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s.penkevich's Reviews > Tarot: The Library of Esoterica
Tarot: The Library of Esoterica
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Tarot reading time! Pick a card:
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Now that you have your tarot reading for today it is time for the review:
Tarot have long been used for games or cartomancy and are known for their gorgeous and interpretive artwork. Primarily originating in 15th century Italy as trionifi and later tarocchi, they are still widely known and used today. Maybe you want to do a bit of divination, maybe you want to ask the cards about your job or love life, or maybe you don’t believe in that but you like the art or have fun playing with the tarot. Either way, tarot are pretty fun to look at and collect. I have a few decks myself. Tarot: The Library of Esoterica from Taschen—known for their great art coffee table type books at a reasonable price—is such a delightful book packed with history and art of the tarot. It is more intended to be an overview of the art throughout history and about the artists behind the decks than a book about card meanings, though there is a bit of information about the symbolism and interpretations of the major arcana and the general idea of the suits. I really love this as a great resource to look at and think of the various artistic interpretations and I mayyyyyy have ordered a new deck that I found in it. I mean, this is just packed full of cool art:
Tarot cards were usually hand painted until the invention of the printing press allowed for wider production and distribution of tarot cards. The earliest references to tarot are around the 1440s and 1450s and the cards painted by Visconti-Sforza Tarot in the mid-15th century, and Philippe Vachier of Marseilles 1639 deck are the earliest surviving cards. To design a deck is a huge undertaking and many artists have had wildy different interpretations of the card to help direct the symbolism. There are three primary types of tarot cards and symbolism:
� , likely originating in 15th century Italy before spreading to France when the French conquered Milan. It was the Marseilles decks that went from being used for card game purposes to occult readings and divination.
� , originating in 1909 when it was published by William Rider & Son, based on the instructions of mystic A. E. Waite and with the well-known illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith (both members of the ). Many modern tarot are based on the Rider-Waite symbolism and art, which was inspired by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn as well as 19th-century magician & occultist .
� , designed by along with Lady Frieda Harris. Crowley had previously been a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn but fell out in 1902 & went on to create an esoteric order of his own. The imagery & symbolism of the Thoth deck draws from science, philosophy, astrology & various occult systems, all detailed in his companion book, The Book of Thoth. �The origin of this pack of cards is very obscure,� Crowley said of Tarot, �Some authorities seek to put it back as far as the ancient Egyptian Mysteries; others try to bring it forward as late as the fifteenth or even the sixteenth century ... [but] The only theory of ultimate interest about the tarot is that it is an admirable symbolic picture of the Universe, based on the data of the Holy Qabalah.�
The deck is structured not that unlike a deck of cards, with the major arcana added in.The terms major/minor arcana originated with , a French author know for his The History & Practice of Magic. But if you look at each “suit� you can see how they correspond to a normal deck of cards & each suit has its own set of symbolism & meaning with it.
Pentacles corresponds with diamonds & sometimes called Coins. �Pentacles are the suit of material possession, career, & bodily health.� Associated with the element of earth, they often make us aware of our generosity or greed.
Swords corresponds with Spades �Swords are the suit of higher consciousness, of intellect, of decisive change & focused power.� Swords are associated with the air element & symbolic of action, change, & force.
Wands corresponds with Clubs �Wands are the suit of desire & yearning, dreams, & manifestation.� Associated with the element of fire, Wands symbolize sexuality, willpower, primal energy & is the suit of the ego.
Cups correspond with Hearts. �Cups explore the complexities of the heart, the push & pull of relationship to others, the catharsis that comes with deeply felt emotions.� Associated with water, Cups are symbolic of intuition & nurturing.
Doing a reading involves looking at the symbolism & constructing a story from them. Its about mindful perception, making an intuitive narrative from the cards. I quite like how it becomes a sort of storytelling with prompts, like creative writing that allows you to reflect on yourself & your actions. �After you have found how to tell a simple story, put in more details,� wrote Pamela Colman Smith, arist of the Rider-Waite, �Learn from everything, see everything, & above all feel everything! Fine eyes within, look for the door into the unknown country.� This book doesn’t give much in the way of looking at how to do readings, though it does provide some basic reading methods.
