"EXSTATICA - Self-Help Essentials. Unleash the Transformative Sparkles of the Renaissance Mantegna Tarot" shows you how to turn your life into a masterpiece, for the benefit of all. Get access to the wisdom that made the Renaissance possible, using the Mantegna Tarot as compass. This hands-on book presents actionable ways to use the Mantegna Tarot as a tool of personal growth, to flourish for the benefit of all beings by tapping into the creative sparkles of the Italian Renaissance. It is not an academic treatise about tarots, nor about the mesmerizing history of the Renaissance. It explains how to use the Mantegna Tarot to gain more insights about the Four Spheres of life: behavior, emotions, cognition, meaning. When these spheres are in harmony, you live a meaningful life that expresses its full potential for the benefit of all. When the Four Spheres are not in synch, problems arise. Each of the first four chapters of this book, analyzes the Mantegna Tarot cards for the corresponding sphere. The remaining chapters explain how to use the cards, integrating them into your daily life. You do not need to buy a Mantegna Tarot deck to use this book. These engravings are printed inside the book, on regular pages. If you like, you can cut them out, glue them to cardboard, and cut out each card. Back-pages were intentionally left blank, to ensure cards can be cut without affecting the text of the book. Each chapter ends with short, mindful insights, inspired by Shanti, a lovely Coton de Tulear.

"A profusely illustrated history of the occult nature of the tarot from its origins in ancient Persia. The origins of the tarot have been lost in the mists of time. Most scholars have guessed that its origins were in China, Egypt, or India. Huson has expertly tracked each symbol of the Minor Arcana to roots in ancient Persia and the Major Arcana Trump card images to the medieval world of mystery, miracle, and morality plays. A number of tarot historians have questioned the use of the tarot as a divination tool prior to the 18th century. But the author demonstrates that the symbolic meanings of the Major Arcana were evident from the time they were first employed in the mid-15th century in the popular divination practice of sortilege. He also reveals how the identities of the court cards in the Minor Arcana were derived from a blend of pagan and medieval sources that strongly influenced their interpretation in tarot divination."--Publisher marketing.

A stunning visual history of tarot Used for self-exploration or divination, tarot has, for more than 500 years, been the most popular and accessible of all esoteric tools, looming large in today’s mainstream culture. Why? Because the cards are inexpensive and easy to carry—a perfect traveling companion and, therefore, an invitation to a journey inward and out. Humans are drawn to playing games and feel driven to find meaning in the chaos of paradoxical signs. The vivid iconography of the “Arcanas” speak to us like no other language, moving us to the core, weaving through each card a universal story, a metaphorical pathway of transformation. This 400-page book presents—for the first time—a close look at 500 years of figurative card decks created or used for fortune telling, divinations, and oracle purposes, and explores, one card at the time, their iconographic roots at the crossroads of the medieval imaginarium, Western esoteric wisdom, folklore, and also contemporary art and pop culture. With hundreds of images drawn from more than 100 decks, rarely published and often forgotten in library archives, this book offers the first visual history of tarot.

El Tarot Mantegna es un extraordinario sistema simbólico y artilugio imaginal del siglo XV, y también el tarot más antiguo que se ha conservado completo. Fue atribuido erróneamente al artista Andrea Mantegna, pues sus verdaderos autores permanecen en el anonimato. La presente obra contiene información exclusiva y documentada sobre la historia de este tarot en relación con otras barajas; un estudio de su sistema, la interpretación de cada una de sus cartas; así como ejercicios y métodos de lectura. Las imágenes del Tarot Mantegna son una guía mística que ayuda a reconocer nuestro lugar en el cosmos y a recordar nuestro origen divino. Se trata de un juego poético, filosófico y mnemotécnico que nos indica un camino de virtud y de sabiduría. Sus alegorías y símbolos forman parte de la tradición platónica, hermética y astrológica del Renacimiento. Fue concebido como un sistema de escritura interno, motivado por la concepción alejandrina de los jeroglíficos egipcios, cuyo inventor es el dios Hermes-Thot. El sistema e iconografía de este tarot inspiró a los creadores del Tarot de Marsella, así como a diversos artistas y pensadores.

With more than 40 illustrations and an entertaining informative text, this elegantly designed book captures the scope, powers, and romance of the Tarot throughout the ages. "Excellently researched, entertainingly and compellingly written".--Booklist.

An introduction to Tarot cards that includes in-depth interpretations for each card and explains how different qualities of the card can manifest in a person's life or apply to various situations.

Starting with the basics--choosing the best pack, understanding the deck and its structure, asking the right questions--this comprehensive guide to working with Tarot provides all the information needed to do a full reading. On colorfully, sumptuously illustrated pages unfold the mysteries of each card's symbolic meaning. From the Magician to the Fool, the Lovers to the Hermit, every beautifully presented entry features a picture of the card, as well as keywords and phrases, astrological affinities, and a full interpretation. In-depth advice on laying out spreads for every day, relationships, revelations, and destiny help unlock the secrets of the past, present, and future. With everything from historical background to smart tips for developing skills and knowledge, this truly is the Tarot bible newcomers can depend on!