Templar Tarot

Deck by Allen Chester
Booklet by Daria Kelleher

This review appeared in The Tarot Journal, II:2, June 2002.

Neo-Masonic Mythology

Of the many 18th and 19th century Masonic legends surrounding Tarot, perhaps none has more romantic appeal today than the myth of Templar origins. The booklet that comes with Templar Tarot suggests such an origin on page one. This hypothesis may not have been explicitly stated before the 20th century, but the Templars’ alleged connection with Tarot dates back at least to Éliphas Lévi in the mid 19th century.(1) This specious origin links Tarot directly to a large family of related lore, a family of stories that has been very popular during the last 20 years, and that is still being elaborated. The genre of neo-Masonic “nonfiction” titles ranges from Holy Blood, Holy Grail (HBHG) to The Hiram Key and The Templar Revelation.(2) Holy Blood, Holy Grail established popularity of this genre in 1982, and new titles seem to appear almost every year. Some of these books, such as Woman with the Alabaster Jar and The Second Messiah, even include extended discussions of Tarot, while a few Tarot books still include presentations of these legends as history.(3) However entertaining they may be, these accounts should not be considered reliable sources of historical information.(4)

Templar Tarot, by Allen Chester, is a richly symbolic deck that makes direct and indirect references to many of these legends. A large assortment of Templar-related stories are represented in the deck. The accompanying booklet includes the following identifications for the Majors: the Pilgrim, the Troubadour, Mary Magdalene, the Great Mother, Dagobert II, the Pope, Repanse de Schoye, Saladin, Bernard of Clairvaux, John the Baptist, Tarot itself (as the Wheel of Fortune), King Solomon, the Heretic, the Alchemist, the Grand Master, Rex Mundi, the Secret Tomb, the Bloodline, the Cathars, the Gnostic Church, the Crucifixion, and Ein Sof. An additional Major is named the Magic Flute. It appears to represent Tamino, the initiate of the “Temple of Reason and Nature,” from Mozart’s Masonic opera, The Magic Flute. (Mozart himself was a Mason, and another Mason, Emanuel Schikaneder, wrote the text of the opera, the Second Act of which reflects Masonic initiatory rituals.)

Taken together, these legends tell an epic tale and create, in effect, a modern mythology. Some of the primary story lines of this new “tradition” reflect mainstream Masonic legends, such as Hiram Abif’s construction of King Solomon’s temple. Like that story, most of these legends have some connection to ancient or Medieval Christian stories, including both orthodox and heretical elements. The modern HBHG variants of this earlier mythology build on its foundation, interpreting Christian and Masonic elements primarily in terms of Gnostic and neo-Pagan beliefs. Templar Tarot reflects this orientation, with many elements of recent vintage, deriving from various books of the HBHG genre. This should appeal to those who enjoy these books and speculations, although as noted above, most such modern legends have little historical support. (As an illustration, the trials did not even accuse the Templars of any Gnostic-related heresy.)(5) While no systematic narrative cycle or analytical scheme is immediately apparent in the sequence of Templar Tarot Majors, the individual cards of the deck are in some cases fascinating for their thoughtful symbolic design.

The High Priestess

An outstanding example of the way in which the artist blended themes to create a unique and fascinating Tarot card is the High Priestess. The booklet identifies the figure as Mary Magdalene. That identification neatly connects some common themes of the HBHG literature to Tarot. The Magdalene is often considered the “Apostle to the Apostles” and Jesus’ successor to leadership of the mystery cult that was allegedly at the heart of his true teachings.(6) This makes her rather than Saint Peter the first “pope,” which corresponds with the historical title of the card, the Papess, and justifies the occultists’ gift to her of the Keys.(7, 8) This association with secret teachings of Jesus can also be easily (perhaps even appropriately) related to Arthur Waite’s description of the card as “the Secret Church,”(9) a connection which is alluded to in the Templar Tarot booklet.

