Welcome to the Christine Payne-Towler Tarot Library. Included here are excerpts from her book, The Underground Streams: Esoteric Tarot Revealed. Upon viewing the essays, you'll have the option of opening up a print-friendly PDF version in Acrobat Reader (free from Adobe).
| Tarot History | |
|---|---|
| History of Tarot | An approach to tarot history. |
| Esoteric Origins of Tarot | Dr. Lewis Keizer's essay on the history of Tarot. |
| Criteria for Esoteric Tarot | A discussion of what attributes constitute the esoteric tarot. |
Tarot Influences |
|
| The Gnostic Tarot | Gnostic significance of the tarot as a Judeo-Christian tradition. |
| Kabbalah | Influence of the Kabbalah on Tarot. |
| Confluence | The confluence of the three great systems. |
Tarot Theory |
|
| Continental Tarots | "What Happened" to the Major Arcana in the late 1600's. |
| Spanish School | A look at the influential Spanish tarot tradition. |
| The English School | Short history of the Hermetic Order of The Golden Dawn. |
| Major Arcana | General discussion of the Tarot and its traditions. |
| Minor Arcana | In-depth discussion of the Minor Arcana and its origins. |
The Cards |
|
| Major Arcana | A card-by-card look at the Major Arcana. |
| Coins | A card-by-card look at the suit of Coins. |
| Cups | A card-by-card look at the suit of Cups. |
| Swords | A card-by-card look at the suit of Swords. |
| Wands | A card-by-card look at the suit of Wands. |
About the Author




