‘Taschen to release Waite-Colman Smith tarot collection’

    

Taschen has done it again. This time the publisher of lavish books and other sumptuous treats is poised to release its take on the A.E. Waite/Pamela Colman Smith tarot deck. You know, the one we all get started with, although it is more than enough for a lifetime of contemplation. Coming soon, and open for pre-ordering now, is a box of book and deck. From the publicity:

Doors into Our Uncharted Depths

The Story of the World’s

Most Popular Tarot

A unique edition of bright texts, brilliant images, and historic reprints, this kit provides everything that both beginners and advanced Tarot users might need and want to read cards for themselves and to study and experience this cultural gem in all its beauty and significance. The valuable collector’s box includes a complete deck of the Waite Smith Tarot cards and Waite’s famous companion book The Key to the Tarot. In this illustrated book, with texts and images compiled by Johannes Fiebig, the Tarot cards become psychological mirrors and signposts leading toward new answers and personal solutions. The fact that this works well can be attributed to certain advantages inherent to the Waite-Smith cards, and these points are illuminated in an essay by Rachel Pollack.

All 78 cards are presented individually and in detail. The explanatory texts provide several dimensions and levels of interpretation, including concrete practical tips. Further, the book offers a new feature: the quick check. This presents a concise hint regarding the meaning of each card in each possible position of all the spread patterns featured in the book.

When Arthur E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith developed their Tarot deck in London in 1909, nobody could have predicted that it would have an overwhelming renaissance starting around 60 years later. What were the lives, works, and passions of these creators like? Pamela Colman Smith and Arthur E. Waite are brought vividly back to life in essays by Mary K. Greer and Robert A. Gilbert.

The authors

Johannes Fiebig is one of the most successful authors in the field of Tarot and a leading expert in the psychological interpretation of symbols. He published his first book in 1984. Since then, his books have sold more than 2 million copies, translated into more than a dozen languages. In 1989, he co-founded and co-owned Königsfurt publishing house, which later became the publishing houses Königsfurt-Urania and AGM-Urania, of which he was managing director until 2018. Since then, he has been an independent writer based in Kiel.

Mary K. Greer is one of the world’s leading Tarot scholars and experts, famous by her outstanding, both exciting and useful Tarot blog. She is an author, teacher, and professional tarot consultant known for her innovative teaching techniques. With an M.A. in English Literature, she taught Tarot in colleges for fifteen years. Since the 1980s and her book Tarot for Your Self (1984), Mary belongs to the pioneers of the tarot as self-experience and as a tool of personal transformation and empowerment. She is a co-author of Pamela Colman Smith: The Untold Story (2018). She lives in California.

Rachel Pollack is the author of 46 books, including two award-winning novels, a book of poetry, a translation, with scholar David Vine, of Oedipus Rex (2012), and a series of books about Tarot known around the world. Her first book, Seventy-Eight Degrees Of Wisdom, was published in 1980 and has been in print ever since. Her work has been translated into 15 languages, and she has taught and lectured on four continents. She also is a visible artist, creator of The Shining Tribe Tarot, and has collaborated with artist Robert M. Place to create the Raziel Tarot, and the Burning Serpent Oracle. She lived in Rhinebeck, New York for many years, where she died in 2023.

R. A. Gilbert is a retired antiquarian bookseller and a prolific author and editor in the field of Western Esotericism, specializing in the life and work of A. E. Waite and in the history and lives of members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. His books include A.E. Waite: Magician of Many Parts (1987); The Golden Dawn Scrapbook (1997); Gnosticism and Gnosis (2012). Gilbert read Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Bristol, and received his doctorate from the University of London for a thesis on the publication of esoteric literature in the Victorian era. He lives a Somerset Village, England.

Click here to explore the pre-order process. Treat yourself or someone else important to something extraordinary for the holidays.

     

‘Hockley revisited’

     
Courtesy of Ill. Cliff Jacobs of the Valley of New York City.


Now Available from The Teitan Press: “The Rosicrucian Seer: Magical Writings of Frederick Hockley.”

An important collection of Hockley’s writings, with a biographical introduction by John Hamill, and chapters on Hockley’s Manuscripts, and “Hockley as an Astrologer” by R. A. Gilbert. The editor, John Hamill, is one of the leading historians of English Freemasonry - with a particular fascination for its more unusual byways. R. A. Gilbert is of course an acknowledged authority on the 19th century occult revival on which he has written and lectured extensively.

