A Sociology of the Western Tarot | Dr. Mike Sosteric

I have just recently submitted an article entitled A Sociology of the Western Tarot for publication in a Sociology journal. The article takes an extended look at the origin and ideology of the Western Tarot, “pre-Halo/Sharp.” It is a scholarly take on discussions I’ve provided in The Book of the Triumph of Spirit and The Book of the Triumph of Spirit Master Key (both available as part of the LP Intermediate Study Package  B). It covers the origin of the Italian tarot, its co-optation by priests, nobility, and Freemasons in the late 18th century, and its subsequent rise to prominence as a tool of esoteric and mass indoctrination. The article is significant not only for its attempt to carve out a sociology of tarot and a sociology of the occult, but in the clear demarcation it suggests between the “masonic” tarot and the “halo/sharp” tarot which is, as students of the LP will know, a self conscious attempt to break the masonic/elite influence on the planetary archetypes.

You can preview the working draft by clicking this link.

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A companion article to this one entitled The Ideology of the Western Tarot is planned sometime later 2013

I’m a sociologist at Athabasca University where I coordinate,amongst other things, the introductory sociology courses (Sociology I and Sociology II). FYI I did my dissertation in the political economy of scholarly communication (you can read it if you want). It’s not that bad. My current interests lie in the area of scholarly communication and pedagogy, the sociology of spirituality and religion, consciousness research, entheogens, inequality and stratification, and the revolutionary potential of authentic spirituality. The Socjourn is my pet project. It started as the Electronic Journal of Sociology but after watching our social elites systematically dismantle the potential of eJournals to alter the politics and economies of scholarly communication, I decided I’d try something a little different. That something is The Socjourn, a initiative that bends the rules of scholarly communication and pedagogy by disregarding academic ego and smashing down the walls that divide our little Ivory Tower world from the rest of humanity. If you are a sociologist or a sociology student and you have a burning desire to engage in a little institutional demolition by perhaps writing for the Socjourn, contact me. If you are a graduate student and you have some ideas that you think I might find interesting, contact me. I supervise graduate students through Athabasca Universities MAIS program.

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