temptations and desires for status -- the author shows us how these things are... so we can learn. this author too wants us to be grounded in a humanly, divine way, to be among fellow men. We are to be, in our spiritual quest, better human beings, which is part of being of the world. He shows us this indirectly, discarding and picking up forms, to give us stepping stones to the way.
---
2021 Review
This second time around reading it, it becomes clearer how each card can express a relationship in the world -- if you want, a kind of truth, a way of being. This book is a hermeneutic exploration of each of those relationships as they form an open but combinatory system for understanding who we are and how we are in the world.
This time, rather than seeing the cards as a kind of search for truth, or some kind of systematic exegesis, I thought of this book as an exegesis on modes of attunement in the world. The Moon or the Hanged Man are ways of "being" and relating to situations... and in that sense the tarot card is a psychotechnology for calibrating awareness for what relationships might be salient... it's odd, how the relationship of card reader and card drawer make a difference. But brought about in an awareness of Christian hermeneutics, this can become a very different kind of deployed relationship.
Read in this angle, this book becomes about opening one's awareness to the salience of what could be relevant, of what is true; the balance of which will be brought to bear differently as things around us change and our life's direction can take us in ways. I rather enjoyed this book this second time around (second time finishing, 3rd time starting it) -- and that was really amazing.
I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to push the limits of what they can consider in the world. It's not gospel truth, but it is a way of approaching what is in a way that is spectacular and amazing. (less)
As creatures of language, we use meaning to tell us who we are, where we are, what we are and how we are to be. This author dives deeply into the meanings of many deep traditions, as is his chosen methodoloy: Christian Hermeneutics. Hermeneutics is the interpretation of text; really trying to get meaning out of words. So very exactly, this author has tasked for himself to find the meaning of traditions (religion, philosophy, linguistics, cultural critics, historical figures, literary figures, writers...), anyone or work of art whose sole function is to tell us who we are, where we are, what we are and how we are to be.
To organize this search, he uses the vehicle of Tarot cards, as a spiritual journey, a transformation of self to be more than self, in order to describe the ascent (or the beginning of such an ascent) to have a deeper holistic grasp of the universe around us. This book is not about fortune-telling.
One of the many spoken and returned to themes (and there are many) is the Jungian subconscious. Because we use our internal filing systems qua archetypes to structure relationships in the world, we have access to the outside only in that way. And in that sense, despite archetypes or despite language, we literally have the world through these forms. These forms, like the Tarot, become the Runic gateway not only to our unconscious but also to the outside.
But also because of using forms, we run the risk of producing relations. Because we live in these form arrangements, we otherwise know these forms as reality. The author warns us, there is a difference between reality and truth. That is to say, don't get caught up in your world and lose the true union with the universal-all.
Rightly so. In a Hegelian like synthesis (without the chaos of Hegel), this author runs the gambit, a real cornucopia of meanings, picks and chooses, guides our way across them in argument leading us on a possible path, an interpretation of a huge sum of human knowledge to the point at which portals break down, words become invisible and you understand more than yourself... also your ultimate place, where you can't get knocked down. Literally lodging you so no one can move you from there, you just understand and you are that understanding. No one can beat you talk, or talk you out of yourself. You just are. Nirvana, heaven, you name it, he's considered it and arranged it here for us to see it. See it all in relation.
A real He-man, fascinating piece of work this art. It took me over a decade to get through this book, with many false starts, interruptions of life, and a need to learn how to read better and be more clear in thought... but also, in a way, an impossible pipe-dream too, don't you think? To think we can break the noumenal skin that separates the i from the not-i... and then sort of melt into the rest of the world and become 1.
Yet despite this stated goal, when one reads, one gets a better sense of the larger world around us. Transitory in nature, full of riddles, temptations and desires for status -- the author shows us how these things are... so we can learn. this author too wants us to be grounded in a humanly, divine way, to be among fellow men. We are to be, in our spiritual quest, better human beings, which is part of being of the world. He shows us this indirectly, discarding and picking up forms, to give us stepping stones to the way.
