Tarot is a specialized interest of mine that I know is not shared by most Freemasons, but despite the title of the book, there is a great deal to be learned from it by Masons who hold no interest in Tarot. I'm about half way through it and in all of those pages (it is very long, but an easy read) Tarot has not been discussed.
It begins with the earliest societies we can know about (ancient cave paintings) and moves forward from that point touching upon all of the philosophical and spiritual movements that have impacted our Western World in significant ways. At about half way through the book, I am now to early Christianity.
As our Craft was impacted by all of these philosophical and spiritual movements that came before it, I find it to be quite fascinating.
The Tarot is always an interesting topic, and I've taken at it more than once. Currently, I have a Thoth deck I'm taking a look at, quite a bit different from the typical deck most folks have.
For me, Freemasonry and Tarot go quite well together, as they both 'speak' in the language of symbolism. Plus Tarot as we know it today was largely created by Freemasons, with a smattering of Fringe Freemasons, so the historical connections are cool to discover.
But, I try to keep it out of my Masonic writings for the most part because I don't want to bore folks who don't share the interest.
I've had a Thoth deck for over 30 years now. My relationship with Thoth has been strange however. I honestly delight in the art. I'm pretty sure that it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever encountered. But I've never been able to read it worth a darn. I don't know why. I know that I would like to be able to do it, and I know that others can read it exceptionally well, but I've just not been able to do it.
I do my best reading with the plain old Waite-Smith that everyone is familiar with, or its clones, but over the years I've built up a bit of a collection of decks, finding many of them to be quite beautiful.
It could just be you're more "in tune" with the Waite-Smith deck.
There is an old proverb, "when the student is ready, the master will appear." Which I've applied to several things as I think each of us, as a student, will take the next step when we're ready. I know that I've run into this with my reading, I'll pick up a book, start it and then put it down after several dozen pages unable to comprehend or follow it. After going off and reading other materials, I circle back, and then I can sit down and read through the initial text. There's no plan for it, it's organic, and that might be something here as well. Maybe you just need more time with your Thoth deck before you're "ready" to do the types of readings you're looking to do.
Sage advice! Ed King, GLME (and Meridian #60, Franklin)
At the moment I am reading a wonderful book with a crazy title:
The Tarot, Magic, Alchemy, Hermeticism, and Neoplatonism
by
Robert M. Place
https://tarotarts.com/collections/books/products/the-tarot-magic-alchemy-hermeticism-and-neoplatonism
Tarot is a specialized interest of mine that I know is not shared by most Freemasons, but despite the title of the book, there is a great deal to be learned from it by Masons who hold no interest in Tarot. I'm about half way through it and in all of those pages (it is very long, but an easy read) Tarot has not been discussed.
It begins with the earliest societies we can know about (ancient cave paintings) and moves forward from that point touching upon all of the philosophical and spiritual movements that have impacted our Western World in significant ways. At about half way through the book, I am now to early Christianity.
As our Craft was impacted by all of these philosophical and spiritual movements that came before it, I find it to be quite fascinating.
The Tarot is always an interesting topic, and I've taken at it more than once. Currently, I have a Thoth deck I'm taking a look at, quite a bit different from the typical deck most folks have.
For me, Freemasonry and Tarot go quite well together, as they both 'speak' in the language of symbolism. Plus Tarot as we know it today was largely created by Freemasons, with a smattering of Fringe Freemasons, so the historical connections are cool to discover.
But, I try to keep it out of my Masonic writings for the most part because I don't want to bore folks who don't share the interest.
I've had a Thoth deck for over 30 years now. My relationship with Thoth has been strange however. I honestly delight in the art. I'm pretty sure that it is one of the most beautiful things I've ever encountered. But I've never been able to read it worth a darn. I don't know why. I know that I would like to be able to do it, and I know that others can read it exceptionally well, but I've just not been able to do it.
I do my best reading with the plain old Waite-Smith that everyone is familiar with, or its clones, but over the years I've built up a bit of a collection of decks, finding many of them to be quite beautiful.
It could just be you're more "in tune" with the Waite-Smith deck.
There is an old proverb, "when the student is ready, the master will appear." Which I've applied to several things as I think each of us, as a student, will take the next step when we're ready. I know that I've run into this with my reading, I'll pick up a book, start it and then put it down after several dozen pages unable to comprehend or follow it. After going off and reading other materials, I circle back, and then I can sit down and read through the initial text. There's no plan for it, it's organic, and that might be something here as well. Maybe you just need more time with your Thoth deck before you're "ready" to do the types of readings you're looking to do.
Just a thought.