MISSION F OM BUILDERS OF THE ADYTUM The wee"!7 talks om t n,e Jason C. ~otterhandd I' "wortis oftruth that go to the heart; a must-readfor all seekers." MARY K. GREER author, TAROT FOR YOUR SELF 4*@@@ &[email protected]"as&& G*~PT # %y;-@ rrJto-Jlrst ",@@$?*&- -~ &Pb6 &B*~.p wirdom-deep and bM@&@ &.llLsih,drta 1950, Jason Lotterhand shares what @ he has learned as a student and practitioner of Ageless Wisdom during his 78 years. Mr. Lotterhand began his training in Tarot in 1933 and was later Director of the Builders of the Adytum, the mys- tery school of the Sacred Tarot and Holy Qabalah founded by Dr. Paul Foster Case. Mr. Lotterhand is now one of two Directors Emeritus of that organization. In his quiet and eloquent way, Mr. Lotterhand has intro- duced thousands of seekers to the Path of Return. This book contains the essence of his weekly messages, lovingly compiled and edited by his fiend and student, Arisa Victor. "His combination of humor and deep insight is irresistible." GARY ROSS Tarot Network News New Page Books ISBN 0-87877- A division of Career Press 1-800-227-3371 newpagebooks.com THE THURSDAY NIGHT TAROT Jason C. Lotterhand THE THURSDAY NIGHT TAROT Weekly Talks on the Wisdom of the Major Arcana by JASON C. LOTTERHAND Edited by Arisa Victor NEWCASTLE PUBLISHING CO., INC. NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA 1989 Copyright O 1989 by Arisa Victor All Rights Reserved ISBN 0-87877-147-6 No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without the express writ- ten consent of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief pas- sages in connection with a review. Spoken Text by Jason C. Lotterhand Edited by Arisa Victor Additional Editing by Ed Buryn and Douglas Menville Cover/Book Design by Riley K. Smith Grateful acknowledgment is made to Builders of the Adytum, Ltd., 5101-05 North Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, California 90042, for permission to use the following: The twenty-two Major Arcana Tarot Keys The Pattern on the Trestleboard The Tarot Tableau Sound and Color Attributions from Highlights of Tarot by Dr. Pau'l Foster Case The permission granted for the use of its materials by Builders of the .Ady- tum, Ltd. in no way endorses anyone's interpretation thereof. FIRST EDITION A NEWCASTLE BOOK First printing, October 1989 109876543 Printed in the United States of America To the memory of Dr. Paul Foster Case with deep love and respect. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Heartfelt appreciation for the help of these friends: David Victor Burrill Michael Bonnifield Judith Early Della Ruth Farmer Mary K. Greer Carl Hunt David Miller Ann Mine Bruce Nevin Don Nicodemus Silma Smith Mort Tolson Linda Verdugo Special thanks to Fritzi Armstrong and Mickey Goodspeed of the Metaphysical Townhall Bookstore, where Thursday Night Tarot began in 1950. CONTENTS Introduction by Arisa Victor xi Author's Preface xv Editor's Preface xvii The Pattern on the Trestleboard xix The Tarot Tableau The Tree of Life xxi Sound and Color Attributions xxiii Key Concepts, Intelligences, and Astrological Attributions xxv Chapter 0: The Fool 1 Chapter 1: The Magician 17 Chapter 2: The High Priestess 3 5 Chapter 3: The Empress 5 3 Chapter 4: The Emperor 7 1 Chapter 5: The Hierophant 87 Chapter 6: The Lovers 103 Chapter 7: The Chariot 119 Chapter 8: Strength 133 Chapter 9: The Hermit 149 Chapter 10: The Wheel of Fortune 165 Chapter 11: Justice 181 Chapter 12: The Hanged Man 197 Chapter 13: Death 2 13 Chapter 14: Temperance 229 Chapter 15: The Devil 24 5 Chapter 16: The Tower 263 Chapter 17: The Star 279 Chapter 18: The Moon 293 Chapter 19: The Sun 307 Chapter 20: Judgement 32 1 Chapter 21: The World 335 The Taroteers' Picnic 351 Glossary 353 INTRODUCTION Born to tread the occult Path of Return. no doubt many readers feel this is their destiny. But how many of us have been on that Path al- most eighty years? Jason Lotterhand is an inspiring example of someone who has devoted a lifetime to the study and practice of the AGELESSWIS- DOM.