Frederick Hockley (1809-1885), was a major, if often overlooked, figure in 19th century occultism. He was an active “seer” who engaged in scrying, and took an interest in ritual magic, alchemy and spiritualism. He was also a Freemason, who was associated with the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia and other esoteric fraternities. In addition, Hockley sought out and copied Grimoires and other magical, alchemical and kabbalistic texts that had lain hidden in private collections around England. Many of Hockley’s early manuscripts were commissioned by John Denley, the bookseller who had acquired Ebenezer Sibly’s stunning library, the source of many of the texts that Francis Barrett used in compiling “The Magus,” while others were for his own use. After his death, Hockley’s library was dispersed, and it is known that many Hockley manuscripts made their way into the hands of members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Such was the high regard in which Hockley was held, that one of that group’s founders, W. Wynn Westcott, not only wrote that Hockley’s manuscripts were “highly esteemed,” but also posthumously claimed him as Adept of the Golden Dawn. “The Rosicrucian Seer” not only reveals much about Hockley’s life and esoteric activities, but also provides invaluable insights into the occult milieu of 19th century England that gave rise to the Golden Dawn and inspired its members.

“The Rosicrucian Seer” was previously published as a paperback in 1986. This new edition, the first in hardcover, has been extensively revised and corrected, and contains much new material both by and about Hockley.

New book. Fine in fine dust jacket. (36444) $45.00
Publisher: The Teitan Press. York Beach, Maine USA, 2009.
Details: First Edition Thus. Edition Limited to 950 numbered copies.
ISBN: 9780933429154.

Format: Hardcover. 8vo. xxiv + 240pp. Quality red cloth with gilt sigil on upper board, gilt titling to spine. Full color dustjacket. Color frontispiece, index. Printed on library quality paper. New book.

Shipping within the US for one book:
Priority Mail - $7.50 Media Mail - $5.00

Shipping overseas for one book:
Flat Rate Air - $12.50

(The shipping cost for multiple-copy orders varies according to quantity and destination.)


Special launch-week offer!
While supplies last, copies sold will come with a book-plate signed by both John Hamill and R. A. Gilbert. (Please note: Signed copies are strictly limited to one per customer, subject to availability on a “first come, first served” basis. No limit on purchase of unsigned copies.)

For further information on this and other Hockley titles published by the Teitan Press please click here.

Place an order via the secure website of Weiser Antiquarian Books, or send an e-mail to books@weiserantiquarian.com

Weiser Antiquarian Books is presently the sole distributor of Teitan Press titles.
Wholesale inquiries welcome.

Rose Circle, Part III

From left: Master of Ceremonies Rob Morton, R.A. Gilbert, Piers Vaughan and David Lindez.


The trilogy of presentations given Saturday would be possible only at an event hosted by the Rose Circle Research Foundation. Three Rosicrucian scholars, all with international reputations, gathered at one podium to impart three unique perspectives of their common subject.

I'll say at the outset that I am restraining myself from quoting too extensively from these three presentations because the papers will be available to Rose Circle members via the Foundation's website. If you are reading this blog with any specific curiosity, you would benefit from Rose Circle membership.

Piers A. Vaughan spoke brilliantly on Alchemy in relation to the three degrees of Craft Masonry. There probably is not a way to collate all the information pertaining to Piers' work in Freemasonry and other initiatic societies. Here is how one Scottish Rite publication put it:

Bro. Piers Vaughan was initiated in Southwick Lodge No.7058 in England in 1979, and when he moved to the USA he affiliated with St. John’s Lodge No 1 in New York City, where he was Master in 1998. AGL of the First Manhattan District , High Priest of the Ancient Chapter No.1 RAM, Illustrious Master of Columbian Council No.1 Cryptic Masons, and Commander of Morton Commandery No. 4 KT, are just some of the Masonic functions that this Worthy Brother was or still is active in. As a Past Most Wise Master and a Ritual Director of the Chapter of Rose Croix, he greatly improved the standard of proficiency in this Body’s Ritual work and through his extensive knowledge of the Craft, and especially of the Rose Croix Degrees, has increased the understanding of the Rituals, Symbols and Tenets in the Chapters and in the Valley.

With wonderful illustrations projected by PowerPoint, Piers led a tour of sacred sites around the world, from Chartres to the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas, with pointed sightseeing of Green Man examples and other depictions of esoteric thought rendered in stone for the understanding of illiterate generations of long ago.

Part of his point is to demonstrate how alchemical images were built into medieval churches, on their walls, their arched entrances, stained glass windows and elsewhere. More than Western sacred spaces, Piers' visit to the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas in Hong Kong produced a photo of a statue of the newborn Buddha with one hand raised, pointing up, and the other hand lowered, pointing down, as if to say "As above, so below." (The word "gobsmacked" comes to mind, and that's not even a word I'd ever use.) He describes the symbolism chiseled into the multiple arches of the entrance of Notre Dame as "an initiation in itself."