I also enjoyed the history on artists and modern uses of tarot. I was fascinated to learn that Salvador Dali was contracted for the James Bond movie Live and Let Die to make a set. Unfortunately they did not use his cards but Dali finished them.
Another favorite artist, Leonora Carrington, also created a deck of the Major Arcana.
Tarot: The Library of Esoterica is a great little resource and so much fun to look at. There is a great variety of cards and artists represented here and it is fun for frequent users of the tarot or those just interested in art and symbolism.
Pick Me(view spoiler)
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Now that you have your tarot reading for today it is time for the review:
Tarot have long been used for games or cartomancy and are known for their gorgeous and interpretive artwork. Primarily originating in 15th century Italy as trionifi and later tarocchi, they are still widely known and used today. Maybe you want to do a bit of divination, maybe you want to ask the cards about your job or love life, or maybe you don’t believe in that but you like the art or have fun playing with the tarot. Either way, tarot are pretty fun to look at and collect. I have a few decks myself. Tarot: The Library of Esoterica from Taschen—known for their great art coffee table type books at a reasonable price—is such a delightful book packed with history and art of the tarot. It is more intended to be an overview of the art throughout history and about the artists behind the decks than a book about card meanings, though there is a bit of information about the symbolism and interpretations of the major arcana and the general idea of the suits. I really love this as a great resource to look at and think of the various artistic interpretations and I mayyyyyy have ordered a new deck that I found in it. I mean, this is just packed full of cool art:
Tarot cards were usually hand painted until the invention of the printing press allowed for wider production and distribution of tarot cards. The earliest references to tarot are around the 1440s and 1450s and the cards painted by Visconti-Sforza Tarot in the mid-15th century, and Philippe Vachier of Marseilles 1639 deck are the earliest surviving cards. To design a deck is a huge undertaking and many artists have had wildy different interpretations of the card to help direct the symbolism. There are three primary types of tarot cards and symbolism:
� , likely originating in 15th century Italy before spreading to France when the French conquered Milan. It was the Marseilles decks that went from being used for card game purposes to occult readings and divination.
� , originating in 1909 when it was published by William Rider & Son, based on the instructions of mystic A. E. Waite and with the well-known illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith (both members of the ). Many modern tarot are based on the Rider-Waite symbolism and art, which was inspired by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn as well as 19th-century magician & occultist .
� , designed by along with Lady Frieda Harris. Crowley had previously been a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn but fell out in 1902 & went on to create an esoteric order of his own. The imagery & symbolism of the Thoth deck draws from science, philosophy, astrology & various occult systems, all detailed in his companion book, The Book of Thoth. �The origin of this pack of cards is very obscure,� Crowley said of Tarot, �Some authorities seek to put it back as far as the ancient Egyptian Mysteries; others try to bring it forward as late as the fifteenth or even the sixteenth century ... [but] The only theory of ultimate interest about the tarot is that it is an admirable symbolic picture of the Universe, based on the data of the Holy Qabalah.�
The deck is structured not that unlike a deck of cards, with the major arcana added in.The terms major/minor arcana originated with , a French author know for his The History & Practice of Magic. But if you look at each “suit� you can see how they correspond to a normal deck of cards & each suit has its own set of symbolism & meaning with it.
Pentacles corresponds with diamonds & sometimes called Coins. �Pentacles are the suit of material possession, career, & bodily health.� Associated with the element of earth, they often make us aware of our generosity or greed.
Swords corresponds with Spades �Swords are the suit of higher consciousness, of intellect, of decisive change & focused power.� Swords are associated with the air element & symbolic of action, change, & force.
Wands corresponds with Clubs �Wands are the suit of desire & yearning, dreams, & manifestation.� Associated with the element of fire, Wands symbolize sexuality, willpower, primal energy & is the suit of the ego.
