The Tarot Architect

The Tarot Architect: How to Become the Master Builder of Your Spiritual Temple
Lon Milo DuQuette
ISBN 978-1-57863-854-3
Weiser Books
$24.95

Tarot is not mere fortunetelling. The cards reflect the occult journey and contain many esoteric truths in their symbolism. Reading tarot is a way of interacting with ancient occult principles and seeking guidance on the journey of your own soul towards greater purpose, fulfillment and knowledge of both divine and self.

Over 50 years ago, Lon Milo DuQuette took a course that required him to paint the 22 major arcana cards of the tarot from outlines, and in the process he found himself undergoing a true occult initiation. In The Tarot Architect, DuQuette extends this opportunity to the modern reader, opening for you the same door that led to his own fruitful journey.

DuQuette operates on the principal that tarot cards are a bit like study flashcards for Hermetic Qabala, allowing the reader to more easily visualize and internalize the complexities of that fundamental magickal system. Aware that many tarot readers are not necessarily versed in the occult nuances of the cards, DuQuette begins by outlining Hermetic Qabala and its relationship to the tarot. He includes exercises and meditations to help readers understand and internalize abstract concepts, for example, the four worlds of Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah and Assiah and their correspondence to the tarot suits of swords, cups, wands and disks.

While DuQuette includes this context to allow even experienced card readers to more deeply understand tarot and its correspondence to other occult systems, the heart of The Tarot Architect is the included outlines that DuQuette provides for readers to paint for themselves. The sketches come from a deck he designed with his wife, and each card comes with correspondences to astrology, Hebrew letters, the Tree of Life, musical notes, spirit sigils, suggested colors and more. He also offers suggestions for additions or changes to the included imagery. Rather than focusing exclusively on the trumps, however, he includes outlines for all 78 cards and dives deeply into the symbolism and imagery of the pip cards, a topic too often treated brusquely.

Any card reader or occultist would be well served by undergoing the initiatory process of painting your own cards, but even if you never pick up a brush or pen, The Tarot Architect offers an opportunity to learn the intricate relationship between esoteric systems from one of the finest contemporary occult minds.