Tag Archives: major arcana

Tarot Attributes on the Tree of Life, by Rev. Marek Bazgrzacki

by in Kaballah, Lessons, Tarot, The Mysteries and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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The use of the Tarot fitted in nicely with the poem’s themes of the Fisher King and the Grail myths. A.E. Waite, a Grail obsessive, had worked numerous Arthurian figures and symbols into the highly popular 1910 Waite Smith Tarot deck. Along with the grail iconography Waite added aspects of the Christian Cabala and Hebrew Kabbalah, Gnosticism, Rosicrucianism and ancient Egyptian symbology into the deck [11]. This was done as part of a ambitious synthesis of the various occult traditions, a task undertaken by the grandly self-titled Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a group in which A.E. Waite was a key member. The Waite Smith Tarot was the first deck to have the 22 cards of the major arcana and the 4 suits, each of 14 of the minor arcana cards fully illustrated, a companion guidebook The pictorial key to the Tarot was published alongside the deck with full explanations of the cards.

AE-WaiteFrom the mid-nineteenth century onward the 22 cards of the major arcana had become increasingly associated with the concept of pathways and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet within the Kabbalist ‘tree of life’ and ‘by 1890 Kabbalistic teaching was integral to Tarot design’ [12]. As a body of knowledge the Kabbalah has its origins in Hebrew oral tradition, scriptures and Jewish rabbinical writing. Its early history is unclear, but it developed further between the 7th and 18th centuries. Its formative texts include the Zohar and Sefer Yetzirah.  A key point in its development was the writing of Etz Ha-Chaim, “The Tree of Life” by Chaim Vital in the 1590s, based on the teachings of Rabbi Isaac Luria. The concept of the tree of life entered a variety of Western esoteric traditions, being taken up by the Golden Dawn and their Hermetic Qabalah.

Allusions to the components and structures of the tree of life with its alphabetised pathways and the use of kabbalistic allegory has a long tradition in Jewish and European literature.

Consisting of ten interconnected sefira (plural sefirot), the tree of life is arranged vertically into three columns or pillars: the left hand pillar, the pillar of mercy, representing the principles of benevolence; the right hand pillar, the pillar of severity, power and strict justice; while the central pillar, representing harmony and the ideal balance of mercy and justice, uniting and balancing the two sides. Each of the sefirot has an associated vice and virtue and like a snakes and ladders board, the vices and virtues form gateways and trapdoors between the sefirot.

Though each sefira is as important as the rest, the tree is arranged hierarchically into the four overlapping worlds of the Kabbalah, a ladder from the physical to the metaphysical, a ladder that one may both ascend and descend, a ladder made up of the 22 pathways.

hebrew tarotThe ten sefirot of the tree of life may have had their origins as representations of the metaphysical but they can be used as templates for personality traits, states of mind, or the developmental ages of man and are in some ways similar to Jungian archetypes. These templates are subtler than cartoon stereotypes or the motions of type-cast character actors, coming from a deep tradition influencing literary culture as well folk and pop psychology.

Each of the 22 pathways is associated with a letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The names of the letters have literal meanings e.g. the word aleph, the name of the Hebrew character ? also has the literal meaning of ‘ox’. Each of the 22 pathways is also associated with one of the 22 Tarot cards of the Major Arcana. In the tarot tradition these have a recognized set of attributes and symbolic and mythic associations and cards will often have links and relationships to other cards in the deck. Though the cards often represent characters they should not be seen solely in those terms, rather they present situations or dilemmas within a plot, situations that the protagonists must overcome, being integral rather than part of a parallel narrative structure. The cards, like panels from a graphic novel are dealt, interpreted and stitched into a storyboard.

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For a detailed reference on each of the Major and Minor Arcana, access our Resources link here.

Tony Fuller ~ The Elusive Tarot of the Golden Dawn – A Small Part of a Solution

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In his introduction to The Golden Dawn Companion Dr. R.A. Gilbert states, “Much remains to be discovered about the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and many questions concerning the minutiae of its history… remain to be answered.” Nearly thirty years have passed since this observation was made and yet, despite many exciting discoveries during the period, it remains as valid today as it was in 1986 when the Companion was published. Indeed, as Dr. Gilbert also notes in this regard, the Golden Dawn does not and “will not willingly yield up its remaining secrets”.

One such secret, which has stubbornly resisted numerous attempts to provide a satisfactory answer, is the question as to the nature of the particular images of the Tarot used by the original Golden Dawn Order before it collapsed into schismatic fragments. Of the twenty-two cards in the so-called Major Arcana only nine have been positively identified and this is solely because their images and descriptions appear in the Order rituals. But what of the remaining thirteen?