Cups correspond with Hearts. �Cups explore the complexities of the heart, the push & pull of relationship to others, the catharsis that comes with deeply felt emotions.� Associated with water, Cups are symbolic of intuition & nurturing.
Doing a reading involves looking at the symbolism & constructing a story from them. Its about mindful perception, making an intuitive narrative from the cards. I quite like how it becomes a sort of storytelling with prompts, like creative writing that allows you to reflect on yourself & your actions. �After you have found how to tell a simple story, put in more details,� wrote Pamela Colman Smith, arist of the Rider-Waite, �Learn from everything, see everything, & above all feel everything! Fine eyes within, look for the door into the unknown country.� This book doesn’t give much in the way of looking at how to do readings, though it does provide some basic reading methods.
I also enjoyed the history on artists and modern uses of tarot. I was fascinated to learn that Salvador Dali was contracted for the James Bond movie Live and Let Die to make a set. Unfortunately they did not use his cards but Dali finished them.
Another favorite artist, Leonora Carrington, also created a deck of the Major Arcana.
Tarot: The Library of Esoterica is a great little resource and so much fun to look at. There is a great variety of cards and artists represented here and it is fun for frequent users of the tarot or those just interested in art and symbolism.
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Reading Progress
Finished Reading
March 26, 2025
– Shelved
March 26, 2025
– Shelved as:
non-fiction
March 26, 2025
– Shelved as:
tarot
March 26, 2025
– Shelved as:
art
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THIS IS SUCH A FANTASTIC REVIEW i love love love the tarot reading style intro!!! (i pulled the knight of swords btw) and great summary of the history/classical types of cards, there's so much fascinating information out there :)
M wrote: "That bit of Dali trivia is so cool! (And the set is beautiful). Thank you for sharing!"
YEA isn't that wild? I wonder why they never ended up following through, though the book says he "continued" to make it after it fell through so maybe he wasn't done in time? Not like they show a whole deck anyways but still. They do have reproductions for sale though its pretty pricey to get ahold of. There were a few decks in here that I raced to find online and either theres no way to get them or they are WILDLY expensive.
I loooove your tarot collection! And that book is just 😍
hope wrote: "THIS IS SUCH A FANTASTIC REVIEW i love love love the tarot reading style intro!!! (i pulled the knight of swords btw) and great summary of the history/classical types of cards, there's so much fasc..."Thank you so much! And thank you for being the one to teach me tarot haha. Oooo that is a very fitting one. Yea I need to borrow your book on the history that sounded amazing. I love all the different artists and that Crowley is kind of annoying and made his own haha. And I can’t wait for our new deck to come�
Carolina wrote: "I loooove your tarot collection! And that book is just 😍"Thank you so much! I really love the Rainbow Tarot, I carry that one with me everywhere and it uses imagery from both the Marseilles and the Rider-Waite (predominantly Marseilles though) which is fun especially now that I know that’s what Remedios Varo used to inspire her painting. It’s such a cool book, the art is incredible
The Dali ones are wonderful!
OH HELLO THERE!!!! Also loving all your decks!!! I recently got a deck called “NYC Tarot� and all I can say is� seeing pizza while doing a reading throws me off!!! Looking forward to learning more from this book! Amazing review once again :-)
Carol She's So Novel꧁꧂ wrote: "The Dali ones are wonderful!"YEA aren't those so cool! I found images of the full set online and they are really lovely (alas, not going to pay the $80 for the reproduction set though haha)
vivivivivivi wrote: "OH HELLO THERE!!!! Also loving all your decks!!! I recently got a deck called “NYC Tarot� and all I can say is� seeing pizza while doing a reading throws me off!!! Looking forward to learning more ..."Ooo I just looked that one up and it’s pretty fun—I like the hierophant as the NY public library! But I can imagine so haha And thank you. I got real obsessed with the two images this had of the Carnival at the End of the World tarot and ended up finding someone online willing to sell it for fairly inexpensive so I’m really geeked for that to arrive. Do you have a favorite deck?
