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Tarot is an ancient art that renews itself with every century, fascinating the artist and mystic in each of us. In the right hands the seventy-eight archetypal images of the tarot cards have the power to evoke insight, expand the imagination, and divine the future. Since the late 1800s many great minds have probed its secrets, seeking to explain the cards' symbolism and advise the reader, yet currently available books merely offer methods of reading various decks, leaving Tarot's past shrouded in mystery and controversy. In this thorough and entertaining introduction to the world of Tarot, Cynthia Giles gathers the most useful nuggets of information and insight on its origins, symbolism, mystical powers, and current uses. Tracing Tarot's history - both actual and legendary - from the mists of antiquity to the present, the author shows how the art evolved from the popular card game "trumps" of Renaissance Italy; explores the notion that it was propagated throughout Europe via migrating Gypsies; discusses the theories of Court de Gebelin and other Tarot historians who ascribe it to the ancient Egyptian Book of Thoth; and looks at the Tarot scene in America today including the legacy of the Golden Dawn group and other modern societies. Delving deeper into Tarot's esoteric meaning, Giles uses excerpts from a vast range of writers - from the outrageous "sex magick" proponent, Aleister Crowley, to Carl Jung and Joseph Campbell - to examine suggested links to other mystical systems like Gnosticism, Kabbalism, and alchemy, and to human sexuality and creative imagination. Even the light of science is cast on this intriguing subject as Giles reveals how quantum physics and the holographic paradigm can be employed to explain Tarot's inner workings and divinatory powers. The Tarot concludes with practical advice to help you shape a personal relationship with the cards everything from selecting the appropriate deck to reading the cards for divination, meditation, and inner growth - and an extensive annotated Tarot book and resource list to guide you through the maze of materials available. With over forty illustrations, this fun-to-read exploration captures the scope and romance of the Tarot as no other single volume can, offering a standard work to delight the Tarot connoisseur and newcomer alike.