About the History of Tara and the Tarot
By Prema Dasara
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The Wisdom Ways call us to manifest our highest potential. As human beings possessing sentience, consciousness, awareness, we have extraordinary possibilities. Legends and myths even current stories tell of us human beings who demonstrated profound abilities to love, to heal, to humor, to nurture, to inspire, to uplift.
When we determine that we want to bring to fulfillment this potential we turn to those who have gone before to show us the path. |
It is at once a solitary journey and one in which we take the entire world with us. For we are interconnected with all that exists and yet we also hold a unique position in this magnificent ever changing tapestry.
This self awareness is where the journey with the 21 Taras and the Major Arcana of the Tarot begins.
Having lived and breathed the 21 Praises of Tara for the past 20 some odd years this is my small contribution to the incredible practices and teachings that are assembled around the magnificent being we call Tara.
Mother of the Universe, Mother of All Buddhas, Mother Earth (Terra) Mother of Wisdom, this divine feminine presence has made Herself known on this planet in a myriad of ways.
She has appeared to people visably in a corporal body to save them from disaster, to encourage them to reach for their highest aspiration. She has appeared in a body of light to countless people guiding them. She appears within dreams, she promises to guide us at the moment of death.
She vowed to remain in the body of a woman until the end of time, saving beings from the endless frustrations of a life lived in ignorance, aggression and desire.
I believe the Tarot was born from the inspiration of her Praises. Certainly they come from the same esoteric source. Both bodies of inspiration have been adopted by countless aspirants, yogis and magi, seeking to communicate to the ones following in their footsteps the means to be free from confusion and to manifest all enlightened qualities.
Having received teachings, empowerments and transmission from many of the greatest Lamas of our time you will see some of their touch on these pages. But for the most part you will find a western lay woman encountering two profound paths….the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism and the Wisdom of the Western mystery schools, influenced by the Kabala, the alchemists, the Theosophists…..great thinkers, great hearts. On the path of wisdom as soon as you have some realization you reach out your hand to those following, knowing how difficult the journey can be.
So now, let’s walk together, exploring how these two sets of revelation inform and augment each other.
The key to both are the symbols that inform each card, each Tara. It was through the symbols that I recognized how uncanny the relationships. Jung tells us that in order to truly penetrate the subconscious, the storehouse of our experience throughout time and space we can ride on the powerful religious symbols of our times.
The Tibetans say the idealized forms of the deities act like keys to our subconscious. Jung said the archetypes will take us into the depths. This is the main aspect of this exploration. These teachings arose for me through the medium of dance and song. The sacred arts are designed to drive us into the deepest part of our being if we open to them.
One line of speculation about the cards is that they were developed by magi as a way to preserve eternal truths in a mundane form that would escape the eye of the Church which was actively destroying any spiritual expression that threatened its supremacy.
The cards appeared innocuous, only an initiate would understand the wisdom they represented.
Come. Open your heart and your mind.
This self awareness is where the journey with the 21 Taras and the Major Arcana of the Tarot begins.
Having lived and breathed the 21 Praises of Tara for the past 20 some odd years this is my small contribution to the incredible practices and teachings that are assembled around the magnificent being we call Tara.
Mother of the Universe, Mother of All Buddhas, Mother Earth (Terra) Mother of Wisdom, this divine feminine presence has made Herself known on this planet in a myriad of ways.
She has appeared to people visably in a corporal body to save them from disaster, to encourage them to reach for their highest aspiration. She has appeared in a body of light to countless people guiding them. She appears within dreams, she promises to guide us at the moment of death.
She vowed to remain in the body of a woman until the end of time, saving beings from the endless frustrations of a life lived in ignorance, aggression and desire.
I believe the Tarot was born from the inspiration of her Praises. Certainly they come from the same esoteric source. Both bodies of inspiration have been adopted by countless aspirants, yogis and magi, seeking to communicate to the ones following in their footsteps the means to be free from confusion and to manifest all enlightened qualities.
