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The Pythagorean Tarot
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Product Description
Just as ancient Greek civilization forms the bedrock of Western thought and culture, the brilliance of Pythagoras underpins much of Western esoteric tradition. Now, his vision of universal order based on numbers joins with another venerable system of magic and divination—the tarot.
The Pythagorean Tarot represents a level of research and scholarship rarely seen in the study of tarot, alchemy, or numerology. This unique system applies authentic Pythagorean numerology and aspects of Jungian psychology, alchemy, and mythology to the living symbolism of the tarot.
The result is an authentic tarot that the ancient Pythagoreans themselves might have designed, based on a Graeco-Roman metaphysical model and incorporating the immediate, timeless power and relevance of archetypal images. The Pythagorean Tarot kit includes 78 full-color cards and a 480-page companion book.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #530207 in Books
- Published on: 2001-11-01
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Paperback
- 480 pages
Editorial Reviews
About the Author
John Opsopaus (Tennessee) is a practicing Neopagan in the Hellenic tradition who has been an active magician and diviner for thirty years. He is also a university professor with more than twenty-five years' experience reading ancient Greek and Latin.
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Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Why a Pythagorean Tarot?
Twenty-seven hundred years ago, the Pythagoreans formed an esoteric society built on the traditions of the Orphics, Babylonians, Phoenicians, and Egyptians, among others. Their teaching and practices made a major contribution to other esoteric traditions, including alchemy, Qabalah, Hermeticism, and Gnosticism. The Pythagorean Tarot reconstructs a tarot such as the Pythagoreans might have used, had they known the tarot. It is based primarily on the archetypal numbers, which are central to Pythagorean philosophy, as well as on classical pagan religion, mythology, magic, and philosophy.
In all cases the Pythagorean Tarot looks to the oldest historical records in an attempt to separate the archetypal numerological structure of the tarot from the accidents of its more recent history. In this way we can reconstruct a tarot compatible with ancient Pythagoreanism. The resulting Pythagorean Tarot illuminates deep patterns in mythology, the archetypes, paganism, alchemy, and numerology.
The Pythagorean Tarot is unique in using authentic Pythagorean numerology as the principal interpretive framework for both the Major and Minor Arcana. It is also unique in that it uses the Ferrarese sequence, the oldest documented order of the tarot trumps. However, much of the interpretation is independent of the order, so this book and deck will be useful if you prefer to use the more familiar sequences. Finally, this book is also unique in relating the tarot to systems of dice divination from which it probably originated. Thus, the Pythagorean Tarot will deepen your understanding of the structure and meaning of the tarot, no matter what deck you use.
Some of the specific features of the Pythagorean Tarot include:
•analysis of Major and Minor Arcana based on authentic Pythagorean principles (i.e., Pythagorean philosophy as attested in ancient texts).
•analysis of the Majors and Minors through the symbolism of the numbers as understood through archetypal (Jungian) psychology.
•presentation of the roots of tarot symbolism in classical and Renaissance iconography.
•exploration of related symbols and themes from classical mythology (Greek, Roman, Mesopotamian, Hindu).
•use of the earliest documented order of the trumps (although the deck and commentary can also be used with the better-known orders).
•citation of the sources or reasons for all interpretations, so you can make your own informed decisions. Therefore, the Guide to the Pythagorean Tarot has over 1,600 citations, many more than one typically finds in a tarot book; you can ignore them unless you are interested in a source.
•clear explanation of the logic of the Minor Arcana.
•practical suggestions for your use of the tarot for divination, meditation, and personal development.
•exploration of the relation of tarot to dice divination.
