Spirit Worlds. Library of Esoterica. Jessica Hundley

Spirit Worlds. Library of Esoterica. Jessica Hundley

 I'm enjoying "Spirit Worlds" by Jessica Hundley, part of the Library of Esoterica collection.

 

 A voyage through mysterious and haunted lands, the sixth volume of The Library Esoterica delves into the art, rituals, and global mythologies of the spirit realms. Unearthing our complex beliefs around death, rebirth and resurrection, we explore the art, traditions and ancient stories of the afterlife. Through interviews with scholars and practitioners, insightful essays and over 400 works of visionary art, Spirit Worlds delves into the shadows of the supernatural, from dark domains of ghosts and demons to the light-filled lands of angels and celestial beings. Across more than 500 pages, we celebrate the ways in which we connect with both our ancestors and with ourselves, as we worship, mythologize and honor our dead. We study the rites of death around the globe, highlighting the ancient monuments and sacred temples we build out of our sorrow. We showcase the altars we create and the communities we nurture as we share our grief with our gods. We dive into the rituals that connect us to those we’ve lost. And we decipher the messages communicated to us from the other worlds by mediums and prophets, through the elaborate séances of the Spiritualists, and in the storied words of oracles and fortunetellers bent at their crystal balls. And finally, we showcase artworks that that channel not only the muse, but the unknown, eloquent voices and visions from the other side. In this expansive volume, we board the ferry across the storied river and enter the gloomy passages between lands, stepping across the threshold—to part the most sacred of veils.

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Tarot. The Library of Esoterica. Jessica Hundley

Tarot. The Library of Esoterica. Jessica Hundley

 I'm enjoying the "Tarot" volume by Jessica Hundley from the Library of Esoterica.

 

To explore the Tarot is to explore ourselves, to be reminded of the universality of our longing for meaning, for purpose and for a connection to the divine. This 600-year-old tradition reflects not only a history of seekers, but our journey of artistic expression and the ways we communicate our collective human story.

For many in the West, Tarot exists in the shadow place of our cultural consciousness, a metaphysical tradition assigned to the dusty glass cabinets of the arcane. Its history, long and obscure, has been passed down through secret writing, oral tradition, and the scholarly tomes of philosophers and sages. Hundreds of years and hundreds of creative hands—mystics and artists often working in collaboration—have transformed what was essentially a parlor game into a source of divination and system of self-exploration, as each new generation has sought to evolve the form and reinterpret the medium.

Author Jessica Hundley traces this fascinating history in Tarot, the debut volume in TASCHEN’s Library of Esoterica series. The book explores the symbolic meaning behind more than 500 cards and works of original art, two thirds of which have never been published outside of the decks themselves. It's the first ever visual compendium of its kind, spanning from Medieval to modern, and artfully arranged according to the sequencing of the 78 cards of the Major and Minor Arcana. It explores the powerful influence of Tarot as muse to artists like Salvador Dalí and Niki de Saint Phalle and includes the decks of nearly 100 diverse contemporary artists from around the world, all of whom have embraced the medium for its capacity to push cultural identity forward. Rounding out the volume are excerpts from thinkers such as Éliphas Lévi, Carl Jung, and Joseph Campbell; a foreword by artist Penny Slinger; a guide to reading the cards by Johannes Fiebig; and an essay on oracle decks by Marcella Kroll.

About the series

The Library of Esoterica explores how centuries of artists have given form to mysticism, translating the arcane and the obscure into enduring, visionary works of art. Each subject is showcased through both modern and archival imagery culled from private collectors, libraries, and museums around the globe. The result forms an inclusive visual history, a study of our primal pull to dream and nightmare, and the creative ways we strive to connect to the divine.

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