Papus Tarot Deck 1982

He was a significant French occultist and one of the founders of the French Theosophical Society (TS) that he parted from in 1890. Papus then founded another group, a sort of anti-TS, the ‘Groupe indépendant d’étude ésotériques’ based on pure esoteric values.

The pseudonym Papus comes from Apollonius Thyana’s Nyktomeron or
Nuktomeron (from a lemma in the Lexicon des Geheimwissens by Horst E. Miers (Seite 309), published by Bauer Verlag (1970)), freely translated from the Greek as Daylight (‘Night illuminated by (the) Day(light) or simply: 'Light in the Darkness'.

It is considered to be a magical ritual that divides twelve symbolical hours, that run parallel with the magical zodiac and the allegorical Works of Hercules that depict the sequence of the afore called Works during initiation. The Guardian Angel of the first hour, the guardian of medicine, is then the chosen pseudonym Papus (by GE).

Tarot of the Bohemians (1889) takes a special place since it is in this book that Papus links the tarot to the kabbala and the four suits of the Minor Arcana with the four letters of the tetragrammaton ‘JHWH’ or Jahweh, the name of god in (the) Hebrew bible.

The design of the 22 Major Arcana cards are by Gabriel Goulinat. It’s design is based on the ideas of Eliphas Levi, a famous occultist and partly contemporary of Papus. In 1909 Papus Published Le Tarot Divinatoire which includes designs for all 78 cards of which the 56 of the Minor Arcanan are based on the interpretation of Etteila (Jean-Baptiste Alliette, 1738-1791), a renowned 18th century occultist.

This edition from 1982 by U.S. Games Systems Inc., is a reprint of the designs of 1909. Among the obvious esoteric symbolism, the style and coloring of the design clearly reflects Art Nouveau, an artform popular in Europe between ca. 1890-1914.

The card deck shown here is a first 1982 edition.

The box has been opened and is in fair condition other than for two stickers attached on the backside and on one of the flaps.

The cards are no longer in cellophane but remain in good condition and undamaged. The box contains a small instruction booklet (24 pages) written by Stuart R. Kaplan.

The box and booklet are produced in the United States, the cards are printed in Belgium, probably by Carta Mundi in Turnhout.