An exploration of the Tarot¿s mystical roots with a guide to the Tarot of Marseilles, the Waite Smith Tarot, the Alchemical Tarot, and the Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery

A history of the Tarot and its role in the Western mystical tradition, with a discussion of the Tarot of Marseilles, The Waite Smith Tarot, The Alchemical Tarot, and the Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery.

The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery is a stunning deck from tarot artist and author, Robert Place. Inspired by pre-Raphaelite art and redrawn in his very recognisable style, it combines powerful art with his extensive knowledge of alchemy and Neoplatonism. Previously available in an over-sized majors edition, this is the second edition of the regular-sized, full 78-card deck, but with gold edges, Also it comes in a high quality cloth covered box with a slip case.

A deck of 78 Tarot cards based on alchemical symbolism, with a small book in a boxed set

The word 'magic' evokes many ideas, from a stage magician performing illusions to the pyrotechnics of witches and wizards depicted in movies and on television. This book covers the history, practices, and philosophies of magic and alchemy in Western history. It also looks at the tools used by magicians and alchemists.

The Tarot is one of the few books that cuts through conventional misperceptions to explore the Tarot deck as it really developed in the Middle Ages and Renaissance Europe-not, as some would suggest, in the far reaches of Egyp-tian antiquity. Mining the Hermetic, alchemical, and Neoplatonic influences behind the evolution of the deck, author Robert M. Place provides a historically grounded and compelling portrait of the Tarot's true origins, without overlooking the deck's mystical dimensions. Indeed, Place uncommonly weds reliable historiography with a practical understanding of the intuitive help and divinatory guidance that the cards can bring. He presents techniques that offer new and valuable ways to read and interpret the cards. Based on a simple three-card spread, Place's approach can be used by either the seasoned practitioner or the new inquirer.

The magickal methods and esoteric knowledge of medieval Europe (476 to 1453 C.E.) form the ancestral backbone of modern ceremonial magick. To understand medieval magick, it's necessary to know the primary repositories of this knowledge--the grimoires of spells, incantations, and ritual instructions for working with angels and conjuring spirits. And to understand the grimoires, you must delve into the life and times of the magicians who wrote them. Scholar and magician Aaron Leitch sheds light upon the greatly misunderstood subject of the medieval mage in this comprehensive reference manual. In addition, he provides valuable comparisons among the magical practices described in the grimoires and various shamanic methods of working with the spirit world.