What do you think?
Rate this book
The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages
Many students of the Western esoteric tradition consider Paul Foster Case's The Tarot the finest explanation that has yet appeared on the occult meaning of numbers, the construction of the Tarot, and the attribution of the 22 Major Trumps to the Hebrew alphabet.
In clear and understandable language, Case elucidates the Tarot tradition and technique for the modern thinker. Students of the Tarot will find in these pages the necessary information to understand and apply the principles of Tarot-and the correspondences of symbol, tone, color, and number-to the art of daily living. The author also includes extremely useful chapters on methods of study and Tarot divination.
In this 2006 edition, the book appears for the first time with an index and an appendix of resources. Here is a genuine underground masterpiece, made available to a broad new readership.
In clear and understandable language, Case elucidates the Tarot tradition and technique for the modern thinker. Students of the Tarot will find in these pages the necessary information to understand and apply the principles of Tarot-and the correspondences of symbol, tone, color, and number-to the art of daily living. The author also includes extremely useful chapters on methods of study and Tarot divination.
In this 2006 edition, the book appears for the first time with an index and an appendix of resources. Here is a genuine underground masterpiece, made available to a broad new readership.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1947
36 people are currently reading
801 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
June 18, 2014
This book by Paul Foster Case is an in-depth study of the tarot cards (Rider-Waite deck) in relationship to messages within the Qabalah or Secret Wisdom of Israel.
I, like many who began studying the tarot cards and perhaps as I, for the purpose of psychic readings, used the small booklet that came with the deck. Later I was gifted a book more detailed of each card (symbols, colors, numerology and astrological influences.) Still nothing gave me the information as did The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages. I've only been studying the Major Arcana cards from his teachings for about five years and my forty-five year relationship with the tarot has deepened. For instance 'The Fool' card begins our journey. Aleph is the Hebrew equivalent writes Case. "Fiery or Scintillating Intelligence is the mode of consciousness assigned to Aleph. Breath keeps a fire alight in our bodies." We tarot students know The Fool is the beginning of a journey or a path (project, awareness, goal etc), but to think we breathe in the fiery essence that awakens our scintillating (lively imagination) intelligence gives new meaning or a greater clarity to the symbol of the fool. "The Qabalists called this Limitless Light."
In his introduction Case says "Never has Ageless Wisdom attempted to define this One Reality. ... Yet in every age the report of the wise has been that in the One Something inheres the power to 'know'." If you undertake as a serious student, the study of spiritual and intellect growth in order you live fully your talents, abilities, and uniqueness then this book will surely give power to you thoughts and grow your awareness. I recommend it for all serious minded students of the occult and metaphysical interests as well as for the person who wishes to expand her or his spiritual connection to universal knowledge.
I won't pretend that study through this book is easy (to me anyway) and one would most likely stop at each chapter, which is full of esoteric teachings such as the direction of awakening assigned to each card. The Fool is North-West "...symbolic of the unknown, and of the state just prior to the initiation of a creative process."
If your intention is to deepen your knowledge of the wisdom of alchemical living (the right ingredients to live fully)and to move beyond the psychic reading (future telling) of the tarot, I recommend this book. So Mote it Be.
I, like many who began studying the tarot cards and perhaps as I, for the purpose of psychic readings, used the small booklet that came with the deck. Later I was gifted a book more detailed of each card (symbols, colors, numerology and astrological influences.) Still nothing gave me the information as did The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages. I've only been studying the Major Arcana cards from his teachings for about five years and my forty-five year relationship with the tarot has deepened. For instance 'The Fool' card begins our journey. Aleph is the Hebrew equivalent writes Case. "Fiery or Scintillating Intelligence is the mode of consciousness assigned to Aleph. Breath keeps a fire alight in our bodies." We tarot students know The Fool is the beginning of a journey or a path (project, awareness, goal etc), but to think we breathe in the fiery essence that awakens our scintillating (lively imagination) intelligence gives new meaning or a greater clarity to the symbol of the fool. "The Qabalists called this Limitless Light."
