The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

43548

Title

The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

L. W. de Laurence rescues Tarot symbolism from charlatanism, presenting it as a profound, rectified system of higher mystic schools rather than mere fortune-telling. This work unveils the Greater and Lesser Arcana through secret tradition, offering a dignified, philosophical approach to divination rooted in ancient wisdom.

Summary up to 500 words

In 'The Illustrated Key to the Tarot: The Veil of Divination,' L. W. de Laurence presents a rigorous defense of the Tarot as a profound vessel of high symbolism and secret tradition, rather than a mere instrument for trivial fortune-telling. De Laurence structures his authoritative treatise into three distinct parts to rescue the subject from historical inaccuracies and contemporary folly. The first section addresses the antiquities of the cards, debunking popular claims of Egyptian, Indian, or Chinese origins. Instead, the author suggests a connection to the Albigensian sects, arguing that the Tarot serves as a secret symbolical language for this specific school of occultism. The second part delves into the inner symbolism of the Major Arcana (Trumps). De Laurence interprets cards such as The Hanged Man not as martyrdom, but as a state of life in suspension and spiritual transformation; Death as a mystical passage to a higher state of consciousness; and The Tower as the materialization of the spiritual word or the ruin of a house built on falsehood. He rejects crude interpretations in favor of meanings aligned with the Laws of Grace. The final section details the outer method of divination, distinguishing between the Greater and Lesser Arcana. De Laurence outlines various reading techniques, including an ancient Celtic method, aiming to replace cumbersome systems with a harmonized key of universal application. Throughout the work, the author emphasizes that the Tarot speaks a language of symbols capable of indefinite combinations, offering a 'Key to the Mysteries' that reveals the profound truths concealed behind the veil of ordinary divination. By clearing the subject of imposture, the text serves as both a historical correction and a spiritual guide for those seeking to understand the higher mystic schools.

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Categories

• Tarot
• Fortune-Telling