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[PNN] Why did you feel this book needed to be written?

[EH] Through contact with tarot readers beginning their studies, both in person and through internet tarot groups, it was very evident that (first) people were familiar with the term "tarot dignities" but did not know what they were, and (second) there was no textbook dedicated to this subject.

Tarot dignities are a family of techniques that assist tarotists in integrating the meanings of the cards in a spread. These techniques encompass very simple and obvious methods as well as deeply complex methods that require extensive study and memorization to master. Some tarot dignity techniques rely upon their cartomantic features (numbers and suits) while others rely upon their occult subtext (astrological attributions, for example, that may or may not be printed on the card's face).

My goal in writing this book was to provide a single text that encompasses the entire range of dignity techniques, and presents them in a manner that a reader can study at their own pace. My hope is that "Tarot Decoded" can be used by individuals who are working alone to master the tarot, as well as by teachers who are giving instruction in tarot.

Elizabeth Hazel (Photo courtesy of Red Wheel)

[PNN] Do you need to have a good understanding of the tarot already to benefit from Tarot Decoded?

[EH] "Tarot Decoded" does not include a list of card meanings, but instead focuses on reading techniques. People who have studied the meanings of the cards (whether these are memorized or not) have acquired some understanding of the cards, and are ready to learn basic card integration techniques.

For tarotists who have a good grasp of basic card meanings and are ready to learn how to derive more meaning from their spreads, more useful spread forms, and develop a personal reading style, this book is perfect.

[PNN] How did you become interested in tarot and astrology?

[EH] I was a child during the 1960's, and planet glyphs and zodiac sign glyphs were plastered all over everything during that era, courtesy of Peter Max and other contemporary artists. The Fifth Dimension was singing "This is the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius," and it was very popular to begin a conversation by asking the other person's sun-sign. Unless you lived in a box, it was hard to miss all of this interest in astrology and the occult that was booming during this time period.

But - being a strange child - I actually found out about tarot cards by reading the Encyclopedia Britannica, in the entry for "Cards." I saw the cards with pictures, read the description and said to myself, "these are for me." Of course, wanting to get them was different than actually being able to find them. It took me a few years of diligent shopping to locate a tarot deck (my first deck was David Palladini's Aquarian Tarot), and about a month to realize that these were not very deep. I went back and got the Thoth deck.

From the symbols included on the Thoth deck, it was obvious that astrology was - or could be - merged with the tarot. I was quite fortunate to find a wonderful astrology teacher, Dr. Rilma Buckman, to whom the book is dedicated. Tarot opened a door to the world, but astrology opened the door to the universe.

Although I've been a professional tarotist and astrologer for many, many years, I continue to study both diligently. New techniques and possibilities for use help keep tarot and astrology as fresh and fascinating for me.

[PNN] Is there a particular tarot deck (e.g. rider, thoth etc.) that you prefer to use for readings?

[EH] Well, to be honest, I'm a bit of a deck slut. I move around. I like new decks. I go through phases with favorites. I disliked the RWS until the Universal Waite (recolored by Mary Hanson Roberts) was issued. The Thoth is an old favorite, but I don't use it for clients unless they request it. I still like the Aquarian deck, too. Basically, I like a good, strong reading deck. To clarify this, I mean a deck with clear symbols and good colors. They don't have to be RWS or Thoth clones, as long as the symbolism is good.

I'm not too keen on program decks - dragons, hobbits, King Arthur, etc., where a good literary idea is bent like a pretzel to fit tarot symbolism. Sometimes it works, but mostly it doesn't. Currently I'm using Norbert Loesche's Cosmic Tarot, and The World Spirit Tarot, for most ordinary client readings. But like any good tarot slut, I've got hundreds of decks, plan on getting hundreds more, and hope at some point to get my own original tarot deck published (The Vala Tarot).

[PNN] Recent tarot decks (i.e. the last 100 years) have followed imagery and concepts from the Golden Dawn and The Qabbalah. I'm thinking particularly here of the Rider-Waite decks, and Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot. But Tarot have been extant at least since the 14th century, and the hidden meaning in the cards may have been subtly different. It has been suggested, for example that the earliest decks were a series of flashcards related to the story of the Knights Templar and the Holy Grail, but no-one is really certain. Do you have any opinions or insights on the origin of the Tarot, and the story or message it originally carried?

