Knapp Hall Tarot

About the Knapp-Hall Tarot

According to Kaplan's Encyclopedia of Tarot this deck was originally named the Knapp Tarot when first published in 1929 by J. Augustus Knapp. The deck was later published as the Knapp-Hall Tarot when it was reissued by Manly P. Hall's Philosophical Research Society in 1934. The deck was again reissued by the Philosophical Research Society in 1979 and later, by U.S. Games in 1985.

Eastern Influence

The thing that sets this tarot deck apart from others is the fact that it's based on the Buddhist Mandala Method. For anyone not familiar with mandalas, they are fascinating works of art filled with geometric patterns encompassed in a circle. Each mandala is a prayer wheel that basically symbolizes the universe, but it also represents the heart and spiritual enlightenment of Buddha, the great teacher of eastern philosophy.

Mandalas are chiefly used during meditation, in order to unlock and open the deeper recesses of the mind. This makes them an ideal tool to help seekers contemplate and interpret the meanings of each tarot reading.

Like other tarots, the Knapp-Hall deck contains the traditional characters on the Major Arcana, although their titles are in French. The four suits and the characters of the Minor Arcana are also relatively similar to those of other decks.

Mysterious Symbolism

However, as many other occultists and tarot enthusiasts have discovered over the years when first encountering this deck, there are additional symbols on both the Major and Minor Arcana cards that are not found on other decks. Neither J.Augustus Knapp nor Manly P. Hall offered an explanation or interpretation for these symbols.

When Hall was asked about this lack of explanation, his reply was almost as mysterious as the meaning of the symbols themselves. He basically stated that each person must open his or her inner consciousness in order to personally interpret the meanings. To give a rigid explanation of each symbol would thwart that purpose. However, he also revealed that none these extra symbols had one unchangeable meaning, so in essence there is no wrong way to interpret them. Their design is meant to provoke a personal response from each individual that has meaning within the context of his or her own life.

As you might imagine, few people understood the meaning behind all of this unfamiliar symbolism at the time the original cards were published, but that only added to the Knapp-Hall deck's mystique.

Interesting Facts About Knapp and Hall

You might find it interesting to learn a little more about the founders of this unique tarot and see how their life experiences shaped the deck's distinct character.

J. Augustus Knapp

John Augustus Knapp was an incredibly talented illustrator. After his first wife died, Knapp married his second wife when he was well past the age of 60. This new wife was an occultist and practiced what was referred to in the early 1900's as "Aeclectic Medicine", but is now more commonly referred to as alternative medicine. Perhaps this is where Knapp was first exposed to the eastern philosophies that would later influence his tarot deck design.

Knapp continued publishing his illustrations in various books, but it wasn't until 1918 when he moved to Los Angeles where he met and began working with Manly P. Hall. Upon their meeting, Knapp was hired by Hall to illustrate the artwork in his philosophical books Initiates of the Flame (1922) and The Secret Teachings of All Ages (1928). It was after the publishing of these books that Hall and Knapp were said to collaborate on their now famous tarot cards.

Manly P. Hall

Born in 1901 in Ontario, Canada, Manly P. Hall moved with his grandmother to the United States where he began publicly speaking about ancient religions, traditions, philosophy and the sciences at the age of 19. Over the course of 60 years, Hall authored a large volume of over 200 books.

His major works include:

• Self Enfoldment by Disciplines of Realization
• The Lost Keys of Freemasonry
• The Ways of the Lonely Ones
• The Secret Teachings of All Ages

Hall's other accomplishments:

• He was the founding member of the Philosophical Research Society in 1934.
• He was designated a 33rd Degree Mason in 1973. This is considered the highest rank of Masonry.
• Carl Jung is said to have based his book Psychology and Alchemy on Hall's works.

In Closing

Just as there are no so called "hard and fast" rules in philosophy and life, there are also no such rules for the interpretation of the Knapp-Hall Tarot cards, making these cards one of the more interesting sets available.