The Magical World of the Tarot: Fourfold Mirror of the Universe [Paperback]

Gareth Knight (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1996

The tarot has become enormously popular as a tool for divination and, on a more esoteric level, as a source of symbolic wisdom. Gareth Knight combines the two traditions into a connected workable system for students of the tarot.

Using the Marseilles Deck- the direct descendant of the earliest hand-printed designs and the basis for the most of the later esoteric decks--Knight provides an in-depth introduction to the tarot deck. He takes readers on a thorough exploration of each card--its symbolic interpretation, how it has changed and developed throughout history--and offers exercises the develop familiarity with each card. He presents nine lessons that combine basic instruction in the mechanics of divination with magical visualization techniques. Knight explains both Celtic Cross layout and his famous Knight Spiral 21-card spread, using symbolism that can be applied to most tarot decks. However, he recommends the Marseilles Deck with its traditional, simplistic figures for beginning students, and the Gareth Knight Tarot Deck, a deck based on esoteric concepts, for more advanced students. Perhaps most useful for students of the tarot are Knight's answers to questions raised by students of his widely acclaimed Tarot Course.

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Red Wheel / Weiser (September 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0877288739
• ISBN-13: 978-0877288732
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #680,731 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly informative, August 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Magical World of the Tarot: Fourfold Mirror of the Universe (Paperback)

As my title, this book is highly informative, it shows you the best way to reach the spirit of Tarot, that is, by meditation. Not simply hold the cards and look at the cards to see what information you can get from the images of the cards, in this book, you will be taught how to communicate with the characters of the cards of the Major Arcana and how to visit the Theatres of the suits. If you want to learn Tarot in a quick and direct way, however, this book is definitely not for you.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A thought-provoking alternate take on the Tarot, February 12, 2004

By 

Moshe ben Mordecai (Boston, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Magical World of the Tarot: Fourfold Mirror of the Universe (Paperback)

Nowadays most books on the Tarot are derived entirely from the Rider-Waite Tarot which comes from the British school of thought on the subject. In this book, however, Knight goes back to the earlier variants of Tarot originating from Continental Europe as exemplified by the Marseilles Tarot which was considered the standard prior to the advent of the Rider-Waite. Before reading this book I was only vaguely aware of the original Tarot and what it symbolized. This book gives an excellent understanding of how the Major and Minor arcana developed and what their meanings originally were. After reading it, the ordering and organization of the Tarot seems a whole lot less arbitrary than it did before.

The format of this book did leave a bit to be desired, however. Personally, I did not go through the series visualization exercises that Knight proposes to guide the reader through. These sort of exercises can be of great help in gaining an intuitive sense of the cards, but I just didn't have the patience for it at the time. I was a bit bored by the question and answer sections at the end of each chapter as most of the questions covered were quite elementary. Overall, though, I enjoyed this book and am very thankful for the alternate view of the Tarot it has given me which has certainly expanded my understanding.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tarot Mastery, November 13, 2009

By 

Brian L. Montgomery (Colorado) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Magical World of the Tarot: Fourfold Mirror of the Universe (Paperback)

Gareth Knight gives us the in-depth study of the Tarot that we yearned for while reading his mammoth A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism. Knight might be the greatest historian of all things Qabala and delivers on that in this book with his knowledge of the origins of the cards and also the key meanings for each card. He is also able to keep this clear across several decks. Knight also gives the reader several options on reading techniques. This book is a great place to start your study of the Tarot.