Product Description Now in a fully corrected edition, one of the true spiritual classics of the twentieth century.
Published for the first time with an index and Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar's afterword, this new English publication of Meditations on the Tarot is the landmark edition of one of the most important works of esoteric Christ-ianity. Written anonymously and published posthumously, as was the author's wish, the intention of this work is for the reader to find a relationship with the author in the spiritual dimensions of existence. The author wanted not to be thought of as a personality who lived from 1900 to 1973, but as a friend who is communicating with us from beyond the boundaries of ordinary life.
Reverberates with SoulJune 17, 2008 3 out of 3 found this review helpful
Having read literally thousands of books on various paths of spirituality, few have touched me like this one. Every page, almost every line, glows with a new pearl of wisdom and insight. The book explores with greater clarity than any I have found the genuine heart of Hermeticism; the threefold braid of mysticism, gnosis, and magic; the center where meditation and contemplation meet; the "art of becoming". While the Anonymous Author speaks of his content as addressing itself to Christian Hermeticism, I would qualify it only as Authentic Hermeticism. The amazing scholar who penned this tome was so learned that he weaves in the great spiritual traditions from around the world and throughout time. Each chapter is written as a gentle letter to an "Unknown Friend" (that would be you), and the feeling when reading is of having an exquisitely gentle and brilliant man of God, a truly radiant Sage, share with you the secrets from the aeons that he has gleaned, just before he leaves this earth. I expected a good if not great read when I got this book. I was not prepared for what I actually received: a Holy gift that has opened countless doors for me. This is not merely a book. It is a teaching in the highest sense; a journey into The Mysteries. If you are the author's next Unknown Friend, this book may very well touch the core of you and change everything.
Meditations on the TarotSeptember 10, 2007 A wonderfully scholarly tome, one that provides hours of reverie and insight into the the spiritual nature of the the Tarot. It is recommended as a vital additions to one's Tarot library.
kinda interesting...ishMarch 9, 2007 3 out of 38 found this review helpful
I'm not sure how I came across this book a few years ago - I guess I was intrigued to hear what a catholic monk had to say about the encoded remnants of alexandrian wisdom his murderous forebears had done their level best to eradicate ... in the name of jesus. I have many books on the tarot rangeing fom the ridiculous to the sublime. At the top end are Crowley's Thoth and Wirth's Tarot Of The Magicians: at the bottom are the likes of this. After year's of christian brainwashing as a child and adolescent I thought I would give this good old, bad old religion one last backward glance to see if it had any merit at all - and bought the book.
I am glad I did. Having studied the works of Jung for many years I now understand more clearly - after wading through this tome - the nature of psychosis and the sickness that christianity is. If you really want to stretch your mind and rid yourself of illusion you could do worse than read Stephen Wolinsky's Nirvana Sutras and Advaita-Vedanta. I kid you not.
Not for the faint of heartOctober 11, 2006 5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Do NOT be put off by the title, thinking this is some New Age book about how to do tarot readings. Nothing could be farther from the truth. This is a major work of scholarship--not for the faint of heart. It is heavy going, extremely deep and erudite. The author (and there is speculation as to who this is) plumbs many sources, which he/she knows well--the bible, kabbalistic tradition, esoteric religions, Nietzsche, Freud, Christian mystics (Bonaventura, Francis of Assisi, to name but two), and the Tao Te Ching. This is work rich in symbol-making and he/she has the scholarly erudition to illuminate the nuances held in the cards.
At 650 pages, this is a tome to approached with reverence and seriousness. To 'read' it is to study it, slowly, contemplatively. It will change your thinking about many things.
Not What it SeemsOctober 1, 2006 9 out of 52 found this review helpful
This might be touted by many as a "wonderful spiritual classic," but if you are a Christian, I'd stay away from this one. It is gnostic to the core. I bought it hoping to learn about Catholic hermaneutics - what a dumb mistake. That's what the teaching magisterium of the Catholic Church is for! Stick to documents of Vatican II and you won't get lost. Plus, they are just as exciting and an easier read than this heady book of 'secrets'!
Not everything with a Catholic label is authenitcally Catholic: Found these comments about a couple of the books endorsers on another website: "The similarities between centering prayer and Transcendental Meditation are striking. "As an ex-TM mediator," says Fr. Finbarr Flanagan, O.F.M., "I find it hard to see any differences between centering prayer and Transcendental Meditation." Frs. Keating, Menninger, and Pennington authored centering prayer at a time when St. Joseph Abbey had received several retreats involving Eastern religions, including Transcendental Meditation. I cited Fr. Pennington's praise for the Hindu guru and author of Transcendental Meditation. This involvement in eclecticism has continued. Fr. Pennington has not just attended an e.s.t (Erhard Sensitivity Training) session but has served on its board. Frs. Keating and Pennington gave endorsements, appearing on the dust jacket, for Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey in Christian Hermeticism. The tarot is a deck of cards used in fortune telling. Fr. Keating calls the book "the greatest contribution to date toward the rediscovery and renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition." Fr. Pennington says it is "without doubt the most extraordinary work I have ever read." Amity House, the publisher, is heavily New Age. The Library of Congress has classified the book under "occult sciences" and "cartomancy." 'Nuff said.
