The Magical Tarot of the Golden Dawn [Paperback]

Chris Zalewski (Author), Pat Zalewski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 2008

The authors stress experimentation with the tarot, which is a mark of a vibrant magical system. The descriptions of each tarot card are very reliable and very complete. Of particular interest are the alchemical associations and the authors’ work on the gematria or numerology of each card. For the first time a complete alchemical system is given for the whole deck. There is also a good deal of added astrological information and divinatory meanings and interpretations.

Several excellent suggestions for studying and meditating on the cards are provided by the authors. This book is a balanced combination of both historical and new material presented by the Zalewskis that stands firmly rooted in Golden Dawn teachings and ritual practice. There are many interesting new innovations in this book.

Fully illustrated with 78 all new tarot cards by Golden Dawn member and professional artist, Skip Dudchous.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Chris Zalewski is an occultist and author. She is a 7=4 Adept and co-chief of the Thoth Hermes Temple of the Hermetic Society of the Golden Dawn in New Zealand.

Pat Zalewski is an occultist and author. He contacted the last remnant of the original Temples founded by the Golden Dawn in New Zealand and he and Chris Zalewski founded the Thoth Hermes Temple in Wellington and became co-chiefs. He met and corresponded with Israel Regardie who travelled to New Zealand to meet him.

Product Details

• Paperback: 656 pages
• Publisher: Aeon Books (February 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1904658318
• ISBN-13: 978-1904658313
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,860,411 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Last word on the Golden Dawn Tarot, November 7, 2008

By 

A. Balfour - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Magical Tarot of the Golden Dawn (Paperback)

Running to over 600 pages the first thing you notice is just how big this book is. I advise having a surface handy when you read it as it's not one for a commute!

It starts with a general introduction to the Golden Dawn theory of tarot though interesting this can mostly be found elsewhere. What was unique was the Zalewskis instructions on coloring the deck. Finally they make sense of the Golden Dawn color scales and how they an be applied to a card in a coherent fashion.

The meat of the book is in the individual card descriptions. These are each accompanied by an original image in black and white. I found the art work to be very pleasing and thankfully devoid of the rather cartoony style of some recent decks. I have copied some of the card images and colored them to the Zalewskis instructions with great effect.

The card descriptions not only give coherant divinatory meanings but more importantly relate each card to its place in the vast Golden Dawn system (including alchemically, qabalistically, the I-ching and many more). Essentially this book argues that the Tarot was the 'glue' holding together the diverse strands in the GD magical system.

If you are interested in tarot I would recommend this book, if you are also interested in the Golden Dawn I would say it is essential reading.

5.0 out of 5 stars An authoritative guide to the GD Tarot, July 29, 2010

By 

Dominus Liminis "Metatron" (Canada) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Magical Tarot of the Golden Dawn (Paperback)

Pat Zalewski's Magical Tarot book is the ultimate guide to the GD Tarot. It contains numerous associations to the cards, a detailed description of each card on multiple levels, and various rituals involving the Tarot. It's an essential work for the GD practitioner.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Another Zalewski Teaching Not Golden Dawn Teachings, July 27, 2010

By 

Frater SA - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magical Tarot of the Golden Dawn (Paperback)

Again, as presented in all of his books, Mr. Zalewski presents materials here that are not of the Golden Dawn Whare Ra teaching base. Again, it is not the teaching of the S.M. either. These are his ideas and do not follow tradition as he proports.
For someone with an exalted title of 8=3, you would think that they would be able to provide authentic teaching on the tarot, and have a great firm foundation within the old teachings of the Golden Dawn. This is just another book with him trying to sell Whare Ra teachings that are in fact of his own instead.