Becoming a Free Master Builder with Occult Author Lon Milo DuQuette

·55 min·5 clips

Occult author Lon Milo DuQuette reveals how the tarot helps build your spiritual temple like King Solomon's tuning fork.

The episode begins with host Shanna Vavra introducing Lon Milo DuQuette as an author, lecturer, musician, and occultist, noting his roles in Ordo Templi Orientis and expertise in tarot and ceremonial magic. DuQuette discusses his new book, 'The Tarot Architect', which frames tarot as a tool for constructing one's spiritual temple. He explains Kabbalah as the blueprint of existence, with the Tree of Life as a miniature working model. DuQuette uses the allegory of King Solomon's temple, describing it as a tuning fork that vibrates in sympathy with God, a concept central to the book. He recounts the myth of Solomon receiving wisdom from God and control over 'blind forces' or demons, which form the basis of Solomonic magic. DuQuette links these spirits to the 36 small cards of the tarot, assigning 72 spirits (day and night) to them, and connects them to the 72 angels of the Shem Hamphirish. The host shares her personal journey, including designing her own tarot deck and discovering connections like Baphomet and Sophia through synchronicity. DuQuette responds by discussing the symbolic nature of these concepts, referencing figures like Aleister Crowley and Hindu deities Shiva and Shakti. He touches on his Freemasonry background, noting symbols like the double-headed eagle that relate to Baphomet. The conversation shifts to the Knights Templar, with DuQuette speculating that their nine-year excavation in Jerusalem might have revealed no historical evidence for King Solomon's temple, a secret that could have undermined the divine right of kings. He describes the Templars' subsequent power and influence, leading to the rise of Freemasonry as 'free' builders. The episode concludes with DuQuette encouraging listeners to customize their tarot decks and noting the musical notes attached to each card.

As heard by us

A warm, wide-ranging conversation about tarot as a living map for art, allegory, and spiritual practice.

Sense of Soul's conversation with Lon Milo Jaquette treats tarot less as fortune-telling than as a structure for spiritual making. His book The Tarot Architect frames the cards as pieces in the work of becoming the master builder of a spiritual temple, and the discussion follows…

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Why you'd press play

Tarot feels bigger than pictures here, especially when you want a spiritual temple you can color, tune, and think your way through.

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