Graal & Tarot by Yves Desmares

My favorite book store in Paris, La Vouivre, carries books from the edition: La Nef de Salomon, a maison d'edition begun a few years ago by Jean-Michel Mathoniere. He is one who specialises in the study of compagnonages. Mathoniere worked at La Vouivre when I first came to Paris in 1986, (when I still a grad student in French literature). His " disciples" became my friends, and we are all still in contact in Paris, though I never knew Mathoniere himself. So as you can imagine, I was rather excited to discover my favorite bookstore, still in operation and now carrying books from Mathonniere' s new maison d'edition.
This book is published 2001, I have yet to read it, but am very excited to have it in my hands.

Here is the table of contents:

(I am translating from French)

I. The Holy Graal
II. The Stone
III. Geometry of the Arcanae
IV. The Cross
V. Islam
VI. The Kabbalah
VII. Arcane XXI

If it's the one I'm thinking of, firemaiden, here is a copy of an old post of ihcoyc:

QUOTE
Somewhere around here --- I think it was in a thread on tarot and Rabelais --- there is a reference to a little French book called Graal et Tarot.

The book, unfortunately, is scarcely intelligible. It looks rather like some lecture notes for a course that someone teaches, where all the gaps in its argument are filled in. The author apparently comes from a background of esoteric Freemasonry, but beyond that it's kind of hard to learn much from its rather odd collection of ipse dixits. Parts of it seem to be involved with geometrical analysis of the Marseilles designs. You get the impression that this little essay was meant only to be understood by those who have some kind of background in whatever the system is that he's coming from.
UNQUOTE

The thread this post comes from is here:
http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?threadid=9715

As far as I remember, after I sent ihcoyc my copy of this book, he sent it on to to jmd, as he didn't seem to find it worth keeping either.

But who knows, you may understand what this book is all about and tell us what it's supposed to mean! Anyway, it's a nice book to hold and not too heavy to carry in one's bag.

Diana is correct, I am fortunate in being the recipient of this wonderful little book via the hands of ihcoyc...

The book combines many elements found in various sources on esoteric studies, much of which also already appears in translation in various books.

It has been a little while since I have read it, and would need to re-peruse it for intelligent comments, but I agree that much of it is written in a form which takes much for granted. Personally, I very much like it, and had forgotten, until just mentioned by firemaiden, that it forms part of the indirect Opus of Jean-Michel Mathonière - a name I have also more recently heard but had not connected to this book (he writes a preface to the book, in addition to being the editeur at the publishing house).

A few quick comments as I open the book and recall certain elements. Obviously, the deck used for illustrative purposes is a Marseille. Also, in good esoteric Masonic tradition, various underpinnings from various religious traditions are eclectically syncretised for the purposes of the discussion. In terms of the Tarot's Kabbalistic associations, the continental tradition of placing the Magician in Keter and continuing downwards in emanating order until the Wheel is placed in Malkut is made. Biblical and Koranic references already have an established tradition in France, especially with regards to esoteric Masonry. Biblical references as pertaining to the Tarot also have a long established tradition. One needs to go no further than the works by Carton (1930s) or the anonymous author of Meditations on the Tarot (1967) to see this... although numerous earlier works are of course in existence.

This little book is one of those ones which I think totally annoys the sensibilities of that wonderful French historian of Tarot, Thierry Depaulis - but which I personally find high in esoteric analogical analysis.

firemaiden, I would unreservedly recommend it - even if it is not everyone's cup-of-tea.

I am maybe a third of the way through a first reading of the Carole Sédillot book Ombres et Lumières du Tarot, and I am already getting the impression that the Francophone tarot tradition, though the elder sister to the English one, has followed a quite different path. Perhaps if I had that one first, I might have gotten more out of Tarot et Graal.

IIRC, we first took notice of that book because somewhere we got the idea it promised insights into Rabelais' early reference to the tarot, as well as its relation to Holy Grail symbolism; and the book as produced made few references to those things. I also remembered the Koranic and Biblical references; I can't remember seeing an English book about the tarot that referenced the Koran, and know little about it.

I have seen references especially to the Ka'aba in Mecca in a few books (in English), and from there it would be a small step indeed to the Koran, especially if one works from a perspective more akin to the Guénon et al. 'Traditionalist' position.

