Within the Hermetic tradition, the Tarot is considered to be one of the most important tools in spiritual development. This tool has been cast in a bad light by the media and many people and has oftentimes been associated with profiteering charlatans seeking to gain money from unsuspecting and gullible people. We have all probably seen a scene from movie or a book where a disheveled looking gypsy fortune teller uses the cards to predict some bad omen. While many people will put these cards off as mere objects of superstition and fantasy the true nature of the Tarot lies in its usefulness as a tool for self-transformation.
Within the Hermetic and Western Mystery Traditions the tarot is used as a tool for communicating with the divine to gain spiritual insight on specific questions and used as a means of tapping into deeper levels of the human psyche through the methods of scrying, meditation, and magical pathworking. The symbols and imageries depicted in the tarot allow us to gain insight about our personal lives and cause change within our psyche.
The premise of the book "Tarot Talismans" by Chic Cicero and Sandra Tabatha Cicero is that if the Tarot can be used as a means of communicating with the divine then it is also possible to use the images within the Tarot cards to cause change in our world through the method of ritual magic. By using these pictorial representations of spiritual concepts like a magical symbol we can call upon and attract specific energies into our lives.
The book provides basic instructions in how to use the tarot cards as talismans and amulets that can bring about change in our lives. A few very useful example rituals are given which can be changed around depending on the desired results. The planetary, astrological, and qabalistic correspondences of each of the cards in the tarot are also provided in great detail which allow the practitioner to create his or her own ritual complete with the proper invocations to divine and angelic forces.
Practitioners of Western magic will find this book of great importance. The book provides advanced talismanic magic using advanced techniques of Golden Dawn magic such as working with the Shem Ha-Mephoresh angels attributed to the cards of the Minor Arcana as well as methods of generating telesmatic images or constructed images of divine or angelic forces that are used to charge the magical talismans. The beginning student is taught the basics of magical formulae and theory required for a successful magical operation. Whatever level of magical ability you have you will find something of great value in this book.
Since not all tarot decks adhere to the traditional Golden Dawn symbolism the authors provide magical correspondences for each of the cards of the tarot using various decks such as the Rider-Waite, Golden Dawn, Marseille, Thoth, and Babylonian tarot decks. The examples will allow the magical practitioner to use other tarot decks with non-traditional symbolism using a little bit of common sense.
My local group has used the framework provided in this book to charge talismans. We have created some very elaborate rituals using the traditional Golden Dawn Neophyte grade initiation as an opening ritual prior to charge the tarot talismans. Some of the members of our group have also used other Golden Dawn rituals such as the Opening by Watchtower for more advanced talisman consecration work with great success. One great thing about this book is that the rituals provided are self-contained and allow for a great deal of flexibility which can allow anyone to create powerful tarot talismans.
This book which is one of the many books written by these authors is a great addition to the magician's collection. If you want to make full use of your tarot deck beyond divination then you will find great value in this book.
