Tarot Time Traveller

by Marcus Katz

  This leads to the eventual “madness” of our race, the Fool card, where the tiger biting at the legs of the Fool is viewed as our “remorse” as we try to delay our inevitable march towards folly and criminality.

  5. Fool from The Book of Thoth:

  Etteilla Tarot, Lo Scarabeo, 2003.

  In weaving a story out of these twenty-two cards, we can also experience our own life story, as the pattern is archetypal, something universal which works at both a global and personal scale. Try this yourself: take out the twenty-two major arcana and place them in reverse order from the World to the Magician but do not include the Fool. Begin to match them to your own personal history and movement in time. Perhaps you will need to ask your parents about your family history or the moves of residence in your childhood, or your siblings about early school memories and friends. This can be a fascinating exercise to show how present our personal history is to our life.

  An example might be:

  I was born in central San Francisco (World) and my parents decided to move to a bigger house (Judgment) in Oakland. I had a great childhood there (Sun) and was always interested in astronomy (Moon and Star). However, when I went to school as a teen, things changed a lot (Tower) …

  You must match your life to the tarot in their order, not the other way around—do not rearrange the cards but locate the events in your life that match them, perhaps having to go to minutes in time (or back out to years) to make a match for some cards.

  If you naturally reach a card and it brings you up to the present moment, such as getting to the Empress and you are pregnant for the first time in the present, you can conclude the exercise at that point. Otherwise, work through the series as if the present moment is the Magician, the first numbered card.

  It may also be that you reach the Magician at a particularly significant point that is still in your past, in which case you can re-commence the temporal mapping from the World again until you reach the present moment. The major arcana are a time-loop, woven through our lives in a spiral pattern.

  Write this in your tarot time traveller journal and we will return to it at the end of our journey in our final chapter and see how the magic of tarot can help us create our future out of our past, as well as a mere prediction.

  Intermediate Time Traveller Method

  Use the twenty-two major arcana in this reverse order to tell the story of an event, a time in history, a situation in your workplace or other event. You may reach a card and realise that the story has reached only that point. This allows you to predict how the situation may develop and is a very advanced and powerful method for tarot time travellers to navigate their real life.

  Now we will pack our last tool in our kit and go for a brief hop in our time travel machine before setting off for real in the next chapter.

  Getting a Yes/No Answer in Tarot

  Remember our first time travel escapade at the start of this chapter? Now for the instructions. Many querents—and sometimes ourselves as readers—would sometimes like to get a simple yes or no answer from the tarot. A reading is often packed with advice and general indications, but it is left to the reader to interpret the likely outcome of an event from the cards. Here in that 1955 Fate magazine we picked up at the start of our time travel, we will discover a method that purports to give a yes/no answer perhaps you can test.

  When we return to the safety of our time pod, we can look over the cover and see something very important for all our trips and mental health—a tarot anachronism. This is when two things out of alignment in time are placed together, as if they are happening at the same time. These anachronisms (a word which literally means “against time”) can confuse the time traveller into believing that what they are seeing is true or actually happened. The unwary traveller can then start to repeat these stories as if they are true, rippling out into the time-sphere to entrap other travellers.

  What can we see on this cover in 1955? An image of gypsy dancers and a deck of tarot cards. The words “The Tarot: Secrets of the Gypsy Cards.” However, as we will see, those cards in the picture were not published until December 1909. “Gypsy” is a generic (and these days considered impolite) term for the Romani peoples who likely originated in India and moved across Europe between the sixth and eleventh centuries.

  Using cards for fortune-telling did not really become vogue until the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Furthermore, that tarot deck in particular could not have been used by “gypsies” until 1910.

  There is confusion, and the minds of people unaware of these anachronisms still associate the tarot with gypsies. In fact, from the esoteric era of tarot, the deck was associated with ancient Egypt. This then got promoted even further in the “Egypto-mania” that swept late Victorian Europe and America, resulting in a widespread modern mistake that the tarot came from ancient Egypt via the gypsies.

