Featured Book Review
'Templar Tarot' by Allen Chester © 2001 Inspire by Design P. O. Box 5765 Newport News, VA 23605-0765 phone # 866-518-5479 (www.inspirebydesign.com) 79 card deck and instruction booklet (written by Daria Kelleher) ISBN 0-9715867-0-5 $24.95 + $4.95 shipping and handling ($29.90 total)
Over the years I have owned, and used a variety of Tarot decks. I have almost a dozen in my collection at this time. This deck is, most likely, going to be one of the most valued additions to that collection.
The author of the booklet cites ".a persistent belief.that the Tarot was an invention of the Knights Templar." That surprised me, because I don't remember running across that belief before, so far as I can remember.
A couple of pages are devoted to an abbreviated history of the Tarot, and a few more to the history of the Knights Templar. The rest of the booklet is devoted to the cards. There is a promise, however, of a more comprehensive book on the deck itself yet to come.
The cards are larger than usual (3.5"x5", as opposed to the more normal 3"x4.75"), and thus a bit more awkward to handle in the beginning. That feeling of awkwardness will go away with continued use, however. Another major difference between this deck and most others is that this deck is borderless. The images and colors continue right to the edge of the card.
Having disposed of the extraneous details, let us now turn to the deck itself.
Dealing first with the Minor Arcana, it is easy to see all the usual iconography. Each card has the appropriate number of symbols, which are easy to see. The numbers, and the names of the court cards, are very subtle, so as not to distract from the images and colors in use. The colors and images appear almost ethereal, although there is no "fuzziness" to be seen.
There is a preponderance of winged and/or horned figures in the Minor Arcana. Considering the undisputed ties of the Knights Templar to Christianity, the winged figures are to be expected, perhaps. The horned ones are tied to the allegations of devil worship and heresy which were used to destroy the Order.
The Kings, Queens and Knights are assigned to specific historical personages or mythic figures (which are explained in the glossary at the end of the booklet). The Pages represent the suit as the embodiment of something specific (Swords = Warriors of the Bloodline; Staves = Keepers of the Secret; Cups = the Bloodline; and Pentacles = the Future of the Bloodline).
The symbolism of the Major Arcana adheres closely to that of most other decks, with some modifications. As examples, the Magician does not stand behind a table with his tools arrayed in front of him, there are eight arms, and angels appear in the background; the Priest (Hierophant in many decks) wears a clerical collar, as well as horns growing from his head; a skeleton appears on many of the cards (Lovers, Strength, Justice, as well as Death).
Additionally, there is an extra card which neither appears in any other deck, nor is explained in the booklet. The only explanation given for "The Magic Flute" is: "This card is not explained but its meaning can be revealed through meditation."
The last ten pages of the booklet comprise a basic ten-card layout, as well as providing the above-mentioned glossary.
I look forward to meditating on these cards over an extended period of time.
Reviewer: Mike Gleason
If you would like to join in on a discussion about this book, please go to the forum here: Templar Tarot