In his introduction Case says "Never has Ageless Wisdom attempted to define this One Reality. ... Yet in every age the report of the wise has been that in the One Something inheres the power to 'know'." If you undertake as a serious student, the study of spiritual and intellect growth in order you live fully your talents, abilities, and uniqueness then this book will surely give power to you thoughts and grow your awareness. I recommend it for all serious minded students of the occult and metaphysical interests as well as for the person who wishes to expand her or his spiritual connection to universal knowledge.
I won't pretend that study through this book is easy (to me anyway) and one would most likely stop at each chapter, which is full of esoteric teachings such as the direction of awakening assigned to each card. The Fool is North-West "...symbolic of the unknown, and of the state just prior to the initiation of a creative process."
If your intention is to deepen your knowledge of the wisdom of alchemical living (the right ingredients to live fully)and to move beyond the psychic reading (future telling) of the tarot, I recommend this book. So Mote it Be.
January 13, 2013
Paul Foster Case's The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages is not a book you want to check out from the library, as I have. It's a fairly straight-forward, as-simple-as-you-can get analysis of the major trumps of the Tarot, looking at the symbolism of the pictures, as well as the kabbalistic meanings of each card. The book only takes 3-6 pages for each card, but those pages are packed with information.
I come to this book with some understanding of the Tarot symbolism, and a very rudimentary understanding of the Kabbalah. After reading this, I feel like I understand the Kabbalah a little more, and I think if I had come to it with a greater understanding of that, I would have learned more about the Tarot symbolism. And that's what I find most interesting about this book: you could use it as a student of Tarot or a student of Kabbalah to learn about the other.
As I said, if you're going to read this book, you should buy it. There's a lot of information, so a single reading isn't going to do that much for you. It's really a book to refer back to as you feel you've become more skilled in Tarot reading.
My only real problems with this book are that 1) it only takes a couple of pages to deal with ALL of the minor and court cards, and 2) the divination method was pretty complicated, and this should have been given more pages. It's really written for someone with a greater knowledge of the Kabbalah and the zodiac than I have.
Overall, The Tarot is a fascinating and enjoyable read that really requires serious study to get the full advantage of it.
I come to this book with some understanding of the Tarot symbolism, and a very rudimentary understanding of the Kabbalah. After reading this, I feel like I understand the Kabbalah a little more, and I think if I had come to it with a greater understanding of that, I would have learned more about the Tarot symbolism. And that's what I find most interesting about this book: you could use it as a student of Tarot or a student of Kabbalah to learn about the other.
As I said, if you're going to read this book, you should buy it. There's a lot of information, so a single reading isn't going to do that much for you. It's really a book to refer back to as you feel you've become more skilled in Tarot reading.
My only real problems with this book are that 1) it only takes a couple of pages to deal with ALL of the minor and court cards, and 2) the divination method was pretty complicated, and this should have been given more pages. It's really written for someone with a greater knowledge of the Kabbalah and the zodiac than I have.
Overall, The Tarot is a fascinating and enjoyable read that really requires serious study to get the full advantage of it.
April 12, 2018
Paul Foster Case is one of the greatest interpreters of esoteric Tarot. He created a Tarot deck for the spiritual organization B.O.T.A. he founded.
In this book Paul explains, rock solid and in a clear language, the most important symbols of the major twenty-two arcana, and their qabalistic, alchemical, astrological, color, and sound correspondences.
Paul Foster Case dedicated his life to the demystification of esoteric subjects and creating a system that integrates seamlessly the most important spiritual traditions of the West.
At the end of the book, Paul outlined a Tarot divination method that aids the Tarot diviner to grasp intuitively possible solutions for the inquirer's personal challenges. No bad old fortune telling!
- The Spiritualist, www.thespiritualist.net
In this book Paul explains, rock solid and in a clear language, the most important symbols of the major twenty-two arcana, and their qabalistic, alchemical, astrological, color, and sound correspondences.
