Egyptomania

A Workshop on Zoom With Robert M Place

December 13, 2025

2:00 PM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time

$115 or $95 for Laetitia Cartomancy members

In this two-hour class, we will cover the history of the phenomenon known as Egyptomania and come to understand why both of the first occultists to discuss the Tarot, Antoine Court de Gébelin and comte de Mellet, believed that Egypt was the source of the Tarot’s mystical trumps. Although it is often said that these occultists were inspired by the enchantment with ancient Egypt called Egyptomania, technically this term refers to the fad for things Egyptian that stemmed from Napolean’s invasion of Egypt seventeen years later and his men’s discovery of the Rosetta Stone in 1799. We will learn, however, that this fascination with ancient Egypt has been a constant source of inspiration for European culture, beginning in ancient Greece and continuing into the Latin world when the cult of Isis spread through the Roman Empire.

I have added new material for this class since the last time I held it.

To register follow this link

https://www.laetitiacartomancy.com/classes-1/p/tarot-egyptomania-an-online-class-with-robert-m-place-on-december-13

 

Tarot at the Met

will return in 2026

with Albrecht Dürer’s influence on

the Tarot’s Trumps

I will be bringing 12 people to the print room

at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York

from 2PM to 4PM

I will once again take a small group of people into the back rooms of the Metropolitan Museum to look at the museum’s collection of historic Tarot and divination cards, ranging from the earliest woodcut Tarocchi, printed in 15^th century Italy, to rare 19^th century oracle decks. All accompanied by my talk on the history and symbolism of the cards. We will also see one of the oldest and richly illustrated books on divination with cards, Le Sorti, published in Venice in 1540.

As an added treat, This year we will be looking at twelve original woodcuts and engravings by Albrecht Dürer that relate to the Tarot trumps. Dürer was the most popular print artist in Europe in the late15th century and early 16th century, the same period in which the Tarot images were being developed. Many of his themes seem to have a direct connection with the Tarot of Marseille trumps. We will be viewing a 1760 copy of the Conver Tarot of Marseille in connection with these prints.

The afternoon at the Met is $100 per person, prepaid. Each participant is also responsible for obtaining a ticket for entrance into the museum for the day. There is only room for 12 people at this event so don’t delay; it will fill up quickly. I will be handling this event  myself; so all arrangement must be made through me.

To register contact me at:

alchemicaltarot@aol.com

Alchemy and the Tarot:

Personal Transformation with the new Alchemical Tarot Reimagined

The series will consist of four two-hour classes on Zoom,

The fee is $200 and there is a payment plan.

Date and Time to Anounced

In the summer of 1987, I was reading a book on alchemy when I became fascinated by an illustration representing the Philosopher’s Stone, the magical catalyst whose creation is the goal of the alchemical Great Work or Magnum Opus. In a flash of insight I realized that the image was symbolically interchangeable with the Tarot’s World card and that all of the Tarot trumps describe the alchemical Opus. This insight led to years of research, and to the creation to one of the most beautiful and meaningful modern Tarot decks, The Alchemical Tarot.

The Fool and trumps in The Alchemical Tarot each relate to an alchemical material or process, which is part of the Great Work or Opus that leads to the creation of the Philosopher’s Stone, a mystical catalyst that transforms what it touches to its highest form. It can cure any illness, turn lead into gold, and turn an ordinary person into an enlightened sage. Now after 38 years, in an effort to incorporate all that I have learned working with the deck over that time, I have redesigned the deck, and this workshop is designed to incorporate those insights.

In this four-part workshop, we will discuss the history and symbolism of alchemy, see how this symbolism relates to the Tarot’s Fool and 21 trumps, and learn how they capture the alchemical Opus, as expressed in The Alchemical Tarot. We will explore the relationship between the four elements and the minor suits and learn what alchemical symbols they contain.  We will learn how the Tarot can be used as a psychological tool for meditation and for the practice of transformative spreads designed to internalize the symbolism and bring forth a personal transformation. Instead of using the Tarot to predict the future, I believe that the best use for the deck is as a tool that connects us with inner wisdom and helps us to make better decision that will improve our lives.
 

The series will consist of four two-hour classes

1. A discussion of the history, philosophy, and practice of Western alchemy, stressing the role of transmutation and the mystical quest for enlightenment.    

