Written in the form of a conversation with himself, Michael Frensch addresses and answers essential questions about Valentin Tomberg's individuality, work and impact on the 20th century. This helps to clarify many of the misconceptions and misunderstandings about Tomberg. He starts by describing the life experiences arising from his encounter with the life and the work of Valentin Tomberg and how this shaped his destiny. He recounts the circumstances that led him to translate the Meditations of the Tarot from French into German, and the way this affected his life.



Michael Frensch, born in 1948, studied philosophy, art history, romance languages and literature and earned his doctorate in Munich with a thesis on Nicholas of Cusa. Editor of the Swiss cultural journal "Novalis" for many years. Publishing director of the Novalis-Verlag. Numerous book publications on philosophical, art historical and humanistic topics. He lived as a freelance writer and publisher in Neukirchen/Baltic Sea and died in March 2023.



Original foreword and foreword for English readers



I. First Encounter



II. The Translation of the 'Taro'



III. Moral Logic and the Bodhisattva Question



IV. The Effects of the 'Taro'



V. Hermetic Tradition and the Catholic Church



VI. Attempts to put it into practice



VII. From 'Hermetica' to 'Novalis'



VIII. The 'Jesuitism' accusation



IX. The 'Ramstein Circle' and the 'Edition Valentin Tomberg'



X. The Fruits