Paul Foster Case dedicated his life to the demystification of esoteric subjects and creating a system that integrates seamlessly the most important spiritual traditions of the West.
At the end of the book, Paul outlined a Tarot divination method that aids the Tarot diviner to grasp intuitively possible solutions for the inquirer's personal challenges. No bad old fortune telling!
- The Spiritualist, www.thespiritualist.net
December 27, 2019
This book’s main emphasis is the occult correspondences of the tarot. Numerology, Qabalah, Astrological, etc. It’s greatest value to me were the numerological explanations in the beginning and the short divination methods and concise interpretations at the end. The card explanations (rather than interpretations), which make up the bulk of the book, further expand all possible correspondences such as gender, colors, music notes, seasons, Masonic associations, alchemical ones, directional navigation, elemental, and so on. Not beginners material. This likely won’t be a frequently used future reference for me, but my perspective may change as I gain more experience.
February 29, 2012
Anything by Case on Tarot is solid. Best known for his work with the Builders of the Admantyum, this early 20th century occultist carefully couched his symbolism in Western Hermetics. However, Case isn't necessarily the best reference for someone who is merely delving into Tarot for fortune-telling. I have it on Kindle... My favorite Case work is "The Book of Tokens", a series of meditations on Qabalistic symbolism in the Tarot.
June 6, 2017
So far the best book I've read on Tarot, it is simple, straightforward, and even uncovers blinds left by other authors. If I were to recommend one book to a beginner in Tarot, this is it.
February 4, 2022
After reading this as my first book on Tarot, the fundamental underpinnings based mostly on Kabbalistic occult science seem mostly sound.
The Tarot is evidently built to play with/explicate/stimulate subconscious forces that drive our short and long-term decision making, more so than a random fortune-telling tool.
That said, many of the correlations seem rather random, but it is meant to guide one's intuition in the first place. But there is definitely some solid, consistent foundation.
The 4 planes of conscious creative energy somewhat correspond with the chakra planes in Hinduism. But I like the concrete explanation:
1. First you have the idea of sitting (Archetypal plane), based on a will-to-sit
2. Then there are specific patterns in which sitting can take place (Creative plane)
3. A world of forces (physics, chemistry) is understood to give rise to an actualization of the original idea and scenario pattern (Formative plane)
4. The chair is built in the Material plane
This is basically a design process as takes place in new product development, if well executed.
The book also describes 10 different intelligences, a relationship of numbers and keys to the tree of life, and every card is described with 5-6 pages of packed information and metaphors by which to do the divination.
I think this is a good book to own as basic reference to Tarot readings, in conjunction with the classic Rider-Waite deck.
The Tarot is evidently built to play with/explicate/stimulate subconscious forces that drive our short and long-term decision making, more so than a random fortune-telling tool.
That said, many of the correlations seem rather random, but it is meant to guide one's intuition in the first place. But there is definitely some solid, consistent foundation.
The 4 planes of conscious creative energy somewhat correspond with the chakra planes in Hinduism. But I like the concrete explanation:
1. First you have the idea of sitting (Archetypal plane), based on a will-to-sit
2. Then there are specific patterns in which sitting can take place (Creative plane)
3. A world of forces (physics, chemistry) is understood to give rise to an actualization of the original idea and scenario pattern (Formative plane)
4. The chair is built in the Material plane
This is basically a design process as takes place in new product development, if well executed.
The book also describes 10 different intelligences, a relationship of numbers and keys to the tree of life, and every card is described with 5-6 pages of packed information and metaphors by which to do the divination.
I think this is a good book to own as basic reference to Tarot readings, in conjunction with the classic Rider-Waite deck.
August 7, 2022
⭐⭐ Two and a half stars.
My opinion is clearly the unpopular one and I can see why. This book provided a lot of valuable information on the major tarot cards, something that I found tremendously interesting. That said, I found the writing incredibly dense. At times this made it difficult to connect with the material and glean the necessary understanding, thus my low rating. Furthermore, the book seemed disorganized at times; there were sections that felt a tad "preachy," making me disconnect with the writing.
