Le Chateau du Tarot

I have a keen interest in the history of Tarot, so I was intrigued to see that Dior has substituted its normal Haute Couture Spring/Summer show with a short film based on the imagery of the c.1460 Visconte-Sforza Tarots. Dreamy (=slow), pretentious, gothic, gorgeous, this is a very expensive way…

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Don Karr Update

Don Karr has provided another update to his many contributions to this website. These are: Updated bibliographies. See in particular Christian Kabbalah in English, part A, which is greatly expanded. A full version of Knots and Spirals: Esotericism and Christian Kabbalah: 1480-1520Another extract from British Library Sloane MS 3826, 98r-101r…

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Don Karr Update

Don Karr has kindly provided updated versions of his popular Bibliographic Surveys. You will find them here:http://www.digital-brilliance.com/contributed/Karr/Biblios/index.phpHe has also updated the Hekhalot Rabbatai:http://www.digital-brilliance.com/contributed/Karr/HekRab/index.php Thank you Don!

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Pandemic Update

I have not posted here since the beginning of 2020. All is well, my family and friends are well. I am 69 and well into the vulnerable demographic and so my year to date has been spent in relative isolation. Not wishing to waste the summer I have spent a…

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Ilanot

In my life I have gone through phases in my understanding of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. In the beginning I accepted what I read and did not care to understand the provenance of the diagram or the various names and attributes associated with it. When I did begin to…

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The SOHO Cabalists

In many esoteric traditions it is important to know one’s “lineage”, and with that, the source of one’s teachings. Great care may be taken to preserve the accuracy of “transmissions” and “empowerments”. I am thinking here specifically of various lineages in Tibetan Buddhism, but in general there is an interest…

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Don Karr Update

A quick note to say that Don Karr has kindly provided updates to his bibliographies, at http://www.digital-brilliance.com/contributed/Karr/Biblios/index.phpHekhalot Rabbatai, at http://www.digital-brilliance.com/contributed/Karr/HekRab/index.phpKnots & Spirals – Pico della Mirandola at http://www.digital-brilliance.com/contributed/Karr/KS/index.php I would also like to add that Don’s Notes on the Zohar in English is the most frequently searched item on this…

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Early Tree of Life

I was in Ferrara in July of this year. It is a delightful city and a world heritage site. It once possessed a large Jewish community, and it has a modern Jewish museum with some splendid items on display One item was an annotated Tree of Life drawn on vellum…

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Literary Diversions

So what have I been up to? For reasons I won’t go into I have become quite absurdly involved with John Milton’s Paradise Lost. This was partly because of a nudge from the Greater Unknown, partly because of the rolling thunder of Milton’s verses, and partly because it is a…

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