Team Liquid - Shop now
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
$18.70 with 22 percent savings
List Price: $23.95
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, December 11 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Or fastest delivery Sunday, December 8
Only 14 left in stock - order soon.
$$18.70 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$18.70
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon.com
Ships from
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Sold by
Amazon.com
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Returns
Returnable until Jan 31, 2025
For the 2024 holiday season, eligible items purchased between November 1 and December 31, 2024 can be returned until January 31, 2025.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Ronald Decker
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Esoteric Tarot: Ancient Sources Rediscovered in Hermeticism and Cabalah Paperback – Illustrated, July 9, 2013

by Ronald Decker (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 51 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$18.70","priceAmount":18.70,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"18","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"70","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"U1EgklTNxTYtaJCJxQdPPhN77TaKDh%2FZFYmHkf22swxWJMpvSOHr8EdgcyRC8yIK4fhGCxkN00vu5fZ5ZqbhFTz1O8Eybfqvxlv6YS%2FZL8%2Bh%2FbdlDd%2F%2BzpOrujbqKwadXcnH8l8sphV2VK9SUusBNA%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

That the Tarot originated in ancient Egypt as a divinatory tool is a romantic misconception. Ron Decker's meticulous scholarship will surprise practitioners and academics alike, revealing the Tarot's true evolution and meanings as its inventor(s) understood it.

The Tarot consists of the Minor Arcana, four suits of cards similar to our modern deck, and the Major Arcana, twenty-two allegorical or "trump" cards. Decker says the four-suit deck was invented in Asia Minor before AD 1000; Italian courtiers added the trumps in the 1400s. But Tarot was first used as a game. Tarot divination was only created in the 1700s by a Parisian fortuneteller who based the trump images on Hermeticism, which merges Greco-Egyptian alchemy, astrology, numerology, magic, and mysticism. Today, the suit-cards are often traced to the ancient Jewish Cabala. But, says Decker, they, too, acquired their meanings only in the 1700s, and he cites a lost numerical system based on Cabala at that time

Decker's interpretation integrates three whole systems-astrological, arithmological, mystagogical (concerning initiation rites into the Mysteries). His depth of knowledge makes the book a must-have for serious students of Tarot and esotericism

Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    312 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Quest Books
  4. Publication date
    July 9, 2013
  5. Dimensions
    6.04 x 0.9 x 9.01 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    9780835609081
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0835609081
  8. See all details
Next slide of product details
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

The Esoteric Tarot: Ancient Sources Rediscovered in Hermeticism and Cabalah
This item: The Esoteric Tarot: Ancient Sources Rediscovered in Hermeticism and Cabalah
$18.70
Get it as soon as Wednesday, Dec 11
Only 14 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Mystical Origins of the Tarot: From Ancient Roots to Modern Usage
$17.97
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Dec 10
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
+
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness (A New Edition of the Tarot Classic)
$21.34
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Dec 10
In Stock
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price: $00
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
spCSRF_Treatment
Some of these items ship sooner than the others.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A rigorously researched book that serves as the basis for Decker's arguments for a Tarot richly rooted in an ancient cosmic worldview--one that continues to speak to us today" --Paul Quinn, author of Tarot for Life
 ― Reviews

"The Esoteric Tarot marks a major contribution to understanding the Tarot's origins and possible meanings. For too long the historical approach and the esoteric approach to the cards were sharply at odds with each other. In recent years a number of people have tried to bridge the differences, but none with the impeccable scholarly background of Ron Decker. And his book is not just valuable as history; it's also fascinating and exciting to read.
" --Rachel Pollack, author of Tarot Wisdom
 ― Reviews

"I have been following Ronald Decker's work for many years, and he has been developing the themes expressed in The Esoteric Tarot in articles and in books that he has written since the early 1990s. His views may be surprising to some, but everything Decker writes is carefully researched and contemplated. There is no other author I trust more than Decker for insights into the Tarot's history and symbolism.
" --Robert M. Place, creator of The Alchemical Tarot and author of The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination ― Reviews