The High Priestess shows the figure of Mary Magdalene in front of a large cross, a conventional emblem of Faith. (A small cross was a common attribute of the Penitent Magdalene iconography.) Also behind her is a large anchor, another ancient Christian symbol and an emblem of Hope derived from Hebrews 6:19.(10) (The cross and anchor, representing Faith and Hope, take the place of the High Priestess’ conventional two pillars,(11) and the Temple veil has become a fisherman’s net,(12) draped to suggest wings, or the letter “M”.)(13) Mary’s pose and ornate circular halo are reminiscent of a Madonna,(14) a conventional allegory of Charity or Love, thus completing Saint Paul’s trio of Christian Virtues.(15) The artist has arranged conventional Christian symbols into a design expressing a conventional Christian motif. On this level, it seems to be a Magdalene Madonna, which links the card to the Magdalene legend of the Black Madonnas.(16)

However, a Madonna design implies a baby Jesus, which is absent. Instead of a new life held to her breast, Mary cradles a skull, an emblem of death. The skull, as a memento mori, was a conventional attribute of penitent saints including Mary Magdalene. (Another common attribute of the Penitent Magdalene iconography was an open book. For some reason, this conventional attribute of both the Magdalene and the High Priestess card was not included.) With its biblical connection to the place of Jesus’ death, (“Golgotha” is the Greek version of the Aramaic gulgalta, meaning “skull,” while “Calvary” is from the Latin calvarius, meaning “bald skull”)(17), the skull suggests another interpretation. Instead of a Magdalene Madonna, we see a Magdalene Pieta. (In fact, the face and the attitude of the head of the High Priestess figure are similar to those of Michelangelo’s sculpture, with even the figure’s headband mimicking a band across the forehead of this most famous Pieta.) The conventional image of the body of Christ, taken down from the cross and lying in the lap of his mother Mary, has been replaced with a symbol of the dead Christ in the lap of his (now gray-haired) widow Mary.(18)

This identification of the implied infant Jesus in the arms of his mother Mary, (which would complete a traditional motif of the three Christian Virtues), with the actual image of a skull in the lap of Mary Magdalene, is in the best tradition of Renaissance symbolism.(19) It offers varied avenues of comparison and contrast, (particularly via the association of Love and Death), inviting reflection on a variety of profound themes, complex and subtle relationships. It does this while remaining focused on the central theme of the deck, the contemporary “tradition” of Templar-related legends within the context of Tarot.

One other noteworthy symbol on the High Priestess card is a nautilus shell. The nautilus takes its name from the Greek word for sailor, nautilos. According to legend, Mary and a group of persecuted Christians were set adrift in the Mediterranean, and “saved by a favorable wind” that took them to Marseilles.(20) Saint Ambrose compared the Church to a ship, with the Cross as its mast.(21) The background of the card suggests an enormous wave, from which Mary is shielded by the Cross. An example of a modern Christian use of the sailor reference comes from Leonard Cohen’s 1968 song, Suzanne.

Jesus was a sailor when he walked upon the water;
And he spent a long time watching from a lonely wooden tower;
And when he knew for certain only drowning men could see him,
He said, ‘All men shall be sailors then, until the sea shall free them.’

A Symbolic Synthesis

As another example of thoughtful design in Templar Tarot, the Lovers card initially suggests a variation on the traditional Death and the Maiden motif. It includes a red-cloaked skeleton holding up a red rose, and a seated Maiden looking up at him and the rose, acknowledging her suitor. She is surrounded by books, some open, suggesting that she hasn’t found what she was seeking, while an overturned hourglass signals that her time is up. Even by itself, this would be a novel and interesting interpretation of the Lovers card via this Medieval motif. There is also a mysterious black-robed figure sitting back to back with the Maiden, perhaps an alter ego or Shadow, perhaps a “true love” or preferred suitor, perhaps the very thing that the Maiden was seeking. In any case, this figure appears to possess the knowledge she was seeking, as he reads from a Golden Book. However, he is oblivious to the Maiden, and to the fourth figure, an angel gesturing toward a hilltop structure in the background.

The booklet associates this card with the Grail Maiden, Repanse de Schoye. We might therefore begin an exploration of the card’s symbolism in that realm, perhaps finding analogy between the black-cloaked figure, who fails to look up and observe the obvious, and Perceval. The Grail Maiden and Perceval do constitute a complementary pair, and his initial failure precludes fulfillment of her mission as well. (The LWB contains a glossary, and its Perceval and Repanse entries hint at this.) We might also pursue the traditional association of the feminine with the physical side of life, courted by Death. This suggests an interpretation of the mysterious black-robed figure as the soul, courted by God with His angel pointing toward the soul’s ultimate destination. Thus, the impending union of Death and the Maiden implies the consequent union of the soul with God. Such an interpretation might be profitably compared with Waite’s description of the card. In discussing the Lovers card, Waite suggests that it is through the woman’s “imputed lapse,” (the Fall, with it’s inherent penalty, death), “that man shall arise ultimately.” Waite’s card shows the serpent (the devil who leads man to death) while Templar Tarot shows Death itself. Both cards show an angel, and reflect what Waite called, “the working of a Secret Law of Providence.” As with the High Priestess, there are various worthwhile approaches to this card’s symbolism, and again the strong association between Love and Death.

