Essential Tarot Writings

Explore Three Centuries of Vital Tarot Texts by Leading Authorities on Western Magic

Featuring invaluable essays written by prominent occultists from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries, this must-have collection presents the fascinating evolution of Tarot as a magical tool. Renowned occult scholar Donald Tyson has edited and annotated these works, and he offers his full English translation of two Tarot essays from Antoine Court de Gébelin's Monde Primitif. This compendium also provides, for the first time anywhere, a complete understanding of the essays on the English Method of playing card divination, an important precursor to reading Tarot's suit cards.

Essential Tarot Writings reveals where many of our fundamental assumptions about the Tarot come from, including card meanings, Hebrew and Kabbalistic correspondences, and how the cards are used in ceremonial magic. All of the essays are connected by each century's understanding of Tarot and the influences these great thinkers had on one another. Showcasing esteemed writers like the Comte de Mellet, S. L. MacGregor Mathers, J. W. Brodie-Innes, and A. E. Waite, this resource gives you a comprehensive overview of the evolution of Tarot in Western magic.