Customer Reviews

The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards

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(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!)

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.

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+.

greetings & happy new year to one & all!

i would like to say that i have been reading tarot professionally for many years, have studied w/many of our greatest teachers and was originally introduced to tarot by my mom who was born in Bologna, Italy where the MdT as well as the Italian Tarots reign. i heartily disagree w/Stanton's review as i believe The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher In The Cards by Jordorowsky & Costa is an important contribution to our major tarot texts.

let me take the critique of Stanton point by point...

STANTON STATES:
There are so few books in English about the Marseilles tarot that I was thrilled to learn that Alejandro Jodorowsky's "La Voie du Tarot" had been translated into English. My excitement quickly turned to confusion, then disappointment. This book is probably the most illogical, uninformed, arrogant, and inept book on the subject that I've ever read.

MY VIEW:
while i feel Jodorowsky has given us an informed, logical & at times - humble - overview of tarot from his pov. since Stanton is stating an opinion & is entitled to it ... please know there are many others that believe this text to be informed & well tested. i'm one amongst many...

STANTON STATES:
After reading this book (actually, about 50 pages in or before) it becomes apparent that Jodorowsky and Philippe Camoin (his partner is this project) have done exactly what he has criticized the occlutists for. He has essentially created his own personal Marseilles tarot, and imposed upon it his own "esoteric" system of belief, without offering any documentation or substance in the way of proof or explanation. "The Way of Tarot" is over 500 pages long, yet has only 10 "notes" (which actually aren't notes, but bibliographic entries). This book, then, is not really about the Marseilles tarot, but the supposed "restored" cards done by the author and Camoin.

Details on their process and methods would have been welcome. For example, which details came from which decks? Why were some details chosen over others? Camoin claims to be the direct descendant of Nicholas Conver, but no proof is offered. Also, reference is made to a mysterious, "very old" tarot found in a shoebox belonging to a dead friend -- which supposedly provided the authors with important clues toward a rectified color scheme -- though no effort is made to identify the deck or explain why it was considered important. Also, no proof. Photographs of some of the cards should have been included.

MY VIEW:
i agree European Publications are usually lacking whereas Anglo Documentation tends towards an academically - geared bibliography w/appendices etc etc. that said, a visit to the Camoin site offers extensive information on the Camoin Deck's creation w/historical background given: perhaps more so to those who 'sign up' for the magazine. why repeat information given? perhaps a 'rift' exists between the creators over the book & certain copyright issues are involved? i don't know that for a fact but it would seem that the text is geared to divination not history... Jodorowsky would not be the first to talk about 'tarots ( or esoteric info )in shoeboxes' from dear & departed mentors.

STANTON STATES:
This book is a frustrating read, often due to Jodorowsky's habit of making broad statements, and then completely contradicting them, like in the examples below. He usually seems unaware he is doing this. Breaches of logic, reason and perception occur, nay, abound, on nearly every page. At one point he writes, ludicrously, that he believed (before the completion of his own deck) the most authentic Marseilles tarot to be Paul Marteau's 1930 version (Grimaud), and that the 17th and 18th century versions could not be trusted because they had become corrupt over time. And although Jodorowsky chooses to call the cards "arcanum", hypocritically adopting the pretentious term coined by the occultists he despises, he never satisfactorily explains why this terminology is acceptable to him. Those of us who use the Marseilles deck are generally quite content with "trumps" and "pips".

MY VIEW:
i use RWS & clones as well as MdT tarots both of French and Italian origin. having read extensively - i'm use to pompous language in tarot texts: particularly in primary - not secondary - texts. it doesn't bother me a whit...

STANTON STATES:
Even though he's made his position clear on the "occult" tarot of Waite, The Golden Dawn and others, he more often than not adopts their ideas (errors and all) about the cards. For example, he uses their elemental attributions of the suits -- and never once questions it. He simply says something along the lines of "Why not? Makes sense to me.". At least a discussion of why a weapon forged in fire is attributed to air, or why Sticks (excuse me, Wands) is attributed to an element that consumes it, would have made this section more interesting. Unfortunately, Jodorowsky is neither a scholar or an intellectual; he's an artist, and he's simply not equipped to deal with problems such as these.

