Tarot Revelations, by Joseph Campbell and Richard Roberts

[wideyes]

I stumbled across "Tarot Revelations", by Joseph Campbell and Richard Roberts, at my local bookstore and picked it up. It's an old-school book and ultimately too advanced for me (Roberts goes into some heavy alchemical, numerological and astrological stuff that I'll need more background for before tackling), but there's a 17-page chapter right at the beginning by Campbell that examines the Marseilles Major Arcana and puts them in a tiered arrangement that was a *total* revelation for me - wow, I had an "aha" moment the size of Texas! Would definitely recommend that book based on this short chapter alone. Joseph Campbell is a force of nature. Roberts' exploration was, however, the final impetus I needed to push me over the edge of getting a 'real deal' RWS deck. Too much in the original imagery to be lost with a clone deck, so there you are.

Anyone else read this book? Thoughts? There's a lot in here.

 

[Richard]

Tarot Revelations

I've had the book for many years. The Campbell chapter on the TdM is indeed an eye-opener. The Roberts section on the Rider-Waite is difficult. I use it mainly as a reference, dipping into it here and there from time to time. I don't think I have the fortitude to read it straight through.

 

[wideyes]

I've had the book for many years. The Campbell chapter on the TdM is indeed an eye-opener. The Roberts section on the Rider-Waite is difficult. I use it mainly as a reference, dipping into it here and there from time to time. I don't think I have the fortitude to read it straight through.

Hah! My thoughts exactly. Hoping there may be someone on here who has really gone deep with this book or some of the teachings within who can shed some insight.

 

[Rhoswen]

Inspired by these posts to order this from Amazon. Another huge impulse purchase. Will comment after it arrives and I've had a chance to read some of it.

Thank you for the mention!

 

[Richard]

Inspired by these posts to order this from Amazon. Another huge impulse purchase. Will comment after it arrives and I've had a chance to read some of it.

Thank you for the mention!

I hope you don't mind numerous references to alchemy. That puts some people off.

 

[wideyes]

Thank you for the mention!

You're welcome! I hope you get something out of it - I have a feeling I'll be referring back to mine once I'm more familiar with the Golden Dawn stuff. But I just used the Campbell layout again with my Major Arcana the other day, and it was righteous! (especially with the Sharman-Caselli deck, which responds well to it). It's really interesting when you start thinking in terms of phases of people's lives and how those stories can be told with tarot. Wish Campbell had written more on tarot - he's a favorite of mine.

 

[Teheuti]

I haven't looked at the book in years but beware that almost every statement made by Campbell about the history of Tarot is wrong. Don't get me wrong - I love Campbell, and I have great appreciation for Richard Roberts, too. I attended a weekend workshop with Campbell on the Tarot just before this book came out (late 70s), and was very disappointed about how little he actually knew on the subject. Mostly he was simply making associations from his huge fund of world myth and general knowledge of European history - but it was obvious that he had never studied the particulars of Tarot.

His references to Dante are a worthwhile track to follow up as it becomes very clear that the tarot comes from a worldview depicted by and then further influenced by Dante (and also Petrarch). Reading the entire 'Divine Comedy' with Tarot in mind is a fabulous thing to do.

So, use Campbell's literary sources as an impetus to explore deeper, but, please don't take his historical information as anything more than a lot of misconceptions and old info that has been superseded by more modern scholarship.

Roberts' own material is much better informed and full of idiosyncratic ideas that I remember finding very intriguing. If you are interested in how Jung and Campbell together might have examined the Tarot if they were very knowledgeable about it, then Roberts does an excellent job, bringing in everything from a Jungian approach to alchemy to Eastern religions.

 

[gregory]

Inspired by these posts to order this from Amazon. Another huge impulse purchase. Will comment after it arrives and I've had a chance to read some of it.

Thank you for the mention!

Ditto, for the TdM bits - though - huge ? Cost me £10....

 

[wideyes]

So, use Campbell's literary sources as an impetus to explore deeper, but, please don't take his historical information as anything more than a lot of misconceptions and old info that has been superseded by more modern scholarship.

Roberts' own material is much better informed and full of idiosyncratic ideas that I remember finding very intriguing. If you are interested in how Jung and Campbell together might have examined the Tarot if they were very knowledgeable about it, then Roberts does an excellent job, bringing in everything from a Jungian approach to alchemy to Eastern religions.

I appreciate this insight. Wouldn't have necessarily put either of those observations together on my own any time soon. I am looking forward to someday getting the most out of this book.

 

[arya ishtar]

got it for a penny on amazon. is inscribed in the front cover, and signed "robert." wonder if it's the author, or another random robert.

really like campbell's set up, regardless of his knowledge of tarot history.

am plodding through the rest. def over my head, but with enough useful gems to keep me going.

wonder just how many diff set ups there are to organize or look at the tarot. can think of 3, incl campbell's. maybe we should start THAT thread...