 2. A demonstration of the symbolic connection between alchemy and the Tarot. Using The Alchemical Tarot Reimagined as a model, we will learn that, although the Tarot was not meant to be an alchemical text, the Fool and twenty-one trumps in The Alchemical Tarot demonstrate that each card can be correlated with a substance or process in the Opus. Using the trumps, we will begin practicing divination techniques.

3. Correlating the four minor suits with the four elements. Looking at the minor suits in The Alchemical Tarot, we will find meaning by associating each suit with an element and paring the element with one of the four psychological functions described by Carl Jung. Now using the whole deck, we will also demonstrate how to read the cards in layouts designed to put us in touch with an inner source of wisdom that I call the Higher Self.  

4. Learning to use the cards, not as a tool of fortunetelling, but as a way of connecting with inner knowledge, and letting the Tarot become a spiritual journey, trough meditation, and Tarot readings.

The Recorded

The Origin and Evolution

of the Tarot Deck

with. Robert M. Place

The recording of this class can be purchased from Divine Lives:

https://www.divinelives.com/offers/u9fUSu2f/checkout

I have found that when I am reading Tarot cards they work best when I have made friends with the figures on the cards, so that the images speak to me. To make friends, I have learned everything I can about their history and the culture that they were part of. I want to know what the artists who created the cards were thinking.
 

19th century occultists, such as Eliphas Levi, Paul Christian, and Papus, considered the Tarot an indispensable component of their magical tradition, and to give the deck an appropriately impressive pedigree, invented several imaginative versions of the history of the cards. Most often asserting that it originated in ancient Egypt or other ancient cultures. These spurious origins of the Tarot became such an accepted part of Tarot literature that they were often reported as fact.  The Tarot, however, was a creation of Renaissance artists in northern Italy and these occult fantasies can block us from a true appreciation of the mystical heritage illustrated in the cards. 

In this lecture I examine the known facts and existing examples of cards. We follow playing cards from their creation in 10^th century China to their introduction in western Europe in the 14^th century. We learn how, in 15^th century Italy, the addition of a trump suit to the existing deck gave birth to the Tarot, and how the Italians passed the Tarot onto France.  We discuss the symbolism of early decks and how the cards expressed Hermetic philosophy. We look at the earliest evidence of the Tarot’s use in divination. And we end with a discussion of the occult theories that led to the creation of the Waite Smith Tarot and the modern fascination with the deck. I feel that this class and the following one on symbolism, are an important foundation for all ongoing classes that I will be teaching, and recordings will be available indefinitely.

The Recorded

Symbolism of the Tarot Trumps: Through the Eyes of the Artists,

with Robert M. Place

The recording of this class can be purchased from Divine Lives:

https://www.divinelives.com/tarot_symbolism

“I can’t think of a better person to teach what the tarot images would have meant to people at the time they were created.”………. Mary K. Greer

I have found that when I am reading Tarot cards they work best when I have made friends with the figures on the cards, so that the images speak to me. I feel that this understanding is essential when practicing divination. To make friends with the cards I want to I understand the symbols on the cards as the artists who first created them intended, and to appreciate the profound philosophy that is captured in these images.

Beside creating spurious histories for the Tarot, many occultists created systems of association for the cards, relating them to Hebrew letters, planets, astrological signs, and obscure sets of esoteric meanings. At their worst, these associations became a complex set of secret symbols, or a secret code, that has nothing to do with the artwork that is depicted on the cards. All known facts tell us that the Tarot was created by Renaissance artists in the 1400s, and we can easily see that their illustrations relate to other works for art from this period. By examining this history and comparing the Tarot images to other works of art from same centuries in which the cards were evolving, we can learn to see the Tarot trumps as the artists who created them would have seen them.   

In this Three-part class we do just that. We look at historic examples of cards and related Renaissance art. We will also examine the earliest written discussions of the symbolism. And we will learn to interpret the Tarot’s imagery as meaningful works of art, with a history and a relation to mystical philosophy. I feel that this class is an important foundation for all ongoing classes that I will be teaching, and recordings will be available indefinitely.

Three two- hour classes

In part one, we will discuss the structure of the Tarot Trumps in relation to the Renaissance Triumphal parade. We will learn that the Trumps consist of three groups of seven cards, each of which relate to one of the three parts of the Platonic soul. And we will compare the Fool and the first seven trumps to related works of art.

In part two, we will continue relating the remaining trumps to Renaissance art, which will place them in historic context, and illustrate their relationship to philosophical concepts that have been part of Western culture for thousands of years.  