* He became interested in hypnotism at age twelve and his ensuing explorations into occultism awakened his soul to the Way of Liberation when he was fifteen. Today, Jason is a healthy, happy seventy-eight- year-old, sharing the wisdom and understanding of a fulfilled maturity. True to his belief that one's inner spiritual life is independent of outer activities, Jason worked professionally as a consultant in the textile business. Now retired, he lives in Mill Valley, California, with his wife of more than fifty years. The Lotterhands are great-grandparents. On Thursday evenings Jason becomes the beloved teacher of a loosely knit group that studies Tarot and CABALAat the Fort Mason Cul- tural Center in San Francisco. The purpose of our meetings is to explore and to express the SELF.It has been my privilege to attend these classes for the past sixteen years. I've never ceased to be amazed at our men- tor's grace and modesty-and good humor-while discussing profound I concepts in simple terms. Accurate teachings about spiritual Selfhood are as beautiful as they are rare. Jason Christopher Lotterhand was born on New Year's Day in 1911 (l/l/ll) to a Roman Catholic family in New York City. His father was a 1 successful inventor. His mother, employed by the Hammersteins, sang in the vaudeville Keith Circuit. Jason recounts how, as a boy of six, he I was taken out of the city to spend a summer by the seashore. With this sudden, totally delightful introduction to wildness, Jason began a love af- I fair with Nature that is still going strong. I His introduction to the Tarot was a somewhat similar experience. In 1933, at the urging of a fellow student from Columbia University, he was dragged off unsuspectingly to a class about The Fool Key in a Green- I 'Words explained in the Glossary are emphasized by small capitals on their first refer- ence. (A few words are emphasized several times.) xii THURSDAY NIGHT TAROT wich Village bookstore. Both of these young men were astounded by the mystery teachings presented in the Tarot symbolism. They went home with the teacher and stayed up far into the night, excitedly asking ques- tions about this spiritual treasure trove. Needless to say, they returned for the complete course of twenty-two lectures. The man who so fired the minds of those youngsters was Alglernon Tassin, an intelligent and popular professor of English at Columbia Uni- versity. He had personally studied with Paul Foster Case, the Tarot master who expressed the Ageless Wisdom in psychological terms com- prehensible to the Western intellect. Thereafter, Professor Tassiri con- ducted Tarot classes in the New York metropolitan area for the rest of his life. Moving to California in 1940, Jason himself became a friend and student of Paul Foster Case. In 1944 Jason became a Director of Dr. Case's educational organization, the Builders of the ADYTUM(B.O.T.A.). He is now a Director Emeritus of that venerable Mystery School of the Sacred Tarot and Holy Qabalah, and a true successor to the Wisdom Tradition. In 1950 his own classes in Ancient Philosophy began in San Francisco. Paul Case's book The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages is the text for these explorations, which cycle through the Major Arcana. In 1958, while Jason was Associate Dean in charge of curriculum at the College of Parapsychology at Great Western University in San Fran- cisco, he wrote and published a series of Tarot lessons. "As they say about chicken soup, it wouldn't hurt you," is now a favor- ite comment from Jason about the Tarot. His approach to occult science is very practical, which might have something to do with his being a tri- ple Capricorn. The public is welcome at his classes, which are at tended by a wide variety of people. Jason gives an introductory talk focusing on one of the Major ARCANA;then the rest of the evening is given over to discussion. Cabalistic philosophy and the process of Self-transmutation provide the basic ideas around which questions and answers revolve. His classes are free, but most people contribute some dolnation. This is definitely the best Tarot "deal" in the Bay Area. Afterwards, most of the group accompanies Jason to a nearby cafe for drinks and friendship. One goes home feeling glad to have spent time with a gen- uine philosopher, a true lover of wisdom. Arisa Victor Oakland, California 1989 INTRODUCTION xiii An earlier version of this introduction appeared in the Spring 1984 is- sue of the Tarot Network News as an article entitled, "\ason Lotterhand, Lover of Wisdom," by Arisa Victor (then known as Maud Reinertsen). In the fa21 of that same year, the International Tarot Symposium honored Mr. Lotterhand with the First Annual Hierophant Award. AUTHOR'S PREFACE An ancient legend tells us that the doctrine of the Cabala was sent from on high to restore humankind to its former felicity. Before the time of Isaac the Blind, who taught from 1190 to 1210 A.D., the Secret Wisdom was transmitted exclusively from one genera- tion to the next in the form of dialogues between masters and their pupils. Isaac is credited with coining the word "Cabala."' His pupil Azariel compiled and published the doctrine. By the end of the thirteenth century the literature on the Cabala had become extensive. The Zohar, called the pillar of Cabalistic wisdom, was published by Moses de Leon (1250-1305).