These are intriguing cards, with allusions to assorted Medieval motifs, a wide variety of traditional and modern Templar-related legends, as well as more conventional Tarot content. In addition, the designers have avoided some of the most simplistic and cliched Masonic associations, such as the Devil identified with Baphomet and the Tower with the Tower of Babel. The Bible describes the Devil as the god or prince of this world, and Gnostics took this one (enormous) step further by identifying him as the creator of this world, the God of the Old Testament. In the context of Templar Tarot’s emphasis on Gnostic themes, Rex Mundi reflects a more thoughtful approach than simply illustrating the apocryphal “idol of the Templars”.(22) The booklet identifies the Tower as the Secret Tomb, meaning the legendary tomb of Jesus, (not the one he rose from!), reputed to be located near Rennes-le-Chateau.(23) This connects with the historical name of the card, “House of God,” and of course does imply a truly shattering blow to conventional beliefs.

Some of the symbolism is pervasive, establishing a set of leitmotifs for the deck. There are, appropriate to the theme of the deck, a few Templar crosses scattered throughout, and a large one on the back of the cards. There are other specifically and traditionally Christian symbols, including numerous crucifixions, (on various cards, including the Magician, Empress, Emperor, Devil, Sun, Judgement, King of Cups and Five of Wands), and related symbolism such as nails. The Templars’ primary mission was to protect pilgrims to the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the “Kingdom beyond the Sea.” Seashells, (usually scallop or cockleshells), became an emblem of pilgrimage, and they show up on numerous cards in Templar Tarot. There are more than a few cards with skeletons and skulls, symbols of mortality which take on different characteristics in different contexts, as illustrated above. Many cards show lifeless trees or branches, symbolizing the fallen state of the world. This is clearly related to aspects of the Grail legends regarding the barren land, and is used as a symbol of “the earthly bound” as opposed to the spiritual. Books appear on various cards, often in stacks, and sometimes we see what appears to be a Golden Book. In general, books are symbols of knowledge, and lost or secret knowledge is involved in most of the Templar-related legends.

Wings are a symbol of divine mission, as well as spiritual aspiration, progress, or status. If you cut the deck at random, you are very likely to find wings. If you don’t find wings, you are likely to find antlers. The deciduous horns of the deer family are a natural symbol of death and resurrection, so piles of shed antlers relate symbolically to the prevalent skulls and skeletons symbolism. The hart or stag (male deer) is a traditional Christian emblem of piety and aspiration, based on Psalm 42:1.(24) However, the use of antlers in Templar Tarot seems to be primarily as a Pagan symbol, suggesting a nature or “earth religion” orientation. Antlers are associated with the suit of Pentacles, and sometimes contrasted with the spiritual symbolism of wings. This kind of ambiguous cross-cultural mix is also characteristic of some HBHG-genre writings.

Other symbolic peculiarities are scattered throughout the cards, symbolism that seems out of place even given the broad charter of the deck. The repeated use of drums, for example, is another incongruous Pagan element. The most striking of these anomalies concern the central figures of the Magician (Troubadour) and Death (Alchemist) cards. The Troubadour appears as an eight-armed goddess in a dancing-Shiva pose, while the Alchemist seems to be a Native American shaman, with a “Masonic apron,” flanked by “figures with chakra soul lights,” according to the Templar Tarot booklet. These figures, and some of their ancillary symbolism, are bizarre in the context of the stated and apparent focus of Templar Tarot. It appears that the artist had some multi-cultural ideas he wanted to express, and abandoned the primary theme of the deck to do so. Discretion might have reserved these ideas for another project. Such cross-cultural analogies sometimes appear in this literature, along with actual claims of non-Classical Pagan and even Asian influences.(25) A hodge-podge of symbolism is therefore perhaps understandable, although out of character with the deck as a whole.