Having received teachings, empowerments and transmission from many of the greatest Lamas of our time you will see some of their touch on these pages. But for the most part you will find a western lay woman encountering two profound paths….the wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism and the Wisdom of the Western mystery schools, influenced by the Kabala, the alchemists, the Theosophists…..great thinkers, great hearts. On the path of wisdom as soon as you have some realization you reach out your hand to those following, knowing how difficult the journey can be.
So now, let’s walk together, exploring how these two sets of revelation inform and augment each other.
The key to both are the symbols that inform each card, each Tara. It was through the symbols that I recognized how uncanny the relationships. Jung tells us that in order to truly penetrate the subconscious, the storehouse of our experience throughout time and space we can ride on the powerful religious symbols of our times.
The Tibetans say the idealized forms of the deities act like keys to our subconscious. Jung said the archetypes will take us into the depths. This is the main aspect of this exploration. These teachings arose for me through the medium of dance and song. The sacred arts are designed to drive us into the deepest part of our being if we open to them.
One line of speculation about the cards is that they were developed by magi as a way to preserve eternal truths in a mundane form that would escape the eye of the Church which was actively destroying any spiritual expression that threatened its supremacy.
The cards appeared innocuous, only an initiate would understand the wisdom they represented.
Come. Open your heart and your mind.
Developing the Connection through a Magical Occurance
The study and practice of the cards is not an area that I have specialized in. I have some marvelous friends who have shared readings with me but I was never attracted myself to “read” or study the cards. One day perusing a book by Barbara Walters, “The Woman’s Encyclopedia of Myths and Secrets” I looked up Tara and found this quote following the section on Tara…..
“Among the many derivations offered for the mysterious word Tarot ….. the Oriental background of card-divination and the 21 numbered cards of the Major Arcana suggest an older connection with the Goddess Tara, the Aryan Great Mother as “earth,“ whose name gave rise to Latin Terra Mater and Celtic Tara.
From ancient times, this goddess was assigned 21 forms. Magic diagrams, or painted dice-boards for divining the cause of illness, prophesying, and so on, are still known as the ‘21 Taras.””
This excited my interest and I had some fascinating conversations with my friends about the correspondences.
It started with a conversation with Musawa, senior feminist, creatrix of We’moon. She was driving me down the coast as I taught Tara in various communities. As we drove she shared her knowledge of the cards……it was the first indication that we were on to something.
A few years later my partner, Anahata Iradah, and I had been invited to teach Tara and the Dances of Universal Peace in Brazil. While there we met Vera and Maria Ache, both highly respected experts on the cards.
Maria was inspired with our dance and began working with a group of her students to create dances illustrating each of the Major Arcana of the Tarot with different Brazilian rhythms. We decided to work together to explore the relationship with Tara and the Tarot. The symbols, the music, the dance all drew us into a deep experience.
We decided to do a week retreat. I personally needed to have more information about the Tarot…..a place where I could connect into the profound expression of wisdom that I had encountered through my Tibetan Teachers.
So here’s a bit of magic……
I live in a very remote area on the side of Maui’s dormant volcano. For many years it was just my husband and myself, surrounded by thousands of acres of wild pasture land. Just below us a friend built a small house and one of our dear, eccentric friends moved into this house. He was a student of alchemy and we would on occasion have wonderful talks about his aspirations and explorations. We were all hermits, deeply involved in our various practices and I had not seen my friend for some time. At some point he abandoned the house and it was empty for almost a year.
One day on a walk my dog took off through the brush and lava rock towards this abandoned shack and following him I tripped over what appeared to be a weather destroyed cardboard box. In the box were books, all kinds of interesting books and I realized that my wonderful eccentric friend had abandoned them. I have a deep respect for books so I gathered up an armful, put them in a plastic bag, stored them in my prayer room and completely forgot about them.
Years later, just before the retreat with Maria I was cleaning out my prayer room and I came upon the bag of rain damaged books. Inside a shredding plastic bag I found the most amazing gift…..a series of lessons about the esoteric meaning of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. There was no name on these lessons, no title page to indicate where they came from. But they were exactly what I needed to make the connection between the Tibetan Buddhist Practice of Tara and the Wisdom of the Tarot.