There are so many beautiful tarot decks available nowadays. If I had enough money, I'd start a collection! The only deck I have is the Rider-Waite deck I bought back in the 90s. This book, which focuses on the art itself seems like it'd be interesting to look through. I'll have to see if my library has a copy. Love the pictures! <3
L Ann wrote: "There are so many beautiful tarot decks available nowadays. If I had enough money, I'd start a collection! The only deck I have is the Rider-Waite deck I bought back in the 90s. This book, which fo..."SO many, I keep spending hours looking through them haha (though I'm a bit saddened to see a lot of the indie decks on etsy are AI art now which sort of takes the joy out of the art?) That is great though, I mean it is a classic for a reason. My favorite to use is the Rainbow Tarot from Sonia Lazo, which I saw got picked up by a publisher and now they have it with reflective edges which...I'm always tempted to gift mine to get the nice new version but I also kind of love that its their handmade set instead.
Ooo yea, definitely check it out if you can, I hope your library has a copy. Ours had been missing for like 2 years and someone finally brought it back haha. Theres a few decks I am now going to be eternally on the hunt for haha (pipe dreaming because...yea who can afford expensive tarot haha).
Loved the tarot reading setup of the review + some new trivia about tarot! You always manage to utilize gr reviews in astounding ways.I think the symbolism of tarot is so cool and eternally fascinating! It has a persistence, I think, especially in literature and symbolism. Believe in divination or not, we never stop using archetypes, I guess. One of my favorite tarot interpretations is from this artist on tumblr who created a "trash tarot" out of ads, found objects and other ephemera. [can't post links here :(]
ari wrote: "Lovely review!!"Thank you so much!
Amelia wrote: "Loved the tarot reading setup of the review + some new trivia about tarot! You always manage to utilize gr reviews in astounding ways.I think the symbolism of tarot is so cool and eternally fasci..."
WOAH I just found the trash tarot and that is SO COOL. haha I love that, especially the smug little face of the hierophant! Or the simplicity of the 3 of pentacles. thank you for that!
But also Thank you! because that opening part took soooo long to make but it was really fun haha so I'm glad someone enjoyed (I have a new deck coming so I'm excited to update it with some selections).
Ooo yea, that is a great point about the archetypes and the symbolism and semiotics that interpretation orbits around. I love how tarot really taps into that or how it can be a great tool for creativity.
Christie wrote: "You're so cool. "Oh alas I fear that is far from true but thank you
Tarot is truly impossible to resist, and seems to be experiencing a renaissance, what with all the Jungian "shadow work." You are on the cusp! I was wondering if you'd taken a look at the Haindl tarot deck. (Yes, that is the right spelling!) It's an intuitive take, and I'm just about to dive in.Great review.
What a creative review! I had a brief period of time where Tarot was an obsession, back in my late twenties. I only kept one deck from that time, my Osho Zen Tarot Deck, the art, the little "Osho-isms", all really sang to my soul. I just broke out the (dusty!) deck and it's so weird looking at it again years later. I see tarot as being about looking forward into the future about what can/will be which suited me in my twenties. In my fifties now, I find myself looking back more than forward so the cards hit differently.
Anyway thank you for your wonderful review, it inspired a nostalgia filled happy afternoon!
Antigone wrote: "Tarot is truly impossible to resist, and seems to be experiencing a renaissance, what with all the Jungian "shadow work." You are on the cusp! I was wondering if you'd taken a look at the Haindl ta..."Woah I just looked it up and it is stunning! I love the very “come at me!� hermit with Gandalf fighting a balrog vibes. Enjoy! It looks really fun, is it sort of Thoth inspired? The imagery is really powerful and looming. Actually, do you have any good deck recommendations? I’m still figuring it all out, I just love how it’s sort of a 78 piece art collection where it’s basically jazz and everyone takes the same scale and interprets it but you still have to play every note.