The Numbers as Archetypes
Jung's elucidation of the archetypes of the collective unconscious is now familiar to many people, and it is apparent that the images of the tarot are archetypal. A number of tarot commentators (e.g., Gad, Nichols; see bibliography) have applied Jungian analysis to traditional tarot decks, and several recent decks (e.g., Wang's Jungian Tarot, Guiley & Place's Alchemical Tarot) make explicit use of archetypal imagery as described by Jung and his colleagues. The archetypes also underlie the symbolic system of alchemy and mythology, so I have drawn on these as well in my interpretations and designs for the Major Arcana (comprising 22 obviously archetypal images). What is less well-known, however, is that the numbers themselves are archetypes, and it is the structure of these archetypes that is expressed in Pythagorean numerology, the system of Sephirot in the Qabalah, and the number mysticism of many other cultures. An understanding of these archetypes illuminates the Minor Arcana (comprising four suits, with four court cards and ten pip cards each), as well as shedding additional light on the numerological structure of the Major Arcana. (The best source for understanding the numbers as archetypes is von Franz's Number and Time; Schimmel's Mystery of Numbers is a good source of number symbolism; and Fordham's Introduction to Jung's Psychology is the most concise, yet accurate, introduction to Jung's thought with which I'm familiar.)
The archetypes may be explained as follows. We experience existence in two quite different ways: physically (or materially) and psychically (or mentally). Nevertheless, one reality—which Jung calls the Unus Mundus (One World)—underlies both kinds of phenomena. The collective unconscious comprises all those unconscious structures and processes that we share with other people; some of them derive from our human brains, but other, deeper ones derive from our biology and even from the laws of physics on which our biology is based. "The lowest collective level of our psyche is simply pure nature" (von Franz, N&T, 7). The archetypes are active structures in this shared level of the unconscious that predispose us toward certain patterns of psychic response to given situations, which in turn can manifest in many specific ways. An archetype appears in consciousness as a subjectivereality, but because of its origin in the collective unconscious, it represents an objective reality. (von Franz, N&T, 4–7, 15, 31, 54–5)
Jung became convinced that the most basic archetypes are numerical and that number is the key to the relation between the psychical and physical realms. This is because number is "a constituent of nature, both without and within" (von Franz, N&T, 13); it "preconsciously orders both psychic thought processes and the manifestations of material reality" (von Franz, N&T, 53). Jung wrote (von Franz, N&T, 9), "I have a distinct feeling that number is a key to the mystery, since it is just as much discovered as invented. It is quantity as well as meaning."
Number is both quality and quantity, both meaning and measurement. In the historical, conscious development of number, the West has favored the quantitative and abstract structural aspects, which has led to the development of modern science, whereas the East has favored the qualitative and affective (feeling-toned) aspects. That is, the West has emphasized the material pole and the East the mental pole, although both are essential aspects of the Unus Mundus. The Pythagoreans, however, viewed numbers as cosmic principles with both material and spiritual aspects. This perspective is the basis of the numerology found in many cultures. (von Franz, N&T, 39, 215)
When the qualitative aspects are included in our conception of numbers, they become more than simple quantities 1, 2, 3, and 4; they acquire an archetypal character as Unity, Opposition, Conjunction, and Completion. They are then analogous to more familiar archetypes, such as the Mother, the Wise Old Man, the Maiden, and the Shadow, which are more obviously represented in the Major Arcana.
Divination
If we understand physical and psychical phenomena as two aspects of the underlying Unus Mundus, then Jung's idea of synchronicity becomes clearer. A synchronous event can be defined as a meaningful coincidence, that is, a coincidence that has symbolic significance to someone experiencing the event. "By a synchronistic phenomenon Jung understands the coincidence in time of two or more psychic and physical events which are connected, not causally, but by their identical meaning" (von Franz, N&T, 6n2). The meaning is revealed in an image constellated by an archetype manifesting simultaneously in the physical and psychic realms. Synchronistic phenomena are important because they provide a glimpse of the Unus Mundus in its wholeness; the eternal archetypes break through into the world of ordinary time, and inner and outer aspects of experience move in harmony. (von Franz, N&T, 199, 242–3)
Synchronistic phenomena are usually spontaneous, but in divination we arrange for a synchronistic event to take place. This is not a simple mechanical matter, for synchronicity usually requires that an archetype be "activated" in the unconscious, which in turn presupposes an emotion-laden, tension-charged situation. Thus divination is most successful when undertaken for a serious purpose; under these conditions divinatory techniques can "draw archetypal material into the center of the field of observation" (von Franz, N&T, 223–4).