  6. Fate Magazine Cover, 1955.

  A Spread from Fate Magazine (1955)

  It is refreshing to go back to the 1930s and ’50s and discover these rare curiosities, although as we have seen, we do have to take early writings with some caution as to their factual basis. In the article, we read about Irys Vorel’s encounter with a Swiss Gypsy, “Boudrie,” who used “colourful Tarots.” The author goes on to talk about “pentacles” and the likely origin of Tarot in “the Far East” or “the land of Sumer,” as well as their popularity during the “Middle Ages”!

  Despite these romantic and untrue assertions, the article does contain a couple of gems. It introduces the idea of “assemblation,” a term that denotes how a card is read in conjunction with the card next to it in a reading, and a Yes/No spread, reproduced here.

  7. Fate Yes/No Spread, 1955.

  Formulate the question that should have a yes/no answer.

  Remove the Wheel of Fortune card and place it face up in front of you.

  Shuffle the remaining deck and fan out face down.

  Draw seven cards at random with your left hand.

  Put these seven cards face down on top of the Wheel card.

  Pick eight random cards, and turn the Wheel round so it faces as the others.

  Shuffle these eight cards.

  Lay out the top four cards as shown in a square face down: 1–2–3–4

  Lay out the next four cards on top, fifth on the first, sixth on the second, seventh on the third, and eighth on the fourth.

  You now have two cards in each corner of the Destiny Wheel.

  Locate the Wheel of Fortune in the pairs and the position of that pair gives the answer: Yes, Soon, Delay, or No.

  Even where there is a “No” answer, the skilled reader can look at the assemblation of the cards to divine what the obstacles and challenges may be to turn this into a positive result.

  A Warning to All Tarot Time Travellers

  We are about to set off on our journey through time but first—a warning about fake history. Throughout the ages, both friends and enemies of the tarot alike have sought to rewrite history. We must tread carefully and keep our wits about us as we venture into the past.

  As an example, the contemporary time traveller may have seen in a recent film, The Other Boleyn Girl, a scene of Anne Boleyn reading a tarot card. She is rightly perturbed by the card, as it depicts a Queen without her head. Whilst this makes for a good story, it is a case of false history; the tarot was not yet popular outside of continental Europe at the time, and it is highly unlikely that Anne would have held a pack.

  However, such false history does give us clues to time-tracks we might not otherwise discover. When following this false lead, we find that the story comes from Henry VIII’s own writings but does not involve a deck but a book of “prophecy”; something Anne herself referred to in her own words as a “bauble.” We will come to see how these Italian prophecy books are an early form of tarot and fortune-telling. In fact, we will turn this book into
such a prophecy book as we go along.

  With that warning in mind, we should certainly instead look for examples of tarot changing history as we go with factual evidence to back us up. The late Alec Guinness, English actor better known today for his part as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the original Star Wars trilogy, “experimented” with tarot as a young man. In his biography, Blessings in Disguise, Guinness writes about how he was introduced to it by a fellow actor. At odds with his cynical nature, Guinness seemed drawn to the esoteric, and quite spooky things happened to him. One such happening was when he worked with James Dean. Dean offered Guinness a ride in his new sports car. Guinness turned him down, and told him “if you get into that car you will die in it.” 51 Dean died in that very car the next day.

  Guinness’s interest with the tarot was short-lived; he wrote that his Catholic wife did not approve of his fascination with the tarot. It was not long before he burnt the one and only deck he owned.

  If Obi-Wan survived because of the tarot, let us also look forward to a long journey in tarot ahead. In the next chapter, we will get straight into our time machine and head to the perhaps unlikely place of Scotland at a time when the very first meanings were given to playing cards. We will then see how we can use some of the poetry and storytelling devices of the time to enrich our own readings both of playing cards and tarot.

  [contents]

  4 To listen to the soundtrack of this era, why not start out with the Four Aces’ Melody of Love at www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6E5NGVbyCc. (Last accessed 27 September 2015).

