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Contents
Foreword xi
Preface xiii

Introduction: The East-West Connection 1
East-West Timeline 9

1 Paper Images 15
The Birth of the Tarot 17
Variations in the Order of the Trumps 20
The Tarot's Creator 23

2 The Mystical Tarot 25
Plato the Mystic 27
Plotinus and His Students 33
Hermeticism 35
Neoplatonism and the Pythagorean Triple-Soul 40
Neoplatonism and Romance 42
Renaissance Platonists 59
Renaissance Neoplatonists 68
Neoplatonic Influences in the Tarot 72
Interpreting the Trumps 76

3 The Life of Buddha 81
The Four Noble Truths 87
The Path Beyond Class 93

4 The Mandala 101
Sacred Space 102
Mount Meru 104
Some Examples of Mandalas 107
The Five Jinas 115
Four Functions, Four Yogas 124

5 The Journey to the Center of the World 131
The Descent from Tusita Heaven-The Fool 133
I. Asita-The Seer 138
II. Maya-The Mother 143
III. Yasodhara-The Future Empress 148
IV. Siddhartha-The Future Emperor 152
V. Suddhodhana-The Father 155
VI. Siddhartha and Yasodhara-The Lovers 158
VII. Siddhartha's Visit-The Chariot 162
VIII. Karma-Justice 165
IX. The Old Man and the Sadhu-The Hermit 169
X. Reincarnation-The Wheel of Life 172
XI. Siddhartha Cuts His Hair-Strength 179
XII. The Invalid-The Suffering Man 183
XIII. The Corpse-Death 187
XIV. The Middle Path-Temperance 190
XV. Mara-The Devil 194
XVI. The Flaming Disk-The Tower 198
XVII. The Chakras-The Morning Star 202
XVIII. Wesak-The Full Moon 209
XIX. Buddha and Sakti-The Sun 213
XX. The First Sermon-Judgement 218
XXI. White Tara-The World 223
XXII. Parinirvana 227

6 The World of the Four Buddhas 231
Suit of Vajras 233
Suit of Jewels 252
Suit of Lotuses 271
Suit of Double Vajras 290

7 Divination 309
The Three-Card Message 313
The Relationship Spread 316
The Chakra Reading 317
The Mandala Meditation 323
Acknowledgments 329
Notes 331
Glossary 337
Bibliography and Recommended Reading 353
Index 359