---
2021 Review
This second time around reading it, it becomes clearer how each card can express a relationship in the world -- if you want, a kind of truth, a way of being. This book is a hermeneutic exploration of each of those relationships as they form an open but combinatory system for understanding who we are and how we are in the world.
This time, rather than seeing the cards as a kind of search for truth, or some kind of systematic exegesis, I thought of this book as an exegesis on modes of attunement in the world. The Moon or the Hanged Man are ways of "being" and relating to situations... and in that sense the tarot card is a psychotechnology for calibrating awareness for what relationships might be salient... it's odd, how the relationship of card reader and card drawer make a difference. But brought about in an awareness of Christian hermeneutics, this can become a very different kind of deployed relationship.
Read in this angle, this book becomes about opening one's awareness to the salience of what could be relevant, of what is true; the balance of which will be brought to bear differently as things around us change and our life's direction can take us in ways. I rather enjoyed this book this second time around (second time finishing, 3rd time starting it) -- and that was really amazing.
I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking to push the limits of what they can consider in the world. It's not gospel truth, but it is a way of approaching what is in a way that is spectacular and amazing. (less)
Dec 05, 2007Sam Sanford rated it it was amazing
This book is not about fortune-telling; the symbols from the Tarot are used as the starting points for a series of spiritual exercises intended to immerse the reader in the living tradition of Christian Hermeticism. Absorbing the knowlege in this book is a lifelong project.
“Now, the normal relationship between thought, feeling, and the will for a civilised and educated person is such that his thought awakens feeling and directs the will. Having to act, one thinks, one imagines, one feels, and - lastly - one desires and acts. This is not so for the ‘spiritual person.’ He acts first, then he desires, then he feels the worth of his action, and lastly he understands." (less)
“Now, the normal relationship between thought, feeling, and the will for a civilised and educated person is such that his thought awakens feeling and directs the will. Having to act, one thinks, one imagines, one feels, and - lastly - one desires and acts. This is not so for the ‘spiritual person.’ He acts first, then he desires, then he feels the worth of his action, and lastly he understands." (less)
Mar 09, 2010Greg rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: Seekers, Magicians, Christians, Philosophers
I can't say enough about this book. To give you an idea how amazing I think it is, after finishing it I went back to the beginning and started reading it again. I have never done that before, certainly not for a dense 650 page book. Anyone interested in self-improvement, philosophy, sacred magic, or alchemy should check it out. If you come from a Christian background it will be familiar territory. If not take it with a grain of salt. Although the other does draw on every major religion and many ...more
Aug 05, 2009Marymark2 rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I have been reading this for a little over a year. It was written by Valentin Tomberg, not Robert Powell--he is the translator only. This is for me the ultimate read--highly provocative, deeply inspiring, profoundly wise.Meditations on the Tarot ...more
Jan 22, 2009Heather rated it it was amazing
So far this is mostly sitting by my bed stand while I peruse feng shui books and my book club books. Still, what I've read is amazing and gracious and worth my time. (less)
May 05, 2010Ojo Oim rated it it was amazing
This isn't a tarot reference book but an extended meditation, an open-ended pondering of the symbols of the major arcana. The nameless author writes letters to us as to an Unknown Friend, considering the art of a divine kind of magic, various difficulties and temptations in esoteric studies and philosophy. The author seems to regard himself as a Christian Hermeticist, I'm not sure what that means but it seems to be something like a philosopher, a lover of Christ and wisdom, and a point the author returns to again and again, engaged in a process of evolution, of becoming. Actually in the index Henri Bergson maybe has more listings than any other name, including Rudolf Steiner, who was the author's teacher at one time. He shares with Bergson an interest in evolutionary spirituality, a moving and growing spirituality.
There is a wonderful beauty about this book and about the way the author thinks. Anthroposophist talk about a "living" kind of thinking, and this book exemplifies such a way (as well as I can tell). He clearly has a point of view, which I don't all the time agree with. For example, his critique of Advaita Vedanta is that the adherent loses the ability to cry. A curious and touching observation, but which I don't think is necessarily true. He goes further into the mystery of tears in his discussion of the Temperance card, how the Rose Cross is a symbol of this mystery. Still, our disagreements are not unbearable; the spirit of friendship overwhelms particular ideas and points, and the flow of thought itself is very agreeable.
