Tarot and the Tree of Life
Page 28
I have suggested the single-card cut as a way to practice skills in posing and phrasing questions and interpreting the Tarot. Using perception, emotional response, reflection, and intuition in a concentrated, patient way will uncover depths and subtleties of meaning beyond what you can possibly foresee. Again, a card can be used as a meditational focus: where does the image lead your active imagination? Enter the card as any or each of the figures depicted—or as yourself—and relate to those you encounter.
Finally, assume that “There’s a card for it.” Explore the deck for a vision that reflects any significant experience. This practice will confer the twin benefits of deepening your understanding of both the experience and the card. Papus believed that from the Tarot alone all wisdom and knowledge could be elicited. If he was right, then there is no way to exhaust the riches it will yield to each of us.
ISABEL RADOW KLIEGMAN
ISABEL RADOW KLIEGMAN was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Cornell University, she earned High Honors in Philosophy. As a Fulbright Scholar, she studied at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford, and then earned her Masters degree at Columbia University on a Woodrow Wilson Fellowship.
She has taught English and Comparative Religion in both public and private schools and worked in managerial sales for both Ms. and OMNI magazines and for the CBS Cable Cultural Network.
For the last fifteen years, Kliegman has devoted herself to lecturing, teaching, and conducting workshops on the Tarot and related subjects. A published poet, she is the recipient of a Special Award from the United Sensitives of America. Her special gift as a writer is making abstract and metaphysical ideas immediate and universally accessible.
Isabel Kliegman lives in Pacific Palisades, a suburb of Los Angeles. She is available for private instruction and consultations in person and by telephone.
Quest Books
encourages open-minded inquiry into world religions, philosophy, science, and the arts in order to understand the wisdom of the ages, respect the unity of all life, and help people explore individual spiritual self-transformation.
Its publications are generously supported by
The Kern Foundation, a trust committed to Theosophical education.
Quest Books is the imprint of the Theosophical Publishing House, a division of the Theosophical Society in America.
For information about programs, literature, on-line study, membership benefits, and international centers, see www.theosophical.org or call 800-669-1571 or (outside the U.S.) 630-668-1571.
Related Quest Titles
The Fool’s Pilgrimage: Kabbalistic Meditations on the Tarot, Stephan A. Hoeller
Kabbalah: An Introduction and Illumination for the World Today: Charles Poncé
Kabbalah: Your Path to Inner Freedom, Ann Williams-Heller
The Kabbalah: Doorway to the Mind (audio), Edward Hoffman
To order books or a complete Quest catalog, call 800-669-9425 or (outside the U.S.) 630-665-0130.
ADVANCE PRAISE FOR
TAROT and the TREE of LIFE
“Isabel Kliegman brings her deep understanding of the Kabbalah to this lovely, lively explication of the Tarot. Wide-ranging and smart, this book should interest anyone involved in the cards. ”
—Brian Williams, creator of The Renaissance Tarot and PoMo Tarot
“Warm, anecdotal, and often funny. Brings difficult concepts to life without compromising them. While distinctly Jewish in flavor, the truths revealed are universal. A book to be savored. ”
—Rabbi Don Singer, Shir Hadesh
“Isabel Kliegman is a gifted teacher of both the Tarot and the Kabbalah. She has combined these ancient sources of wisdom in a unique and creative way that makes this sometimes difficult material available to a wide variety of readers. ”
—Obadiah S. Harris, President, Philosophical Research Society
“Genuinely exciting. Isabel Kliegman…sees things in the cards that no one else does. She is the only writer on Tarot who can hold my interest. ”
—Jacqueline Stallone, astrologer, author of Star Power
“Comprehensive. The Jewish dimensions of Tarot are especially profound. A must for anyone who wants to learn more about this powerful mystical vessel. ”
—Rabbi Stan Levy, B’nai Horin
“Fills a niche. The author’s humor, warmth, and wisdom make Tarot accessible to all. ’’
—Rev. Patricia Talis, Director, New Age Bible & Philosophy Center, Santa Monica, California
“Inspiring, well-informed, and deeply illuminating. A source of wisdom and common sense for anyone with a serious interest in the spiritual search. ”
—Rabbi Mordecai Finley, Ph.D., co-rabbi, Makom Ohr Shalom