I studied them carefully and when I got to the end of the book a small piece of paper fell into my lap. On it were the syllables B.O.T.A. This meant nothing to me so I filed it away.
Shortly after someone gave me a little booklet called “Highlights of Tarot” by the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.). I had found the source of the manual. When the Internet gave us the option to Goggle our hearts desire I was able to track the organization down.
This book is one of my main references for the Tarot material. I am using the Ryder Waite cards. I realize that there are many different decks available now but I was looking for the most traditional.
The next part of the story of the development of these specific Tara Wisdom Cards is told by Zebrine Iris Gray. She worked in collaboration with Prema on the book that accompanies the deck based on the wisdom teachings of Mother Tara.
“Among the many derivations offered for the mysterious word Tarot ….. the Oriental background of card-divination and the 21 numbered cards of the Major Arcana suggest an older connection with the Goddess Tara, the Aryan Great Mother as “earth,“ whose name gave rise to Latin Terra Mater and Celtic Tara.
From ancient times, this goddess was assigned 21 forms. Magic diagrams, or painted dice-boards for divining the cause of illness, prophesying, and so on, are still known as the ‘21 Taras.””
This excited my interest and I had some fascinating conversations with my friends about the correspondences.
It started with a conversation with Musawa, senior feminist, creatrix of We’moon. She was driving me down the coast as I taught Tara in various communities. As we drove she shared her knowledge of the cards……it was the first indication that we were on to something.
A few years later my partner, Anahata Iradah, and I had been invited to teach Tara and the Dances of Universal Peace in Brazil. While there we met Vera and Maria Ache, both highly respected experts on the cards.
Maria was inspired with our dance and began working with a group of her students to create dances illustrating each of the Major Arcana of the Tarot with different Brazilian rhythms. We decided to work together to explore the relationship with Tara and the Tarot. The symbols, the music, the dance all drew us into a deep experience.
We decided to do a week retreat. I personally needed to have more information about the Tarot…..a place where I could connect into the profound expression of wisdom that I had encountered through my Tibetan Teachers.
So here’s a bit of magic……
I live in a very remote area on the side of Maui’s dormant volcano. For many years it was just my husband and myself, surrounded by thousands of acres of wild pasture land. Just below us a friend built a small house and one of our dear, eccentric friends moved into this house. He was a student of alchemy and we would on occasion have wonderful talks about his aspirations and explorations. We were all hermits, deeply involved in our various practices and I had not seen my friend for some time. At some point he abandoned the house and it was empty for almost a year.
One day on a walk my dog took off through the brush and lava rock towards this abandoned shack and following him I tripped over what appeared to be a weather destroyed cardboard box. In the box were books, all kinds of interesting books and I realized that my wonderful eccentric friend had abandoned them. I have a deep respect for books so I gathered up an armful, put them in a plastic bag, stored them in my prayer room and completely forgot about them.
Years later, just before the retreat with Maria I was cleaning out my prayer room and I came upon the bag of rain damaged books. Inside a shredding plastic bag I found the most amazing gift…..a series of lessons about the esoteric meaning of the Major Arcana of the Tarot. There was no name on these lessons, no title page to indicate where they came from. But they were exactly what I needed to make the connection between the Tibetan Buddhist Practice of Tara and the Wisdom of the Tarot.
I studied them carefully and when I got to the end of the book a small piece of paper fell into my lap. On it were the syllables B.O.T.A. This meant nothing to me so I filed it away.
Shortly after someone gave me a little booklet called “Highlights of Tarot” by the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.). I had found the source of the manual. When the Internet gave us the option to Goggle our hearts desire I was able to track the organization down.
This book is one of my main references for the Tarot material. I am using the Ryder Waite cards. I realize that there are many different decks available now but I was looking for the most traditional.
The next part of the story of the development of these specific Tara Wisdom Cards is told by Zebrine Iris Gray. She worked in collaboration with Prema on the book that accompanies the deck based on the wisdom teachings of Mother Tara.