The Tarot: History, Mystery and Lore

Review by Dianne Foster for The Tarot: History, Mystery and Lore
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THE TAROT by Cynthia Giles is frequently cited (by the late Joseph Campbell for one), and although many of her more salient points are mentioned elsewhere, the book remains a classic and a must read for anyone who would know more about the Tarot. My own copy is so underlined and earmarked I hardly know where to begin this review. Giles’ book covers the ‘History’ and ‘Mystery’ of the cards, as well as the ‘Lore’ in a final section where she provides a sampling of decks, a booklist, and a number of ‘Tarot Ideas.’ In the ‘History’ section, she reviews what was known about the Tarot cards as of the early 1990s. Unfortunately, research funding for this topic is not easily acquired, so the full history–which would require an investigation of primary sources including material in the Vatican, not a rehashing of material collected by 19th Century scholars-has yet to be written. Even the six-volume series on WITCHCRAFT AND MAGIC IN EUROPE edited by Ankarloo and Clark has given the Tarot short shrift, although the sixth volume on Witchcraft in the 15th Century due out in December 2002 may make up the difference. The Tarot may have first appeared in 15th Century Italy. Initially, it may have been nothing more than a set of playing cards, or, the Minor Arcana may have been a set of playing cards tacked onto the Major Arcana. On the other hand, the whole deck of 78 cards may have an ‘arcane’ history. Certainly, the images found in the Major Arcana appeared in one guise or another prior to the 15th Century. Artists and writers have long recognized the importance of these images, but in the 20th Century, the psychologist Carl Jung suggested they were linked to archetypes of the unconcious and set loose a flood of prose and poetry. Recently, a new spate of books linking the Tarot to Psychology have appeared. Giles covers the ‘Mystery’ of the Tarot in the second section of her book where she reviews four major levels of a Tarot reading: Rational, Psychological, Psychical, and Metaphysical. Certainly, some charlatans have used a rational approach to trick an unsuspecting client. On the other hand, the rational approach may be used by an analytic reader, a thinking personality type who relies on the content of the cards to deliver the message. The Psychological reader may use cues obtained from the querant at a feeling level, while the Psychic will rely on intuitive avenues such as ESP or clairvoyance. The metaphysical reader uses a form of sensory input not detectable by most people. These four types of readers are linked to the four Myers-Briggs personality types – Thinking, Feeling, Intuitive, and Sensate (or in the language of Tarot – Swords, Cups, Wands, and Pentacles). Lest you think the Divinatory properties of the Tarot are impossible, Giles reviews recent developments in Quantum and Particle Physics, as well as material on the Holographic Universe that indicate the universe is not a well known entity. Her discussion of the shortcomings of believing only what one can empirically deduce with the five senses is cogent and fascinating reading.

Review by Uri Raz for The Tarot: History, Mystery and Lore
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This book makes an excellent reading about tarot – it’s very readable, and it approaches the subject in a sensible way.The first four chapters deal with the history of tarot, which is presented in a based manner (= based on what historians can tell about tarot) rather than in a romanticezed manner (= based on wild fantasies, e.g. about the tarot originating in egypt).The next four chapters describe the “mystery” of tarot – it’s relationships with such subjects as alchemy, kabbala, chakras, etc. Included is an explanation of why does tarot works based on quantum physics, which I personally dont like – it sounds too much like psuedo-scientific mumbo-jumbo.The last part deals with tarot lore – a part that lists various types of decks, which is nice for somebody who wants to find a deck to her taste, an excellent list of books about tarot, and a dozen tarot ideas which is recreational if nothing else.All in all, I’d recommend this book to anyone who is interested in tarot. It’s 97% gold, 3% tin, and a gem in a time where tarot is misunderstood by many.