The Revolutionary Women of 13th-Century Europe Before we dive into the fascinating world of the Beguines, here’s some background on this term and how it connects with John Starr Cooke. First, let’s start – or begin – with a Cole Porter song at the center of our story. No one knows what ‘Begin the Beguine’…
Archives
The Path of the Tarot…
..dictated through Rosalind Sharpe Rosalind Sharpe (1918–1991) was an artist, writer, astrologer and clairvoyant who participated in the 1960s sessions with John Starr Cooke that brought through the New Tarot for the Aquarian Age. Rosalind is an extremely important figure in the history of the New Tarot, and she played a highly significant role in…
An Outline of the WORD of ONE Tarot by Ralph Metzner
An Outline of the WORD of ONE Tarot by Ralph Metzner In the late 1960s, Ralph Metzner (1936–2019) was involved with John Starr Cooke’s group. As part of his early efforts to formulate an understanding of consciousness – an attempt to map its territory – a young Ralph delved headlong into a study of Tarot.…
The New Tarot – A Consciousness Map
By Ralph Metzner, Ph.D. When I first encountered the images of the “Reverse Tarot” here described and presented I was immediately struck by their evocative force. Unlike the images of the old Tarot deck, which (to me) had appeared lifeless, these had a kind of direct electric-emotional “charge,” and some of them were strongly reminiscent…
The Progressed Tarot — Teaching of ONE
The Progressed Tarot — Teaching of ONE Behind the mask of the progressed Tarot lies a teaching – the teaching of ONE. This teaching is precise and simple, and has a character consistently its own. It is unmistakably original and bears the imprint of authenticity. “’Tis a statement – not a restatement.”– John Starr Cooke,…
The Story of T-Ruth
Under John Cooke’s guidance, the San Francisco Oracle was established by Michael Bowen in 1966 in order to promote counter-cultural messages and teachings about love and peace. ‘The Story of T-Ruth’ was published as a one-page article in issue 9 of the Oracle, right at the high point of the Summer of Love. According to R.W. Bruch, this…
How Can We Know Anything About a Person or the Events of History?
In the age of the internet and information-on-demand, we can click on a link to a webpage or Wikipedia entry to read and learn about all manner of subjects in our vast world – including the biographies of famous people and lesser knowns who contributed to our world. John Starr Cooke’s Wikipedia entry is available…
1962–2022
We warmly welcome and embrace the Year of the Water Tiger (February 1, 2022 – January 21, 2023) – which marks a ‘diamond anniversary’ of great significance for Royal Maze and the Word of ONE Tarot. 60 years ago – in the year 1962 – John Starr Cooke & his close associates began a communion…
John Starr Cooke (the song)
Since 2001, the Dutch singer/songwriter and peace activist Harry Loco has traveled around the world to perform his music with the message of peace and love. He found ONE. Harry’s website: http://www.harryloco.com You can listen to Harry’s song about John Starr Cooke using the links here: https://lnk.to/johnstarrcooke And here for Spotify:
Knower
JUDGMENT BECOMES THE KNOWER Once reversal has taken place, there is no judgment anywhere. There is nothing left to judge. All is known as it is, the ever-changing motion of One, springing from One, designed by One. The Book of the Knower is the final statement of the new progressed Tarot. It says: “I am…
Reverser
TEMPERANCE BECOMES THE REVERSER The androgynous figure of the Reverser, formerly Temperance, is at once the simplest and most meaningful Book in the entire Book of T projected by the Nameless One. Early versions of Temperance sometimes showed the angelic being proceeding from the sun, wearing a golden robe to indicate that it was not…
Speaker
THE HIGH PRIEST BECOMES THE SPEAKER The Speaker speaks. From his mouth lightning bolts and birds shoot forth. The earth trembles. Volcanoes erupt. The land shakes. There are water- spouts. Flowers spring up before his feet. Terrible are his eyes. Mighty are his words. The entire universe hangs upon them. He stands unclothed, his feet…
Donor
JUSTICE BECOMES THE DONOR In the Book of the Donor, the ancient symbol of Justice, her predecessor, has become the symbol of Truth and is akin to the Egyptian Ma’at. The sharp sword which has cleft illusion with one mighty stroke swings between her breast, touching but not penetrating the apple at her feet. The…
Reacter