In the end, I think it was worth reading. There was a lot of information on the visual elements, color and numerical meanings that made this experience -- although painful at times -- worth it. That said, it was far from a "good" or pleasant read. Felt more like homework than leisure enjoyment. Two and a half stars.
My opinion is clearly the unpopular one and I can see why. This book provided a lot of valuable information on the major tarot cards, something that I found tremendously interesting. That said, I found the writing incredibly dense. At times this made it difficult to connect with the material and glean the necessary understanding, thus my low rating. Furthermore, the book seemed disorganized at times; there were sections that felt a tad "preachy," making me disconnect with the writing.
In the end, I think it was worth reading. There was a lot of information on the visual elements, color and numerical meanings that made this experience -- although painful at times -- worth it. That said, it was far from a "good" or pleasant read. Felt more like homework than leisure enjoyment. Two and a half stars.
July 14, 2023
This book was highly recommended by a Tarot mentor and for this reason, I kept trying long after I should have given up. This book is TEDIOUS and bloviating, and yet still terribly pleased with itself. Plenty of space in a devoted to self-referential praise. The actual sentences that made me give up: “The Magic of Light presides over life and death because it has to do with laws and principles whereby self-conscious states of mind initiate and determine subconscious reactions. These reactions make for life or for death, according to the patterns which self-consciousness formulates and passes down to the subconscious plane.”
There may be value to statements like these, and perhaps I’m just not ready for this kind of book. Either way, no thank you.
There may be value to statements like these, and perhaps I’m just not ready for this kind of book. Either way, no thank you.
October 24, 2023
One of the single best books written on the Tarot! I have read/studied several tarot books…PFC takes you to school, church, work, heaven via constructs of the mind and back again.
Exquisite material! I was wondering why it was different from the actual B.O.T.A. material and I admit I was feeling a little cheated as a credit to this work of his specifically…then I read this was the final written thing on the topic from him which absolutely shows the progression of a lifetime of work on the subject.
I want a 1947 edition and everything else he has written. I’m grateful to this man for lighting up the path.
Exquisite material! I was wondering why it was different from the actual B.O.T.A. material and I admit I was feeling a little cheated as a credit to this work of his specifically…then I read this was the final written thing on the topic from him which absolutely shows the progression of a lifetime of work on the subject.
I want a 1947 edition and everything else he has written. I’m grateful to this man for lighting up the path.
July 31, 2025
A cornerstone of Western esotericism—and a must-read for anyone who understands that the Tarot is more than fortune-telling fodder. Paul Foster Case doesn’t just interpret the cards; he unlocks a metaphysical worldview where symbolism, archetype, and consciousness collide.
Dense? Yes.
Dry? Occasionally.
Worth it? Absolutely.
Reading this feels like taking a guided tour through the architecture of the universe—with a Hermetic initiate as your docent. Case's analysis of the Major Arcana shaped how I approached character, structure, and cosmic subtext in The Occultist’s Daughter. If you’ve ever suspected the cards were whispering to you... this book hands you the cipher.
Dense? Yes.
Dry? Occasionally.
Worth it? Absolutely.
Reading this feels like taking a guided tour through the architecture of the universe—with a Hermetic initiate as your docent. Case's analysis of the Major Arcana shaped how I approached character, structure, and cosmic subtext in The Occultist’s Daughter. If you’ve ever suspected the cards were whispering to you... this book hands you the cipher.
August 7, 2022
Very deep and insightful analysis of the Major Arcana cards, and how each corresponds to a pathway on the Qabbalistic Tree of Life. I learned a lot about the Qabalah (a subject matter I've been interested in for a while now), astrology, and psychology. This books intersects various fields of knowledge, both mystical and practical, in order to present the 22 Major Arcana cards as 22 keys toward spiritual and personal development. This book is great for understanding the symbolism behind the tarot in much deeper detail beyond their everyday divinatory meanings.
