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Reviews: Tarot Decks
Tarot & Cartomancy
Deck & Book Reviews
by Bonnie Cehovet, TE
Tarot Master
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The Forest of Souls -
A Walk Through The Tarot
aauthor: Rachel Pollack
Llewellyn Worldwide
2001
ISBN #1-56718-533-9
This is one of the most amazing books that I have ever read! I truly appreciate books that are not "dumbed down", and this book is definitely not dumbed down! Pollack references esoteric sources, the Jewish Kabbala, and Jungian archetypes in presenting all that the Tarot can be. She is a Master Storyteller in her own right, even when referencing myths and folktales from ancient to modern times.
I loved the depth of this book, and the fact that its irreverent nature holds its own with that of another Master Tarot Storyteller ... Lon Milo DuQuette. I also love the fact that while this book has a definite purpose, it is not a linear building from chapter to chapter. Ideas appear, and are referenced to other chapters, but are not dependent on them. Each chapter in this book stands alone, and each chapter asks us to become the Fool, to abandon our normal mode of thinking, and to take the biggest risk of all, that of asking questions that we may not feel that anyone has the right to ask.
The whole idea here is to bring a playful attitude to Tarot studies. There is extensive use of card scans, from her own "Shining Tribe Tarot", as well as the "BOTA Tarot", the "Dante Tarot", the "Faery Wicca Tarot", the "Golden Dawn Magical Tarot", the "Haindl Tarot", the "Legend Tarot", the "Motherpeace Tarot", the "Nigel Jackson Tarot", the "Rider Waite Tarot", "Tarot of the Spirit", the "Oswald Wirth Tarot", the "Visconti-Sforza Tarot", the "Robin Wood Tarot", the "Romani Tarot", the "Sacred Circle Tarot", "Tarot of the Orishas", "Tarots of Marseille", "Tarots of the Sphynx", the "Thoth Tarot", the "Wheel of Change Tarot", the "World Spirit Tarot", and the "Xultan Tarot".
There is also something in this book that I have never seen before ... a "gallery of quotations" that precedes the introduction, and lists the sources for quotes contained within the book.
In her introduction Pollack describes two different worldviews of the Tarot: one sees it as a device for fortune telling, while the other sees it as containing the keys to a vast system of correspondences with things such as the laws of nature, magic, Jewish mysticism, astrology, Christian revelations etc. She then proceeds to inform her audience that in this book she will be taking a completely different approach, that of using readings to explore unknown territory, through questions such as "How do I open my heart?", "What nourishes the soul?", and "What plan did God follow to create the Universe?"
This is not a book about set definitions. In fact, the reader is encouraged to let go of set definitions, and explore the world outside of ourselves, to explore sacred mysteries and the riddle of existence. The first thing that we are asked to do is to set aside the linear nature of the Tarot, the journey that is developed through the numbering of the cards. Pollack posits that the Tarot can change and become new each time we pick it up. At the end of her introduction, she gifts the reader with the following statement: "I offer this book to all playful seekers, all those who would travel through the tunnel to the garden of delight."
In addressing the myths of the origins of the Tarot, Pollack suggests that we accept that the Tarot's "secret origin" as part of its myth. She speaks of Antoine Court de Gebelin, and his work "Le Monde Primitif", a nine volume study of esoteric ideas. A core idea appeared in a short essay in volume eight, positing that "the Tarot forms the basis of knowledge, the key of keys, or "clavicle" , as occultists sometimes call it". The Tarot thus lies behind all other knowledge systems.
In letting go of the literal belief in the stories surrounding the formation and development of the Tarot, we can then accept them as stories, and learn from them. We have before us a web of knowledge that takes us to many different places.
One of the first mythical stories presented in this book is about Thoth and gambling with the Moon. Thoth wins a bet with the Moon (the master of rigid cycles), gaining one seventy-second of a year, and opening up one degree of a fixed circle. In this chapter Pollack also points out that if any reading attempts to define the Seeker, or describe destiny in fixed terms, then they are part of Seth's game of suffocation (Seth plays a part in the myth of Thoth and the Moon).
From here Pollack moves on to discussing the Tarot as an instrument of wisdom. She posits that the Tarot encodes wisdom, and acts as an instrument for discovering and expressing what lies within the code. At the heart of all of its correspondences lies the famous doctrine "As above, So below" (from "The Emerald Tablet, by Hermes Trismegistus).
Throughout the book we find questions, myths, stories, and peeks into Pollacks life through personal stories that she shares. She also shares several different readings, amongst which are: "What is Soul?" and "What is Tarot?", which went on to become the cornerstone for her Wisdom reading tradition, the Hillel reading (good for sue with troubled relationships or ethical issues), God's reading (a wonderful spiral based reading), a Reading For The Resurrection, and a Reading To Open The Heart. The questions that she presents include "Did Tarot exist before creation?", "What is the message of sacrifice?", and "What is my pattern in relationship?"
In the section on Jewish thoughts on Tarot, Pollack quietly writes in a stunning exercise: "Begin by standing balanced on both feet. Take a few deep breaths to center yourself. Feel your legs planted on the earth for a strong connection. Hold your arms out slightly to the sides, and, when you can trust your balance, lift one leg and cross it behind the other. Breathe deeply, and as you hold the posture, open your mind to any thoughts or images about the essence of Tarot."
In addressing becoming a reader, Pollack states that we need to become more than "knowledge bearers", that we need to literally become readers, in that to truly enter the cards we need to know how to use them. She discusses the four suits, and their associated elements, and the qualities that they bring to a reading, and to the reader. She states that "a truly valuable reading will combine the practical questions with the many layers of meaning that surround it".
I also appreciated the take that Pollack did on Major Arcana appearing in a reading. One level is read as Spirit, but you can take a reading to another level entirely if you note where the card you are interpreting falls in your own personal system of delineation for the Major Arcana.
This book is perfect for someone looking for a more intellectual take on the Tarot. One of the reasons that it is perfect is that while the questions asked, and areas addressed, are intellectual in nature, Pollack remains grounded and centered. She does not make the mistake of flying away on the wings of intellectual curiosity. This is a book for those that want to grow their own understanding of the Tarot, and its roots, and who want to grow as individuals, in all ways, at the same time.
© March 2007
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Bonnie Cehovet,
Tarot Educator, Reiki Master/Teacher
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Bonnie Cehovet is a Tarot Educator, a professional Tarot reader with over ten years experience, a Reiki Master/Teacher and a writer. Bonnie holds a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology from the University of Hawaii, Manoa campus, and is certified as a Tarot Educator with the American Board For Tarot Certification.
She has served in various capacities with the American Tarot Association, to include Secretary on the ATA Board. She is co-founder of the World Tarot Network, and Vice President (as well as Director of Certification) for the American Board For Tarot Certification.
Her articles and reviews currently appear in the World Tarot Network newsletter (www.worldtarot.com),
The Meta Arts Magazine (www.themetaarts.com),
the Aeclectic Tarot site (www.aeclectic.
net/tarot),
and on her own site,
www.tarot.
thecrystalgate.com.
For the past three years she has edited her own monthly Tarot newsletter - Gateway to Tarot. She also has articles appearing in the 2004 and 2005 "Llewellyn Tarot Reader".
www.americanboard
fortarot certification.org
www.tarot.
thecrystalgate. com |
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