Exploring tarot is exploring ourselves, and it reminds us of the universal nature of the longing for meaning, purpose, and connection with the divine. This 600-year-old tradition reflects not only the history of divination but also
our artistic journey and the ways humans express the story we share.
Seen from the West, tarot holds for many a place in the shadows of our shared cultural consciousness, constituting a metaphysical tradition housed in the dusty cabinets of the arcane. Its long and dark history has been passed down through secret texts, oral tradition, and scholarly tomes by sages and philosophers. Hundreds of years and creative hands (mystics and artists who often worked together) have
transformed what was essentially a parlor game into a system of divination and self-knowledge, and in turn, each generation has sought to evolve the form and reinterpret the medium.
The author
Jessica Hundley traces this fascinating history in Tarot, the
first volume of TASCHEN’s Library of Esotericism series. The book explores
the symbolic meaning of over 500 cards and original artworks, more than two-thirds of which have never been published outside their original decks. It is
the first visual compendium of its kind, spanning from the Middle Ages to the contemporary era and
organized according to the sequence of the major and minor arcana of the 78-card deck. It explores tarot’s powerful influence as a muse for artists such as
Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle, and includes decks by nearly
100 diverse contemporary artists from around the world who have embraced this medium for its ability to drive cultural identity. The volume is completed with excerpts from thinkers like
Éliphas Lévi, Carl Jung, and Joseph Campbell; a foreword by artist
Penny Slinger; a guide to card interpretation by
Johannes Fiebig; and an essay on oracle decks by
Marcella Kroll.