Prima facie, this might seem to be not merely a relatively simple task but also an unnecessary one for surely, it might be said, there are already numerous books on the Golden Dawn Tarot in addition to the published decks produced by the Golden Dawn members A.E. Waite, R.W. Felkin, Paul Foster Case, and Aleister Crowley. And since their day there has been a proliferation of modern decks purporting to be “Golden Dawn’ which are based on an interpretation of their predecessors and on study of the Order material concerning the Tarot. Unfortunately none of the information derived from any of these sources enables us to form a clear, still less authoritative, view of how the thirteen cards were seen by the founders of the Order. Indeed, although the decks of the four Golden Dawn members share common imagery in many respects, they also differ significantly in many others. And the reason for such variation is the surprising fact that, aside from the rituals, no description is provided of the Major Arcana in any of the several Order papers which constitute the ‘official’ curriculum of the Order regarding the Tarot. It must be emphasized that the Tarot deck commonly assumed by many writers on the Golden Dawn to be the Order pack is not – this has never been published and, with the exception of the nine cards which appear in the rituals, the remaining thirteen cards are entirely the personal work of Felkin and his wife, albeit often based on publicly available information.

The formal curriculum up to the Second Order Grade of Zelator Adeptus Minor (ZAM) consists of just one manuscript issued to the Outer Order Grade of ‘Practicus’, and several documents provided to the ZAM, collectively known as “Book ‘T’”. What is remarkable about ‘Book T’ is that whereas fairly detailed descriptions are provided of the imagery involved in the 56 cards of the Minor Arcana none is given for the 22 Major cards. Several references to the Trump cards do occur in these papers but these relate entirely to their various attributions and associated meanings, and give no substantial clue as to what is actually depicted.

Clearly, it is because of this apparent silence of the Golden Dawn founders on the Major Arcana that both modern commentators on the Order and the Tarot, and modern occultists alike, have either concluded that there was no precise conception of how the elusive thirteen cards should look or that the packs created by Dr. R.W. Felkin and A.E. Waite are largely in accordance with such a conception. This is, of course, an entirely reasonable and logical approach, especially when combined with a study of the sources known to be available to the founders of the Order, which included descriptions of the cards within the works of the nineteenth century mage Eliphas Levi and the various European decks then extant.

One might assume, therefore, that this is as far as the subject can be taken and that significant variations between the decks of Waite and Felkin are either the result of personal whim or informed knowledge on which we are unable to judge today. This is decidedly not the case, however, for I have located one original Golden Dawn paper which until now has completely overlooked by every historian and enthusiast of the Order, including Dr. Gilbert and Ellic Howe, author of the seminal The Magicians of the Golden Dawn. This typed manuscript provides a skeletal outline of the imagery of all 22 Major Arcana as well as throwing some light on several other manuscripts and puzzles relating to the Tarot.

Entitled “Tarot Trumps”, it is absolutely certain that the paper was written by a member of the Golden Dawn sometime before 1900 and not by any member or Chief of the Stella Matutina.  It has been suggested by Pat Zalewski, the acclaimed author of many books on the Golden Dawn, and with whom I have shared this paper, that it could be the work of one of the two founders, William W. Westcott:

 

“These are so skeletonic that they seem to follow the pattern of Westcott when he drafted up something and sent it to Mathers [co-founder S. M. L. MacGregor Mathers] to extrapolate. Because all the trumps are considered it had to be someone who was planning a great deal and I think it fits more Westcott than Mathers whom I suspect was the original author of the GD/AO 6=5 [ritual], which he most likely gave to Mathers to do his extrapolation on, but something he never did for one reason or another. This is absolutely fascinating.”

The astute reader will observe several subtle differences between even the nine known Tarot cards, which appear both in the rituals, and the so-called “Cipher Manuscripts” (from which the rituals were supposedly written) and the equivalent brief descriptions which appear here. A full analysis of these differences and similarities, in the context of the historical sources antecedent to the Golden Dawn, must await another occasion. However, one description of particular significance should be mentioned. In the Golden Dawn document Book T the Tarot card number called “Hanged Man” is also referred to as the “Drowned Man”. Within the published GD material no explanation is provided of the intriguing reference to the “Drowned Man” but it is a card which greatly exercised the thought of both A.E. Waite and Dr. R.W. Felkin around the period (1906) when they were drawing up ideas for writing their respective rituals for the Grade of Adeptus Major (6=5) in which the card appears.

Those familiar with the beautiful Major Arcana which the artist John Brahms Trinick produced under Waite’s direction for his F.R.C. Order will recall that the card, known as the ‘Drowned Giant’ depicts a ‘drowned’, and crowned, man lying underwater within a swastika shape. Crucially, Waite states in his 6=5 ritual (published in the Falcon edition of Israel Regardie’s “The Complete Golden Dawn System of Magic”) that “the drowned giant is depicted as reposing on the rocky bed of the ocean with the rainbow at his feet”. It is manifestly obvious

that Waite has taken this description, including the reference to ‘the Ark’, directly from this “Tarot Trumps” paper.

The skeletal description is capable of yielding even more valuable historical information, however, for it states that the card “should be held sideways” and the rough sketch shows the usual style of Hanged Man but placed on its side. Within the Golden Dawn 6=5 ritual, which was completely unknown to Waite, we find the following description of this Tarot card: “’The Hanged Man’, would be more commonly called – ‘The Drowned Giant’, and its position horizontal rather than perpendicular. In this position [an oblong box placed horizontally is shown], the lower side of the Key represents the Bed of the Waters, and the upper side the Keel of the Ark of Noah, flowing above the Drowned Figure”. In this context it should be noted that only one copy of the Golden Dawn 6=5 ritual is known to have survived and was located within a collection of Dr. W.E. Carnegie Dickson who received many original and rare Golden Dawn papers from Mathers’ successor, J.W. Brodie Innes. Thus, the skeletal description, almost certainly written before 1900, also provides invaluable confirmation that the 6=5 ritual was itself the genuine Golden Dawn ritual for this Grade, and not a document produced for Mathers’ Alpha et Omega Order, formed after the collapse of the Golden Dawn.

Serious students of the Golden Dawn Tarot are also urged to compare these brief descriptions with those which appear in the 6=5 paper entitled “The Order of the Ritual of the Heptagram – Part II – Of the Tarot Trumps” which has been published in Pat Zalewski’s “Inner Order Teachings of the Golden Dawn”. The original of this paper, like the 6=5 Ritual, was also part of Dickson’s collection [much of the collection came to me and which I made available to Pat Zalewski and others]. It will be observed that in places several of the skeletal descriptions also support the Heptagram paper which has been curiously neglected by Tarot scholars.

The above is merely a brief overview of this important discovery and a more in-depth study and comparison is required.

Tarot Meditation: The Fool

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The Fool embodies whirling wind blowing between worlds. The Fool is pure existence, without substance or form. This spirit falls into the abyss of mortality. This spirit becomes all that is, seems locked into form. Yet this one being rises freely back to the silence of formlessness. The wandering Fool is like a spinning dust-devil that comes from no visible place, assumes a cloud of matter and then vanishes back into the unknown. All other Tarot cards are images frozen in time of the whirling Fool that is beyond time. When the Fool rules the world, he is the Emperor. When the Fool sits alone in thought, she is the High Priestess. When the Fool is terror and explosion, — that is the Tower. All are bound in the oneness of the Fool. The Fool is bound by no-thing.

In your preferred meditation posture, allow your eyes to close gently. Place your hands in your lap in line with your abdomen. Hold your hands together, with the back of the right hand resting against the palm of the left hand, with your thumb tips gently touching. Have the hint of a smile on your face. Just by sitting in a meditation posture, you have already set an intention. There is dignity and grace in your posture, and you may be aware of your back straightening. You may be aware of your shoulders sloping gently downwards, releasing and letting go any tension in your neck. Your feet, flat on the floor if you are sitting on the floor, or your knees touching the floor, if you’re sitting on a cushion.

Now, take a slow deep breath, bringing the breath all the way down into your belly. And as you slowly breathe out, breathe out until your lungs are empty of air. And, when you have done this, continue to breathe naturally … being aware of the breath: the inflowing breath and the outflowing breath. Breathing freely and easily. Just allowing the breath to come and go as it will.

And remaining with your eyes gently closed, visualize yourself following a path. Look down as you imagine yourself walking along it … what sort of path is it? Feel the texture of what is under your feet on this path. It could be a smooth or a rough path, or the sort of path that you have always loved that is leading you to your special place of beauty, harmony and peace. Continue walking along this path and see before you now your peaceful sanctuary. Enter into this place, for it could be a warm cozy room … it could be some special place in nature that you love, like the beach, the forest, a lake or some other place.   This is the place that you can always come to where you can relax where you can experience peace and calm, a place where you are always safe and protected.

As you wander about in your own special haven, look about you and acquaint yourself with your surroundings. Touch the things that await you here and that you love. Smell the scents and aromas in this special place. And, listen to the sounds that are unique to your wonderous place.

See before you a special seat that you can sink into and feel cozy and relaxed. This can be any kind of seat in which you can sit in comfort and safety. Go now to your special seat and make yourself comfortable there.

