Prophetical, Educational and Playing Cards

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

42950

Title

Prophetical, Educational and Playing Cards

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer's 1912 work explores the occult origins of playing cards, tracing them to ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian deities like Thoth and Nebo. The text argues that Tarot cards served as a sacred 'Book of Thoth' for divination before becoming tools for gambling, blending historical analysis with esoteric interpretation.

Summary up to 500 words

In *Prophetical, Educational and Playing Cards*, Mrs. John King Van Rensselaer presents a comprehensive treatise arguing that modern playing cards evolved from sacred tablets of fate used by ancient priests of Mercury and Thoth. The text systematically decodes the imagery of Italian Tarot packs, linking each 'Atout' to specific deities, virtues, or vices, while associating the four pip suits—Rods, Cups, Swords, and Money—with elemental forces and life events. Van Rensselaer explores the mythology of Nebo, the Chaldean god of writing, and Thoth, the Egyptian scribe, asserting that card suits represent the dichotomy between family dynamics and external conflicts. She distinguishes between genuine prophetic Tarots, which served as religious cult objects, and mundane gambling decks invented centuries later. The author details historical packs owned by Italian nobility, such as those of the Duke di Visconti, and discusses the role of Gypsies as potential custodians of these mysteries who carried the 'Book of Thoth' through Europe. Van Rensselaer analyzes the transition from secret worship to secular games, noting how Christianity forced ancient rites underground, leading to the concealment of Mercury's emblems on unbound leaves. The book serves as both a historical survey and a practical guide for cartomancy. It provides detailed rules for fortune-telling layouts designed to reveal a querent's character and future, interpreting the seventy-eight cards as an endless combination of human emotions and incidents. Ultimately, the text invites readers to decipher the hidden meanings within the deck, viewing it not merely as a tool for gambling but as a vehicle for consulting the wishes of ancient deities and understanding the evolution of speech, letters, and books attributed to Mercury.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/42950.epub.noimages

Local file path

data/epubs/pg42950.epub

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2026-08-19 20:32 UTC

Categories

• History
• Fortune-Telling