The Sacred Book of Thoth. The Major Arcana of Tarot

Before you is a reprint of one of the loudest books in its circles from the early 20th century. "The Major Arcana of Tarot" was first published in 1916 as a philosophical-esoteric treatise. The subtitle of the book read "Absolute Foundations of Synthetic Philosophy of Esotericism".

The beginning of the 20th century was a turning point for many people, teachings, and beliefs. Technical progress and the traditional decline in mood typical of a century change were doing their job. And while there were those who rejected the new, but were not satisfied with the old, Vladimir Shmakov, along with the well-known Grigory Möbes, clearly belonged to another category. And the "Sacred Book of Thoth" is a clear proof of this.

In the "Major Arcana," the author addresses a topic that was contemporary to him but is still relevant today - he makes an attempt to unify science and religion. He touches upon a very wide range of topics - transcendence, types of knowledge, symbolism and its language, Tarot and the beliefs of ancient peoples...

The foundation, the backbone of Vladimir Shmakov's work consists of the Major Arcana of Tarot. Each chapter is dedicated to one of the Arcana, and in it, the author also examines the aspects of existence that are related to this Arcana. Thus, Arcana II, The High Priestess, in his work connects with the binder and the nature of movement, Arcana V talks about the Macrocosm and Microcosm, about evolution and involution. And in Arcana XVI we read about the mental and astral worlds, as well as about deduction and induction.