le pendu
With his work The Pasteboard Masquerade Mark Filipas suggests the theory that at least some versions the of the Tarot may be a lexicon of the Hebrew alphabet.
I've read his website, and his PDF, and have said that I find it compelling.
Yet, for some reason I still feel I can't quite say "I believe it". I think fundamentally it's a feeling that I can't double-check his work, I don't know Hebrew. It's been pointed out that all that is really needed is a Hebrew-English dictionary.. so maybe I'm just lazy, or don't want to believe that this is the answer.
While I don't think that Mark has said he believes the following.. part of it as well may be the difficulty I find associating some of the iconography with what little I know of Jewish iconography, as well as my reluctance to acknowledge any connection between the tarot and kabbalah.
I'm also a bit foggy on where Mark draws the line of influence. I believe he identifies the lexicon in the TdM, and certainly he places special attention to the design of the Soprafino Tarot. I suppose that if you believe the TdM is the "original" tarot, then it's easy enough to think that other decks are just copies that lost the intention. But if decks like the Bologna were earlier, then how can we account for this? Do they also share the lexicon? Did the creator of the TdM take something that existed and rebuild it to meet the lexicon?
If the TdM IS a Hebrew lexicon, what does that tell us about its creator and audience?
Are you willing to support Mark's theory? Does he provide enough evidence to convince you? Would you argue against it? Has the mystery of the meaning of tarot been discovered?
I've read his website, and his PDF, and have said that I find it compelling.
Yet, for some reason I still feel I can't quite say "I believe it". I think fundamentally it's a feeling that I can't double-check his work, I don't know Hebrew. It's been pointed out that all that is really needed is a Hebrew-English dictionary.. so maybe I'm just lazy, or don't want to believe that this is the answer.
While I don't think that Mark has said he believes the following.. part of it as well may be the difficulty I find associating some of the iconography with what little I know of Jewish iconography, as well as my reluctance to acknowledge any connection between the tarot and kabbalah.
I'm also a bit foggy on where Mark draws the line of influence. I believe he identifies the lexicon in the TdM, and certainly he places special attention to the design of the Soprafino Tarot. I suppose that if you believe the TdM is the "original" tarot, then it's easy enough to think that other decks are just copies that lost the intention. But if decks like the Bologna were earlier, then how can we account for this? Do they also share the lexicon? Did the creator of the TdM take something that existed and rebuild it to meet the lexicon?
If the TdM IS a Hebrew lexicon, what does that tell us about its creator and audience?
Are you willing to support Mark's theory? Does he provide enough evidence to convince you? Would you argue against it? Has the mystery of the meaning of tarot been discovered?