a good book or 2 on the Golden Dawn

coyoteblack

It seems a lot of tarot as we know it today has a lot to do with golden dawn A.E. white and Alister crowley being the obvious connection.

I need a book that is readable and my main reason for reading it is to understand tarot a little better.

hopefully this book will help me understand the astrological and cabala references to tarot as well.
 

coyoteblack

Thank you all

one of the reasons I want it in 21 ways to read a tarot we have to design our own card. I would love to add as much as I can .

great recommendations all
 

tantricknite

Golden dawn

A great book on understanding Golden Dawn symbolisim and the tarots relationship with the tree of life is Chic and Sandra Cicero's book "The New Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot".I found it easy to understand and a much better book then Wongs "Quabalisic Tarot" which was really boring.It's O.O.P. but you might be able to find it on Amazon.
 

Bonnie

Book Recommendation

I highly recommend Rachel Pollack's "Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom".

Blessings,
Bonnie
 

Teheuti

Bonnie said:
I highly recommend Rachel Pollack's "Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom".
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While Rachel's is one of the great books on Tarot, it does not provide much insight into the Golden Dawn's astrological and cabalistic references to the Tarot (that was not Rachel's purpose). Lon Duquette's book on the Thoth Tarot does, as does Robert Wang's _Qabalistic Tarot_, though both are mixed with additional material. Paul Foster Case's _The Tarot_ is also a good introduction, though he adds his own vision. No matter what you do, if you really want to know what the GD said, versus what everyone else added, you have to go back to _Book T_ - again and again. It also helps to lay out each of the examples given with your own deck of cards (preferably a Continental - Marseille or Italian-style deck). My own analysis of Annie Horniman's readings in _Women of the Golden Dawn_ can help you see how one step of the Opening of the Key was done. In actuality, GD members appeared to only do one of the several steps recommended in their own mundane readings. Among the GD teaching papers there are also a couple of examples of scrying with the Majors - and, of course, references throughout to Tarot in relation to the rituals of initiation.

Each of the books mentioned in this thread adds a bit to understanding - like looking at the topic from multiple perspectives. The layering helps to bring the ideas home, but it's really the working with the system - so that it becomes a lens and sorting system through which you view all your experiences - that makes it your own.

Mary
 

Bonnie

Golden Dawn Tarot

Mary:

You are right, of course, in that Rachel does not address the backbone of the Golden Dawn material (as you so succinctly put it ... this was not her intention). I think your last paragraph said it all for me ... I did learn a great deal about where to put the Golden Dawn associations in my work by reading both material that was specific to that genre (such as DuQuette and Wang's material), and material that held a somewhat different take, such as Rachel's material.

I think each individual needs to research this type of material, and then work with it, to see what "sticks" for them, and what to set aside. I love having written material around me that tells the story from differing viewpoints, so that I can, as you point out, understand the process on many different levels.

Blessings,
Bonnie
 

Tiro DvD

coyoteblack said:
one of the reasons I want it in 21 ways to read a tarot we have to design our own card. I would love to add as much as I can .
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OK this isn't GD, but the BOTA, but like many other orders it is similar to the GD. Here is their own site on the Tarot. Note that their lessons include coloring in your own cards (and therefore allow a greater and more hands on understanding of the symbolism.) I think this would work very well with your 21 ways to read card.

BOTA Highlights of Tarot
 
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