Dear Unknown Friend

"Meditations on the Tarot" by Anonymous is actually the magnum opus of Valentin Tomberg, a maverick Anthroposophist who eventually converted to the Roman Catholic Church. However, he never really became a main line Catholic, and his books are an attempt to synthesize Hermeticism or esotericism with traditional Christianity in its Catholic form. The official edition of "Meditations on the Tarot" was published posthumously and never mentions the author's name. Curiously, it has an afterword written by Hans Urs von Balthasar, a prominent Catholic theologian who was appointed cardinal shortly before his death.

I never really understood if Tomberg was at bottom an esotericist using Catholicism as a cover, or whether he was a real Catholic attempting to convert his former followers by mimicking part of their message. Perhaps inevitably, some Christians have interpreted Tomberg as the former, while some Anthroposophists claim the latter! Unless I'm mistaken, the Anthroposophist critique of "The case of Valentin Tomberg" claims that the Catholic Church have used Tomberg's book in the ex-Soviet Union in order to stop occult revivals and channel it back to the Christian fold.

"Meditations on the Tarot" is a very extensive work, and I don't claim to have read all of it. After reading the first 100 pages, I noticed the following. First, the book isn't really about the actual tarot deck. Each chapter deals with some aspect of Hermeticism, and the connection to the actual tarot cards feel somewhat forced. I can't help wondering whether the whole tarot angle is simply an editorial ruse to get the readers attention. Second, Tomberg's book cannot really be read cover to cover (although you're welcome to try!). It's a book that requires detailed study. Third, Tomberg has a tendency to shift from subject to subject. On the one hand, this does make for some exciting reading. On the other hand, it's difficult to find the relevant sections again, unless you pretty much know the entire book by heart. Which you don't.

So much for the style of the book. As for the actual contents, I admit that "Meditations on the Tarot" is quite fascinating. Tomberg's philosophy is a kind of occultism with a human face. It attacks black magic, emphasizes humility, love, faith and hope, seems to regard the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as a real event rather than just a symbol or allegory, and rejects the Hindu-Buddhist notions of karma, maya and nirvana. It does teach reincarnation, however, although the author doesn't insist on officially proclaiming the doctrine. Less sympathetic is the strong craving for temporal authority and hierarchy in the form of Emperor and Pope (and implicitly Czar), although Tomberg graciously allows that the office of Emperor might be "esoteric" at the moment. This explicit support for the Catholic hierarchy was one of the things that made the Anthroposophists reel. (In other writings, he also expresses very strong support for Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits.)

The author's influences are varied, but he often quotes the French magicians Papus, Péladan and Eliphas Levi. Jung is referenced several times. The Jewish kabbala is another prominent influence, both the Zohar and the Lurianic kabbala. Yet another influence might be Böhme and Schelling. Tomberg even mentions Rudolf Steiner! Catholic figures often quoted or mentioned include John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila.

I'm not entirely sure what to make of our unknown friend's meditations, but I'll nevertheless give his work five stars.

BTW, I suspect I'm stalked by an angry Anthroposophist here on Amazon, so I expect to get at least one non-helpful vote on my review...

;-)