MY VIEW:
"Why not? Makes sense to me." = is this not the attitude of most occultists & divination in general? HOWEVER: i have to agree w/Stanton that - in general - this is a neglected area of tarot scholarship. it's my understanding that Spanish & Basque Tarots often use S/WORDS for fire & WANDS for air. Jodorowsky is not claiming to have written a scholarly text, nor does he make himself out to be an 'intellectual,' yes, he is an ARTIST & like artists of every stripe will seek truths over facts & in this, Jodorowsky succeeds totally: if you're 'into' his 'take' as i am, or can be generous & take what is interesting to you & ignore the rest: there's a great deal to be gleaned from this text no matter what deck(s) or pov you prefer.

STANTON STATES:
Some of the cracks in the foundation may be due to the translation by Jon E. Graham. The suits are translated as Swords, Cups, Wands(!) and Pentagrams(!) -- and I can't really believe the Jodorowsky would use these terms as the French names would be clear to his French readers. I question why the translator chose to use Rider-Waite terminology when the author spent the better part of the introduction criticizing Waite and other occultists' alterations to the "original" tarot. Again, we who use the Marseilles tarot call the suits what they are: Swords, Cups, Sticks and Coins.

MY VIEW:
"we who use the Marseilles tarot call the suits what they are: Swords, Cups, Sticks and Coins." go for it! translated texts require some slack when it comes to specificity. i was so thrilled to FINALLY have something from Jodorowsky in English that i am willing to overlook translation issues. the b&w graphs & images are so helpful that my attitude was/is THANK GOODNESS & AT LAST! Marianne Costa is the co-author of The Way of The Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher In The Cards. perhaps she ok'ed the typos or the language issues? we just do not know... however the 'voice' of the text is clearly Jodorowsky's. besides - anyone reading my 'review' can see i am rather easy-going w/the printed word... sinfully so?


STANTON STATES:
The Rider-Waite titles are used for the trumps as well: The Magician, The High Priestess, The Tower, etc. The only trump that is not called by its traditional name is Death, which Jodorowsky absurdly calls "The Nameless Arcanum". While it's true that in most Marseilles decks Death is not titled, the author fails to note (probably due to his ignorance of historical matters) that in the earliest tarots, all of the trumps were untitled. He explains that the term "death" is too simplistic to convey the real meaning of the card -- and then goes on to give a basic and traditional interpretation of card XIII. I am at a loss to see how "the Nameless Arcanum" is more precise and descriptive than "Death".

MY VIEW:
those who grew up using the MdT as children taught by parents ( as my sister & i did ) were often similarly told a 'gloss' on the 13TH. Major - at least if transplanted to The States... death is not allowed to be discussed in our culture. to my knowledge only Johanna G. Sherman - creator of The Sacred Rose Tarot - deals directly w/death as DEATH. at least early on: now some others will give the usual blah blah & say 'oh yes, possibly end of life issues have to be dealt with.' the SRT was my first introduction to calling a ( pardon the pun ) - a spade... a spade.

STANTON STATES:
Many sentences make no sense in their English translation:

"Simply creating new versions of the Tarot of Marseilles, anonymous like all sacred monuments, by imagining it is enough to change the drawings or the names of the cards to achieve a great work, is pure vanity."

Yes, you can pick out the meaning. It could have been written more clearly, and there are numerous examples of this sort of thing throughout the book. One wonders if an editor even saw it before it went to the proofreader.

Here's an example of the author's style, from the chapter on "The Magician":

"Although represented by a male figure, The Magician is an androgynous individual working with light and shadow, juggling from the unconscious to the superconscious. He is holding an active wand in his left hand, while in his right he hold a receptive pentacle. This yellow coin, a miniature sun, symbolizes perfection and truth, but it also tells us that The Magician does not overlook the daily necessities. The blue wand in his other hand is seeking to capture the cosmic force. We can also see an extra flesh-colored object there, like a sixth finger, that will find an echo in the second decimal series, in the sixth toe of Strength..."

MY VIEW:
Stanton makes an excellent point here ( Stanton makes many wonderful points & please know i wouldn't bother to quote this review if i did not respect his pov even if i disagree!) let's examine one little issue: the sixth finger - if one Googles this little tid-bit one will come upon ( eventually ) the 'fact' that The Nephalim ( children born of the Fallen Angels & Human Women ) had/have a sixth finger & are the 'giants' of old & their descendants. as for hidden eggs etc. etc. - well i've read ( as have we all ) more fantastic claims than this. to this day, children born w/a sixth digit have negative superstitions attributed to them: a childhood friend told me her 'family secret' w/great shame: mommy had a sixth toe! horrors!