  5 We recommend Michael Dummett, The Game of Tarot from Ferrara to Salt Lake City (London, UK: Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd, 1980) although it is now difficult to acquire and expensive in hardback. Another essential history is Ronald Decker & Michael Dummett, A History of the Occult Tarot: 1870–1970 (London, UK: Gerald Duckworth & Co. Ltd, 2002) and Ronald Decker, Michael Dummett & Thierry Depaulis, A Wicked Pack of Cards: Origins of the Occult Tarot (London: Bristol Classical Press, 1996). An accessible overview is Robert M. Place, The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination (New York, NY: Tarcher/Penguin, 2005) and a wonderful compilation of contemporary research can be discovered in Emily E. Auger (ed.), Tarot in Culture, Vols. I & II (Valleyhome Books, 2014) which includes (Vol. I) a detailed tarot timeline assembled by Mary K. Greer.

  6 Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin, Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2015), 38.

  7 Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, Tarot (Brighton, UK: Unicorn Bookshop, n.d. originally 1888).

  8 Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (London, UK: Rider & Company, 1974), 278.

  9 Muriel Bruce Hasbrouck, Pursuit of Destiny (London, UK: John Gifford, 1949), 146.

  10 Ly De Angeles, Tarot Theory and Practice (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2007), 141.

  11 Doris Chase Doane, How to Read Tarot Cards (New York, NY: Funk & Wagnalls, 1967), 127.

  12 Signe Echols, Robert Muller and Sandra Thomson, Spiritual Tarot (New York, NY: Avon Books, 1996), 116.

  13 Eden Grey, Mastering the Tarot: Basic Lessons in an Ancient, Mystic Art (New York, NY: Crown Publishers, 1971), 33.

  14 Alfred Douglas, The Tarot (Harmondsworth, UK: Penguin Books, 1981), 199.

  15 Stuart R. Kaplan, Tarot Classic (New York, NY: Grossett & Dunlap, 1972), 160.

  16 Eileen Connolly, The Complete Handbook for the Apprentice (London, UK: Thorsons, 1995), 127.

  17 Emily Peach, Discover Tarot: Understanding and Using Tarot Symbolism (Wellingborough, UK: Aquarian Press, 1990), 89.

  18 Juliet Sharman-Burke, The Complete Book of Tarot: The Origins, Meaning & Divinatory Significance of the Cards & How to Use Them in Readings (London, UK: Pan Books, 1985), 53.

  19 Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene, The Mythic Tarot A New Approach to the Tarot Cards (London, UK: Guild Publishing, 1986), 174.

  20 E.W. Neville, Tarot for Lovers (Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1997), 109.

  21 Mary K. Greer, Tarot for Yourself (Franklin Lakes, NJ: New Page Books, 2002), 221.

  22 Emily Peach, Tarot for Tomorrow (Wellingborough, UK: Aquarian Press, 1988), 49.

  23 Carl Japikse, Exploring the Tarot (Columbus, OH: Ariel Press, 1989), 159.

  24 Melita Denning & Osborne Phillips, The Magick of Tarot (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 1993), 212.

  25 A T Mann, The Elements of the Tarot (Shaftesbury, UK: Element Books, 1993), 96.

  26 Evelyne and Terry Donaldson, Principles of Tarot (London, UK: Thorsons, 1996), 79.

  27 Adam Fronteras, The Tarot: The Traditional Tarot Reinterpreted for the Modern World (New York, NY: Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 1996), 83.

  28 Sally Gearheart and Susan Rennie, A Feminist Tarot (Watertown, MA: Persephone Press, 1977), 30.

  29 Rowena Stuart, Collin’s Gem Tarot (London, UK: Collins), 221.

  30 Stephen Walter Sterling, Tarot Awareness (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2000), 312.

  31 Evelyne Herbin and Terry Donaldson, Tarot (London, UK: Thorsons, 2001).

  32 Sylvia Abraham, How to Read the Tarot: The Keyword System (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2000), 35.