December 28, 2021
Revealing some information yet concealing other information for the reader to do his/her own research, Brother Case provides insight into Tarot correspondences regarding the Qabalah, astrology, numerology among other subjects to present an engaging text that invites the reader to revisit it for future reference.
January 17, 2022
As a reference book for Tarot, this book has some neat illustrations, but as a book in itself, this book is questionable in its syncretic nature. Case may reference multiple traditions, but that does not make Case an expert on them. Having just read up on Kabbalah, I find many of the chapters somewhat dubious.
January 8, 2019
Completely made up historical nonsense..but entertaining nonsense that has influenced many Tarot artists..so well worth the read if you are a collector of Tarot cards and seek to understand the symbolism woven into the artwork.
July 2, 2024
If you feel the tarot is for prediction this will not add to your understanding. If you use the tarot to unlock your unconscious to better understand the mysteries of life then it provides a lifetime of insight and knowledge.
December 23, 2017
This book is a fascinating journey through the Tarot! I've read many books about Tarot and Kabbalah, but I like the books of Paul Foster Case and Dr. Elias Rubenstein most.
November 8, 2018
Comprehensive information about the Tarot and its history
November 4, 2021
exceptional reference in any tarot library
April 26, 2022
a compelling in depth guide to the history and meaning of the tarot keys. very helpful
August 20, 2023
Indispensable wisdom, to those who know how to use it.
October 22, 2023
An excellent and thorough esoteric analysis of the tarot.
March 2, 2024
The best most fascinating book on tarot I’ve ever read.
August 27, 2024
One of the best introductory, beginner’s books on the Qabalistic tarot out there, in my opinion.
April 9, 2025
Required reading for everyone interested in Tarot and/or the occult. I recommend purchasing it along with "Highlights of the Tarot" and a uncolored deck of the BOTA Tarot. These can be purchased from the BOTA website.
Paul Foster Case was an occult genius and a prolific writer on Tarot, Rosicrucianism, esoteric astrology and many other related topics. "The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages" is his magnum opus concerning the Tarot. It begins with an explanation of the occult significance of numbers, which is tied to the Sephiroth on the Qabalistic Tree of Life. The next 22 chapters concern each of the major arcana, or keys, of the Tarot (as depicted in the BOTA deck). Each key is presented along with the occult significance of its associated Hebrew letter, Zodiac sign (if applicable), direction and word attributions. A common theme throughout is the complicated interrelatedness of each card; in an attempt to demonstrate that the keys cannot be understood or considered on their own. Instead, they must be viewed as a whole. The final chapter concerns the use of the Tarot as a divination tool, along with suggestions as to how to learn and master the requisite information concerning each key.
Paul Foster Case was an occult genius and a prolific writer on Tarot, Rosicrucianism, esoteric astrology and many other related topics. "The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages" is his magnum opus concerning the Tarot. It begins with an explanation of the occult significance of numbers, which is tied to the Sephiroth on the Qabalistic Tree of Life. The next 22 chapters concern each of the major arcana, or keys, of the Tarot (as depicted in the BOTA deck). Each key is presented along with the occult significance of its associated Hebrew letter, Zodiac sign (if applicable), direction and word attributions. A common theme throughout is the complicated interrelatedness of each card; in an attempt to demonstrate that the keys cannot be understood or considered on their own. Instead, they must be viewed as a whole. The final chapter concerns the use of the Tarot as a divination tool, along with suggestions as to how to learn and master the requisite information concerning each key.
July 9, 2019
A valuable source for learning tarot. The author is clear and instructive in many diverse elements involved in tarot divination and meditation. I will refer to this book for many years to come, just for the pleasure of the prose.
April 19, 2008
perpetuates waite's reversal of justice and strength likke too many who have followed waite, but a good reference.
April 5, 2013
If you are interested in decoding the symbolism in the major arcana, this is the Go-To guide! Wow. Amazing book!
January 19, 2014
PFC breaks it down like none other, simply put.
December 24, 2023
An in depth guide to interpreting the occult symbolism within the tarot. Would recommend this to intermediate or advance tarot reader.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews