The Qabalistic Tarot Book: A Textbook of Mystical Philosophy

To totally understand the Qabalistic significance of the Tarot and their correspondences, this is the book. It compares Thoth, Rider-Wait, Golden Dawn and Marseilles decks. Going through each path on the Qabalah and describing its characteristics makes understanding the cards much easier. I have had this book since it first came out and I still refer to it to this day. If wanting to understand the Thoth deck, this book along with "Understanding Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot" by Lon Milo Duquette is a must, since they both very accurately explain the Qabalistic significance of the Tarot in very easy to understand terms. Its divinatory explanations are limited however and Wang uses excerpts from the "Golden Dawn" edited by Israel Regardie to cover this. From this part of the book it is a great jumping off point into other books that may supply more info in this area, but for the study of how the Tarot relates to the Qabalah, this book is unsurpassed.

Without a doubt, this is the best book on the Qabalah, bar none. Notice how I spelled Qabalah: this book is from a Western Occult perspective, make no mistake. Wang explains the Qabalah better than anyone else I've ever read. His language is sometimes a little stiff, but remember this is a very difficult subject. Sometimes words fail the author who attempts to describe such sublime ideas. Wang is able to gently lead one into understanding, like the adept he is. Now, his Tarot deck leaves a LOT to be desired. I don't recommend that at all. But this book will become your favorite, of that I'm sure. And, it will become the only book you need to understand both the Qabalah, and the Tarot. Buy this book !!! If this subject interests you, you definitely NEED it.

This book is a masterpiece - it's very informative & researched (which make it contrast sharply with the many - too many - shallow formulative books published nowadays), and gives a wide and deep view of the tarot.Wang explains the tarot using the Qabala (especially the tree of life) and some astrology, based on the Golden Dawn tradition, giving it a context and underpinning - the tarot is presented not as a collection of pictures, but as the structured tool that has a structure and ordered basis in western occult tradition. To illustrate his explanation, he compares the Tarot of Marseilles, his own Golden Dawn deck, Waite's Rider deck, and Crowley's Thoth deck. The book can be used as a guide for all of those decks, or as the best companion guide to the books that accompany them (e.g. the Pictorial Key to the Tarot or Book of Thoth).Though the book is not the easiest to read (and needs to be read more than once to be fully digested), the language is concise, the structure of material logical and clear, and is worth every cent of its price and every moment spent reading.The only complaint I have about this book is the poor binding - the pages are poorly glued at the back which made the pages break into four groups quickly. I wish a plastic binding back was used instead.

I cannot say enough how much this book has offered to me in learning the heremetic tarot. Dr. Wang has clearly researched his subject and offers a wealth of information to the tarot student. Even though I have spent countless dollars on various books, I always find myself going back to this book. My copy is so worn, it is funny! Dr. Wang offers you so much information, it is beyond compare. Although my chosen deck is the Hermetic Tarot (it is not featured in his text), you still have endless information and explanations of the tarot as it relates to the western tradition. You have a teachings of Qabalah, astrology and the tarot and commentaries on decks such as the golden Dawn and Thoth deck. I cannot recommend any other book on the tarot as much as this one. Enjoy and Peace to you. CHEERS **takes a sip of Chianti**

This book is something of a rarity -- a genuinely advanced tarot text. Going far beyond mere divinatory meanings, it cogently puts the occult tarot together with its Qabalistic underpinnings. It is not an easy read, but the writing is engaging and lucid. Students of qabala will find it further illuminates this difficult subject (even if they don't have prior experience with the tarot), and tarot enthusiasts of any level will find much here to expand their knowledge and understanding of the cards.