What do you think?
Rate this book
The Magian Tarok: The Origins of the Tarot in the Mithraic and Hermetic Traditions
Reveals the historical roots of the symbology of the Tarot in the Mithraic tradition of the Persian Magi and the Hermetic tradition
• Explores the Magian teachings on the Stoeicheia and how this magical alphabet was the template for the Tarot
• Explains how the sequencing of the Major Arcana is related to the images used in Mithraic initiation
• Looks at the original meanings of the Major Arcana using Mithraic symbolism, as well as the deep-level connections of the Tarot with Egypt, the Romani people, the Semitic tradition, and runes
The Tarot is a mythic map of the world and of consciousness. It offers a meta-language of signs and symbols that communicate their meaning precisely. Yet the true origins of the Tarot remain shrouded in mystery. These oracular cards have long been thought to have come from Egypt or from the “Gypsies,” but as Stephen E. Flowers reveals, their original roots lie in the Mithraic tradition of the Persian Magi.
In this book, Flowers explores the historical roots and mythology of the symbolic images that became known as the Tarot. Drawing on theories first pioneered by the Swedish scholar Sigurd Agrell (1881-1937), he reveals the genesis of the Tarot’s symbolism in the great Hermetic tradition at the same time the Magical Papyri were being written in Greco-Roman Egypt. He explains how the sequencing of the Major Arcana is related to the images used in Mithraic initiation, elements of which were then integrated into existing Roman and Egyptian traditions. Exploring the Magian teachings on the Stoeicheia, an alphabet that acted as a map for understanding the order of the cosmos, he demonstrates how this alphabet of magical symbols was the template for the Tarot. The author also shows how the 22 Major Arcana cards were related to the 22 letters of the Roman alphabet used for oracular purposes in ancient times. Looking in-depth at the principles of Mithraism, the author explains how the Roman form of Mithraism, a guiding factor in the early shaping of the Tarot, was itself a synthesis of Iranian Magianism, Greek stoicism, Babylonian astrology, and Greco-Egyptian Hermeticism.
Exploring the cards themselves, Flowers then looks at the original meanings of the Major Arcana using Mithraic symbolism and its offshoots. He also explains the truth behind many of the myths surrounding the Tarot, including their deep-level connections with Egypt, the Romani people, the Semitic tradition, and runes. By restoring the original mysteria to the icons of the Tarot and learning their true origins, we can better understand the insight these powerful cards impart in divination.
• Explores the Magian teachings on the Stoeicheia and how this magical alphabet was the template for the Tarot
• Explains how the sequencing of the Major Arcana is related to the images used in Mithraic initiation
• Looks at the original meanings of the Major Arcana using Mithraic symbolism, as well as the deep-level connections of the Tarot with Egypt, the Romani people, the Semitic tradition, and runes
The Tarot is a mythic map of the world and of consciousness. It offers a meta-language of signs and symbols that communicate their meaning precisely. Yet the true origins of the Tarot remain shrouded in mystery. These oracular cards have long been thought to have come from Egypt or from the “Gypsies,” but as Stephen E. Flowers reveals, their original roots lie in the Mithraic tradition of the Persian Magi.
In this book, Flowers explores the historical roots and mythology of the symbolic images that became known as the Tarot. Drawing on theories first pioneered by the Swedish scholar Sigurd Agrell (1881-1937), he reveals the genesis of the Tarot’s symbolism in the great Hermetic tradition at the same time the Magical Papyri were being written in Greco-Roman Egypt. He explains how the sequencing of the Major Arcana is related to the images used in Mithraic initiation, elements of which were then integrated into existing Roman and Egyptian traditions. Exploring the Magian teachings on the Stoeicheia, an alphabet that acted as a map for understanding the order of the cosmos, he demonstrates how this alphabet of magical symbols was the template for the Tarot. The author also shows how the 22 Major Arcana cards were related to the 22 letters of the Roman alphabet used for oracular purposes in ancient times. Looking in-depth at the principles of Mithraism, the author explains how the Roman form of Mithraism, a guiding factor in the early shaping of the Tarot, was itself a synthesis of Iranian Magianism, Greek stoicism, Babylonian astrology, and Greco-Egyptian Hermeticism.
Exploring the cards themselves, Flowers then looks at the original meanings of the Major Arcana using Mithraic symbolism and its offshoots. He also explains the truth behind many of the myths surrounding the Tarot, including their deep-level connections with Egypt, the Romani people, the Semitic tradition, and runes. By restoring the original mysteria to the icons of the Tarot and learning their true origins, we can better understand the insight these powerful cards impart in divination.
192 pages, Paperback
Published October 15, 2019
16 people are currently reading
85 people want to read
About the author
Stephen E. Flowers
53 books109 followersAmerican Runologist and proponent of occultism and Germanic mysticism.
Flowers is an advocate of "Esoteric Runology" or "Odinism", an occultist version of Germanic Neopaganism
Flowers has graduated in Germanic and Celtic philology.
Flowers is an advocate of "Esoteric Runology" or "Odinism", an occultist version of Germanic Neopaganism
Flowers has graduated in Germanic and Celtic philology.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 29, 2020
I found this book interesting, another point of view for the origins of Tarot cards. It is not a book about the meaning of Tarot Cards, in fact, the author limit his exposition to the mayor Arcana and how he agrees with some ancient author's theories about certain aspects that show similarities with ancient religious practices and symbolism. Accurate? Who can be certain of it? But it sure opens the mind to a lot of possibilities and intriguing connections linked to the ancient past.
August 28, 2019
This is Flowers' attempt to link tarot with the images and myths associated with much older worldviews and traditions. Like any previous author's attempt to do so this one falls flat. Like any symbol set composed of images personal perception will invariably cause one to see something another does not.
Just another author trying to define the Tarot for you, and doing a poor job.
Just another author trying to define the Tarot for you, and doing a poor job.
June 9, 2021
This is quite an eye-opening book that confirms my commitment to always learning more about my chosen craft of Tarot. The author can be a bit snooty at times. Sometimes it's eyeroll-worthy, sometimes it's amusing. This does not dampen the positive effect of the valuable information the book has.
My real takeaways are the insights the author has about the connection between the cards of the Major Arcana as an initiatory story, and the correlations with rune symbols.
My real takeaways are the insights the author has about the connection between the cards of the Major Arcana as an initiatory story, and the correlations with rune symbols.
July 24, 2019
"One of the most important implications for the history and meaning of this symbol system is the reorientation of the system in an essentially pagan, pre- and non-Christian direction."
Why this book is historically important...
Why this book is historically important...
September 24, 2020
Interesting take on the major arcana to explain Mithraic initiation. Well worth the read.
December 27, 2020
Decent read. Sometimes wildly speculative, filled with tangential rants. Feels reasonably historically correct, though I am unsure of the veracity of the book thanks to its other blemishes.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews