They were hugely inspired and influenced by as you say architecture, and more specifically the sculptures on cathedrals. The Tarot is full of them. You can visit almost any old cathedral in France and you'll find yourself bang in a tarot deck. I think anyway a Tarot card has behind it many many ins...

Hi Belenus, disagreeing with me is fine. That's what a forum is for: discussion. Do not underestimate, however, my knowledge of the Bible. I have written four books on the symbolism in the Bible and in one of them is an thorough analysis of the story of Babel, delving in the old Hebrew language. Yo...

I think Maison Dieu refers to the tower of Babel. The tower that was build to conquer heaven/the divine, and that God destroyed... So it is a tower, but this tower is also a metaphor for de spine and the kundalini-energy. The Bible story is about the arrogance that the ego has to think he can take ...

Also my geography colors deeply my experience. That was I was going to ask your opinion about. Because I'm wondering if "North American Catholicism" has a different taint or colourings than for instance, Italian or French Catholicism. My "knowledge" of Catholicism comes from mos...

My experience of catholicism is not studied, it just comes from being raised that way and educated in their schools. I don't recall ever getting the idea that we required a go-between to connect to god, however, one thing that always struck me is that Catholics, generally speaking, do not actually ...

Oh my. How marvellous that you've stepped in then -Belenus. Thank you so much. I'll need to figure this out... (I believe you of course with your background) but I've thought all my life - literally all my life - the opposite of what you say. And I've never ever heard the contrary, even when I've s...

Joan Marie, I'll research all this further after your post which brings more questions that require answers ! But just as a starter, I don't think the Catholic Church would have approved at all of Hermeticism. I doubt they do today either. Because Hermeticism teaches that one can have a direct conn...

So the conclusion here is that a Maison Dieu is not a Tower. An earlier name for this card was La Sagitta (the Arrow). The "Steele Sermon" (c. 1470) refers to it as such. Sullivan Hisman's also identifies the card that way in the list of cards for his Budapest Tarot recreation, though the...

Now what an enlightening post. Wonderful to wake up to !!! Thank you SO much for this information. Of course the Canadians speak an "older" French. The accent too surely must be similar too to the one that the first immigrants had when they arrived on the shores. Their unusual (to other p...

Very interesting post, Belenus. Thank you. I like that very much. Just one detail : it never meant a church. As explained in the first post in this thread. But I can understand the confusion. House of God sounds pretty much like it could be church. So I suggest in future, you don't spread this fals...

It's curious isn't it ? I too had no idea when I started studying the Tarot that there were traditions other than the TdM. I was really surprised. And I, being a resident of the U.S., getting my first tarot deck at age 13 (surreptitiously because of my religiously conservative parents) had one choi...

I would like to know the relationship between the two. Tarot and Kabbalah. And does Kabbalah assist your Tarot readings? How and Why? Or How not? Why not? For what it is worth I have this from a rabbinical scholar: the hermetic cabalah has little to do, if anything, with the authentic Hebraic Kabal...

Joining this thread in an effort to understand these cards. I have a query though, are there reversals in TdM? Some cards it's difficult to tell if it's reversed or upright. Like 4 de Baton, for example. Great question. The short answer is a definite "no". Reversals came into existence ab...

I have long pondered the meanings of atout XVI (and long fought the naysayers and RWS folks who insist it is the same as the Tower card in the RWS and its "descendants.") Here are some thoughts I have thrown around FBlandia about one of my very favorite cards. There is a great deal of hope...

I would like to add that all the indie decks that have appeared thanks to technology and the internet have not really helped the study of Tarot. Each deck creator puts their own touch to the Tarot - and it's usually a very personal touch - it's what the Tarot means to them. Sometimes it goes very d...

No, I think a lot of the trouble comes from the New Age movement which was quite frankly most of the time just a huge hodgepodge of nonsense, superstition and make-believe. I fell into it sometimes myself. We all did. It's often what led people to the tarot in fact. I remember going to a completely...

But I don't see why the Empress should even have a "mother" interpretation. I don't get it. That's not what an Empress symbolises. She's a ruler over an empire. When one ponders the word "empress" would one really start thinking of a mother or motherhood ? I think of someone wit...

Papageno, I am strictly a traditional tarot deck user (traditional = anything prior to 1800's - that is before the French esotericists and the Golden Dawn started, imPpo, mangling the tarot ;-) ) Thus I mainly only use the Tarot de Marseille (though occasionally an Italian Soprafino.) I do have seve...

I have both the deck and the book. They are equally amazing and wonderful! Enjoy!!

Belenus

I was observing the Devil arcanum this morning, and suddenly it struck me - I'm sure it's probably struck a lot of people but I'm sometimes a bit slow on the uptake - lol 😂- that the Devil, represents also all that is pagan , and also Celtic, and is therefore is the direct and most important enemy ...

I had a love reading done on me in regards about someone I like who’s a friend but when I confessed my feelings for them, they told me they weren’t ready yet. But this was the reading. (All Upright) 1. Queen of Swords (Self) 2. 2 of Wands (How I see person) 3. Hierophant (How I feel) 4. Hermit (Bet...

New here, so hope this isn’t too far off topic, but this “what’s the day going to bring” idea is what I hope to learn to do with a Lenormand deck (just took the wrapper off my first). Is there a particular “layout” or whatever the correct terminology may be to answer this type of question? G Hi Gre...

Hi everyone, I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask this question but I have been seeing a tarot reader for almost a year and I've noticed that the 3 times I've been seeing her the cards change regarding my life and relationships. Now I wonder if it's her interpretation or if it's something...

I have several of Yves decks. They are all masterpieces, and I treasure each one deeply!

Thank you Yves for your passionate commitment, and artistic mastery of recreating these decks for our use today.

Merci beaucoup!!!
Belenus

I think it's important in the Tarot that the numbers in the pips correspond to the Majors. Because they do. Hi Diana, I used to think the TdM Atouts and Pips must correspond. I no longer do. The main reason I have disavowed that theory is because so many tarot historians have challenged me on this ...