James Baquet Charles Williams was, like J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, one of “The Inklings,” an informal literary discussion group formed at Oxford in the 1930s and 40s. He was not a professor, but an editor at the Oxford University Press. Lewis said his works were as though “this everyday world were at some one point invaded by the marvelous.” He wrote dozens of works of fiction, drama, poetry, theology, and more. One of his marvelous books was “The Greater Trumps,” featuring the tarot deck, a set of cards which dates to the 13th century. It was originally meant for gaming, with no occult associations; the “magical” values weren’t assigned until the 18th century. The deck is in two parts. The lesser or minor trumps, similar to today’s card deck, feature four suits, the Wands, Pentacles, Cups, and Swords, corresponding to the modern Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts, and Spades. But where the modern suits have 13 cards, the Tarot suits have 14: the three “face cards” we know (Jack, Queen, and King) are the Page, Knight, Queen, and King. Even these humble cards have “secret” meanings. For example, Wands, Pentacles, Cups, and Swords represent the elements Fire, Earth, Water, and Air, and so on. The so-called “Greater Trumps” are also simply 22 cards (numbered 0 to 21) still used for games in Europe today. In the English-speaking world, though, they are more often used in superstitious ways. (“Trump,” by the way, denotes a playing card or suit temporarily designated as having a higher value than the others; it is related to the word “triumph.”) The Greater Trumps form such groups as religious figures like the High Priestess; people with worldly power (the Empress and Emperor); traits (Strength, Temperance); astronomical figures (the Moon and Sun); and other cultural symbols (Lovers, the Wheel of Fortune, and the Tower). Also the “0” card in the Greater Trumps, the Fool, can show up anywhere, just as the Joker may be a “wild card” today. Williams uses these cards as allegories for Love and its opposite, Selfishness, as the owner of the (fictional) “original” tarot deck is pursued by people who would use it to gain worldly power. It’s a fun read! Vocabulary: Which word above means: 1. matching 2. five-pointed stars 3. of outer space 4. set of cards 5. belief in powers not based on reason or knowledge 6. victory 7. non-spiritual 8. hidden, relating to magic or other “secret” powers 9. came in uninvited 10. moderation, self-control | 