And thank you! Yea it’s cool to see it being pretty prominent lately. It makes me think of that Private Rites book by Armfield where it’s all how when things get bleak you start to turn to new ways of looking. I’m having fun learning
Diane wrote: "What a creative review! I had a brief period of time where Tarot was an obsession, back in my late twenties. I only kept one deck from that time, my Osho Zen Tarot Deck, the art, the little "Osho-i..."That is such a lovely deck! Just looked it up online, I love the bold art and warmth it has with a lot of use of motion. Definitely see why you kept that one. And I’m glad it could be a good, nostalgic experience that sounds really lovely. Makes sense, I feel like tarot is a cool way to think of a bridge between past and present. Like, you can only ever know what it’s like to be your age or younger but you know people exemplifying what a later age is like but you still can’t know the gap between and I feel like tarot makes you think about what that bridge could be? If that makes sense?
And thank you so much!
s.penkevich wrote: "Actually, do you have any good deck recommendations?..."Ah, penk, you've hit on the very nub of the matter. Picking a deck is like picking an analyst, important choice. It must absolutely speak to you. Readers of the Tarot are drawn to their decks, like lovers. The Rider-Waite is the grandpappy of modern-day decks, those symbols and interpretations make an appearance in almost every deck created afterward - but if the images don't resonate? Not for you. Experts in the field are serious about this, so choose accordingly.
You are right about the Thoth influence in the Haindl, there's some of that. The artist did tons of research on various spiritual practices and so the whole of it is symbol-heavy. As you've noticed, the decks can get pricey. I went generic at the start, with the "Swiss" (or IJJ) deck. It's affordable. The Haindl is also affordable (Amazon)...and you're a wicked intelligent dude so this may be one that holds your interest. An esteemed author on the Tarot (Rachel Pollack) has written in detail on the Haindl deck - card by card - so there's that.
Again, go with your inner voice, my friend. It will never steer you wrong. And welcome to the addiction...
Antigone wrote: "s.penkevich wrote: "Actually, do you have any good deck recommendations?..."Ah, penk, you've hit on the very nub of the matter. Picking a deck is like picking an analyst, important choice. It mus..."
That’s a great way to put it, and I’m still sort of sifting through finding the one that really speaks to me. I keep picking some up, using them for a week or two and then finding the right person to gift them to. I kind of really like matching a deck with a person to have as their first deck when they show interest. But so far I’ve kept my Rainbow tarot, the indie version before it got reissued with reflective edges and a nice box. I like that it’s more predominantly Marseilles imagery for the major arcana but has a lot of imagery in the RW for the minor. I should probably just get a standard RW to better learn it but I’m like…sort of waiting for one to find me? But I have the Carnival at the End of the World tarot on its way and I’m pretty geeked about that.
That Haindl deck is incredible! I was debating snagging one haha I want to learn the Thoth style more. I like how…kind of harsh and honest it seems? I’ll check out Rachel Pollack for sure, thank you!
And thank you for the advice. But also YEA it’s addicting right? I love looking at them. I went to a shop today to browse on the pretext I needed a bag for my deck (to be fair the box has fallen apart) but was good and didn’t impulse buy any, just the bag
Wow, this review is so fun and immersive! I love how it blends tarot history, symbolism, and personal insights seamlessly—it's like stepping into a beautifully illustrated mystical journey. Also, the little trivia bits about Dali and Carrington designing decks? Absolutely fascinating! 🔮�
~Maddy � wrote: "Wow, this review is so fun and immersive! I love how it blends tarot history, symbolism, and personal insights seamlessly—it's like stepping into a beautifully illustrated mystical journey. Also, t..."Thank you I had a lot of fun making this one (it took forever so I'm glad someone appreciated it). Isn't that cool? I keep eyeing reproductions of the Carrington cards...maybe some day...
B wrote: "Amazing review !!"Thank you so much!
Thank you for sharing!