Symbolism of the Tarot [Paperback]

P.D. Ouspensky (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 1942

Philosophy of Occultism in Pictures and Numbers.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Russian (translation) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 68 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing, LLC; 1913 edition (May 31, 1942)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0766104788
• ISBN-13: 978-0766104785
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,485,765 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A new understanding of the tarot, April 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Symbolism of the Tarot (Dover Occult) (Paperback)

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.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Tarot according to Ouspenski, December 19, 2009

By 

Mad about Music (Munith MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Symbolism Of The Tarot (Hardcover)

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.

25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tarot like you never thought of it, October 12, 2000

By 

Alain Lipus - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Symbolism of the Tarot (Dover Occult) (Paperback)

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.