When I bought this book, the kind white haired gentleman at Trident bookstore said that this book had given him much inspiration over the years. His memory and words are part of the warmth of this book for me.
(less)
There is a wonderful beauty about this book and about the way the author thinks. Anthroposophist talk about a "living" kind of thinking, and this book exemplifies such a way (as well as I can tell). He clearly has a point of view, which I don't all the time agree with. For example, his critique of Advaita Vedanta is that the adherent loses the ability to cry. A curious and touching observation, but which I don't think is necessarily true. He goes further into the mystery of tears in his discussion of the Temperance card, how the Rose Cross is a symbol of this mystery. Still, our disagreements are not unbearable; the spirit of friendship overwhelms particular ideas and points, and the flow of thought itself is very agreeable.
When I bought this book, the kind white haired gentleman at Trident bookstore said that this book had given him much inspiration over the years. His memory and words are part of the warmth of this book for me.
(less)
May 31, 2015Kent Langseth rated it it was amazing
This book is amazing, and of no interest to most modern readers. I dare say most would drop it like a hot potato. For those with the inclination to study it, the book is remarkably rewarding.
What's it about? W..e..l..l.. There are ancient mystical traditions, partly commingled with Catholicism (the author was a devout Catholic), which we have little clear sight of today. The author had clear sight, and he shared his understanding in a series of essays on the symbolism used in the Marseilles Tarot. This is not about fortune telling, boys and girls.
The ideas involved and the processes described for mining meaning in the strata of our consciousness are marvelous, both in content and in the contexts defined for their interpretation. The symbols used in the Tarot - tacky artwork and all - are markers, reminders of core ideas.
Much of the wonder I experience while studying this book is due to the unusual truth-telling, truth from an era when the Great Chain of Being had not yet got a stake through its heart, courtesy of the scientific revolution.
Science at present is not much good at levels of being, states of consciousness, mental archetypes unfurling into timebound instantiations. I believe such ideas are important even though my buddy science doesn't handle them well.
Meditations on the Tarot ... provides quite an education.
(less)
What's it about? W..e..l..l.. There are ancient mystical traditions, partly commingled with Catholicism (the author was a devout Catholic), which we have little clear sight of today. The author had clear sight, and he shared his understanding in a series of essays on the symbolism used in the Marseilles Tarot. This is not about fortune telling, boys and girls.
The ideas involved and the processes described for mining meaning in the strata of our consciousness are marvelous, both in content and in the contexts defined for their interpretation. The symbols used in the Tarot - tacky artwork and all - are markers, reminders of core ideas.
Much of the wonder I experience while studying this book is due to the unusual truth-telling, truth from an era when the Great Chain of Being had not yet got a stake through its heart, courtesy of the scientific revolution.
Science at present is not much good at levels of being, states of consciousness, mental archetypes unfurling into timebound instantiations. I believe such ideas are important even though my buddy science doesn't handle them well.
Meditations on the Tarot ... provides quite an education.
(less)
Sep 13, 2018Dolores Ashcroft-Nowicki rated it it was amazing
For serious and trained occultists, ceremonial magicians, and genuine followers of the Mysteries this is a book to have at your elbow. I have recommended to my students many times and return to it when I need to seek deeper information. It is a book that offers something new to the deep thinkers.
This is NOT a book on the tarot (as in "card reading"). It is estoteric Christianity. ...more
Aug 08, 2013Francis Siefken rated it it was amazing
Of interest for anyone wondering about a possible dialogue between the esoteric and christianity. In this regard the endorsement and the forword and afterword by cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar is noteworthy. He notes that the "The author wished to remain anonymous in order to allow the work to speak for itself, to avoid the interposition of any kind of personal element between the work and the reader - reasons that we respect."
The book is not about divination. The author uses the symbols of the tarot as object of meditations on aspects of the Catholic faith.
