The Flight of the Feathered Serpent (Paperback)

~ (Author) "We are disenchanted with the world we have created..." (more)
Key Phrases: feathered serpent, fifth sun, tarot deck, Smoking Mirror, Hanged Man, Popol Vuh (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Guide to the Xultun (Mayan) Tarot Deck. Peter Balin, the painter of the XultunTarot deck, has written a book about the tarot and the Maya Indians' view of the world. This is a very relevant book that deals with the problems of our times.Although the approach is new and deals with American knowledge, it will serveall Tarot decks regardless of their origin. The reader journeys with the Fooltowards the impeccability of the sorcerer, with each step along the way clearlydefined. The graphics alone are so spellbinding that even if you are notinterested in the Mayas or the tarot, there is something in this book for you.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Lotus Press (January 1, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0910261016
• ISBN-13: 978-0910261012
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #980,244 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This Got Me Started!, March 3, 2003

By	Thomas Izaguirre "ratravarman" (Edgewater, MD United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

It is said that one doesn't so much pick a Tarot deck as it picks you. To add to that, often getting one is like getting a car without the manual. This is one of those times. This is the companion book for the Xultun Tarot deck. Although Peter Balin deals with two distinctly alien cosmologies, the Western Esosteric Tradition and the Mayan Tradition, he uses the structure of the Tarot to weave them together without it becoming an eclectoplasmic pastiche. This was my first real introduction to the mythology of the native peoples of the Meso-American region and it is a great primer also on the basics of their numerology, totems, mystic terms, and icons. He has done good research although he often lapses into romanticizing the Maya, he nonetheless acquits himself of the kind of cultural pillaging and dubious credentials of such as Carlos Castaneda and Lynn V. Andrews. He also adds his opinions on organized religion, sexuality, and the enigmatic legacy the Maya left. A very good read!