The Sola Busca Tarot deck is one of the most remarkable creations of the Italian Renaissance. The important historical significance is illuminated by the thoughtful and thorough interpretations of Sofia Di Vincenzo in her companion volume. This illustrated guide provides fresh insight into the history of the cards, their meanings and uses.

Provides information on every important theory and intepretation and every recognized deck, illustrating and commenting on the symbolism of the early Tarocchi decks and the major later decks.

The Tarot of the Spirit is a companion book to the tarot deck painted by Joyce Eakins and is meant to pick up where other tarots leave off. It is here to aid serious students on the esoteric path of the Western Mysteries. Its reason for being is to provide assistance for inner awakening and continued spiritual practice. Centered on the Qabbalistic Tree of Life, this symbolism clearly explores the Minor Arcana as a representation of the four components of life: spirit, emotion, intellect, and body while it reveals the Major Arcana to be the keys to our emotional response patterns to the symbolic universe in which we live. Includes seven monthly meditations, individual readings, and layouts. Every concept presented in the book is essential in its context. Nothing has been reduced, neither has it been convoluted. Every effort has been made to keep the interpretations clearly understandable. Both this book and the deck are meant to be referred to again and again. As the knowledge of the student deepens, the texts will take on greater meaning.

"Tarot, once a mysterious deck of symbols and images understood by a chosen few, is now a worldwide phenomena and the most popular form of Western divination. Lo Scarabeo's Taro Fundamentals is an essential guide to Tarot usage, meaning, symbolism, art and history"--Back cover.

The only high-quality yet affordable edition available of the classic alchemical manuscript Splendor Solis, described as "the most magnificent treatise on alchemy ever made". Includes up-to-date commentary from experts in the field and a modern translation of the 16th-century text. A magnificent edition of the Splendor Solis for all those interested in alchemy, magic and mysterious manuscripts. Popularly attributed to the legendary figure Salomon Trismosin, the Splendor Solis ('Splendour of the Sun') is the most beautiful alchemical manuscript ever made, with 22 fabulous illustrations rich in allegorical and mystical symbolism. The paintings are given a fitting showcase in this new Watkins edition, which accompanies them with Joscelyn Godwin's excellent contemporary translation of the original 16th-century German text, as well as interpretation from alchemical experts Stephen Skinner and Georgiana Hedesan, and from Rafal T. Prinke, an authority in central and Eastern European esoteric manuscripts. Stephen Skinner explains the symbolism of both the text and the illustrations, suggesting that together they describe the physical process of the alchemical transmutation of base metal into gold. Rafal T. Prinke explains the theories about the authorship of both text and illustrations, discussing Splendor Solis as the turning point in alchemical iconography passing from the medieval tradition to that of the Baroque and the reasons for the misattribution of Splendor Solis to Poysel and Trismosin. Georgiana Hedesan looks at the legendary figure of Salomon Trismosin and his creation by followers of Theophrastus Paracelsus as part of an attempt to integrate their master in a lineage of ancient alchemical philosophers. The images are taken from the British Library manuscript Harley 3469, the finest example of the Splendor Solis to survive.

With warmth and wisdom, authors Holly Adams Easley and Esther Joy Archer delve into the fascinating history and stories behind centuries of tarot artwork in The History of Tarot Art.

The Tarot is much more than mere pictures on cards, the pictures are physical symbols for spiritual concepts. The images are symbolic representation of archetypal forces and/or beings which have always existed and have been identified and passed on to us by ancient initiates and which provide a focus for us to use in self-initiation, spiritual development, and the perception of hidden wisdom. The tarot deck included in this beautiful set was commissioned around 1451 by the Visconti and Sforza families, and it is one of the oldest tarot decks in existence. The images on the cards have been faithfully recreated, showing members of the Sforza and Visconti families in period garments. The borders of the elegant cards are adorned with gold metallic ink. The accompanying book provides a history of Visconti-Sforza cards, 35 of which are now in the collection of the Pierpont Morgan Library in New York City. The symbolism of the different cards is described, along with explanations of different ways to arrange the cards when seeking information about different aspects of life. This beautiful gift box holds the book and card deck side by side, with a purple satin reading cloth folded and placed underneath the book.

The Cary-Yale Visconti Tarocchi Deck is comprised of 22 Major Arcana and 64 Minor Arcana cards. The deck includes reproductions of tarocchi cards from the Cary Collection of Playing Cards, now housed at Yale University. Nineteen cards have been recreated to replace missing originals. In addition to the King and Queen, each suit in the Minor Arcana contains both male and female Knights and Pages.

The Tarot is one of the few books that cuts through conventional misperceptions to explore the Tarot deck as it really developed in the Middle Ages and Renaissance Europe-not, as some would suggest, in the far reaches of Egyp-tian antiquity. Mining the Hermetic, alchemical, and Neoplatonic influences behind the evolution of the deck, author Robert M. Place provides a historically grounded and compelling portrait of the Tarot's true origins, without overlooking the deck's mystical dimensions. Indeed, Place uncommonly weds reliable historiography with a practical understanding of the intuitive help and divinatory guidance that the cards can bring. He presents techniques that offer new and valuable ways to read and interpret the cards. Based on a simple three-card spread, Place's approach can be used by either the seasoned practitioner or the new inquirer.