Of interest is his take on the relation between non-fallen Nature, Mary, Sophia, the Virgin, being Chaste and his views on the notion of the holy trinity illuminated by this fourth element. Also noteworthy is his take on apparitions and the Amsterdam 'Lady of all nations': "I may add that I went to Amsterdam in order to make as scrupulous an investigation as possible, and the result of this investigation there (confirmed subsequently by experiences of a personal nature) was complete certainty not only with respect to the authenticity of the experiences of the seer (a woman forty years of age) but also with respect to the authenticity of the subject of these experiences."
(less)
The book is not about divination. The author uses the symbols of the tarot as object of meditations on aspects of the Catholic faith.
Of interest is his take on the relation between non-fallen Nature, Mary, Sophia, the Virgin, being Chaste and his views on the notion of the holy trinity illuminated by this fourth element. Also noteworthy is his take on apparitions and the Amsterdam 'Lady of all nations': "I may add that I went to Amsterdam in order to make as scrupulous an investigation as possible, and the result of this investigation there (confirmed subsequently by experiences of a personal nature) was complete certainty not only with respect to the authenticity of the experiences of the seer (a woman forty years of age) but also with respect to the authenticity of the subject of these experiences."
(less)
Jul 06, 2017Christine rated it it was amazing
Recommends it for: Christians seeking depth, Philosophers, Alchemists, Students
Recommended to Christine by: Robert Godwin
Shelves: non-fiction, devotional, esoterica, alchemy
This is not about Fortune Telling or Divination, but is rather a free-fall plunge into the profound depths of Christian Philosophy. It is dense with meaning, every phrase and paragraph a tiny explosion of greater understanding. This is the sort of book you read and read, and then your brain is full and needs some time to digest what it's read. Some time meaning anything from days to years.
No, I'm not done reading it yet. I suspect that once I am, my copy will be so battered that I will need to buy another copy just to have one that isn't falling apart.
It cannot be read cover to cover, not if one is reading to understand. Take time over it. Pour yourself a glass of wine, coffee, water, chocolate milk, or beer, and allow yourself to linger, to mull and ponder. Do not rush this. Do not read it with any sort of deadline involved.
If you have been seeking the depths that Sunday School, Sunday Sermons, and Best Selling Inspirational Authors just haven't been able to deliver, this is an excellent, foundational start. (less)
No, I'm not done reading it yet. I suspect that once I am, my copy will be so battered that I will need to buy another copy just to have one that isn't falling apart.
It cannot be read cover to cover, not if one is reading to understand. Take time over it. Pour yourself a glass of wine, coffee, water, chocolate milk, or beer, and allow yourself to linger, to mull and ponder. Do not rush this. Do not read it with any sort of deadline involved.
If you have been seeking the depths that Sunday School, Sunday Sermons, and Best Selling Inspirational Authors just haven't been able to deliver, this is an excellent, foundational start. (less)
This book, along with Manly P. Hall's masterpiece, "The Secret Teachings of All Ages," is one of the few authoritative books on spirituality and occult wisdom that I have ever encountered.
The author, who published the book anonymously and posthumously, exudes an unmistakable connection to God as well as rational and moral rightness. Warning: this is very dense reading and I would recommend spending a lot of time, as much as one needs, to digest the wisdom. This is a book not to scan but to savor.
I will go back to this book again and again to gain insight into what life brings, this is certain. (less)
The author, who published the book anonymously and posthumously, exudes an unmistakable connection to God as well as rational and moral rightness. Warning: this is very dense reading and I would recommend spending a lot of time, as much as one needs, to digest the wisdom. This is a book not to scan but to savor.
I will go back to this book again and again to gain insight into what life brings, this is certain. (less)
Jul 26, 2011Mark rated it really liked it
An extremely challenging but rewarding set of Catholic Christian meditations centered around the Marseilles Tarot. Bizarre, wonderful, at times incredibly deep.
