It would not be an exaggeration to say I have led a life that may be likened to the Fool's Journey of the Tarot. In 1970, at the age of seventeen, I set off from the United States with a one way ticket, a guitar and a deck of tarot cards in my bags. Trusting in my own artistic abilities I eventually exhibited as an artist, performed as musician, and produced fine fabrics as a textile designer. Along the way I have encountered many teachers (famous and obscure) and witnessed many events that supercede any rational explanation. The Tarot de Paris was conceived in one such serendipitous event during my first trip to France 1981.

However, it's completion and publication, in 2002, required twenty-one years, more than 3500 photos, and thousands of hours to write and illustrate. The resulting work far exceeded my initial concepts while simultaneously expanding my vision of tarot in life.

My highest intentions were to draw fresh parallels between the mystical art/architecture of Paris and it's intimate influence on tarot in history while allowing the city to expose it's subtle mysteries.As the Tarot de Paris begins it's own journey around this planet in the bags of other travelers it is my sincere wish that each card will shine a light on the path.

J.Philip Thomas
Maui, Hawaii 2009