Hi Guys  ,

This week  amazing special guest  of furfilment is Russell Sturgess.

You would wonder what the oldest tarot would have to do with animals. Well, you could almost say there are that many animals in the images you could call it a zoo. Russell Sturgess, the author of the recently published book The Spiritual Roots of the Tarot,The Cathar Code Hidden in the Cards, gives an entertaining and enlightening interview as he reveals their amazing symbolism. Although his book wasn’t oriented towards animals, it turns out that they play a very important role in the Fool’s journey to enlightenment. In many cases they are gate keepers responsible for checking the quality of the Fool’s (Everyman) state of consciousness. Russell also explains what makes this book on tarot so different. Through his years of research (and surprisingly he doesn’t read tarot) he has discovered previously unknown historical details about the origin of the cards. But more specifically it was their original use that most surprising. Fortunetelling with tarot cards didn’t begin until the late 17th century. Created in northern Italy around the late 14th century the cards had a dual role. Its most popular use was card games. But it also held the hidden mysteries of a group of Gnostic/Christians called the Cathars. Following their elimination by the Catholic Church, these portable stain glass windows in the form of picture cards saw that the church did not destroy these sacred teachings.

Peace and love

Furfilment