Jan 22, 2020Iohannes rated it liked it · review of another edition
well, this was certainy ..interesting, I mean I know of know other book that talks about the spiritual mechanics of levitation and teaches you that one can 'suck in' ghosts; nevertheless apart from these curiosities I think the overall project of this book, i.e. that of a 'great synthesis' of basically everything from Hermeticism/Christianity to Goethe/Schiller and Teilhard/Jung/Bergson to name only a few of the references, 'the alchemical marriage of opposites' etc. (as the author is not tired to repeat) is ultimately a failure and results more often than not in a kind of syncretistic theosophy ("pseudo-religion" as Guenon rightly dubbed it). Ironically by far the strongest passages of this book are when he's arguing against certain tendencies, such as the "spiritualisers" (non-dualists) on the one hand and 'will-to-power' materialism on the other hand, while at the same time showing the superiority of the Christian Tradition. (less)
Jan 21, 2020Evan Z rated it it was amazing
The work of a true friend.
Jul 13, 2017Mason rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Had picked up this book as a guilty pleasure of sorts, wanting to learn a little about Tarot cards. Instead I ended up with a text about esoteric theology and philosophy. Well, alright, not what I thought I was getting into, but I figured I ought to follow where I was being led and see what came of it. By the end of the first chapter, "The Magician," I was fairly satisfied with that decision and curious to read more.
Now, each card is presented as a teaching tool of sorts for a particular set of ideas, and the anonymous author seems to harness the imagery to make his points quite convincingly. Beginning from a background in Western European thought, he quickly expands his pool of reference to include comparative religious studies from a variety of cultures worldwide, and seems to find a broad understanding attempting to accommodate all of them. If you can imagine Joseph Campbell putting together a theological treatise on Jungian archetypes, that's basically what's being done here.
Not a perfect work by any means, but considering the ambitious scope I'd say it's fairly successful in setting out a compelling school of interpretation, not only of these cards, but also of ourselves and the world around us. The influence of the great C.G. Jung is strong here, unsurprisingly, but I also enjoyed seeing the work of such disparate and eccentric thinkers as Henri Bergson, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Eliphas Levi, Rudolph Steiner, and St. John of the Cross brought together in one place. My main recommendation once you put down the book would be to look further into the works of Bergson, as he ended up being quite the influential figure for certain Continental philosophers (especially my all-time favorite, Gilles Deleuze). (less)
Now, each card is presented as a teaching tool of sorts for a particular set of ideas, and the anonymous author seems to harness the imagery to make his points quite convincingly. Beginning from a background in Western European thought, he quickly expands his pool of reference to include comparative religious studies from a variety of cultures worldwide, and seems to find a broad understanding attempting to accommodate all of them. If you can imagine Joseph Campbell putting together a theological treatise on Jungian archetypes, that's basically what's being done here.
Not a perfect work by any means, but considering the ambitious scope I'd say it's fairly successful in setting out a compelling school of interpretation, not only of these cards, but also of ourselves and the world around us. The influence of the great C.G. Jung is strong here, unsurprisingly, but I also enjoyed seeing the work of such disparate and eccentric thinkers as Henri Bergson, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Eliphas Levi, Rudolph Steiner, and St. John of the Cross brought together in one place. My main recommendation once you put down the book would be to look further into the works of Bergson, as he ended up being quite the influential figure for certain Continental philosophers (especially my all-time favorite, Gilles Deleuze). (less)
Aug 29, 2020Grant Crow rated it it was amazing
This is one of the most profound books I have ever read, that demands close, repeated readings, and careful study - in short, a book to be absorbed and put into practice.
It was first recommended to me many years ago by a good, a holy friend, who is a Trappist mo
nk at a nearby monastery. At first, I was put off and puzzled by the title, but, rest assured, this is no bizzare work of occultism. It is one of the most life-changing explications and explorations of the Christian Mystery and Revelation that I have ever encountered. (less)
It was first recommended to me many years ago by a good, a holy friend, who is a Trappist mo
nk at a nearby monastery. At first, I was put off and puzzled by the title, but, rest assured, this is no bizzare work of occultism. It is one of the most life-changing explications and explorations of the Christian Mystery and Revelation that I have ever encountered. (less)
Sep 12, 2014Sandra Dennis rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is an amazing book with so many mind-blowing insights and observations of subtle realms by a Christian contemplative and mystic, Valentin Tomberg, who delves into the "archetypes" of human experience using the major arcana of the Tarot. (less)
Jul 06, 2019Brandt Stickley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
This is unequivocally one of my favorite books in the entire world. It is magisterial in its scope and has been a continued source of insight, wisdom, and sacred magic. I have recommended this book more than any other.