The method ofscience may be contrasted with that of divination. In science one makes a conscious "cut" in the world, separating the phenomenon of interest from the rest of existence. In divination, on the other hand, one makes an unconscious "cut," by isolating a...
Customer Reviews
A great resource for understanding the Tarot.
The subtitle of this book is "An Interpretation Based on Pythagorean and Alchemical Principles," and as such it gives a broad introduction to the symbols at the root of Western occult iconography.
In his introduction Opsopaus writes that he's written the book for neopagans who are dissatisfied with traditional decks based on the theology and esotericism of the late Renaissance. But that doesn't mean the book isn't useful for traditionalists as well. After all, much of the esoteric though of the Renaissance grew out of Pythagoras' thought and the Greek mystery traditions. I use traditional decks myself, but I reference this book constantly.
In fact, anyone interested in the history of symbols will find a wealth of material in this book. The bibliography in the back is absolutely wonderful. The section on Pythagorean numerology is the best I have read on that subject.
In addition, the cards are beautiful; the symbols are different than a traditional deck, but not so different that you can't recognize immediately which major arcana card you're looking at. The pip cards have no pictures, which is the way the early tarot decks were created. However, their meanings are easily derived by combining the numerological information with the element qualities. Opsopaus does this in his section on the pip cards.
The book starts out with a section on the background of the metaphysical ideas the author deals with, then goes on to sections on the major, then the minor arcana. The fourth section covers divination thoroughly and with some wonderful insights not covered in other books.
I first found out about Opsopaus' tarot writings on his encyclopaedic website, which has the same name as the book. I originally tried printing out the website material (before the book was published), but there was just too much. I've found the book to be a must-have in my Tarot library. It's not only scholarly but also very readable, which makes for a good learning experience.
Maths and Magic synthesised
I am a newcomer to the Tarot, which is probably not the best way to start this book. However, I'm well read in Pythagorean esoterica, and dived straight in. What can I say?
Phenomenal! The logic and symmetry which underlie Pythagoras' school of mysticism, is astounding. And, despite being extremely lucid, the author is clearly a highly qualified and academically rigorous authority on the subject.
Discovering this book honestly feels like stumbling upon some ancient priceless treasure. Perhaps the greatest preSocratic philosopher, Pythagoras treated magic and science as an indestructable whole, and the meaningfulness that emerges is a powerful antidote to our modern schizophrenic view of the world.
I didn't buy the book for the tarot deck. But having extensively researched the Tarot since, I don't think one could get nearer to profoundly insightful divination
You'll Find No Other Better!
John Opsopaus is an incredible scholar & that is what lays the foundation for this magnificent book & deck of Tarot cards. I am a fanatical researcher of the "Arcane Arts" & have learned SO much from Mr. O's website. I have never owned a Tarot deck before & was scarcely interested as I'm as psychic as anybody & just learned to follow my hunches at an early age & I like suprises. However, after reading about each of the Major Arcana on his site, I felt compelled to get the book & deck.
As it turns out, my studies of Alchemy, Astrology, Magick & Mythology all came in handy because this book is SO thorough in it's use of symbology & numerolgy, & synthesizes these cross-culturally. This has a layering effect & I'm certain to learn even more upon subsequent readings of this tome. While there was plenty of dot connecting I could do while I read it- there was still plenty I could nowise make use of as I had no frame of reference.
If you are new to Arcane Arts this is probably NOT the best place for you to start unless you have some amazing gift of Intelligence &/or understanding beccause this IS complex. Mr. O puts the Tarot back in it's original order making one wonder WHY it was EVER changed & why SO many just blindly go along with those changes. Also, this particular Tarot is NOT a game- there is a whole industry of pseudo-occult objects & websites (read: Occult-lite or diet-Occult) that caters to the surfacey, dabblers & thank Goodness for it as that keeps us all safe. This Tarot is in depth citing around 1600 sources.
One can visit John Opsopaus' website & learn in doses before deciding whether or not they're ready to go this deeply into the Tarot but please, whoever you are, wherever you are, start telling anyone you know with any interest in the Tarot that most decks DO not use the original order of the Major Arcana & it's MOST likely that the Tarot has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with the Quaballa. (or howEVER it's spelled.)
