THE |
|
a cache of usenet and other text files pertaining
to occult, mystical, and spiritual subjects. |
To: alt.magick.tyagi,alt.magick,alt.consciousness.mysticism,talk.religion.misc From: jwrevak@home.com (James W. Revak) Subject: Re: Kabbalah and Tarot History (was Hermetic QBL ...) Date: Wed, 19 Dec 2001 05:34:45 GMT On Tue, 18 Dec 2001 21:44:30 GMT, Josephwrote: >James W. Revak wrote: >> >also, >> >I'm not sure that Tarot should be characterized as either "pagan" or >> >"Pagan" (the latter being a modern development). >> >> Interestingly, in its original form in the Italian Renaissance it was >> in all likelihood essentially a reflection of Christianity and >> probably a fairly orthodox version of Christianity. Where else does >> the Pope and Last Judgment come from? > >the teacher or "heirophant" as well as a final battel between good and evil or >a last judgement or evan (sp?) ragnorake are not at all uncommon to pre >christian myths. But the figure in early Tarot decks is specifically the "Pope" and the card is named such. The Pope is a *Christian* figure. The term Hierophant was applied to this card only beginning in the late 18th century. The Last Judgment depicted on early decks may indeed be compared to any number of other similar concepts or myths in other cultures. Still, in the culture in which Tarot first took root it was a distinctly *Christian* concept. The figures jumping out of graves, and the angel with a trumpet and banner with a cross all comprised typical Medieval/Renaissance iconography for the Last Judgment. Crack any good book on European art of these periods, and you'll see what I mean. If one wants to understand the "message" of Tarot as understood by those who invented it and first used it, one has to look at the cards through *their* eyes. Looking at the cards through our 21st century eyes, with their penchant to see "universals", "archetypes", "mythos", etc., will not help us to understand what the inventors and early users of the cards saw in them. This doesn't mean that its bad to look for "universals", "archetypes", etc., but it doesn't mean that 15th century Italian Christians would have typically looked for stuff like this. >its just my opinion, but as an former art student the >iconography of the tarot can be seen to have pre christian sources Sure, but the Pope is the Pope is the Pope. In the culture in which Tarot first took root, the Pope was seen as a *Christian* figure. He had precious little to do the Hierophant of Eleusis or other aspects of classical paganism. >its just my opinion, but as an former art student the >iconography of the tarot can be seen to have pre christian sources that were >adapted to the christian mythos Sure, but Christians typically used pagan images and literature for *Christian* ends and interpreted in way consonant with the *Christian* worldview. >as was so much else of the pagan world, what >you cant conquor assimilate. evan if the tarot does not go back any further >than the 1500' there still seems to me to be very disctinctly pagan/pre >christian images in the early decks. > Some images may well be pagan, but early decks are still basically a Christian statement. Similarly, there are pagan elements in the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, but the ceiling is still basically a Judeo-Christian statement. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- JAMES W. REVAK - San Diego, CA, USA - jwrevak@home.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Arcane Archive is copyright by the authors cited.
Send comments to the Arcane Archivist: tyaginator@arcane-archive.org. |
Did you like what you read here? Find it useful?
Then please click on the Paypal Secure Server logo and make a small donation to the site maintainer for the creation and upkeep of this site. |
The ARCANE ARCHIVE is a large domain,
organized into a number of sub-directories, each dealing with a different branch of religion, mysticism, occultism, or esoteric knowledge. Here are the major ARCANE ARCHIVE directories you can visit: |
|
interdisciplinary:
geometry, natural proportion, ratio, archaeoastronomy
mysticism: enlightenment, self-realization, trance, meditation, consciousness occultism: divination, hermeticism, amulets, sigils, magick, witchcraft, spells religion: buddhism, christianity, hinduism, islam, judaism, taoism, wicca, voodoo societies and fraternal orders: freemasonry, golden dawn, rosicrucians, etc. |
SEARCH THE ARCANE ARCHIVE
There are thousands of web pages at the ARCANE ARCHIVE. You can use ATOMZ.COM
to search for a single word (like witchcraft, hoodoo, pagan, or magic) or an
exact phrase (like Kwan Yin, golden ratio, or book of shadows):
OTHER ESOTERIC AND OCCULT SITES OF INTEREST
Southern
Spirits: 19th and 20th century accounts of hoodoo,
including slave narratives & interviews
|