Author Archives: robertmplace

About robertmplace

I am an illustrator and author best known for creating the Alchemical Tarot and the Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery and writing The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination.

The Tarot : an Alchemical Trip

Web site: https://tienda.laordendeayala.com/v-congreso-internacional-de-baraja-y-tarot?fbclid=IwAR284PzgWbEghi-IT5e7J9pjLJyi-wlqRDmGyBv3D-_zKcKoyVrzf9k4p3M The Tarot: An Alchemical Trip a workshop I will be conducting at the International Deck and Tarot Congress, Toledo, Spain, October 20 and 21, 2023 From the Tarot Conference: Practically in less than a month we will … Continue reading

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Who was the comte de Mellet?

Louis-Raphaël-Lucrèce de Fayolle, comte de Mellet, was born in 1727 in Périgueux, a city in the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, in southwestern France. His was a noble family and he inherited the title of chevalier (knight) along with extensive holdings of land … Continue reading

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The First Occult Tarot Is Complete and can be preordered

New: The First Occult Tarot The First Occult Tarot, is a my Tarot creation based on an essay published in 1781, in Court de Gébelin’s eighth volume of his occult encyclopedia, Monde primitif. Not on the first article by Court de … Continue reading

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More News on The First Occult Tarot

On March 19, 2021, I published an article on my blog in which I introduced my newest project, The First Occult Tarot, a Tarot based on an essay published in 1781, in Court de Gébelin’s eighth volume of his monumental … Continue reading

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The Twenty-Second Trump

The original Alchemical Tarot was published by Thorsons, a branch of HarperCollins located in London. It came out in 1995. The Lovers card that I designed for the deck was deemed too sexy. Therefore, the publisher had me redesign the … Continue reading

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MY Submission for Expo Metro

The title is Aphrodite Find out more about the Expo Metro here: https://expometro.co/en

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My Career as a Jeweler

Most of you know me as a Tarot designer and author, but before I designed my first Tarot deck I was well known as craft jeweler. Recently, I posted some of my jewelry on Facebook. They received a lot of … Continue reading

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The First Occult Tarot

Anyone knowledgeable about Tarot history knows that the first occultist to write about the Tarot was the Parisian Freemason Antoine Court de Gébelin. In 1781 he published the eighth volume of his occult encyclopedia, Monde Primitif, and starting on page … Continue reading

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A History of Divinatory Pips

The pip cards in the traditional Tarot of Marseille mostly depict a repetition of the traditional Italian suit symbols: coins, cups, swords, and staffs, with some decorative details, like flowers and vines, to fill in the spaces. These decks were … Continue reading

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My Newest Project: The Alchemical Tarot of Marseille

The Tarot of Marseille is not the name of an individual deck of cards. The name refers to a style of Tarot decks that originated in France. The earliest existing example is The Jean Noblet Tarot. published in Paris, circa 1650. Tarot … Continue reading

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