STANTON STATES:
That's enough. Needless to say, he never explains why he believes any of this to be true -- he simply states it as fact, and assumes we are willing to accept what he says without question. Male, yet androgynous? Also, the Magician does not have a sixth finger -- either in Jodorowsky's deck, or any other Marseilles that I could find. Strength's "sixth toe" is a detail that was probably added by Jodorowsky as I can't find one in any of the Marseilles decks that I own. It's clear that the details of this "restoration" were incorporated (or invented) not because of any sort of in-depth research or study, but from the author's own mystical ramblings. Another indication that this deck is not a restoration, but a personal reinterpretation of the traditional Tarot de Marseilles.

MY VIEW:
i've grown up w/enough Europeans of every country to know that to cut THE BELLA FIGURA is critical to one's mental health from a European 'take.' who explains? one argues. period. Stanton has done Jodorowsky & us all a great service but does not seem to understand the cultural bravado of Chile & France. it's bred in the bone. i can't watch French Cinema bec. i can't wait 10 minutes watching an actor smoke a cigarette in absolute silence w/glaring eyes of 'intensity & meaning' w/out laughing! others consider this 'time out for a cigie' of great artistic value. it's all in your aesthetics. likewise tarot remains, for me, an art w/budding scholarship. give me art & i can forgive shoddy scholarship. give me scholarship w/shoddy art & i will take a pass.

STANTON STATES:
At this point I should mention that most of the various details that Jodorowsky points out in the cards appear to be in his deck only, and therefore are probably his own creation. On "The Magician" he makes a great deal about the three dice and the knife that looks like a serpent's tail. Also, "orange balls" in the Magician's hair. A fingernail painted red on Strength. A secret "egg" hidden in the wreath on The World. All of these tiny details appear only in the "restored" deck. I've not been able to find precedence for any of this -- and the author's list of secret symbols and hidden meanings is endless. Of course, he doesn't offer to fill us in either. Instead we are given page after page of opinion and subjective observations stated as fact.

Jodorowsky also sees things that simply do not exist, and often writes at length about them: plants that supposedly look like vaginas, hidden planets in hair, extra fingers and toes, etc. Somehow he is able to identify eagle feathers in Strength's hat. Truth be told, there is simply not enough detail in the original woodcut prints to allow us to identify the bird from which the feathers came, or even if they are feathers at all. Nevertheless, our Author builds a whole argument around them.

If the book has anything to recommend it, the sections on numerology and the pips (oh, excuse me, the Minor Arcana) are interesting and engaging -- after all, numbers don't lie. The interpretation of this numerological data is not entirely free of the sorts of flaws that pervade the rest of the book, however.

Jodorowsky's conclusion, titled "The Tarotic Philosophy" (one wonders why the translator shied away from "Popess" yet uses a made-up word like "tarotic") contains this amusing and self-damning statement:

"The bad tarologist, who mistakes thinking for believing, delivers whimsical interpretations and then searches in the Arcana for those symbols that can confirm his conclusions. For him, truth is a priori, followed a posteriori by the quest for the truth."

Officially and without a clue Jodorowsky has qualified himself as a "bad tarologist". He goes a step further. When he cannot find a symbol that confirms his conclusions, he either has had Camoin draw the symbol on the card for him, or he simply chooses to see something that isn't there (extra fingers and teeth usually, and also vaginas).

MY VIEW:
Stanton where have you been? the tarot world is full of the weird & inexplicable! & bravo! what fun! check out NAMRON'S books! one must discern for oneself: take what fits & discard the rest. HOWEVER Jodorowsky has been brave & heroic in his & Costa's TAROTIC PHILOSOPHY. those words are a hoot & w/a little slack we 'get his meaning.' obviously ( to me ) translation is not Graham's forte` & rather than damning Jordowsky & Costa i would take Graham to task. i'm so grateful to have ANY translation of this text that i haven't the heart to do so. let's believe Jon Graham was 'under an impossible time frame' and did the best under the circumstances.

STANTON STATES:
I rarely feel this way about books I have purchased, but I honestly wish I hadn't spent $26.95 for this. It's just poor all around -- poor scholarship (actually, no scholarship), bad translation, no index, hardly any notes or bibliography. "The Way of Tarot" doesn't satisify on any level. What a disappointment.

