Authentic Tarot: Discovering Your Inner Self

by Thomas Saunders

"The Authentic Tarot" challenges the popular view of the cards as merely a device for fortune-telling - the Tarot deck is a 'book' of 78 cards that tells an allegorical story of our quest in life, using a symbolic language of archetypal pictograms and numbers. In its truest form it is an ancient tool for self-development - and, indeed, self-realization. Thomas Saunders decodes what may be the oldest known complete deck of cards - the Ancien Tarot de Marseille - which retains the greatest integrity for their original function. He explains the symbolism of each card and the relationships between the cards, interpreting not only the Major Arcana, but also the significance of the fifty-six Minor cards, and suggests how the wisdom of the Tarot can help us to self-awareness, an understanding of where we are on life's path, and a sense of our place in the world.

Genres: Tarot

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2007

Reviews

[Marius · Rating 2 out of 5]

Saunders´s book covers a brief history of the Tarot de Marseille, the fool´s journey, interpretation of the Major Arcana (2 pages each), interpretation of the pip cards (1/2 page) from a numerological perspective and the suits in general (3 pages). Saunders shows a Pip card Matrix listing suggesting keyword interpretations based on the numbers and suits. The court cards are also covered (1/2 page each). The general interpretation style is from a psychological/self development perspective with references to Jung in particular. The card illustrations are in black and white, however 8 pages in the beginning of the book, give you the cards in color (Grimaud TdM). Two spreads are covered; the 21 card spread and the 5 card spread with example readings. The book is also furnished with and index in the back. Saunders also includes a chapter on the Tarot journey, where he as seen before splits the Major Arcana in 3 themes; exoteric (1-7), mesoteric (8-14) and esoteric (15-21). What is quite interesting and somewhat unorthodox is that Saunders also connects the cards vertically and assigns interpretation to them ie. MA cards 1-8-15 mean "our inherent characteristics" and MA cards 5-12-18 "our moral attitudes". This chapter is probably also where the book has its strength. In general the book is rather thin and does not do a very good job in much. I would not recommend this book to either the novice or the initiate. If you are looking for a book on TdM Tarot Yoav Ben Dov´s book is a far better choice.

[Cassandra]

I have mixed feelings.

On the one hand, there's interesting information here and some thought-provoking insights. I enjoyed Saunders's perspective on relationships between cards in the Major Arcana, and on the significance of numbers within the Minor. And gosh, if you're a beginner who's overwhelmed by the volume of "there's no one right way to do tarot!" encouragement online, then Saunders is here to tell you there is indeed one right way to do it, and here are all the ways other people are doing it wrong. So I suppose someone might find his confidence and directness refreshing?

On the other hand? Kinda fussy, prescriptive, condescending...Saunders seems personally affronted that 20th and 21st century artists dared interpret tarot imagery themselves, as if the Tarot of Marseilles is the ur-Tarot that bubbled up from the collective unconscious without any individual human's meddling. (And I like Marseillesy decks, so I appreciate his descriptions of the cards since so many other beginners' guides focus on RWS imagery, but his huffiness made me want to go out and buy fifty whimsical Rider Waite Smith clones out of spite.)

I've had this book for 15 years and finally got around to reading it. In some ways it hasn't aged well (he manages to bash single mothers in the conclusion, among other yikesy things throughout the book), but I think I'll keep it for the nice illustrations and a few references. But overall I'd consider this book interesting but extremely inessential.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Among the small library of tarot books which eschews the standard parroting of the Golden Dawn associations/meanings of the cards. Has some good parts on symbolism and includes an interesting 21 card spread, but spends too much time on a whole philosophy of tarot that feels insubstantial.

[Cherie · Rating 3 out of 5]

B Some good info on symbolism of cards, on how the cards relate, but again, cannot be the only Tarot book you own.

[karla · Rating 1 out of 5]

la forma en la que esto parece una tesis chimba de bachillerato 💀