Jul 02, 2018Aaron rated it it was amazing
A contradictory book. Traditional yet avant-garde. Catholic yet hermetic. Weird but I liked it.
May 23, 2019Evan Herberth rated it really liked it
Very interesting. The author (Valentin Tomberg) was a convert to Catholicism from Anthroposophy, after which conversion this book, and Lazarus, Come Forth (or Covenant of the Heart) were written. He uses the images on the Marseilles Tarot trump cards as a point of departure to very eclectic observations. A lot of them do, frankly, deal with occultic concepts such as those from the Kaballah. In my opinion, this is the most boring aspect of the book. Where it really shines is in its dialogue with Eastern religious concepts, Nietzsche, scientistic reductionism, etc. And I understand from others who would know better than me that it’s a good potential pathway for those taken in by the New Age movement back to Christianity.
The author unfortunately, if memory serves, defends certain ideas that are incompatible with Christianity, such as reincarnation and universalism, so the faithful Christian should proceed cautiously if he's not ready to objectively encounter such ideas from an odd, apparently Christian source. But for those who wish to go digging, there do seem to be some gems hiding therein.
To be clear, this book is not about practicing cartomancy (which would be forbidden to Christians, of course). Tarot cards precede their hijacking for that purpose. He uses the images on the cards as a point of departure for his thoughts.
For a (positive) traditional Catholic assessment of the work and its author: http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2011/... (less)
The author unfortunately, if memory serves, defends certain ideas that are incompatible with Christianity, such as reincarnation and universalism, so the faithful Christian should proceed cautiously if he's not ready to objectively encounter such ideas from an odd, apparently Christian source. But for those who wish to go digging, there do seem to be some gems hiding therein.
To be clear, this book is not about practicing cartomancy (which would be forbidden to Christians, of course). Tarot cards precede their hijacking for that purpose. He uses the images on the cards as a point of departure for his thoughts.
For a (positive) traditional Catholic assessment of the work and its author: http://corjesusacratissimum.org/2011/... (less)
May 11, 2020Christian rated it really liked it
This is a remarkable, if not unique book. Giving it only 4/5 stars is almost insolent, but what can I do when I disagree with some of the core premises? Now, I'm not a christian and this probably shows more than anything else, that the author remains true to his religion, although freely incorporating and contemplating ideas from theosophy to buddhism. I'm glad I'm through, but this is truly recommended reading for anyone who can just barely identify with all or some of the keywords in the title. Tombergs breadth and scope in scources he draws upon and elegance of interpretation is a joy to behold and a vast step up from the usual trite fad one is served in the written world of the esoteric. (less)
Jun 29, 2019Melanie rated it it was amazing
Brilliant book that opens the soul. Read, re-read, re-read again, all while pondering and connecting to what I thought I knew about spirituality, the sacred and various religious and spiritual traditions. My favourite book on tarot and on spirituality and on the evolution of the human condition. Profound and dense.
Mar 14, 2021Kyle rated it really liked it
Positively unreal wealth of knowledge contained in this immense work for anyone interested in the tarot, the occult, philosophy, magic, etc. an excellent reference, and you could probably spend a lifetime checking out the hundreds of books Anonymous mentions throughout. Best read in a Catholic Grandfather voice.
Sep 18, 2021josiah ketler rated it really liked it
Fr. Bede Griffiths says that, as far as he's concerned, this book is the "last word in wisdom". I don't know about that, but it is oftentimes very profound. As direct an approach as any, Tomberg uses the symbology of Tarot cards to delve into specific esoteric qualities. You'll have to read it—it's worth the time. (less)
