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The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards
 
 
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The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards [Paperback]

Alejandro Jodorowsky (Author), Marianne Costa (Author)
4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)

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Book Description

November 17, 2009
Filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky’s insights into the Tarot as a spiritual path

• Works with the original Marseille Tarot to reveal the roots of Western wisdom

• Provides the key to the symbolic language of the Tarot’s “nomadic cathedral”

• Transforms a simple divination tool into a vehicle for self-realization and healing

Alejandro Jodorowsky’s profound study of the Tarot, which began in the early 1950s, reveals it to be far more than a simple divination device. The Tarot is first and foremost a powerful instrument of self-knowledge and a representation of the structure of the soul.

The Way of Tarot shows that the entire deck is structured like a temple, or a mandala, which is both an image of the world and a representation of the divine. The authors use the sacred art of the original Marseille Tarot--created during a time of religious tolerance in the 11th century--to reconnect with the roots of the Tarot’s Western esoteric wisdom. They explain that the Tarot is a “nomadic cathedral” whose parts--the 78 cards or “arcana”--should always be viewed with an awareness of the whole structure. This understanding is essential to fully grasp the Tarot’s hermetic symbolism.

The authors explore the secret associations behind the hierarchy of the cards and the correspondences between the suits and energies within human beings. Each description of the Major Arcana includes key word summaries, symbolic meanings, traditional interpretations, and a section where the card speaks for itself. Jodorowsky and Costa then take the art of reading the Tarot to a depth never before possible. Using their work with Tarology, a new psychological approach that uses the symbolism and optical language of the Tarot to create a mirror image of the personality, they offer a powerful tool for self-realization, creativity, and healing.


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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A profound work that is both penetrating and fascinating. It offers thought-provoking commentary on the cards from a pair of authors who are among the world's most deeply knowledgeable authorities on the tarot."
(Kooch Daniels, co-author of Matrix Meditations, Oct 2009 )

"The Way of Tarot is a very impressive work. Whether you agree with the authors conclusions or not, it will make you think outside of the box, and will perhaps be the impetus needed for someone out there in the Tarot world to connect the dots between their thoughts and present them for examination. . . . This is a worthwhile addition to the Tarot library of anyone that wishes to move beyond the divination aspects of the cards into self-realization."
(Bonnie Cehovet, certified Tarot Grand Master, Aeclectic Tarot, Oct 2009 )

"An excellent all-around guide to both the nuts-and-bolts practical and the spiritual sides of Tarot, The Way of Tarot is filled with invaluable insights for Tarot practitioners of all skill and experience levels."
(The Midwest Book Review, Library Bookwatch, Feb 2010 )

"The beginning of this book reads like a sophisticated treasure-hunt adventure. It also happens to include a history of tarot cards, which will be invaluable to people who are studying tarot seriously. . . . a reference they can go back to over and over again as they gain experience with the cards."
(Anna Jedrziewski, New Age Retailer magazine, Feb 2010 )

"The purpose of this book is to show the reader how the tarot can be seen and used in a practical way that is holistic, balanced,and grounded. . . . The Way of Tarot can be a guide along this path."
(New Spirit Journal, Vol. 5, No. 12, April 2010 )

"The beauty of this deck is that Jodorwsky puts aside the Kabalistic and other Western influences upon the tarot and just studies the primal and bare gestures, numbers, and minute details . . . "
(Indras Net, blog: The Sync Whole;@The Heart of Jupiter-Evolve!, Mar 10
)

From the Back Cover

TAROT / SPIRITUALITY

Alejandro Jodorowsky’s profound study of the Tarot, which began in the early 1950s, reveals it to be far more than a simple divination system. The Tarot is first and foremost a powerful instrument of self-knowledge and a representation of the structure of the soul.

The Way of Tarot shows that the entire deck is structured like a temple, or a mandala, which is both an image of the world and a representation of the divine. The authors use the sacred art of the original Marseille Tarot--created during a time of religious tolerance in the 11th century--to reconnect with the roots of the Tarot’s Western esoteric wisdom. They explain that the Tarot is a “nomadic cathedral” whose parts--the 78 cards or “arcana”--should always be viewed with an awareness of the whole structure. This understanding is essential to fully grasp the Tarot’s hermetic symbolism.

The authors explore the secret associations behind the hierarchy of the cards and the correspondences between the suits and energies within human beings. Each description of  the Major Arcana includes key word summaries, symbolic meanings, traditional interpretations, and a section where the card speaks for itself. Jodorowsky and Costa then take the art of reading the Tarot to a depth never before possible. Using their work with Tarology, a new psychological approach that uses the symbolism and optical language of the Tarot to create a mirror image of the personality, they offer a powerful tool or self-realization, creativity, and healing.

ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY is a filmmaker who made the legendary El Topo and The Holy Mountain. He also is a psychotherapist and author of many books on Tarot and spiritualism, including Psychomagic and The Spiritual Journey of Alejandro Jodorowsky. MARIANNE COSTA has worked with Jodorowsky since 1997, coteaching workshops on Tarot and family-tree therapy. She is the author of No Woman’s Land. Both authors live in Paris.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 552 pages
  • Publisher: Destiny Books; 1 edition (November 17, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1594772630
  • ISBN-13: 978-1594772634
  • Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #116,072 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
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38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards, March 20, 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards (Paperback)
(Review by RNT's wife, C. A. Taylor)

I firstly purchased the Jodorowsky tarot deck which quickly made it plain to me that I needed to brush up on my numerology, symbols and so forth in order to understand this particular deck, so I was compelled to buy the corresponding book for the price of two cheesecakes. A month into my study of the book, I can say that it has impacted my perceptions beyond what words can describe. This inability to describe "that which is beyond us" is precisely why we are given symbols, colors, all elements in their respective places (etc.) on the cards - and I feel that I moved quickly from "novice" to "humble minor expert" without straining my brain one iota. This book would be sufficient for understanding and employing all decks of cards.

Jodorowsky approaches the wisdom-seeker as a patient teacher who does not strive to sound omniscient but, rather, presents his insights and information logically and with a respectful eye-to-eye style of delivery.

Upon reading The Way of Tarot, the mind opens, receptive as the beak of a birdling, to numbers, orientation, suits, degrees, order, color; the infinite possibilities of card combinations; mind exercises and layouts devoid of that "hocus-pocus" feel. Contrary to the singular negative review, I find this book to be abounding with logic and coherence even in its esoteric obscurities. It seems to make perfect sense once the various pieces are put together. Jodorowsky seems well aware that the more angles from which we study a subject, the greater our understanding:

He addresses the Major Arcana and how the cards correspond to one another in various ways. He works the reader up the suits of the Minor Arcana and across by level, which thoroughly ingrains the essence, value and placement of each card. As if that were not enough, he (firstly) divides the individual card into sections: receptive versus active; earth/matter versus air/spirit; and the interplay and perpetual cycle of the suits.

He trains the reader to apply common-sense in scrutinizing details such as the direction of leaves and the openness of flowers, and to expand the impressions through the understanding of colors, the direction of gazing eyes, etc.. Everything within the Jodorowsky tarot, right down to the dots, is deliberate and worth study for as broad an interpretation as possible and, in turn, for an invitation to the subconscious mind to awaken and unleash its divining potential.

But one of the most valuable pleasant surprises within this book, in my opinion, is its lesson of the practical application of the Tarot in determining one's placement in life for guidance on one's personal path, and it even hints toward how one can analyze the dynamics of relations with others according to where The Fool lands in their lives and their development within their representative suit (actually, one can analyze anything by way of the Tarot).

The possibilities are boundless, and now, as each and every card presents its universal wisdom, my mind opens, confidently, expansive as a rainbow, to define a plethora of possibilities within each moment, and to divine that vital truth to resonate deeply within me.

I can only assume that, except by plagiarism, there will not, for a long time, be a more worthy, resourceful and helpful book on understanding the Tarot in general than that which was simply yet eloquently presented as Jodorowsky's The Way of Tarot.

(I am very grateful to the team of individuals who put this book together. If I were to not yet own this book while knowing what I do of it, I would buy it - right now. It's worth a cheesecake's weight in gold!)
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Facinating book on Life and Tarot, September 3, 2010
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards (Paperback)
I am not a fan of the Tarot de Marseille, but the text and the logic of this book is fascinating and illuminating. I don't know if the casual Tarot reader would ever appreciate this book, but any Jungian or creative artist working with the collective unconscious would LOVE it.
Highly recommended.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Read, December 2, 2010
By 
Brian D. Thompson (New York, New York United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
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This review is from: The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards (Paperback)
This is probably the most fascinating book on the Tarot of Marsielle that I have ever read. I'm learning more than I ever knew due to the authors deconstructing the symbology via numerology, colors used, earth squares, heaven squares, etc. I've just finished the first 100 pages and have ordered the Tarot of Marsielle deck through the Camoin website. Extremely fascinating! A+.
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