  33 Sasha Fenton, Super Tarot (London, UK: Thorsons, 1994), 48.

  34 Anthony Lewis, Tarot Plain and Simple (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2003), 139–140.

  35 James Ricklef, Tarot Tells the Tale (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2003), 254.

  36 Annie Lionnet, The Tarot Directory (Rochester, UK: Grange Books, 2004), 124.

  37 Philip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm, The DruidCraft Tarot (London, UK: Connections, 2009), 52.

  38 Wilma Carroll, The 2-Hour Tarot Tutor (London, UK: Piatkus, 2010), 222.

  39 Teresa C. Michelsen, The Complete Tarot Reader (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2005), 220.

  40 Linda Marson, Ticket, Passport, and Tarot Cards (Melbourne, Australia: Brolga Publishing, 2005), 33.

  41 Joseph Vargo and Joseph Iorillo, The Gothic Tarot Compendium (Strongsville, OH: Monolith Graphics, 2007), 197.

  42 Paul Quinn, Tarot for Life (Wheaton, IL: Quest Books, 2009), 250.

  43 Dusty White, The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot Ever (North Charleston, SC: Booksurge, 2009), 210.

  44 Corinne Kenner, Tarot and Astrology (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2011), 174–175.

  45 Josephine Ellershaw, Easy Tarot Reading (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2011), 221.

  46 David Fontana, The Essential Guide to the Tarot (London, UK: Watkins, 2011), 191.

  47 Tessa Piontek, Tarot for the 21st Century (CreateSpace, 2012), 141–142.

  48 Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin, Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot (Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn, 2015).

  49 Comte de Mellet, actually Louis-Raphael-Lucece de Fayolle, has taken these ages from Ovid (four ages) and Hesiod (five ages). See Farley, H. A Cultural History of Tarot, 104–106.

  50 Comte de Mellet was likely using the Tarots de Besançon, identified by Helen Farley (2009) and Evalyne Hall (2016).

  51 Alec Guinness, Blessings in Disguise (Akadine, 2001).

  2

  Cartomancy Card Meanings

  The whole adapted to the Entertainment of the humorous, as well as to the Satisfaction of the Grave Learned, and Ingenious. The like never before published.

  —The New Game at Cards 52

  17 February, 1800: Edinburgh, Scotland

  We are time travelling again. It is almost ten years since Robert Burns visited this city for the last time, and we walk by the Canongate Brewery which is being built by Steins. In just three years from now, William and Dorothy Wordsworth will visit the city. Meanwhile, the place is growing at a huge rate with more
than 80,000 people overall and shortly there will be much demolition and plans for a second “new town.”

  We turn off Calton Road and continue under the arch reading “Campbell’s Close” tucked beyond Cowgate and the Royal Mile. The air is dense with the sweet smell of barley being boiled and the more bitter aroma of boiling hops. Down the lane, we find a cart is being loaded with piles of freshly printed chapbooks; cheap pamphlets for sale across the city to a public hungry for accessible news and stories.

  This particular cart is outside the presses of J. Morren and whilst no one is watching, we browse through the newly published pamphlets.

  We first pick up a copy of a “full account” of the landing and arrival of the “Roman” prophet ENOCH—who apparently was brought from Rome to Portsmouth overnight by an Angel. Whilst intriguing, this is not what we are looking for today. A further look through the cart and we find our target; a second-edition copy of Flamstead and Partridge’s Fortune Book.

  It is unlikely that these names bear any relationship to the real author of the text—or authors—but that is to be expected at this time. One similar fortune-telling book in the cart gives a history of its author, Mrs. Bridget, or “Mother Bridget,” as “someone whose name has been forgotten by history but is known to those who remember her.” Bridget apparently lived in a hole in the ground and smoked a pipe, “of tobacco she was exceedingly fond.” Visitors to her would be surprised by various small animals that would creep out of her clothing, and whilst she had “more money than was sufficient to maintain her,” her later years were plagued by ill health and she cut a “terrifying figure” in her lonesome walks, surrounded only by dumb animals. There were many such Mrs. Bridgets at the time, fake people created just to sell a few more pages of their copied materials. 53