"Noted art and playing card historian Ronald Decker deeply probes the Hermetic, Neoplatonic and Kabbalistic esoteric systems studied by Renaissance intellectuals and finds sufficient significant congruency between their symbols and tarot cards to build his intriguing theory that the tarot trumps may well have originated as a device with multilevel meanings developed for psychological and philosophical introspection, possibly divination.
Most important to Decker's theory is his close examination of the life and theories of eighteenth century Parisian card reader Jean-Baptiste Alliette, who, perceiving the Hermetic resonances of the cards, first popularized the use of tarot cards for divination purposes under the pseudonym "Etteilla". His card interpretations became the basis for those of the Order of the Golden Dawn, and indeed form the basis of most tarot card interpretations used today.
Obviously this is an impressive book not to be missed; as readable as it is learned, it should have a definite appeal to tarot historian and tarot reader alike." --Paul Huson, author of Mystical Origins of the Tarot ― Reviews

"Scholars of the Tarot and historians of the esoteric and mystic arts will find much to appreciate in Ronald Decker's investigation into the history, symbology, and meaning of Tarot - long mired in mystery, legend, and conjecture. Of great interest is Decker's research into cabala, the dominant form of Jewish mysticism. Based on ancient teachings formulated in the Middle Ages, the teachings of cabala were kept secret from all but the initiated. Nevertheless, Decker traces the ways in which cabalistic symbolism played a significant role in the development of the Tarot." --Kristine Morris, ForeWord Reviews, Summer 2013 ― Reviews

About the Author


Ronald Decker holds a B.A. in fine art from State University College at Buffalo and a M.A. in painting from the University of Cincinnati graduate school. He has taught art and art history at all levels of education. Until his retirement, he was curator of antique cards at The U.S. Playing Card Company. He has studied Tarot cards in public and private collections in all of Europe's capitols as well as Turkey, Egypt, and India. Tarot and the Esoteric Traditions is his fourth book about the cards.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0835609081
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Quest Books; Illustrated edition (July 9, 2013)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 312 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780835609081
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0835609081
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.04 x 0.9 x 9.01 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 51 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Ronald Decker

Ronald Decker

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
51 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the book excellent, fun, and a great resource. They also appreciate the depth, saying it's well-researched, informative, and has a wonderful analysis of minor arcana.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
ReadabilityDepth
6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book excellent, fun, and a great resource. They say everything from the author is pure gold.

"This is a good book, to me it is more academic and would be linked to a history book genre, more than a tarot book, crammed with details and..." Read more

"...are really seriously interested in the tarot it's a good idea, this is a great book...." Read more

"Everything from this author is pure gold! Always well researched and informative, i have loved every word!" Read more

"This is a fun read...." Read more

4 customers mention "Depth"4 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-researched, credible, and informative. They appreciate the spectacular level of depth in details on the history of symbolism. Readers also mention the author makes a wonderful analysis of minor arcana against Gikatilla's Gates of Light book.

"...history book, part encyclopedia, kind of dry, but a spectacular level of depth in details on the history of symbolism...." Read more

"...This book is well-researched and credible...." Read more

"Everything from this author is pure gold! Always well researched and informative, i have loved every word!" Read more

"...Finally he makes a wonderful analysis of minor arcana against Gikatilla's Gates of light book." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Objective analysis
5.0 out of 5 stars Academic , scholar, history
Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2017
Verified Purchase
This is a good book, to me it is more academic and would be linked to a history book genre, more than a tarot book, crammed with details and facts.
The tarot details are here plenty of them, overwhelming almost, but it comes off more as a history essay not unlike writing about any other topic where the ages have gone by, so part history book, part encyclopedia, kind of dry, but a spectacular level of depth in details on the history of symbolism.

