Meditations on the Tarot: related sites

Links

The following are some other sites dealing with topics related to Meditations on the Tarot. I welcome further suggestions (particularly non-English-language sites), comments on the selection of pages here, and news of any broken links, by e-mail to david.m.carter at gmail.com (replace "at" by "@").

Last updated and checked in July 2006.

Sites with a major focus on "Meditations on the Tarot"

The discussion group for readers of the book.
The Sophia Foundation of North America,
Hermetic Catholicism. A weblog by Roger Buck, who has worked with Meditations on the Tarot for many years. Roger writes, "I am a lover, weak yet not impotent - a lover of Our Lord Jesus Christ and a lover of humanity. I am an aspiring Christian Hermeticist, faithful to the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ and faithful to a tradition of effort on behalf of humanity by a long line of Christian mystics and Christian esotericists. ... I look with serious concern at a world of increasingly brutal capitalism and soulless materialism. I stare at the misery it brings untold numbers. I ask and pray: 'What can I do?’ This weblog is part of the answer that has come in reply."
VTSophia. A major resource for students of Meditations. "Twenty two meditations on the Sepher Yetzirah; an exercise in esoteric Christianity; spiritual geometry; and a journey of Christian Hermeticism."
Estrella De Oriente The Italian site for Meditations.
The Pope A description of the experience of meditating on the Pope section of the book.

Background for "Meditations on the Tarot"

People, places and events mentioned in the text.

The Chapel of the Holy Blood in Bruges, Belgium. The author of Meditations says (p60): "I would never write of the mystery of blood as sacred magic...if I had not visited and returned many times to the Chapel of Holy Blood at Bruges. There I have had the unsettling experience of the reality of the Holy Blood of the God-Man."
Short biographies of Eliphas Levi and Papus at the Hermetic Library.
Wikipedia is usually an excellent source of information for almost any topic under the sun, including most of the people, ideas and movements mentioned in Meditations.

Reviews of the book

A short review by Jean-Michel David.
Review by the Association for Tarot Studies.
Review at Tarotpedia.
Description and reader reviews at Amazon USA and Amazon UK.
Review at Monastic Interreligious Dialog, a site sponsored by North American Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries of men and women.

The Hermetic Tradition

The section on Sacred Texts in the Hermetic Library.
A good article on "Hermes and Hermeticism throughout the ages" from the Gnosis Archive, where there is plenty of further good material on gnosticism.
Some useful Egyptian (and many other) texts are on offer at EclecticOnline.

Contemplative Prayer

The two best-known modern pathways to Christian contemplation:

InnerExplorations. "Where Christian mysticism, theology and metaphysics meet Eastern religions, Jungian psychology and a new sense of the earth." Includes some very thought-provoking on-line books about St John of the Cross, Jung and related matters. Very strongly recommended.
The Ascent of Mount Carmel by St John of the Cross. Downloadable MP3 readings by Maria Lectrix.

Tarot

Tarot for Christians , which is part of the Church of Yahweh site. "The imagery of the Tarot shows the Story of the Entire Universe, from God’s Creation, through the Fall and ultimate Redemption of all Mankind". Thoroughly recommended, especially if, like me, you're from a Protestant/Evangelical background.
The Pythagorean Tarot. An Interpretation of the Major and Minor Arcana on Pythagorean and Alchemical Principles.

Astrology and Alchemy

Sophia's Astrology of the Soul.
The Alchemy web site and Virtual Library. Comprehensive information on all aspects of alchemy.
Review of a book called God the Astrologer. Mentions Meditations.

Miscellaneous

Material on Cardinal Hans Urs von Balthasar, who wrote the foreword to the current issue of "Meditations". Another site is here.
Frithjof Schuon and Sophia Perennis.
Christaquarians. Christian faith in New Age culture.
Builders of the Adytum (Bota). Courses on the meaning of the ancient book of Tarot, as well as the Kabalah, the Tree of Life and much more.
Nonduality Salon. Lots of resources.
The Ecumenical Catholic Church, also known as Christ Catholic Church International. A progressive community within the Old Catholic tradition. Their site mentions Meditations as "of inestimable value".
Gnosis Magazine. A journal of Western Inner Traditions, sadly defunct. The "Hidden Wisdom" book referred to on their site looks good, and there are lots of back articles.
In Search of the Miraculous. An article on "new age" approaches to the miraculous, at a New Age Catholic web site, covering both Meditations and the Course in Miracles.
A Glimpse of Eastern Expanses. An article on Russian history and spirituality, by Richard Smoley, author of Inner Christianity, which is highly recommended for understanding some of the background to Meditations.
Esoterica: the Journal of Esoteric Studies A peer-reviewed academic journal devoted to the transdisciplinary study of Western esoteric traditions.
Christian and Rosicrucian Kabbalah. An introductory essay.
The Ritman Library. A library founded with the purpose of collecting works in the Hermetic-Christian tradition.
Archetypes, Archons and Egregores. Examines through the lens of transpersonal psychology the cosmic, cultural, material and spiritual forces that have battled to shape the human mind and collective will from antiquity to the present.

Top Home