THE MOON BECOMES THE REACTER The Seeker sensed his way up a serpentine path to reach the goal – the fire. Consuming his fill of the heart’s flame in the cup of the Deliverer, the ancient man became young once more. But now, in order to be born anew, he had to face what he…
Renewer
DEATH BECOMES THE RENEWER The Renewer reveals. The Renewer was formerly the Death card. The old figure of Death was a skeleton, mowing a field with a scythe in which human hands sprouted up as the mower mowed down human heads – some crowned, some uncrowned. The cycle of death and re-birth was symbolized by…
Changer
THE JUGGLER MAGICIAN BECOMES THE CHANGER The Changer’s significance “cannot be said”. Nobody can ever pin point the Changer in words. No one can name that which he personifies – for he is always changing and the meaning of what he expresses is of the moment alone, now. His acts are mercurial and, as the…
Deliverer
STRENGTH BECOMES THE DELIVERER The Deliverer is at hand. Who or what is the Deliverer? “The Deliverer is not the woman nor is he”, it was written, referring to the woman extending her hands into the vat of fire and the young man drinking the cup of fire. “The flame is”. Fire is the Deliverer.…
Royal Maze
THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE BECOMES THE ROYAL MAZE This is one of the most complicated Books in the Book of T and is central to its design. The meaning of the Royal Maze is Destiny. The seven spheres of consciousness are upheld by the two lions: The Actor and Feeler, Mind and Feeling, but as…
Feeler
THE EMPRESS BECOMES THE FEELER Crowned with the symbol for Venus, her breasts entwined by her golden hair, the Feeler moves outward toward the reader of this Book, her arms extended in embrace. She stands for the Prime Mover, the feelings that ignite the will into action. She represents the bridge between man and the…
Actor
THE EMPEROR BECOMES THE ACTOR The mind is the Actor significance. The Actor is not one playing a role, but rather one who performs acts. The Actor does not enact; as representative of the mind, he performs acts. The mind performs acts to bring about change. The mind is the artful hypnotist that makes seemings…
Seeker
THE HERMIT BECOMES THE SEEKER The Seeker is that in everyman which causes him to seek – and sense – the light. Blazing upon the mountain-top, the Shiva fire of the One light shines like a mighty jewel. This is the crown chakra of the Citadel. The mountain is the Tree – the former tower…
Citadel
THE LIGHTNING STRUCK-TOWER BECOMES THE CITADEL The Citadel presents the most startling change in symbols in the entire new series and in itself indicates that a transformation has occurred in man’s consciousness. For the predecessor of the Citadel was the Lightning Struck Tower which meant destruction, and may have referred to the Fall of Man,…
Thinker
SATAN BECOMES THE THINKER The Thinker thinks “about” things. The Thinker thinks he thinks. This is his error. Error is the significance of the Book of the Thinker. Bright Lucifer fell, and mind, at its highest, was submerged in the speech world, the world of naming. Lucifer erred by believing he was separated from the…
Doer
THE SUN BECOMES THE DOER The Doer means Right Activity. Man thrives on secrets. His unconscious is built on hiding. Seldom does he dare expose himself as an open book for fear of what another might see. Rarely does he open the door to himself and permit others to read what they will. Man is…
Way-Shower
THE STAR BECOMES THE WAY-SHOWER In the past Tarot decks, the Star shone remotely in the heavens to lead men onwards. Its meaning was hope. A Pandora-like maiden centered the trump, the star in the sky above her head. She knelt pouring water from a vessel onto the earth or into a river – indicating…
Victorious One
THE CHARIOT BECOMES THE VICTORIOUS ONE Triumphant in the battle of Self, the Victorious One walks forward, bearing aloft in his purple-gauntleted right hand an exotic flower – a flower such as a Buddha might carry – and leading by his left a brace of lions, the two lions that formerly pulled his chariot. On…
Unity
THE LOVER BECOMES UNITY Through the Book of Unity, the Hanging Man is freed of his predicament. Male and female natures no longer function as the divergent actions of attraction and repulsion – and they no longer need redemption. They are no longer bound. Instead, holding each other’s symbol, they move in the same direction…
Virgin