You will learn a great wealth of research and clarifications on where things have gone astray , in the details I lost the authors appreciation of the unique character of the tarot, and realized he would have done as good a job if the book was about the Civil War, History of Shipbuilding, or Influence of Steam Engines on Steel Production in England, facts just the facts,
13 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Read
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2018
Verified Purchase
I have no expertise in the subject matter. I can, however, evaluate a text for both critical thinking and BS. This book is well-researched and credible. When he states an opinion, he makes that clear, and provides the thought process by which he arrived at it. Equally important, the areas he treats are the ones of particular interest to those approaching the Tarot for the insights it can offer in leading a spiritually significant and moral/ethical life. This is not a book to tell you how to navigate your love life, but is quite a good one for exploring the Tarot's relevance to one's spiritual/religious and philosophical interests.
9 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
sbjalr0812
5.0 out of 5 stars Realistic Tarot
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2015
Verified Purchase
A lot of books on the Tarot have all sorts of conjecture based on flimsy evidence, this one actually talks more about what the tarot is and where it comes from creating something from the reality of where the mystery comes from. If you want to separate fact from fiction, and if you are really seriously interested in the tarot it's a good idea, this is a great book. If you want to cling to bulls*** fantasy - enter at your own risk.
6 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best!
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2021
Verified Purchase
Everything from this author is pure gold! Always well researched and informative, i have loved every word!
Helpful
 Report
Joseph Crea
3.0 out of 5 stars Well Written But Author Takes A Lot Of Leaps
Reviewed in the United States on January 20, 2019
Verified Purchase
This is a fun read. You can tell that the author knows his tarot history but the book seems like this is more of a fun proposed theory rather than hard fact.

You can tell this by the straining it takes to make certain theories fit: the numerology, relating tarot cards to certain virtues(like the high priestess to prudence, and judgement to Sagacity), hermes and thoth symbolism etc.

Like all books about Tarot. Take everything with a grain of salt, and have fun.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Cliente de Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Humble but sharp approach
Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2016
Verified Purchase
Decker Humbly but scholarly sharply take the middle road in order to reconcile tarotists and scholar approaches. He present a good and plausible theory of tarot origin and, though he doesn't endorse Egyptian origin as most of scholars, he find a nice point of data reconciliation. Finally he makes a wonderful analysis of minor arcana against Gikatilla's Gates of light book.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Johannes
5.0 out of 5 stars optima.
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2013
Verified Purchase
After many years of studying and teaching Kabbalah and tarot (since 1986), this is the first text that I have come across that gives a clear survey of the most probable "history" of the tarot cards, along with their developmental connections to numerology, astrology and hebrew hermeneutics. It is an excellent resource, both theoretically and pragmatically.
13 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
highfalutin
3.0 out of 5 stars Esoteric Tarot
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is not for tarot beginners like me. I am interested in learning more of the history so I will begin studying it soon. But it isn't a book that draws me in. More like a textbook.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Denise
5.0 out of 5 stars Capa linda, conteúdo valioso
Reviewed in Brazil on April 26, 2022
Verified Purchase
Livro para quem gostaria de aprender sobre as origens do tarot, taroccho...Vale a pena!
Report
soprafino
5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 31, 2015
Verified Purchase
Engaging and well researched book which is refreshing in steering a path between the sceptical scholar and tarotist. Offers interesting lines for further research and a plausible thesis.
Report
Giuseppe Cilione
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in Italy on December 13, 2014
Verified Purchase
Tesi affascinanti e ben documentate, non sempre sicurissime, ma nel complesso un'ottima ricerca
Report
Leducdor
5.0 out of 5 stars excellent!
Reviewed in France on September 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
The Esoteric Tarot by Ronald Decker represents the finest in tarot scholarship. This book is exactly what I feel like is needed right now in tarot. This book is not for the faint of heart as its material is advance. Having some background knowledge of Greek philosophy/Hermeticism/Qabala/esoterisim in general will help you keep up with the author. I am an esoteric junkie, I love learning about anything regarding ancient philosophy/history/cultural.religion and if you are like me you will enjoy the wealth of knowledge this book provides on those subjects. This book is for the serious student and you need to devote time to read and understand the material. This is not a book for the newbie.
Report
Cristiano Corrêa Dutra
1.0 out of 5 stars Sério?
Reviewed in Brazil on July 23, 2022
Verified Purchase
O livro parece ser bom... Mas a entrega foi desastrosa... Recebi resposta de que minha solicitação não poderia ser atendida... 1) não solicitei nada, apenas enviei as fotos do produto... 2) custa o item ser bem embalado e bem cuidado durante o transporte? Decepção...
Customer image
Cristiano Corrêa Dutra
1.0 out of 5 stars Sério?
Reviewed in Brazil on July 23, 2022
O livro parece ser bom... Mas a entrega foi desastrosa... Recebi resposta de que minha solicitação não poderia ser atendida... 1) não solicitei nada, apenas enviei as fotos do produto... 2) custa o item ser bem embalado e bem cuidado durante o transporte? Decepção...
Images in this review
Customer image Customer image
Customer imageCustomer image
Report