The Alchemical Tarot
By Rosemary E. Guiley

A wonderful deck and book set that I highly recommend. Robert Place’s cards not only show the alchemical process but faithfully adapt the style and iconography of Renaissance alchemical illustration to the process of individuation as described by Carl Jung. Much of the book is an excellent overview of the history, principles, and practice of alchemy, and should not be skipped. Bob and Rosemary describe the personal experiences and synchronicities that led to the publishing of their magnum opus; nothing about it seemed accidental, and we can share in their sense of awe and wonder at the processes involved. Both have delved deeply into Tarot’s real history, reaching back before the Egyptian and Kabbalistic fantasies of the 18th and 19th centuries to the earlier Classical, neo-Platonic, and Pythagorean-inspired icons and emblems that characterize the 15th to 17th centuries. The art consists of delicate line drawings resembling etchings with great clarity of detail, exquisitely colored.