Tarot and the Gates of Light: A Kabbalistic Path to Liberation

(Paperback)

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The 49-day mystical practice known as Counting the Omer is an ancient Jewish ritual observed between the holidays of Passover and Shavuot (also known as Pentecost). As practiced by Kabbalists, it is designed to cleanse and purify the soul in preparation for spiritual revelation and a personal connection with God. The ritual creates a spiritual inner journey that follows the path of the ancient Israelites from the moment of their physical freedom from slavery in Egypt to the establishment of their spiritual freedom forty-nine days later when they arrived at Mt. Sinai.

Adeptly integrating this mystical practice with the transformative symbolism of the Tarot, Mark Horn uses the ritual of Counting the Omer as a template for a guided meditative practice that gives readers insight into their personal life journey and help in overcoming the issues that hinder their growth and spiritual awakening. Examining the correspondence of the Tarots minor arcana with the Sephirot of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, he shows how using the cards in connection with Counting the Omer can unlock the gates to a deep experience of the sacred. In the detailed daily practice workbook section, Horn provides day-by-day descriptions of the 49-day meditative practice of Counting the Omer. He divides the journey into seven week-long segments, which in turn are broken down into seven daily practices. For each day, he explains the related Sephirot and Tarot cards and their Kabbalistic and spiritual meanings, providing the reader with questions for daily reflection, guidance for meditation, and insight from traditional Jewish texts as well as teachings from Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim traditions.

Unveiling the relationship between Tarot and the Kabbalah, Horn shows readers how uniting these two practices can open them to a deeper experience of the Divine.

Reviews

Tarot and the Gates of Light will undoubtedly rise in ranks to become an authoritative text on Kabbalistic tarot. It is one of the most accessible guides for Counting the Omer. Tarot and the Gates of Light is itself encoded with the power to augment and deepen any tarot practice. Easily one of my favorite tarot books. * Benebell Wen, author of Holistic Tarot *
This is not a book you will want to part ways with after 49 days, rather it serves as a lifelong guide, emblematic talisman, and faithful companion for your ever-unfolding journey on the path of enlightenment. * Sasha Graham, author of 365 Tarot Spreads *
Mark Horns brilliant new book opened up a new world for me. I was familiar with both fields of tarot and Kabbalah, but I had never viewed them through the larger lens Mark provides. This unique synergy offers rich psycho-spiritual insights and provides practical processes anyone can apply. May it change the lives of millions of readers. * New York Times bestselling author Gay Hendricks, Ph.D., author of The Big Leap *
Mark Horn has distilled decades of study and practice into a journey of archetypes and images that is powerful, healing, and transformative. Tarot and the Gates of Light is a road map for anyone of any background to follow. So sit, read, study, and follow this step-by-step path from bondage to liberation, and you will find yourself growing into the wise, embodied soul you really are. * Andrew Ramer, author of Fragments of the Brooklyn Talmud *
Perfect for those who want to follow a spiritual practice that combines tarot, Hebrew Kabbalah, and personal meditation. It is also a great way to explore the deeper meanings of the Minor Arcana. * Mary K. Greer, author of Tarot for Your Self *
Spiritual disciplines are like prisms, refracting the ineffable light into radiant diversities of human imagination. This makes Tarot and the Gates of Light a prism within a prism, glittering with Mark Horns insights, histories, wit, and wisdom. * Rabbi Jay Michaelson, author of God vs. Gay *
By using a traditional Jewish devotional system, the 49-day spiritual exercise known as Counting the Omer, and then matching each day with the appropriate tarot images, Mark Horn gives tarot readers a way into both Jewish Kabbalah and the contemporary Jewish Renewal movement and gives concrete form to some of the more abstract ideas about the Tree of Life. This book is rich in both information and practice. A valuable and innovative contribution. * Rachel Pollack, author of Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom *
Mark has given a profound gift and technology to the serious seeker: an erudite, yet highly accessible and engaging, compendium of knowledge and wisdom teachings and, most importantly, a dedicated path of transformation--one self, one soul, one day at a time. * Professor Katherine Kurs, M.Div., Ph.D., editor of Searching for Your Soul *
Offers a spiritual practice for self-transformation, based on the tarot and the mystical practice of counting the 49 days prior to the revelation holiday of Shavuot/Pentecost. For each of the 49 days, Horn offers a combination of tarot cards as a meditative opening to growth and self-knowledge. Horns work displays a deep appreciation of tarot as a language for the soul and applies that language to a mystical technology for daily transformation. His book will appeal to diviners and spiritual seekers, Kabbalists and New Age practitioners. The practice laid out in this book is openhearted and challenging, ecumenical and ethically astute. It has the potential to set us on the path to enlightenment. * Rabbi Jill Hammer, Ph.D., author of The Jewish Book of Days *
Mark Horn courageously provides an autobiographical approach to teaching the Kabbalistic practice of Counting the Omer. Tarot and the Gates of Light gives Jews and Christians alike a powerful, accessible tool for advancing personal spiritual growth and development. * Rabbi Goldie Milgram, author of Reclaiming Judaism as a Spiritual Practice *
Horn has shattered the old saying theres nothing new under the sun with this unorthodox and ambitious work. Tarot and the Gates of Light presents the rare opportunity to find liberation through a serious and meaningful ancient practice refined over the centuries. Tarot and Kabbalah are wedded together as never before--in perfect harmony and beauty. * Angelo Nasios, author of Tarot: Unlocking the Arcana *
"Tarot and The Gates Of Light is an artfully creative book that is inspiring in its originality. Blending the ancient wisdom traditions of Judaism and Buddhist practice with the oracle cards in a novel and practical way, it is an essential volume for a wide range of readers--ideal for tarot readers who are new to Kabbalah as well as those, like myself who consider themselves lifelong students of the mystical." * Heather Mendel, author of The Syzygy Oracle, Dancing in The Footsteps of Eve, The Sacred Mandala Tar *
"I am deeply impressed by Mark Horns book. Although there are many paths to healing the human spirit so that the immanence of the divine becomes apparent, what joins all of them together is heart. If a path has heart, you can follow it with the assurance that its intelligence will guide you well. Marks book has heart. You can feel it in the writing, you can hear it in the song that flows through it. It will guide you well." * Jason Shulman, Founder of A Society of Souls *
"Horn offers amazing information on both the Tarot and the Tree of Life. His insights and descriptions of his own path of transformation included within the daily essays make for a challenging yet accessible practice that brings profound insights into the Tarot, the Tree, and brings opportunities for substantial personal growth and development. Here is a book that will appeal to Kabbalists, Tarot enthusiasts, and spiritual seekers!" * Raushanna, PaganPages.org *

Author Bio

Mark Horn has studied Kabbalah with academic, religious, and practical teachers, including Professor Elliot R. Wolfson at NYU, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi at Elat Chayyim, and Jason Shulman at A Society of Souls: Spiritual Healing School. He has studied Tarot with many of todays leading teachers, including Rachel Pollack, Mary K. Greer, Robert Place, Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone, and Ferol Humphrey. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, and Metrosource. A teacher of Kabbalistic tarot, he lives in New York City.