- Tarot Médiéval: The Mysteries of the Initiate’s Path
- By Caitlín Matthews. Illustrated by Wil Kinghan
- Published by Red Feather, U.S.A 2023
- ISBN 978-0-7643-6620-3
- Book and 78 Tarot cards
- review by Magenta
My first impression when I opened the package was ‘Wow!’ In black and red with roses and fleur-de-lis emblems, the very sturdy box opens like a cabinet to reveal the book and cards.
The book is a substantial 215 pages, which covers the history of the Tarot, the Major and Minor Arcana, and several extensive ‘working with the Tarot’ chapters.
Caitlín has included some very interesting spreads which I may well use in my Tarot work, especially the nine-card ‘Weft of the Mysteries’ spread.
The deck itself is very simple in design; the four suits are Sceptres (Wands), Swords, Cups, and Shekels (Coins) and follow the tradition of pre-RWS decks by having the pip cards without the embellishment of RWS influence. For example, the 6 of Shekels shows just the six Shekels and nothing more. The Majors are also fairly simple in their design, but are full of symbolism. If I had to pick a favourite, I think it would be The Priestess (High Priestess in other decks). Like many earlier decks, The Fool is numbered XXI rather than 0, and placed between Judgment and The World (which is numbered XXII in this deck).
Caitlín gives full information and interpretation of each card and its connections with Astrology and the Kabbala. The commentary for each card veers strongly towards the initiatory paths of mysteries and ritual magic of course and as just mentioned, especially the Kabbala.
I personally found the book fascinating as a Tarot reader of nearly 50 years’ experience. However, I would not really recommend the book and deck to a beginner or someone without any prior knowledge of the Kabbala or Astrology. It would appeal to any serious student of these topics though.
I mainly use an Italian deck (designed around 1890 and influenced by earlier Tarot de Marseilles decks), so am familiar with decks that show the pip cards in basic form only, and I would be very happy to add Tarot Médiéval: The Mysteries of the Initiate’s Path to my collection.
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