Resume

The cards are wider than usual, (3.5 x 5 inches), but shuffle well. Although most of the pips show some debt to Waite-Smith, (as does the use of “Pentacles” as the fourth suit and the numbering of Strength and Justice), the images are nonetheless very distinctive. The Court cards represent various Templar and Grail figures. (Again, information on these figures is available in the HBHG literature.) The artwork throughout is very colorful, and in many cases the backgrounds are impressionistic or expressionistic. The artist seems unconcerned about portraying correct human proportions, and the figure on the Five of Swords, for example, even appears to have a right hand on its left arm. However, the dramatic use of color and expressionistic style almost overwhelm the apparent flaws in draftsmanship. The images are printed to the edge of the cards, as in the Morgan-Greer deck. Rendering the titles and numbers in an inconspicuous manner further enhances this borderless design.

Daria Kelleher is the author of the 53-page booklet. Unfortunately, it does not begin to adequately describe, much less explore or explain, the specific significance of the images. It generally offers vague and suggestive hints, and thus the way is prepared for a book about the deck, said to be forthcoming. Until then, one must turn to the large body of HBHG literature to interpret the narrative content which appears to be included in the cards. The booklet is about average in terms of the divinatory meanings provided. These derive almost directly from Waite’s meanings, which is appropriate as most of the images reflect some aspect of the corresponding Waite-Smith cards. However, a few of the divinatory meanings veer off from Waite’s influence dramatically. For example, Waite says of the High Priestess, “Secrets, mystery, the future as yet unrevealed,” while the Templar Tarot booklet says, “Hidden things revealed.” For the Eight of Wands, Waite emphasizes swiftness and “great haste,” while the Templar Tarot says, “though delays are gone, action should not be too sudden or impulsive.” Even in these meanings, however, the debt to Waite is clear.

This deck should appeal to collectors, as it offers a unique interpretation of traditional Tarot themes, it has unusual and in many cases attractive artwork, and it displays some thoughtful and thought provoking symbolism. It should strongly appeal to those who enjoy or—Great Mother protect us—actually believe the Masonic legends surrounding both Tarot and the Knights Templar. The deck’s Gnostic emphasis and Pagan elements cater to popular tastes, although having no basis in the Templars’ actual history. The images are sufficiently distinctive to require a transition period before readings become second nature, although the use of Waite’s divinatory meanings makes the transition essentially a matter of recognizing the images. The striking artwork, inconspicuous card names and numbers, and borderless design are all strong points in its favor, but the unusual and foreboding symbolism and obscure literary meanings (of the Majors in particular) might be an obstacle. Skulls, skeletons, and other memento mori, for example, are versatile symbols, appropriate to a variety of spiritual themes as alluded to above, but their prevalence in the deck could be considered grim. The current absence of a book more fully explaining the cards’ connections with the many Templar-related legends is a significant drawback for such a literary deck.

The deck may be purchased directly from the publisher, Inspire by Design, at their Web site: http://www.templartarot.com.

Templar Tarot
Copyright © 2001 Allen Chester
Original art by Allen Chester
Booklet by Daria Kelleher
ISBN 0-9715867-0-5
Published and distributed by Inspire by Design

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Notes

1.  Éliphas Lévi, Transcendental Magic, (York Beach, MI: Weiser Books, 2001).

2. Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln, Richard Leigh, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, (New York, NY: Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1982). Christopher Knight, Robert Lomas, The Hiram Key: Pharaohs, Freemasons and the Discovery of the Secret Scrolls of Jesus, (New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Books, 1998). Lynn Picknett, Clive Prince, The Templar Revelation: Secret Guardians of the True Identity of Christ, (New York, NY: Touchstone Books, 1998).

3.  Margaret Starbird, Woman with the Alabaster Jar: Mary Magdalene and the Holy Grail, (Rochester VT: Bear & Company, 1993). Christopher Knight with Robert Lomas, The Second Messiah, (New York, NY: Barnes & Noble Books, 2000). The Underground Stream: Esoteric Tarot Revealed, by Christine Payne-Towler, (Eugene, OR: Noreah Press, 1991), exemplifies the uncritical presentation of Masonic legends which is characteristic of some contemporary Tarot books.