MY VIEW:
$26.95 IS TOO HIGH A PRICE but Amazon is offering the book for less. i paid ( knowing it was high ) the full price - but i do not regret it at all... we have diagrams that are well illustrated that give critical & ( for me )a new pov & info that i have put to excellent use. i highly rec. this book to the entire tarot community - particularly to advanced readers - but a newbie will find wonderful things to take 'home' too. i also want to thank G. Stanton for a wonderful review even if i disagree w/it in many ways. i welcome your reviews any time! in summation: this text's European 'flavor' will be off-putting to many. if you can get past Costa & Jodorowsky's generational tendency to exaggeration & bravado you will enjoy & profit a great deal from this read!

Filmmaker and psychotherapist Alejandro Jodorowsky and Tarot workshop teacher Marianne Costa present The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards, a guide to Tarology and unlocking the esoteric wisdom within the Tarot cards. Chapters address the significance of each major and minor arcana, as well as specific pairs of cards, and the steps to successfully read Tarot. "Just as in life, at every moment in a Tarot reading a choice is offered us: we can interpret the facts (the Arcana) in a positive or negative sense. We have seen that this choice is not predetermined, insofar as in the Tarot, no card is innately negative." 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.

There are good reviews of this book already, but they all focus on the positives and there are some definite negatives for me. I imagine other new readers may also feel this way as time goes on.

First off, I found Jodorowsky to be rather limited in his ideas of sexuality and he sees the Tarot as 100% heterosexually enforced. He can't help but bring up sex on every page, and yet, offers little beyond what seems to be a very rigid approach to sex, gender, and gender roles in society. For example, he states that a major relationship problem occurs when the "woman of a couple is more masculine and the man more feminine. This will induce a cosmic disorder..." and provides countless examples of how women are 'receptive' and men are 'active'. Basically he comes off as an old man who is set in his conservative ways - maybe not quite a misogynist but definitely there's something there.

He states his reasoning for not using Tarot as an oracle or fortune-telling device is a passage from the Bible that goes on about not being a soothsayer, not practicing divination, etc. That's fine to not believe the Tarot is used for divination, but to quote the Bible as proof? There are countless numbers of quotes that people today would find to be very bad advice, and that particular quote rings of intolerance of the times rather than divine direction. The author tries to justify his religious beliefs quite often, which is unnecessary and frankly not appealing when trying to learn about the Tarot.

However, besides these major shortcomings (the authors dogmatic beliefs get in the way of his full understanding with the Tarot) there is a lot to like about this book. It goes into vivid detail on the combination of cards, and really provides some great food for thought for folks interested in the psychological aspects of the Tarot as I am. Using it as a tool in therapy is fantastic and Jodorowsky offers come interesting and useful advice here as well.

Quite informative from different perspectives. Details pairs and the interconnectedness of the cards that can change the meaning of individual cards. All cards are read from a spiritual understanding.

I received this book written by the 2 authors & it is really excellent. The info is very insightful & detailed when reading or using the Camoin Tarot that was restored. Alejandro also talks about how he found his way to the tarot when he was just a child & how he the cards held a fascination for him his whole life. He points out so many hidden detailed symbols that would & have escaped so many people over the ages. This book covers all of the Majors as well as the Courts & the Pips his system for reading the Pips are very detailed based upon his own experience. He also shows card combinations & explains them in a reading, this book is the one to get if you want to start your journey on the ancient Marseilles Tarot the Tarot deck that he uses is the restored Camoin Tarot so any other Marseilles decks is going to be lacking the symbols that Mr. Alejandro points out due to the fact that many new symbols have been added in this deck & put back after centuries of being missing & lost. I have had to re-read this book again b/c the abundance of info needs to be absorbed on a deeper level. I love this book & will always treasure it for years to come, the long awaited books by Philippe Camoin are yet to materialize so don't hold your breath this book is worth every penny & more.

this is a great book, with lots of information to understand the deck of the tarot of Marseille, but I have to be honest and say, I did not have the patience of reading this tick book. I kept skipping pages, as the author sometimes would be distracted. But it was overall a great buy.

My favorite director, and maybe person, Alejandro Jodorowsky. He's a madman, a visionary. This is THE definitive book on the Tarot.