Using additional graphics, Piers reveals direct relationships between alchemical elements and Masonic ritual.

Defining the "puffers" of material alchemy (that is, those who endeavor to transmute metals, like lead into gold) as akin to operative masons transforming raw stone into beautiful structures or adornments, Piers explained that the Master Mason Degree's message of spiritual renewal contains too much alchemical information to be ignored, and he furthermore linked both, thematically, to esoteric Christianity in that all three schools of thought lead to the unification of heaven and earth.

Look to the Gospel of St. Thomas, he reminded us: "Split a piece of wood; I am there. Lift up the stone, and you will find me there." (77:2-3)

Other Alchemical-Masonic parallels were identified. To touch on a few:

The Chamber of Reflection awaiting aspirants in traditional Scottish Rite Masonry and other Masonic rites is likened to Alchemy's Calcination phase, the first of seven (boy, does that number come up frequently!) major stages of alchemical transformation. This involves the use of heat – "a gentle heat, not a roaring fire" – to reduce substance to ashes. In psychology, we'd call this a humbling process that deconstructs the ego, liberates the mind from concerns for material wealth, and grants time for introspection.

The Trivium (Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric) and Quadrivium (Geometry, Astronomy, Arithmetic and Music) of the Middle Chamber Lecture parallels Alchemy's act of Conjunction, which is a period of examining higher concepts in steps toward achieving a community with deity.


Of the Middle Chamber Lecture's borrowing of Judges' tale of Jephthah, Piers describes it as the "most transparent" of Alchemical symbols in the Masonic body of degrees, a "fascinating allegory" that uses the Jordan as "a barrier between two states of consciousness."

(Among the papers accessible to Rose Circle members on their website is "The Illustrious Order of the Red Cross" by Piers, which explores this concept in convincing detail.)

But more is required than intellectual understanding, said Piers in conclusion. "All rituals are in vain if they bring only an increase in knowledge. Masonry is nothing more than a hobby when it is not practiced in our daily lives."

I'm going to be especially protective of David Lindez's presentation, a historical look at Rosicrucianism and Freemasonry in the United States, not only because this candidly expressed paper will appear on Rose Circle's website, but also because this never before revealed information will be extrapolated in a book, soon to be published. Furthermore, not being a Masonic Rosicrucian myself, circumspection and common sense demand that I not err by confusing the names and dates of historical import that David shared. Suffice to say that as Grand Archivist of the Masonic Rosicrucians of the United States, Fratre David possesses priceless historical gems (personal journals, correspondence, rare books, etc.) that are among his sources of information.



From left: William H., David, Rob M., and Jonathan C.

If I'm comfortable at all sharing one thrust of his paper, it would be the crucial and indisputable fact that Masonic Rosicrucianism is intended to be more than the literary and research society it is officially known as. Instead, the fratres, of all grades, should be employed in the Great Work of spiritual transformation, as guided by their rituals, ceremonies that illumine the secrets of nature and the will of God.

But I digress.

I believe Piers and David would agree that the star of the conference was R.A. "Bob" Gilbert, another luminary in the field of esoteric education and instruction whose resume runs too long to be published here. Bob's presentation, "Beyond the Image: The Spiritual Reality Behind the Symbol of the Rose and Cross," instructs in a non-dogmatic investigation of what these two timeless symbols can tell us. He began with general information – a definition of "symbol," and a quick sketch of the early history of the Rosicrucian movement, among other points – and gradually worked his way toward the brilliant thesis of his talk, punctuating his message with terrific illustrations.

In fact, it is his visual presentation that will make it difficult to relate the details of his talk. You know a picture is worth a thousand words, so:



Better symbols have "restraint and gravitas" and do not depersonalize Christ. And they "have to work in practice and be practical, or they will not work."



This previously unpublished image comes from a Shaker community in Pennsylvania circa 1890. To me it seems to recall the Tree of Life, but Gilbert was careful to point out that representations created in isolated Christian communities of early America were characterized by the symetry with which they depicted crosses, circles and roses. You'll have to forgive me for not getting a quality photograph of a second image that comes from a Quaker community in Massachusetts, but that image is strikingly similar to this Shaker illustration.

"We shouldn't be surprised by the commonalities," Gilbert explained to a visibly astonished audience. These communities were not in contact, but they had commonality in their respective monastic Protestant cultures. "Both encouraged artistry and spiritual introspection."

The point is "human unity is manifest in a shared hunger for enlightenment."

The capacity crowd in the Chapter Room of the Grand Lodge of New York was evidence of that.



(Actually this photo was shot during the Q&A, by which time dozens of guests had flowed into the hallway to stretch their legs.)