The Symbolism of the Tarot

by P.D. Ouspensky

Book Overview

" No study of occult philosophy is possible without an acquaintance with symbolism, for if the words occultism and symbolism are correctly used, they mean almost one and the same thing. Symbolism... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486232913
• ISBN13: 9780486232911
• Release Date: June 1976
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 63 Pages
• Weight: 0.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 5.2" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

The Tarot according to Ouspenski

This book from the Russian-born Ouspensky on the meaning of the images of the Tarot was written early in his career (during which he popularized interest in the occult in the early 20th century with his own ideas -- as in Tertium Organum in 1912 -- and the ideas of G. I. Gurdjieff in the posthumous 1949 book In Search of the Miraculous) and uses the Waite-Smith pictorial deck as his basis. Ouspensky's work is always original and this is no exception - a short, interesting glimpse of Tarot symbolism from a unique point of view.

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It is not a statement about symbols. These are his personal pathworkings. If one meditates on a major arcanum, there may also be a path to follow, necessarily different from that of Ouspensky, by virtue of being a different person.

Tarot like you never thought of it

The pack of 78 cards is a very intriguing one. From its foretelling reputation (various authors claim that the whole ancient knowledge is coded in them) over its abridged playing version of Tarok (22 cards of Arcana Major in altered look plus 32 "normal" cards).They are also discussed by famous occultist Ouspensky. The presentation is near perfect. He tells us enough to feel the occult meaning of symbols and almost in the same time states that symbolism only remains symbolic as long it is not clearly defined. At that time symbol convert into a character (of alphabet), which loses its original message. So there is always something hidden in symbolism, that can be interpreted one or another way around. It is up to interpreter, who has the knowledge and experience to understand this symbolism. Not for every mortal, but interesting to read.

A new understanding of the tarot

I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a new view of the tarot. It deals with a very occultist point of view, and while there are literally an infinite number of ways to look at the tarot, this book shows you a whole new way. The book states it in a way that I never could, so I'll quote you a passage to let it speak for itself: The Devil: ..."I close the triangle, the other two sides of which are Death and Time. In order to quit this triangle it is necessary to see that it does not exist." I would suggest this little volume for anyone searching for the deeper meaning of the Tarot.