The Quotidian

Books

5 min read

A Cultural Reader of the Tarot

I abbreviate this book as CROTTA.

Available for free download.

Tarot is everywhere. From spiritual practices to games, films and other media, this enigmatic deck of cards has captured the imagination of many. For even those already familiar with Tarot, there is much to explore and review as new works are created, and I happily find myself with a vast subject matter. If you’re wondering what is behind the use of Tarot, this short pamphlet is for you.

We will discuss some of the most compelling intersections of Tarot today: AI, games, and Tarot as a heretical practice. The approach I take to Tarot is to go beyond the surface level and to consider how and why it works (indeed if it does) and what impact Tarot has on the world.

I offer this free ebook pamphlet to my readers as a thank you. It is intended to complement my book A Critical Introduction to the Tarot in which I started this research. In this pamphlet, we will continue the exploration of this interesting terrain. I hope you enjoy this new work and that it prompts you to think deeply and critically about Tarot and its practice.

Chapters

I use headings here to help cross-referencing:

Ch. 1: We Can Generate It for You Wholesale: Tarot and AI

Ch. 2: Playing with Fate: Tarot in Games, Games for Tarot

Ch. 3: Tarot, a Heretical Mysticism

A Critical Introduction to Tarot

I abbreviate this book as CITTA.

Links:

From the back cover:

How does Tarot work? Why is it so popular today? Is it just for fortune tellers?

Tarot has seen a recent uptick in interest that warrants explanation. This book, however, is not another take on the cards’ meanings and how to read them. Instead, independent researcher Simon Kenny presents Tarot to the incredulous and curious and those who wish to know the basis for its continued cultural relevance.

A Critical Introduction to Tarot explains the practice in its historical and metaphysical contexts, and investigates its supporting belief structures, from witchcraft and magical practices to popular psychology. Throughout these pages, connections to politics, philosophy, psychology, numerology, astrology, Freemasonry, statistics, interpretative symbolism, self-help, social media — even the nature of truth itself — are explored.

An accessible read aimed at demystifying Tarot for those unfamiliar with its magical, occult roots and growing use as a personal development tool.

“Simon Kenny’s engaging work approaches this very familiar terrain from an uncommon perspective…”
— Gary Lachman

“Simon’s work asks the questions any person interested in Tarot should ask … A valuable companion for the metaphysically minded Tarot reader.”
— T. Susan Chang

Published by Iff Books, an imprint of Collective Ink Books (formerly John Hunt Publishing).

Chapters

Preface

Ch. 1: Introduction

Ch. 2: Pythagoras and Kabbalah

Ch. 3: Layers of Meaning

Ch. 4: Metaphysics

Ch. 5: Jung and Psychological Mysticism

Ch. 6: The Means of Magic

Ch. 7: Randomness and Projection

Ch. 8: Politics and Witchcraft

Ch. 9: Satanism and Freemasonry

Ch. 10: The Power of Worlds and Symbols

Ch. 11: Tensions

Ch. 12: Conclusion

Bibliography

Selected, not the complete bibliography. I have starred the most important.

Graph View

Backlinks