Papus Tarot Deck
The Papus Tarot is a bright, memorable deck. It was published in honor of the author of the original idea a century later. Gerard Encausse worked on the development of images for about 20 years. The magician was inspired by the aesthetics of Egypt, its ancient gods and secret pyramids. The great esotericist managed to combine the legacy of ancient civilization with Kabbalah, Jewish culture. The result is a strange, but bewitching deck, unlike any other.
History of creation of the Papus Tarot Deck
Gerard Encausse is a figure that is still worshiped today. This person still has fans, but there are also haters. It cannot be otherwise, because it concerns subtle matters. Gerard in the 19th century was a famous French occultist. In addition, he had an official medical education. Papus is a pseudonym. The magician named himself after a hero from a well-known comedy at that time. Such a move showed the brilliant humor of the practitioner. However, Encausse was not as simple as he wanted to seem. At the age of seventeen, he became a member of the Masonic lodge. Then the man became a co-founder of several secret orders. The mystic expressed all this experience in his book, which became the prototype of the Papus Tarot. But the publication of the deck will take place only after almost a hundred years.
Initially, the mystic wrote the book "Predictive Tarot". And Gabriel Gulin supplied it with illustrations. The print was black and white. Buyers were asked to cut out the drawings and stick them on thick cardboard themselves. The author assured that in this way the connection with the deck is better developed. After all, each practitioner himself puts a hand in its creation. The book gave explanations to the Arcana, taught to interact with them. Only in 1982, Stéphane Olivier decided to resurrect the brainchild of Encausse. America received a bright deck called the Papus Tarot. The legacy of the famous mystic still haunts the seekers of truth. Both at the time of the author, and now, many decks are published that copy the symbols of the original.
Key features of the Papus Tarot
The Papus Tarot stands apart from other predictive systems. The deck was created in the tradition of the French school – the Jester here is the 21st Major Arcana, and the World is the 22nd. Justice is in 8th place, and Strength is in 11th place. The Major Arcana of the Papus Tarot deck contain many symbols – both images of Egyptian deities, and letters of the Hebrew alphabet, astrological signs. They are difficult to understand even for an experienced predictor, to say nothing of completely unprepared beginners.
The Minor Arcana of the Papus Tarot are not so replete with symbols. Minor cards are shown in the Marseille style, that is, schematically. They contain objects that personify the suit, in a certain amount. There are no plots here for which one could catch the eye. The questioner is invited to conduct a whole investigation in order to understand what this or that figure or seal means – the signs on the minor cards.
But the court Arcana again show the main characters. That is why their interpretation of the Papus Tarot is supposed to correlate with real people. Of all the cards in this group, the Knights are quite interesting. They show the characters on horseback. At the same time, the horses stand somewhere, and otherwise they move very quickly. Despite the author’s conciseness, he still managed to convey important meanings through such details. The Papus Tarot suits also provide clues. Here they are divided into four already standard groups – Chalices, Staves, Blades and Pentacles.
Style and symbolism of the deck
The Papus Tarot deck is simply replete with magical symbols. Gerard believed that the original prototype of the cards was knowledge of the forces of the universe. This doctrine was transmitted to the Egyptians by the Atlanteans – people from the sunken mainland. Therefore, the Arcana should be considered something great and incomprehensible, and not just bright pictures for comic fortune-telling. This approach once again confirms the paradoxical character of the great occultist doctor. After all, the Papus Tarot cards, as a result, received a bright, memorable visualization. Ancient images came to life and became closer to a modern person who is interested in magic.
The divination by Papus Tarot is very reminiscent of a walk inside the Egyptian pyramid. All the same secret symbols haunt the soul. It seems that just about, and the answer will be found. The author himself considered the Priestess the most important Arcana of the deck. The prototype of the heroine was the goddess Isis. In honor of her, Gerard even published a magazine in which he constantly published more and more new materials on magic and esotericism. In many ways, the ideas of Helena Blavatsky influenced the style of the cards. At one time, Encausse was fascinated by her doctrine, but then he found his own way. However, the experience once gained was reflected in Gerard’s subsequent works.
Therefore, the Papus Tarot is so difficult to read. The Arcana is full of semantic load, which can only be understood by the adherents of Kabbalah. Do not forget that the study of some symbols was available only to selected adherents of the lodge. Modern practitioners can only guess at the true meaning of seals and hermetic signs.
Interpretation of the Papus Tarot cards
Gerard Encausse left direct instructions to descendants on exactly how to work with his deck. The first and most important condition is the mood of the fortuneteller. The querent must prepare in advance a calm environment that allows one to plunge into the world of dreams. The deck should be shuffled exactly three times, and only the left hand is allowed to remove cards. Only in this case will they tell the truth – the spirits of the Arcana will obey the questioner. The Papus Tarot deck should be stored in a special box. Egyptian or Jewish symbols are welcome on it.
But practitioners have long understood that the predictive tool works without these conventions. Each occultist decides the final version of interaction with the deck for himself. It is only important to believe in your own strength and fully trust your intuition. Everything else will help constant practice. After all, be that as it may, the Papus Tarot repeats the general motives. Yes, with innovations, a wide field for studying information, but still.
What questions is the deck suitable for?
The Papus Tarot deck is the best suited for questions related to magical influences, the alchemy of the spirit. This is a very sublime, spiritual sphere of life. It’s here that the spread will one hundred percent reveal its secrets. If you guess on ordinary mundane topics, then the answer will still lead you astray. Prediction will make you dig deeper, because every action has motives. A person can only see the surface – the crown of the tree. In fact, the situation also has roots.
Of course, no one forbids experimenting with this mysterious deck. In addition, the author himself called for constant practice. After all, you can say “sugar” a thousand times, but still not feel the sweetness. There are generalists who are able to read information in any plane on a given instrument. It all depends on the person and his potential. However, it should be understood that the questioner is holding a telescope designed to study celestial bodies. Therefore, it is very strange to consider the texture of small objects through it, confusing it with a microscope. Thus, the spreads of the Papus Tarot can both lift the veil of secrecy, and forever lower the tent in the face of the magician. Everything, again, depends on the level and capabilities.
Who are the Papus Tarot cards for?
The Papus Tarot, of course, is suitable for those practitioners who are fond of Kabbalah, as well as astrology. The deck teaches you to see the big in the small and vice versa. She emphasizes the path of self-knowledge, the work of obtaining the alchemical philosopher’s stone. At the same time, this tool obliges. Slowly but surely, he completely absorbs the practitioner’s attention. This deck seems to introduce bright colors into hypnosis, gives hope that innermost dreams will come true. And then the book closes abruptly, and the magician is left alone. Only the thirst for another revelation does not leave.
Definitely, lovers of everything mysterious and mystical will appreciate the Papus Tarot deck. These are people who are not satisfied with simple answers. They are used to looking for their "Holy Grail", to understand the secret of Mona Lisa’s smile. This system generously poured out secrets to all those who suffer. Moreover, each practitioner will find only his own answers, perhaps strikingly different from those prepared for other seekers.