The Tarot: An Essay

by Manly P. Hall

Contains an introduction to the cards, their history and symbolical importance, and their evaluation as a sacred book, along with complete reproductions of the Knapp-Hall and Mantegna decks.

Genres: Tarot

56 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1978

About the author

Canadian born, Manly Palmer Hall is the author of over 150 published works, the best known of which are Initiates of the Flame, The Story of Healing, The Divine Art,Aliens Magick and Sorcery The Secret Teachings of All Ages, and An Encyclopedic Outline of Masonic, Hermetic, Qabbalistic Rosicrucian Symbolical Philosophy.
He was also the author of a masonic curiosity, The Lost Keys of Freemasonry in 1923, more than thirty years before he joined a lodge. The preface of later editions states "At the time I wrote this slender volume, I had just passed my twenty-first birthday, and my only contact with Freemasonry was through a few books commonly available to the public." Later, in 1944, he wrote The Secret Destiny of America which popularized the myth of a masonic purpose for the founding of the USA. In 1950 he weighed in again on the meaning of Freemasonry with his booklet: Masonic Orders of Fraternity.
***
Initiated: June 28, 1954
Passed: September 20, 1954
Raised November 22, 1954
Jewel Lodge No. 374
Source: Grand Lodge of California records ; William R. Denslow, 10,000 Famous Freemasons, vol. ii. Trenton, MO. : Missouri Lodge of Research / Educational Bureau, Royal Arch Mason Magazine, 1958. p. 165.

Reviews

[Shaun Phelps]

The more you know, the less you know. Hall writes a well-rounded exploration about how little is known about where the tarot comes from. After reading Waite's tarot manual, which flew moderately in the face of Wescott's tarot manual, I enjoyed a chuckle, as Hall denounces Waite's "little" essay, recognizing over and over again: People see what they want to see, and that there is little to support any ancient tarot history, though we can find what we look for regardless.

[The Loracular]

The Tarot: An Essay
Manly P. Hall

As the title suggests, this really is an essay vs. a book on tarot. Manly P. Hall contributed a great deal to modern esotericism and is well-worth doing a little research on as a person to appreciate the scope of knowledge he brought into this little gem. Besides an essay on the history of the tarot it includes black and white reproductions of the Knapp tarot deck which he collaborated in creating with J. Augustus Knapp.

Mr. Hall was born in 1901 and his writing style is that of the early 20th century esoterics. He seems to have written this essay, however, to be well-understood by readers just beginning to explore esoteric tarot. This essay explains the esoteric tarot as it presented itself back in the 1970s. 40+ years of additional historical scholarship into tarot history have caused many current authorities to discount some of his pet theories (such as ties to the Knights Templar). Knowing this did not take away my appreciation this essay within the context of who wrote it and when they wrote it.

I highly recommend reading this essay before tackling the works of Arthur E. Waite or Paul Foster Case but having them in mind for the near future. This is written in the same metaphysical framework as _The Pictorial Key to the Tarot_ and _A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages_ and best of all? It explains what that framework actually is.