[EH] I need to clarify two assumptions - first, that the tarot cards were designed with forecasting as a primary purpose, and second, that there are hidden meanings in early tarot art. There isn't any real evidence that this is the case - the available evidence shows that tarot, or tarrochi, were a playing deck used for a card game similar to bridge or euchre.

During the Renaissance, when tarot cards first appeared, there was a distinct resurrgence of interest in classical topics, as well as continuing interest in allegories. The Renaissance art world was making controversial breaks from the flat perspective and relatively limited topic matter of the medieval world (the Bible, the saints, and rich people). These artists were striking out in all sorts of new directions in concepts, techniques and subject matter.

But artists have to eat and pay their rent! Until the printing press came along, card decks were rendered by hand, so affordable to only wealthy patrons. Could there have been a subtext to the symbolism? Surely. Especially if a patron had a special topical interest. The series of pictures could have been biblical scenes, or based on the estates of life in Renaissance Italy, on the stories of specific allegories, or even based on a story line from classical pagan or popular literature.

If a tarot-card painter was a member of an intellectual salon, like the one sponsored by the De Medici in Firenze, there reasonably could have been an occult, metaphysical, or kabbalistic subtext in the designs. But there is no written evidence found to date that supports this conclusion. The first texts on using tarot for divinatory purposes were published in the 1780's by Frenchmen. That leaves a period of about 300 or 400 years for speculation.

So what do I believe? I believe that eventually, some kind of direct, written evidence will surface regarding a specific Renaissance-period deck. It might confirm the theory that the tarot were designed with a subtext hidden in the symbolism, and created for use as a divinatory device. But then again, it might not. We cannot project our 21st century minds into 14th or 15th century minds with any accuracy, because it too often results in wishful thinking.

What is of greatest interest to me is the vigorous development of tarot since the 1890's, and the tarot boom that has been evident since the 1980's. These are our own times, and it is clear that the Tarot have something to say to contemporary culture. In my view, the divinatory Tarot have descended from the occult thinkers of the 1780's and the critical Jupiter-Saturn conjunction that took place early in that decade, as well as the discovery of Uranus. Jupiter is the ruler of philosophy and religion, and Saturn rules form and containers. Uranus is a progenitor-creator god associated with revolutionary ideas. The Tarot, as they are used today, are a container for metaphysical thought conveyed through symbolism. The container, or form, remains relatively stable, while the occult thought that fills it changes from generation to generation.

[PNN] In recent years, tarot decks have become very diverse in their imagery and themes. The Robin Wood Tarot, The Tolkien Tarot, Gothic Tarot of Vampires are a few examples. Does this diversity help people understand and appreciate the value of the tarot more, or is the message of the cards lost in this process?

[EH] I've already stated that I'm not too keen on program decks, because they often fail to do more than present a currently popular literary idea in a way that sells well. Some readers really enjoy these decks. The Robin Wood Tarot should not be included in the list given above, because it is truly an original rendering of tarot symbolism, not merely a regurgitation of Pamela Colman Smith's artwork for the RWS deck.

Part of the problem with program decks is that they are executed by artists who are hired to do a job, not necessarily by tarotists who labor to present a unique vision of the tarot, like Robin Wood. The lack of tarot experience of an artist is, in most cases, glaringly evident, because of their slavish fidelity to the RWS. And in this case, yes, the message of the symbolism can be smothered by their efforts to make some poor hobbit juggle four coins.

This being said, the explosion of new tarot decks in the past few decades makes tarot much more accessible to anyone who is intersted in learning how to read them. If a person buys a deck because the artwork appeals to them, great. If they find that they can't learn much from the LWB (little white book), and pursue other books and decks in order to learn more, all the better. Generally, folks are better off starting with a version of the RWS, as there are plenty of books that use this deck for illustrations. People have to start somewhere, so a wide variety of decks in a multitude of artistic presentations is a real plus.

[PNN] Can you recommend any good reference books or other sources for those wanting to learn more about the tarot?