4. Peter Partner’s book, The Knights Templar and their Myth, (Rochester, VT: Inner Traditions International Limited, 1987), presents a readable overview of both the Templars’ actual history, and the origin of many common Templar legends, which are based primarily in 18th and 19th century Freemasonry. For a detailed historical discussion of Starbird’s interpretation of Tarot, see Robert V. O’Neill’s review, on the Internet at:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/2282/tarotref/index.htm. The actual origins of modern Tarot’s connection with Masonic ideas are explored in A Wicked Pack of Cards: The Origins of the Occult Tarot, by Ronald Decker, Thierry Depaulis, and Michael Dummett, (New York, NY: St. Martin’s Press, 1996).

5.  Partner, 84. They were not accused of Gnosticism, despite the fact that remnants of the Cathari still existed, and the fact that memory of the Albigensian heresy was very much alive. That very Gnostic heresy had led to the creation of the institution which authorized the Templars’ trial, the Holy Inquisition, but apparently no one thought such a charge was credible at the time.

6.  Picknett & Prince, 353.

7.  “I will give to you [Peter] the keys of the kingdom of heaven….” Jesus, The Holy Bible, New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Corporation, 1996), Matthew 16:19.

8.  Oswald Wirth, The Tarot of the Magicians, (York Beach MI: Samuel Weiser, 1985), 67.

9.  Arthur E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, (New Hyde Park, NY: University Books, 1959), 76.

10. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.” St. Paul, Hebrews 6:19-20.

11. The Christian Virtue of Faith is specifically faith that Jesus is the Christ, and therefore that his death has redemptive power. Boaz, the name of the North pillar at the entrance to King Solomon’s temple, means, “in him is power.” The Christian Virtue of Hope is specifically hope of resurrection into the eternal Kingdom of God. Jachin, the name of the South pillar, means, “he establishes,” as Christ, by his resurrection, established the promise of the new covenant. I Kings 7:21.

12. The fisherman’s net was one of Jesus’ parables of the Kingdom of God, in Matthew 13:47. In Matthew 4:19, Jesus told Peter (and his brother Andrew), “Come, follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” As noted above, in the HBHG literature Mary Magdalene assumes some of Peter’s key attributes. This net suggests another such displacement.

13. There are various associations with the letter “M” appropriate to themes of this card, including of course the name Mary and the title Magdalene. As the 13th letter of the alphabet it is associated with death, (and with the 13th footnote of this article), and as the Hebrew Mem it refers to water. The Roman numeral M is 1000, sometimes used figuratively for infinity or eternity.

14. “The nimbus of the Virgin Mary is always circular and is often elaborately decorated.” George Ferguson, Signs and Symbols in Christian Art, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 1954). Although there are several traditional iconographies representing the Magdalene, none of them resemble a Madonna, and none have this elaborate a halo, (most showing no halo at all.) Peter Murray, Linda Murray, Oxford Dictionary of Christian Art, (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2001), 315ff.

15. “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” Saint Paul, I Corinthians 13:13.

16. Ean Begg, The Cult of the Black Virgin, (London: Penguin/Arkana, 1985).

17. Merrill C. Tenney, Ed., Zondervan’s Pictorial Bible Dictionary, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967). The skull which is often pictured at the foot of the cross in Crucifixion scenes represents Adam, who was, according to legend, buried on that spot.

18. The legend of Mary Magdalene as Jesus’ wife is one of the central tenets of the HBHG mythology.

19. For a variety of detailed examples illustrating the clever and thought-provoking designs of Renaissance symbolism, see Edgar Wind’s Pagan Mysteries in the Renaissance, (Baltimore, MD: Penguin Books Inc., 1968). He discusses the common association of Love and Death, giving various examples.

20. Ferguson, 134; Murray & Murray, 317.

21. Ferguson, 181.

22. The term “Baphomet” is most commonly interpreted in a fictional manner, as a Gnostic deity rather than as a reference to Mahomet, i.e., Muhammad, which was its original meaning in the charges against the Templars. Partner, 34.

23. Paul Schellenberger, Richard Andrews, The Tomb of God: The Body of Jesus and the Solution to a 2,000-year-old Mystery, (New York, NY: Little, Brown, & Co., 1996).

24. “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.” Psalms 42:1.

25. Templar Tarot does avoid some of the more peculiar multi-cultural elements of the neo-Masonic genre, such as the view that Mary Magdalene was black. According to some accounts, Bernard of Clairvaux “created the cult of the Black Virgin which acknowledges that Mary Magdalene was black and that she was the [literal] Bride of Christ.” Knight and Lomas, The Second Messiah, 92.