Tarot and Divination Cards : A Visual Archive

Laetitia Barbier’s Tarot and Divination Cards is a stunning visual history of tarot. Used for self-exploration or divination, tarot has, for more than 500 years, been the most popular and accessible of all esoteric tools, looming large in today’s mainstream culture. Why? Because the cards are inexpensive and easy to carry—a perfect traveling companion and, therefore, an invitation to a journey inward and out. Humans are drawn to playing games and feel driven to find meaning in the chaos of paradoxical signs. The vivid iconography of the “Arcanas” speak to us like no other language, moving us to the core, weaving through each card a universal story, a metaphorical pathway of transformation. This 400-page book presents—for the first time—a close look at 500 years of figurative card decks created or used for fortune telling, divinations, and oracle purposes, and explores, one card at the time, their iconographic roots at the crossroads of the medieval imaginarium, Western esoteric wisdom, folklore, and also contemporary art and pop culture. With hundreds of images drawn from more than 100 decks, rarely published and often forgotten in library archives, this book offers the first visual history of tarot. "Used for self-exploration or divination, tarot has, for more than 500 years, been the most popular and accessible of all esoteric tools, looming large in today's mainstream culture. Why? Because the cards are inexpensive and easy to carry-a perfect traveling companion and, therefore, an invitation to a journey inward and out. Humans are drawn to playing games and feel driven to find meaning in the chaos of paradoxical signs. The vivid iconography of the "Arcanas" speak to us like no other language, moving us to the core, weaving through each card a universal story, a metaphorical pathway of transformation. This 400-page book presents-for the first time-a close look at 500 years of figurative card decks created or used for fortune telling, divinations, and oracle purposes, and explores, one card at the time, their iconographic roots at the crossroads of the medieval imaginarium, Western esoteric wisdom, folklore, and also contemporary art and pop culture. With hundreds of images drawn from more than 100 decks, rarely published and often forgotten in library archives, this book offers the first visual history of tarot"--Publisher's description Cover Title Page In the Beginning was the Voice Table of Contents Introduction A Brief History of Cards and their use as a Spirited Device The Major Arcanas The Fool The Magician The Popess – The High Priestess The Empress The Emperor The Pope – The Hierophant The Lover – The Lovers The Chariot Justice The Hermit The Wheel of Fortune Strength The Hanged Man Death Temperance The Devil The Tower Star The Moon The Sun Judgement The World The Minor Arcanas The Suit of Coins The Suit of Swords The Suit of Cups The Suit of Wands Cartomancy and Divination Games Cartomancy The Suit of Diamonds The Suit of Spades The Suit of Hearts The Suit of Clubs Etteilla Mademoiselle Lenormand The Hieroglyphic Tarot of Madame Dulora de la Haye La Sibylle des Salons Das Auge Gottes: The Eye of God The Arithmetic Game Le Tarot Astrologique The Great Game of the Hand The Antique Destiny Deck Modern Tarot The Brady Tarot The Dust II Onyx Kahn & Selesnick Ghetto Tarot Pavlov’s Tarot Uusi Notes Selected Bibliography Acknowledgments Copyright Page