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A LOT of new info in the New Addition in the "Death" Tarot Card below January 7, 2003
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As an introduction, let me just spell something out first. This is not going to be a New Age mystical mumbo-jumbo junkyard you usually see with much New Age literature. I am not a prognosticaotr or predicter of futures. I am attempting a more scholarly bent of research here. Much of the New Age materials one reads is quite frankly, useless. I mean no offense, but I intend to bring the Tarot up to the level of scholarly inquiry which New Age materials tend to shy away from, and unfortunately end up as huckstering folks. I have no such intentions. I love the symbolism of the Tarot. I am a professional artist and researcher, and hence symbolism is especially intensely interesting to me. I use religious, cultural, mathematical, scientific, mystical, Masonic, Kabbalah, Alchemical, and all symbolism in my notes here. While to some this may not be their cup of tee, I believe as you browse through these notes you will most likely end up saying "Hey! I never thought of it like that before!" I intend on sharing insights into the wonderous world of symbolism here. There is nothing Satanic here. That is an idiotic approach to the Tarot Symbolism. Give it a chance, and the Tarot comes alive for you. In our everyday lives it can begin to "work" for you as you ponder the meanings and ideas from ancient times right up to the symbols we use right now today. It enriches our lives. It increases our intellects, and it stimulates our spirits. THAT is what the Tarot is supposed to do. That is what I intend on fully trying to accomplish here with these notes.
Now then. I use Greek and Hebrew fonts as well which you can download freeware software off the Internet so you can read the texts in those fonts as well Click HERE.
Instead of working myself up in a huge lather worrying about
presenting a polished research paper each week (LAUGH!) including
fully annotated footnotes, biography, bibliography, etc., I am
starting a new section on my website and am calling it My Tarot
Notes.
This is going to be a free wheeling, bash of a thing. As I find
ideas from reading all sorts of various books, articles, etc.,
that I have, I have been taking notes and accumulating them for a
couple years. I just can't find the will power or time now to
actually polish them, present them in a huge paper or book, and
etc. Soooooo, I am going to make notes! Some notes may be one
sentence. Others may be pages long with fully referenced info. I
am taking things from science, philosophy, religion, mysticism,
Masonry, Hermetic ideas, alchemy, etc. I am translating German,
Greek, Hebrew, Latin, Egyptian, whatever. I will have the notes
under separate headings of each Major Arcana Tarot card so its a
little bit organized. I will lump the minor arcana together and
present info as I have it or find it, etc.
This is not orthodoxy interpretation. There is no right or wrong
here. There may be contradictions between notes. It is a work in
progress so to speak. I will include my speculations, ramblings,
art drawings whether free hand or whatever as I meditate, etc. I
will use math, language, science, whatever. It is free wheeling,
letting the inspiration breath into me and me taking notes and
putting them up for us to look at, read, enjoy, argue about,
discuss, help out, etc.
I have so many blasted nice books that delve into ancient
Egyptiana, ancient celts, American Indian, etc. cultures and
ideas that I really, REALLY want to start sharing. I figure why
not present a work in progress and at least share with those who
are interested.
I also always welcome your comments, ideas, spoofs, refutations,
confirmations, add ons, etc. As this thing grows and grows,
perhaps we can all start to see just what in the sam hill the
Tarot is doing. It leads us into a different level. That's just
how I am going to explain it right now for now. It is awesome.
Sooooooo.....look in the Mormon Mysticism section on my website
within the next couple days and then check back as I will begin
adding notes and ideas, ponderings, speculation, etymology,
science, math, philosophy, etc and will continue doing so for as
long as I get ideas, which will mean for the rest of my life.
The Tarot is a magnificent world symbol, crammed pack full of
combinations of things that simply stagger me as I work with it,
read about it, and learn about it. It's time to show what I am
doing mentally with it. That is what this new section is all
about. I will be using the Waite Rider Tarot Deck, as that is the
basic standard one. I also will include other cards and their
symbolisms from other decks as well as they tie in. Symbolism is
an all encompassing thing. It is full of various meanings,
etymologies, parallels, etc. I will look at the clothes on the
Tarot cards, the hand gestures, the attitudes expressed on the
faces of the people, the colors, the background, the foreground,
the hidden words, numbers, etc. I will analyze the Biblical
meanings, the Ancient Far and Near Eastern meanings, the American
meanings, the Indian meanings, etc. I will use the scriptures of
the world, the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, the Koran, the Book of
Mormon, D&C, and PofGP, the Upanishads, Magic, Kabbalah, etc.
I make no apology for roaming the world over using any and all
cultural icons, symbols, meanings, and ideas, to extract and
learn about the largest amount of information and insight into
this magnificent group of symbols called the Tarot Cards.
The Major Arcana
The High Priestess (2)
The Empress (3)
The Hierophant (5)
The Lovers (6)
The Chariot (7)
Strength (8)
The Hermit (9)
Wheel of Forunte (10)
Justice (11)
Death (13) NEW INFORMATION January 7, 2003
Temperance (14)
The Devil (15)
The Tower (16)
The Star (17)
The Moon (18)
Judgment (20)
The Minor Arcana