To the casual observer, they're just a pack of playing cards. But to initiates, the mysterious figures of the Tarot deck symbolise the keys to ancient wisdom. The 78 cards can be employed to unlock the secrets of the universe and to foretell the future - but only by those who comprehend their esoteric truths. A pillar of occult science, The Tarot of the Bohemians provides a theological element to the work begun by Antoine Court de Gébelin, Etteila, and Eliphas Levi, and advanced by A. E. Waite, the distinguished scholar and designer of the most widely known deck. Geared toward initiates, its topics include an introduction to the study of the Tarot as well as its symbolism and applications. This revised edition includes a Preface by Waite in addition to illustrative plates, charts, and tables. AUTHOR: Papus was the pen name of Gerard Encausse (1865–1916), a Spanish-born French physician. After years of researching the occult, Kabbalah, alchemy, and magic, he was among the first to offer a serious study of the Tarot. He co-founded the Kabbalistic Order of the Rose-Croix and was active in the Hermetic Brotherhood of the Light.