Can you imagine trusting your dreams enough to build your career from them? Yet, this is precisely what artist and author Robert M. Place did, and following advice, signs, and symbols have made him one of the most prominent tarot readers, teachers, and deck creators of our times.
Today on the show, Jacy Nova speaks with Robert M. Place to gain insight from his esoteric journeys and thoughts on what the future holds.
Robert began creating tarot decks and writing about esoteric subjects in the 1990s. His first deck and book combination, The Alchemical Tarot, focused on creating the philosopher's stone as a symbolic theme of the deck and was illustrated in the style of 17th-century engravings. Following this deck's success, he went on to create The Angels Tarot, The Tarot of the Saints, The Buddha Tarot, The Vampire Tarot, Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery, The Burning Serpent Oracle, and The Raziel Tarot. His most recent decks are An Ukiyo-e Lenormand and The Hermes Playing Card Oracle.
Robert's expertise in tarot's history is widely sought after, and he's been a lecturer and teacher of Western mysticism at museums, conferences, and institutes.
In 2005, he published The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, which is considered one of the most comprehensive writings on the history of tarot. He has also appeared on the BBC, the Discovery Channel, Learning Channel, A&E, and multiple radio stations to share his knowledge of Western occultism.
Robert shares how he first learned about the tarot and the dream that started a series of synchronistic events, revealing what he needed to explore further. Yet, in the pursuit of creating his first deck, Robert realized how much of the content found in books on tarot was inaccurate from his background in art.
"I realized that most of the stuff that the tarot books were saying about the origin of the cards didn't make any sense because they're saying it came from ancient Egypt or Morocco or something, and none of this... It just wasn't true, according to art history. The style of the cards was obviously European. They weren't Egyptian."
That led him to develop his personal use of the cards through storytelling with imagery.
"The simplest idea about divination is that you're using the pictures to create a story, and then you put them together, and you tell the story, and somehow the story has meaning to you. It just works."
To truly know the tarot, one must understand the historical imagery that led to it today. Robert shares with listeners his extensive knowledge of the true origins of tarot and how decks have changed through time and cultures, countering what occultists of the 1700s said about it being from Egypt, creating misinformation for centuries come.
As for the Age of Aquarius, Robert shares insight about how the Harmonic Convergence in 1987, when the Sun, Moon, and six planets of the solar system formed a grand trine, served as a catalyst for an expansion of consciousness. Robert himself was delving into the mysteries of alchemy, the philosopher's stone, and tarot, prompting him to create his first deck and start writing about the tarot.
A three-card Tarot spread he pulled during our interview gives further insight into what the Age of Aquarius may hold.
"It has to be an age where we revive the earth; we bring real prosperity that's ongoing and not just based on materialism and greed. So that's my vision of the new age."
Robert M. Place's entire interview is now available for download now via Apple, Spotify, or your favorite streaming platform. Please visit his website here to discover more about Robert's work, art, and books.
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