[EH] It really depends on what level the individual is ready for, and what they want to learn. "Tarot Plain and Simple" by Anthony Lewis is a great book for raw beginners. Mary Greer's "Tarot For Your Self" is a wonderful book that encourages people to experiment with the tarot, and learning how to dig deeper into the symbolism for meanings. Rachel Pollack's "78 Degrees of Wisdom" is a superb, intense discussion of card meanings.

One of my very favorite new tarot books is "Tarot for Self Discovery" by Nina Lee Braden. She presents dozens of tarot exercises that can be used by people at every level of tarot experience for deriving inner meaning and understanding. She gives excellent exercises for using the tarot to get yourself out of mental ruts - I've used these more than once!

The Internet has an amazing range of sources for beginners. The first stop for anyone ready to do some serious tarot deck or book shopping is the Tarot Passages site (www.tarotpassages.com). This site provides reviews of books and decks, and deck reviews include a few pictures of the cards. It also includes new spreads, interviews, and other articles, as well as links to lots of other great tarot sites. Book reviews, tarot history information and excellent articles can be found at Villa Revak (www.villarevak.org). For those interested in networking and regular updates, the American Tarot Association's site (www.ata-tarot.com) has information regularly updated, including a web-zine called Tarot Reflections.

For tarot shopping, I like to go to the Tarot Garden (www.tarotgarden.com) where there are plenty of pictures of artwork, and an incredible range of available decks. I can't go there too often, its just too tempting.

[PNN] Do you have any other projects lined up?

[EH] I'm working on a second book on specific methods for combining tarot and astrology. I've written a fantasy fiction novel that I'm marketing around, and have an original song that is attached to a film script currently being shown around Hollywood. Anything is possible! I'm a typical Sagittarian, lots of irons in lots of fires. There are plenty of articles floating around, too, and more of those in the works. I'd also like to get my tarot deck published and am seeking a publisher for it.

[PNN] What would you say has been your greatest achievement to date?

[EH] Surviving my teen years would be the most honest answer; writing "Tarot Decoded" would be the most profound.

[PNN] If you could go back in your life and change one thing, what would it be?

[EH] I don't believe in regret - life is just too short. However, if I really could go back and re-do, I'd get a bachelor's degree in business instead of a degree in music composition and theory.

[PNN] How would you want to be remembered?

[EH] On a personal level, as never being so serious or so cracked on some theory that I'd lose my sense of humor, or fail to laugh at the ridiculous (especially myself when I'm being ridiculous). On a professional level, as a practitioner and writer who added to the understanding and development of tarot and astrology.

[PNN] Do you have a favorite author?

[EH] Oh, dear, this is not a question you want to ask a Sagittarian who reads a couple hundred books a year! I adore Tom Robbins, Richard Adams, and Judith Merkle Riley, but worship at the feet of Tolkein (I've read the trilogy every years since 1976). I revere Carlos Casteneda, too, and am delighted by the fantastic paranoic flourishes of Robert Anton Wilson. On more somber days I like Tacitus, Pliny and Suetonius, especially when they gossip about their contemporaries. The list goes on....and on...and on.

[PNN] Do you have a favorite group/musician?

[EH] I love music, period. Medieval, baroque, classical, romantic, impressionistic, post impressionistic, show-tunes, old blues, swing jazz, fusion jazz, r&b, pop, classical rock, hard rock, death metal rock, and the Seattle grunge sound. I listen to all of it, and can play most of it, too. About the only thing I'm not too keen on is country western and rap, and I even like some of that if the singer is any good. Would it help if I said I was a dedicated Led Head as a wee sprite? I've never gotten over my love affairs with Page and Plant, Robin Trower and Jimi Hendrix. A great guitar player can turn me into a puddle of mush. But then again, so can Artur Rubenstein's recording of Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. Pure heaven.

[PNN] Do you have a favorite Bumper Sticker?

[EH] "Keep your rosaries out of my ovaries" is right up at the top of my list.

[PNN] If you drew a picture to represent your mind, body and spirit, what would you draw?

[EH] A little butterfly colored with every color in the rainbow, flying over a field of flowers dancing in a gentle breeze. Life is a very happy place to be.