Alchemy and the Tarot

"Alchemy and the Ta rot" by Robert Michael Place "A history of alchemy and the Ta rot's major and minor suits with an exploration of the Ta rot's symbolism and alchemical connections. It also contains the most up-to-date explanation in print of Place's unique diinatory techniques. This boo! is also the lon awaited companion for any edition of the acclaimed Alchemical Ta rot# discussin the symbolism of each card in the dec! in detail# and it is an essential text for anyone who desires a deeper understandin of the Ta rot's mystical heritae." $$$ "%onderful scholarship on the historical bac!round of Tarot& ost boo!s about Tarot lac! nuance and a fine sense of the history of isual culture. (obert Place is a isual artist who has mastered not only the isual rane of (enaissance history but also writes splendidly about the philosophic moements# reliious issues# and psycholoical practices of isuali) ation as they run t hrouh %estern his tory. *e is peerless i n his treatment of actie imaination.as he traces it from ancient +yptian embalmin practices throuh alchemy and the neo-Platonic *ermetica. ost boo!s dismiss the ancient +yptian oriins of Ta rot as a ,th-century myth. (obert Place ma!es a ery stron interated arument about the intuitie aesthetic continuity of (enaissance Ta rot with ancient mystery practices oin bac! to +ypt ia Alexandria# the * ermeticists# al chemists# and e o-Platonists. I f you !now enouh his tory to hae sensed such connections but felt the eidence is lac!in# you will find an excellent arument here in Place's boo!. /n top of a ll the well-diested but not in-your-face scholarship# this boo! presents and discusses the imaes the author-arti st created for the Ta rot dec! !nown as "The Alchemical Ta rot." The imaes from this dec! embody the arument of his boo! and show how his handiwor! can deeply interate his arument by producin a hihly readable and functional Taro t dec!. +ach card is treated as an object for meditation and the rich symbolism is discussed with eloquence and careful scholarship. The last third of this boo! comments on each of the 0 cards of (obert Place's "Alchemical Tarot" dec!. The commentary oes far beyond other Ta rot commentaries. Place's comments encapsulate for each card imae eerythin he has written earlier in the boo! about the history of alchemy# eo-P latonism# *ermetics# and actie imaination. +ery sentence resonates richly with his awareness of the deep symbolism of tradition. In this way# (obert Place reiniorates the tradition# as if he possesses the Philosopher's 1tone that can inject fresh life into dead matter. This is a boo! by a true wi)ard in which eery sentence prompts renewed attention to imaes and where each imae becomes a door to enter for personal meditation and for wor! of the heart. In short# this boo! is a em that deseres to be widely !nown. /ur culture should only desere to appreciate what the author has put into this boo!. 2on't thin! for a moment that this is just another Ta rot boo! or another 3ittle %hite 4oo! on "just another Tarot dec!." $$$

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Transcript of Alchemy and the Tarot

"Alchemy and the Tarot"

by Robert Michael Place

"A history of alchemy and the Tarot's major and minor suits with an exploration of the Tarot'ssymbolism and alchemical connections. It also contains the most up-to-date explanation in printof Place's unique diinatory techniques. This boo! is also the lon awaited companion for anyedition of the acclaimed Alchemical Tarot# discussin the symbolism of each card in the dec! indetail# and it is an essential text for anyone who desires a deeper understandin of the Tarot'smystical heritae." $$$

"%onderful scholarship on the historical bac!round of Tarot&

ost boo!s about Tarot lac! nuance and a fine sense of the history of isual culture. (obertPlace is a isual artist who has mastered not only the isual rane of (enaissance history butalso writes splendidly about the philosophic moements# reliious issues# and psycholoical practices of isuali)ation as they run throuh %estern history. *e is peerless in his treatment ofactie imaination.as he traces it from ancient +yptian embalmin practices throuh alchemyand the neo-Platonic *ermetica. ost boo!s dismiss the ancient +yptian oriins of Tarot as a,th-century myth. (obert Place ma!es a ery stron interated arument about the intuitieaesthetic continuity of (enaissance Tarot with ancient mystery practices oin bac! to +ypt ia Alexandria# the *ermeticists# alchemists# and eo-Platonists. If you !now enouh history to haesensed such connections but felt the eidence is lac!in# you will find an excellent arument herein Place's boo!.

/n top of all the well-diested but not in-your-face scholarship# this boo! presents and discussesthe imaes the author-artist created for the Tarot dec! !nown as "The Alchemical Tarot." Theimaes from this dec! embody the arument of his boo! and show how his handiwor! can deeply interate his arument by producin a hihly readable and functional Tarot dec!. +ach card istreated as an object for meditation and the rich symbolism is discussed with eloquence andcareful scholarship.

The last third of this boo! comments on each of the 0 cards of (obert Place's "Alchemical Tarot" dec!. The commentary oes far beyond other Tarot commentaries. Place's commentsencapsulate for each card imae eerythin he has written earlier in the boo! about the history of alchemy# eo-Platonism# *ermetics# and actie imaination. +ery sentence resonates richly withhis awareness of the deep symbolism of tradition. In this way# (obert Place reiniorates thetradition# as if he possesses the Philosopher's 1tone that can inject fresh life into dead matter.This is a boo! by a true wi)ard in which eery sentence prompts renewed attention to imaesand where each imae becomes a door to enter for personal meditation and for wor! of the heart.

In short# this boo! is a em that deseres to be widely !nown. /ur culture should only desere toappreciate what the author has put into this boo!.

2on't thin! for a moment that this is just another Tarot boo! or another 3ittle %hite 4oo! on "justanother Tarot dec!." $$$