If you find Carole Sédillot's book Ombres et Lumières du Tarot, ihcoyc, this gives me additional reasons to find the means to ensure I obtain a copy...

But the reason for this additional post in this thread is to also point to the book referenced in Graal & Tarot as the 'book which remains the best classic addressing Tarot in its entirety' (my translation), viz.:

• Gérard van Rijnberk's
  Le Tarot: Histoire, iconographie, symbolisme
  éd. de la Maisinie/Guy Trédaniel, Paris, 1983.

I can only presume that such a high compliment in this little book must make the referred one quite something...

Van Rijynberk's book is probably essential for any serious Tarotist. It has been out of print for many years. After a long long search, I managed to locate a copy about six months ago at an obscure book-seller in Paris, and paid a small fortune for it.

If you find a copy, don't look at how much it costs. Just buy it!

Van Rijynberk's book

Hi ... I'm not sure if I ever ran into Van Rijynberk's book in my used bookstore travels. Is this book on all 78 cards of the TdM, or just on the Major Arcana?

Thanks in advance!

Je vous écoute. Anything else I should unreservedly buy?
I almost bought Mathoniere's little bouquin on the compagnonnages -- the initiatic artisan societies (esp. tailleurs de pierre - stone masons), I know this is Mathoniere's principal oeuvre; I am most intrigued for the possible relevance to tarot.

Forgeev ze Angleesh

Rusty Neon: the book by Van Rijnberk is only on the Major Arcana. It was originally published in 1947. I am the lucky owner of a limited edition (I have number 678 of 700 copies) of the 1947 edition. I had to buy this book, because the public library told me that I could not keep on and on renewing it, because it's supposed to be a public book - lol - .

PREMIERE PARTIE: Historique et descriptive.
Chapter 1: Origine des cartes à jouer. Leur pénétration et diffusion en Europe.
Chapter 2: Etude comparée de plusieurs jeux de Tarots anciens et modernes.
Chapter 3: Reconstruction hypothétique du Tarot primitif.

DEUXIEME PARTIE: Iconographie exotérique du Tarot.
Chapter 4: Origine des idées et des images emblématiques des Grands Arcanes.
Chapter 5: Vue d'ensemble sur la Série des Arcanes Majeurs, considérés comme Symboles exotériques.

TROISIEME PARTIE: Le Tarot Esotérique.
Chapter 6: Indices d'un sens caché dans le Tarot.
Chapter 7: Le symbolisme des couleurs des Images Tarotiques.
Chapter 8: Le Tarot et l'alphabet Runique
Chapter 9: Les arcanes majeurs du Tarot et le Sanscrit.
Chapter 10: Le Tarot et l'alphabet Hiéroglyhique Egyptien.
Chapter 11: Etude ésotérique du Tarot.
Chapter 12: Organisation intérieure du Tarot.

QUATRIEME PARTIE: Résumé du livre
APPENDICES
PLANCHES


Van Rijnberk was a historian, and I suppose a Free Mason. But I am beginning to suspect that anyone who seems to know anything about Tarot was (is) a Free Mason. Which is why I still sometimes wonder about the links between Tarot and Free Masonry, although jmd has assured me as least twice that I am not on the right path. But God, I am stubborn..............

firemaiden: French tarotists have all read "Tarot l'Enchanteur" by Georges Colleuil. In it, he explains his famous "Référentiel du Tarot" which is a way of doing a birth-chart, a little like an astrological birth-chart, but by using Tarot cards. To understand the Référentiel completely, one would need to do seminars with Colleuil, but this book is a wonderful start, and his interpretations of the Major Arcana are wonderful.

I love Claude Vieux's book called "L'Ame du Tarot de Marseille".

And of course, if you are really really lucky, in a dusty used book-store, you may find "Mythes et Tarot, le voyage du Bateleur" by Dicta.et.Françoise. If you do find it, don't hesitate. This book is worth every penny - although as it is so looked for, you'll probably pay a fortune for it as well. (It's been out of print for some time now.) There again, I was lucky to find this book second-hand, by a seller who I do not think realised what he had in his hands, so I got it for a very good price.

And if you have some spare money, buy yourself an Oswald Wirth deck, and buy his book "Le Tarot: des imagiers du Moyen Age". A lovely read, although some of it goes over my head (in my next life I will be an intellectual, I promise ).