Alejandro Jodorowsky: The Therapeutic Art of Tarot

Celebrated Chilean filmmaker of the occult, Alejandro Jodorowsky–known primarily for his twisted vision of mystic enchantment in El Topo and The Holy Mountain–seems to have more cards up his sleeve. For the past 60 years Jodorowsky has reportedly studied practices of divination and self-transformation through the therapeutic art of tarot. He has focused his study specifically on an elaborate exegesis of the Marseilles Tarot, a possible source deck dated to the early medieval period, from which the more prominent decks have derived their symbolic systems. Destiny Books just published a 500-page translation of Marianne Costa’s and Jodorowsky’s co-written work, The Way of Tarot, a heavy tome detailing at least some intriguing methods of hermetic thinking if not rigorous historical research on the subject.

An excerpt from the promo:

The Way of Tarot shows that the entire deck is structured like a temple, or a mandala, which is both an image of the world and a representation of the divine. The authors use the sacred art of the original Marseille Tarot—created during a time of religious tolerance in the 11th century—to reconnect with the roots of the Tarot’s Western esoteric wisdom. They explain that the Tarot is a “nomadic cathedral” whose parts—the 78 cards or “arcana”—should always be viewed with an awareness of the whole structure. This understanding is essential to fully grasp the Tarot’s hermetic symbolism.

The authors explore the secret associations behind the hierarchy of the cards and the correspondences between the suits and energies within human beings. Each description of the Major Arcana includes key word summaries, symbolic meanings, traditional interpretations, and a section where the card speaks for itself. Jodorowsky and Costa then take the art of reading the Tarot to a depth never before possible. Using their work with Tarology, a new psychological approach that uses the symbolism and optical language of the Tarot to create a mirror image of the personality, they offer a powerful tool for self-realization, creativity, and healing.

(Read more from the promo)
(The Way of Tarot: The Spiritual Teacher in the Cards)
(Via Dangerous Minds)