In part three, we will examine the earliest written interpretations of the Tarot’s trumps and minor suits, to appreciate how people who lived closer to the creation of the first cards saw them.  

The Tarot: An Alchemical Trip

a workshop

conducted last year

at

the International Deck and Tarot Congress

in Toledo, Spain

on October 20 and 21, 2023

From the Tarot Conference:

Practically in less than a month we will have the pleasure of knowing and enjoying the internationally recognized teacher and special guest Robert Place. Who will e travel from New York to give a conference and workshop in Toledo on October 21. It will be translated by our dear Ana Prescott.

Robert M. Place is an international visionary artist, whose works have been exhibited in galleries and museums and on the covers and pages of numerous books and magazines. He is known as the designer and author of more than twenty tarot and oracles decks, including the internationally acclaimed Alchemical Tarot, and two decks and books in which he collaborated with Rachel Pollack. His facsimile of a historic Italian tarot is included in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he regularly lectures on their collection of cards. He was the guest of honor at the inauguration in 2007 of the Tarot Museum in Riola, Italy. He healed the Tarot exhibition in 2010 at the Los Angeles Craft and Folk Art Museum, and Booklist has said that his book, the Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, may be the best book ever written on the subject.

Workshop title: “The Tarot: an alchemical trip”

This year the Congress has an Olympic Medal 🥇 Do not tell you, vault it! All together, united by the Tarot! You can register at Congress ♥ ️ ♣ ️ ♠ ️ ♦ ️

Through: ☎️ Telephone (0034) 600796447 📮

Electronic Correo: laordendeayala@hotmail.com

💻web:

https://tienda.laordendeayala.com/v-congreso-internacional-de-baraja-y-tarot?fbclid=IwAR284PzgWbEghi-IT5e7J9pjLJyi-wlqRDmGyBv3D-_zKcKoyVrzf9k4p3M

Price:

face -to -face and online will be 149 Eur. Online more face -to -face recorded to be able to see them in deferred, 45 euros. In all versions of Congress, the 2023 Tarology Diploma will be granted. We wait for you!

Beijing, China

My Chinese workshops are now being conducted on Zoom.

You can contact Giselle Gao for details: 

giselleg@foxmail.com

A Brief Bio

Robert M. Place is the designer and illustrator of over twenty Tarot and oracle decks: including the internationally acclaimed and award-winning Alchemical Tarot, The Angels Tarot, The Marziano Tarot, the award-winning The Tarot of the Saints, The Buddha Tarot, The Vampire Tarot, The Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, The Tarot of the Alchemical Magnum Opus, The Alchemical Tarot of Marseille, The Hermes Playing Card Oracle, An Ukiyo-e Lenormand (based on Japanese culture), The Raziel Tarot and The Burning Serpent Oracle (for both of which he collaborated with Tarot diva Rachel Pollack). Besides writing books to accompany his decks, he is the author of The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, which Booklist has said, “may be the best book ever written on that deck of cards decorated with mysterious images called the Tarot.” He is the author of Astrology and Divination, Magic and Alchemy, Shamanism, Alchemy and the Tarot, and The Tarot, Magic, Alchemy, Hermeticism, and Neoplatonism. He is the curator of “The Fools’ Journey” and the author of the catalog for this exhibition of Tarot art that originated at the LA Craft and Folk-Art Museum, in 2010.  He was the guest of honor at the opening of the Tarot Museum in Riola, Italy, in 2007. His Facsimile Historic Italian Tarot is included in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where he recurrently lectures on their card collection. He and his work have appeared on the BBC, A&E, the Discovery Channel, and the Learning Channel. He has taught and lectured throughout the US and on five of the seven continents. His newest work, The Fist Occult Tarot, is a deck and book based on the descriptions written in 1781 by the come de Mellet, the first occult author to describe a Tarot deck.

 

These photos are from my 2021 class in Hangzhou, China

 

To receive The Restored Temple of Hermes, my free newsletter e-mailed every three months or so, with links to my latest articles and news about up-coming lectures, workshops, and publications, send an e-mail to me with The Restored Temple of Hermes in the subject line. Also, please let me know what state or country you live in.

alchemicaltarot@aol.com

The 74th Restored Temple of Hermes newsletter was sent on November 25, 2025. If you did not receive yours, you may need to update your email address.

The opening of the Fool’s Journey, an exhibition on the art and history of the Tarot at the Los Angles Craft and Folk Art Museum. I’m 2010