Secrets of Tarot
Bringing ancient stories to life through modern technology.
“Secrets of the Tarot,” a new Augmented Reality look at The Torah in the Tarot cards,
blends history, art and cutting-edge visual technology in a unique presentation
revealing the 400-year-old lost, forgotten and secret Judaic origins of the world-famous Tarot de Marseille.
The tradition of Tarot card reading dates back to the 1400s. But it’s only recent that scholarship has surfaced,
showing the possible crypto-Judaic roots of Tarot.
The Torah in the Tarot is a reproduction of the 22 major arcana of The Jean Noblet Tarot de Marseille, created
in France circa 1650, with an explanation of the Hebrew letters, Judaic ritual objects, Torah stories & Jewish
holy days hidden in its images. The original, intended, and forgotten the meaning of the cards are revealed when
examined through the lens of traditional Judaism
Presenting the lens shattering, symbolic vision of tarot theorist Stav Appel, the Secrets of the Tarot experience
uncovers a story of crypto-Judaism as the work centers on the discovery of profound Judaic symbolism hidden
within the cards of the Tarot de Marseille, an icon of French cultural antiquity.
The Secrets of the Tarot Experience is presented exclusively in partnership between JArts and Jonathan Prince
Studios with creator Stav Appel.
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Art D’var: Passover
There are just a few times a year we take a break from the regularly scheduled weekly Torah portion. This week, Passover is one of those special weeks because we read the portions from both the books of Exodus and Numbers that tell the Passover story of the Israelites in Egypt and the Exodus.
In this special edition of the Art D’var, I’m looking toward a project called “Torah in the Tarot” to give us a whole new way to see the Passover story.
Secrets of the Tarot
I had to read on when the words “Torah and Tarot” landed in my inbox mid-pandemic. Never miss the best stories and events!
Walter Paice from Jonathan Prince Studio/Berkshire House, the mystery man behind the email, wrote about a theory by scholar Stav Appel explaining that one of the original decks of tarot cards contained secret Judaic content and was most likely the creation of Crypto-Jews, Jews of faith who were forced to observe Judaism in secret due to religious persecution.
I have long been fascinated by tarot, feeling something so deeply Jewish and universally spiritual in the cards’ meanings, art and the ritual and tradition of reading them. I have also been long fascinated by Crypto-Judaism and the ability of a culture to survive in hiding.