Sunday, February 16, 2003		Books

Cards of fortune
Vinita Gardner

Annual Horoscope 2003 — Tarot Card Readings
by Ma Prem Usha. Fusion Books, New Delhi. Pages 400. Rs 195.

"DESTINY is not a matter of change, it is a matter of choices; it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved." Ma Prem Usha, an Osho sanyasin for over thirty years, brings this goal within the ambit of human endeavour and achievement through her powerful Tarot card readings.

"Cosmic consciousness holds time in all its dimensions and reveals patterns of destiny that one can tune into through meditation and a deep receptivity… Therefore, a reader needs to be empty, receptive, non-judgmental and spiritually evolved, to be able to distance himself from his personality and mind to be a mirror and reflect hers in their totality… Once destiny, patterns, blocks, strengths and weaknesses are revealed, the seeker is not confused, he gets in touch with himself and feels empowered to make breakthroughs on old patterns, relationships, habits, fixations, obsessions and professional aspects."

Tarot, like astrology, derives its basis from astronomy, which in turn is a science. Numerology, astrology, symbology and the occult are an essential part of the Tarot cards and also aids to other arts of divination, which are loosely termed as fortune-telling systems. These have a science and system that has first to be learnt, e.g., the planets, their positions and movements in astrology; the symbols, their origins and meanings in present day contexts in Tarot, the numbers and their qualities in numerology.

The evocatively designed book by Ma Prem Usha brings within reach for the first time the monthly forecast of all zodiac signs for the year 2003 through in-depth interpretations of the mystical Tarot cards. Mentioned in ancient accounts and books, documented in old parchments, the Tarot cards were made popular by gypsies and fortune-tellers traveling around the world down the ages. These ancient cards may have originated in the East and then traveled to the West with the gypsies who were dark haired and olive skinned and believed to be of Asian origin. Fascinatingly enough, some artefacts, hand-painted cards and references from the 13th century still remain as evidence, while the mysteries are handed down from generation to generation. The following decks of Tarot cards have been used for some of the readings in this book: Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot Deck by James Wasserman, Osho Zen Tarot Cards, The Visual I Ching Tarot Cards by Oliver Perrottet and The Hindu Lunar Zodiac (nakshatras) Tarot Deck by Roeland de Loof.