Ronald Decker and Michael Dummett's scholarly history of the occult tarot, published by Duckworth, covering the Golden Dawn's tarot attributions, the Waite-Smith deck and the Crowley-Harris Thoth deck as historical developments in the card's reinterpretation as a magical and divinatory tool. Dummett's standing as the leading historian of playing cards and the academic publication place this at this atlas's top tier. It is a strong source for how and when specific occult tarot systems and decks were actually created. It documents this history rather than validating any deck's divinatory claims, which are outside what historical scholarship can confirm.
Facts
Citation
AuthorRonald Decker and Michael Dummett
PublisherDuckworth
Publication Year2002
URLhttps://www.duckworthbooks.co.uk/book/the-history-of-the-occult-tarot/
Source TypeScholarly work
Assessment
Reliability Tier1
A scholarly history from Michael Dummett, the leading historian of playing cards, and Ronald Decker, covering the Golden Dawn's tarot attributions and the Waite-Smith and Thoth decks as historical developments. NotesCovers the Golden Dawn attributions, the Waite-Smith deck and the Crowley-Harris Thoth deck.
Connections
Associated With
Thoth, Deities This source names Thoth directly: "deck and the Crowley-Harris Thoth deck as historical developments in the card's reinterpretation as a magical and divinatory tool."
Source A History of the Occult TarotRonald Decker and Michael Dummett
Claims Backed By This Source (578 claims)
This source backs 578 claims across the atlas. As facts: 412 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 55 holds. Plus 109 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.
Disposition By Topic
- Decans, 216 claims: 144 well-attested, 36 holds, 36 general references.
- Articles, 118 claims: 117 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Tree of Life Paths, 68 claims: 46 well-attested, 22 general references.
- Tarot Spreads, 35 claims: 18 well-attested, 17 general references.
- Tarot Decks, 30 claims: 24 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate, 1 holds, 3 general references.
- Esoteric Texts, 22 claims: 17 well-attested, 2 holds, 3 general references.
- Disciplines, 14 claims: 7 well-attested, 4 holds, 3 general references.
- Secret Societies, 12 claims: 7 well-attested, 4 holds, 1 general references.
- Tarot, 11 claims: 4 well-attested, 7 general references.
- Historical Figures, 10 claims: 6 well-attested, 1 holds, 3 general references.
- Sources, 9 claims: 8 well-attested, 1 holds.
- Playing Card Suits, 8 claims: 4 holds, 4 general references.
- Rituals, 8 claims: 7 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Years, 4 claims: 2 holds, 2 general references.
- Categories, 3 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Religious Symbols, 3 claims: 2 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Studies, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Subcategories, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Tarot Suits, 2 claims: 1 well-attested, 1 general references.
- Lenormand Cards, 1 claims: 1 general references.
Well-attested
412Articles
The Ten of Coins of Virgo, and the Third DecanThe Ten of Cups of Pisces, and the Third DecanThe Ten of Swords of Gemini, and the Third DecanThe Ten of Wands of Sagittarius, and the Third DecanThe Thoth DeckThe Three of Coins of Capricorn, and the Second DecanThe Three of Cups of Cancer, and the Second DecanThe Three of Swords of Libra, and the Second DecanThe Three of Wands of Aries, and the Second DecanThe Two of Coins of Capricorn, and the First DecanThe Two of Cups of Cancer, and the First DecanThe Two of Swords of Libra, and the First DecanThe Year Ahead Tarot SpreadThree Swords, and a Borrowed PictureWhat a Tarot Deck Entry Covers Showing 101 to 150 of 200 entities carrying this claim.
General References
109Showing 1 to 50 of 108 entities carrying this claim.
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