THE WORLD BECOMES THE VIRGIN The Virgin, formerly the World, is Beingness, and she is the X, the mandala and the point or center of the mandala – the “point” of the Tarot. The Old World card was thought of as containing the entire meaning of the Tarot. No one card contains the total meaning,…
Mother
THE HIGH PRIESTESS BECOMES THE MOTHER From very early times in all parts of the world, the innermost sanctuary harboured the Mother – the Great Cow whose milk nourished mankind. In temples the humble stable’s door became represented by two pillars over which was placed horns or two serpents fashioned to form a crescent Moon.…
Hanging Man
THE HANGED MAN BECOMES THE HANGING MAN There are various possible ways of reading the Books of the Tarot. They can be read separately or in sequence, as steps upon a path. The order, however, may be different for everyman. Each Book is a complete Book and expresses an entire facet in nucleus containing a…
Nameless One
THE FOOL BECOMES THE NAMELESS ONE The Nameless One is the Tarot, for he is the container-resolver, and is the author of the scrolls he carries, which is the Tarot or the Book of T. Furthermore, he bears the signature T, which stands for Thoth-Tehuti and for the Tarot; also the T is the cross…
Book of T – 22 Major Arcana
STUDY GUIDE Here you can read and meditate on each Book as painted and described by John Starr Cooke (with Rosalind Sharpe). Please take note of the following: 1) The two ways to approach the New Tarot: intuition-feeling–poetic & thinking-intellectual–noetic. Each ONE of us makes use of these different ways of knowing – some more, some less – so set an…
Tarot for the Aquarian Age
If you were around in the 1970s you might remember a peculiar set of tarot cards called THE NEW TAROT, also affectionately known as the “Hippie Tarot.” As fate would have it, this strange tarot was mostly ignored and fell into obscurity. For us at Royal Maze, the NEW TAROT – also known as the…
John Cooke’s last letter to Michael Bowen
The following letter was written by John Starr Cooke a week before he died in 1976 in Tepoztlan, Mexico. It was sent to Michael Bowen in San Francisco as he prepared to leave for Europe for the second time. When the letter arrived and Michael opened it, John’s picture (kept on the wall under glass…
Counterculture
“John [Starr Cooke] told me that the Hippie/Love movement started in his living room in 1962. I didn’t understand what he meant by that for many years.”– Jordan Rivers Do you remember this iconic image from the 60s? The ‘Flower Power’ photograph by Bernie Boston, taken during the ‘March on The Pentagon’, October 21, 1967.…
John Starr Cooke – Life, Mission, Legacy
John Starr Cooke was a highly respected mystic, teacher, human events choreographer, and facilitator of ONE Consciousness and the TAROT for the new world rising. Born in March 1920 and passing from this world in 1976, John served in a spiritual mission – a higher calling – sparking an awareness of that which is manifesting…
Transcript: Prophecy of the Royal Maze
The following is an illustrated transcript of John Starr Cooke’s film Prophecy of the Royal Maze. This film is highly significant because John gives a New Tarot reading for the emerging Aquarian Age. John is introduced by his sister Alice. Alice Cooke Kent: You are about to watch a film made by John Starr Cooke…
Video: Prophecy of the Royal Maze
You are about to watch a film made by John Starr Cooke in 1976. This film represents his legacy to the people on earth, for he knew he was soon to die. Since he himself would journey no further in this world, he wanted to leave with us some intuitive pointers of the way ahead.…
Destiny is the meaning of the Royal Maze…
Destiny is the meaning of the Royal Maze… destiny has brought you here and destiny is always NOW. The term ‘New Age’ has been passed around so much since the Sixties that it has become something of a catch-all for anything outside the mainstream, with its meaning blurred and distorted, much like the surface of an…
Biography in Progress
Work is currently being done on a projected biography of John Starr Cooke. Input is welcome from people who can provide support, and useful information and insights on John Starr Cooke. To make contact, use this form. Chamba Cooke, son of John Starr Cooke, has written an outline of the book project: I’m Chamba Cooke,…
BeGin
What is the significance of the word “Begin”? Why is it written “BE G IN,” with the G bigger than the other letters? And what is that thing on John Starr Cooke’s forehead? To explore all of this we must, of course, begin at the beginning. John Cooke’s mother died in 1933 when he was…