In 1947, two extraordinary women—Edith L. Randall and Florence Evylinn Campbell—quietly released a work that would become one of the most enduring pillars of modern cardology:
Sacred Symbols of the Ancients.

Printed privately and circulated initially among students and seekers, the book has since earned its reputation as a best-loved, frequently revisited text—one whose words, as many practitioners say, feel alive.

Two Voices, One Vision

Randall and Campbell were lifelong friends and collaborators, widely respected as authorities in astrology, cartomancy, numerology, and tarot. Though their temperaments differed, their vision aligned: to make ancient symbolic knowledge comprehensible without diluting its depth.

Florence Evylinn Campbell captured this philosophy succinctly:

“God always speaks twice. Through stars and numbers, God speaks to us of the truths we need to know.”

That sentence alone reveals the spirit of the book—one foot planted in cosmic order, the other in human experience.

Edith L. Randall: Architect of the System

Born October 31, 1896, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Edith L. Randall was a professional astrologer, a devoted teacher of card symbolism, and a member of the American Federation of Astrologers from 1940 onward. Her birth card—the Four of Hearts—seems fitting for a woman whose life work centered on coherence, emotional intelligence, and structure through symbolism.

Randall’s deepest influence came through her connection to Olney H. Richmond, head of the Chicago-based Order of the Magi. As a long-term student of one of Richmond’s original followers, Randall became a bridge—translating guarded, initiatory teachings into a system that could be studied, practiced, and lived.

Her contribution to Sacred Symbols of the Ancients lies in its architecture: the mapping of the 52 playing cards to the calendar, the integration of cycles, spreads, and astrological correspondences, and the clear instructional voice that guides the reader without condescension or secrecy.

Florence Evylinn Campbell: Interpreter and Illuminator

Campbell, already well known for her work in numerology, brought interpretive richness and symbolic fluency to the collaboration. Her writing adds warmth, philosophy, and spiritual context—ensuring the system never becomes mechanical.

If Randall built the framework, Campbell breathed meaning into it. Together, they ensured that the knowledge was not merely transmitted, but felt.

Old Hollywood, Los Feliz, and the Scholar’s Life

Both women lived and worked in the Old Hollywood era, in and around the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles—a place then known for artists, mystics, writers, and unconventional intellectuals. Their homes were said to house extensive libraries, filled with astrological texts, esoteric manuscripts, numerological studies, and symbolic systems drawn from many cultures.

They were not armchair theorists. Both practiced readings, taught students, and actively engaged in what might properly be called living magic. The book emerged not from abstraction, but from application.

Popularizing, Not Inventing

One of the great strengths of Sacred Symbols of the Ancients is its humility. Randall and Campbell never positioned themselves as inventors of ancient wisdom. Instead, they acted as careful stewards, popularizing and clarifying knowledge that had long existed within restricted circles.

They demonstrated that profundity does not require obscurity—and that sacred systems can evolve without losing their roots.

It is no coincidence that the book continues to circulate quietly among musicians, artists, and seekers. It is even said—curiously and tellingly—to be a favorite of Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac, an artist whose work itself bridges myth, symbol, and personal vision.

Founding Mothers of a Living Art

Cardology, like all true symbolic systems, is not static. As practitioners study, practice, and open themselves to insight, new visions and nuances emerge. Sacred Symbols of the Ancients encourages exactly this—while grounding exploration in respect for lineage.

By knowing the founding mothers and fathers of the system, we do not limit ourselves; we evolve more responsibly. Randall and Campbell remind us that ancient knowledge grows stronger when honored, practiced, and thoughtfully expanded.

Their words endure because they were written not only with intellect, but with devotion. The book remains essential not because it dictates answers—but because it teaches us how to listen.

Sacred Symbols of the Ancients is not merely a book to be read.
It is a companion to study, a mirror for insight, and a testament to two women who transformed inherited wisdom into a form that anyone—truly anyone—could begin to understand.

Read more on: https://cardology.com/sacred-symbols?utm_source=chatgpt.com

There you also find a photograph of Edith L. Randall. I feel and maybe you scenes in her eyes the shining light of wisdom and knowledge.