"The Path" by Whitley Strieber

Baneemy

Yes, it's that Whitley Strieber, best known as an alien abductee and the author of Communion. I was surprised to learn that he had written a book on tarot, and even more surprised to discover that it's one of the best books I've ever read on the subject.

Strieber looks at the 22 majors as symbols and meditation tools, and has nothing to say about divination. Aside from a few pages on the symbolism of the four suits, he doesn't discuss the minors at all. He uses the Camoin Marseilles deck.

For me, what makes this book valuable is the freshness of its perspective. Strieber ignores all the usual associations with Kabbalah, astrology, the elements, etc., and just lets the images speak for themselves. He's allows the suits to be symbols in their own right (rather than just stand-ins for the elements), and his approach to many of the majors is new (to me, anyway) and enlightening. For instance, here's part of what he has to say about L'Amoureux:

"The card of the Lover reminds us: nothing lasts. We are drawn to youth but must face age. And yet, the internal dynamic of the card, as the three figures interact in a complex dance, also suggests a deeper meaning: the neutral (in this context) male figuer is drawn toward the active and passive female figures. The active figure is the old woman, who is the truth of what the maiden will become. She is the passive figure, awaiting his touch.

"By looking toward the old woman but yearning toward the young one, the male signifies his inner balance. He desires the young and beautiful maiden, but recognizes the reality of her future and her need. This, in other words, is a healthy lover of life: he see's today's beauty in the context of tomorrow's truth."

I find this to be much deeper than the traditional interpretation of the Marseilles L'Amoureux card as depicting a "judgment of Paris" type scenario.

Anyway, if you use Marseilles style cards at all, I highly recommend this book.

-Baneemy
 

jmd

Thank you for this. I will keep it in mind - it seems that he uses the cards to account for his particular journey, rather than discussing the cards themselves - a style which can be as revealing!

For those interested, Beyond Communion discusses both the book and its background, grounded, seemingly, in Gurdieff.