Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism

by Robert Powell (Translator), Hans Urs von Balthasar (Afterword)

Overview

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 Christianity.

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.

Using the 22 major arcana of the tarot deck as a means to explore some of humanity’s most penetrating spiritual questions, Meditations on the Tarot has attracted an unprecedented range of praise from across the spiritual spectrum.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781585421619
Publisher:	Penguin Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/10/2002
Pages:	688
Sales rank:	176,325
Product dimensions:	6.04(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Written anonymously and published posthumously in 1980 at the wishes of its author, Meditations on the Tarot has been translated from the original French by writer and esotericist Robert Powell, who lives in Germany. Widely considered one of the greatest Catholic theologians of the twentieth century, the Swiss-born Hans Urs von Balthasar, who wrote the afterword in this new edition, was nominated by Pope John Paul II as a cardinal in 1988, and died in June of that year, two days before his inauguration.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
Letter I	The Magician	3
Letter II	The High Priestess	29
Letter III	The Empress	53
Letter IV	The Emperor	77
Letter V	The Pope	99
Letter VI	The Lover	123
Letter VII	The Chariot	147
Letter VIII	Justice	173
Letter IX	The Hermit	199
Letter X	The Wheel of Fortune	233
Letter XI	Force	269
Letter XII	The Hanged Man	305
Letter XIII	Death	341
Letter XIV	Temperance	373
Letter XV	The Devil	401
Letter XVI	The Tower of Destruction	431
Letter XVII	The Star	463
Letter XVIII	The Moon	493
Letter XIX	The Sun	527
Letter XX	The Judgement	555
Letter XXI	The Fool	589
Letter XXII	The World	625
	Afterword	659
	Index	667

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"It is simply astonishing. I have never read such a comprehensive account of the 'perennial philosophy.' There is hardly a line without some profound significance. To me it is the last word in wisdom." (Father Bede Griffiths)

"This book, in my view, is the greatest contribution to date toward the rediscovery and renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition of the Fathers of the Church and the High Middle Ages." (Trappist Abbot Thomas Keating, OCSO)

"Meditations on the Tarot has become instrumental in my thinking and in my understanding of health and disease. The writer-who calls himself 'Unknown Friend'-seems to be speaking to me directly with endless wisdom and inspiration." (Gerald Epstein, M.D., author of Healing Visualizations)

"The most beautiful and instructive book of the twentieth century concerning Western esotericism." (Antoine Faivre, professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Haute-Normany)

"The book begs not only to be studied cover to cover, but also to be savored, meditated upon and assimilated into one's life." (Richard W. Kropf, National Catholic Reporter)

Editorial Reviews

It is without doubt the most extraordinary work I have ever read. It has tremendous spiritual depth and insight.”  —Trappist abbot Basil Pennington, OCSO

“It is simply astonishing. I have never read such a comprehensive account of the ‘perennial philosophy.’ ” —Father Bede Griffiths

“This book, in my view, is the greatest contribution to date toward the rediscovery and renewal of the Christian contemplative tradition of the Fathers of the Church and the High Middle Ages.”—Trappist abbot Thomas Keating, OCSO

“Meditations on the Tarot has become instrumental in my thinking….The writer – who calls himself ‘Unknown Friend’ – seems to be speaking to me directly, with endless wisdom and inspiration.” —Gerald Epstein, M.D., author of Healing Visualizations

“The most beautiful and instructive book of the twentieth century concerning Western esotericism.”—Antoine Faivre, professor for the History of Esoteric and Mystical Streams in Modern Europe, the Sorbonne University

“The book begs not only to be studied cover to cover, but also to be savored, meditated upon and assimilated into one’s life.” —Richard W. Kropf, National Catholic Reporter

From the Publisher