Counting backwards into an even deeper state of relaxation … knowing that you are in control at all times … hearing these words and letting them drift by …

TEN … going deeper … NINE, EIGHT … deeper and deeper … SEVEN, SIX … relaxing and deepening … FIVE, FOUR … very very deep … THREE, TWO … relaxing, deepening … relaxing, deepening … and ONE … feeling so relaxed, so very very relaxed in your peaceful sanctuary.

And just being aware of the breath … the inward breath and the outward breath … hearing these words and allowing them to fade away.

Now, visualize yourself just like The Fool in the tarot. The Fool is not a derogatory name in this sense, but a term used to describe someone beginning the journey of deeper understanding (Chokmah) and self-knowledge (Binah) on the path of the flaming sword. Even though we are adults and may have already journeyed far, parts of us still remain naïve, unworldly or undeveloped. Immerse yourself now in the imagery of The Fool, entering into this archtype, whether you are female or male.

Visualize yourself as The Fool beginning a journey. It could be a physical journey or spiritual journey. It could be a journey, as in going to another country, or even changing your residence. It could be a journey into a new career. It could be a personal journey into changing habits so that you can experience greater health and abundance. It could be the journey of a new relationship, or a change in a relationship you already have. It could be a journey of that you may have wanted to do for some time, but something may be holding you back. Reflect now for a few moments on the journey you want to make, or would like to make, and hold that image in your mind.

Now, allow that image to fade. And, being in the archetype of The Fool, imagine this as a time in your life when you may be contemplating taking a risk … stepping off the cliff, so to speak, and plunging into something new. You may be at a crossroads in your life. If this is happening to you, reflect on that now. Stay very focused on what is happening to you right now.

And, letting those images fade again … and like the archetype of The Fool, you may be going on a personal quest. There is an element of impossibly setting off into the unknown. Again, like The Fool, your Inner Child may be innocent and eager, uninformed and uncorrupted, blind to any perils that lie ahead. Or, the inner critical adult may be remonstrating with you for such an absurd notion of wanting change in your life.

Allow yourself to sink into any feelings that may be arising for you now, and be aware of where those feelings are in your body. They could be feelings of fear and anxiety with impending change, or feelings of enthusiasm, excitement and joy as you visualize yourself setting off on this new journey. Whatever the feelings, just allow them to be there … be aware of them, observe them … without judgment.

Be aware of the breath again … the inward breath and the outward breath. Be aware of the breath as it enters and leaves your body … stabilizing your body, centering your body.

And now keep on feeling deeply into The Fool, for he or she is quite unconcerned.

Recall a time in your life when you felt very confident, as though you didn’t have a care in the world … that you carried very little with you, unburdened by worldly possessions. Go there now. If you cannot recall such a time, imagine how it would be like to have great confidence in yourself and not a care in the world.

Bring this memory from the past alive again with sounds you could hear then … what you could touch then … feel, smell, taste then … use all your senses to experience that time. Make it as vivid as you can. Make it as alive as you can. Be fully engaged in that moment in time and hold the good feelings that you had then in your body now.

And deepening more and more into the archetype of The Fool, anchoring those good feelings in your body, imagine that you are about to step off of the cliff, to plunge into the unknown, feeling unperturbed … the eternal optimist … ready to leap into anything because you are spontaneous and carefree … but most of all because you can trust and affirm for yourself your trust in yourself.

You may want to repeat to yourself, “I trust in myself. I trust in life. I trust and I let go.”

And, relaxing more and more into the archetype of The Fool, awakening in you a sense of adventure … when was the last time you stepped out of the status quo and had an adventure? Was it back in your youth, or more recently? What sort of adventure could enliven you now and give you greater vitality and heightened sensitivity?

It doesn’t have to be extreme, like climbing a mountain … it could be something such as starting a hobby or doing something you’ve always wanted to do. An adventure is about taking you in a new direction that is exciting and has an unknown element in it.

Visualize an adventure you would love now and bring it alive using all your senses. Seeing this new adventure … touching, tasting, smelling and hearing so many aspects of this adventure. Bringing it alive and fully participating in it now.

Go now to that place within, using the breath to take you there … the inward breath and the outward breath … the breath that deepens your intuition and insight to guide you through change no matter what your adventure may be.

Now, take in a deep breath … breathing in trust and belief in yourself … knowing that if you are called to make changes in your life, you can do so. And, as you breathe out, breathe out and relaxing … and letting go … letting go … letting go.

And take in another deep breath … breathing in faith in yourself … and as you breathe out, let go of all worries and self-doubts you may have. Breathe freely and easily now … allowing each breath to deepen your intuitive knowing and trust in yourself.

It is time now for you to leave your peaceful sanctuary … and so you exit from your safe place … and now, you are back on the path once more. You know you can come here any time you wish to be alone, to be in a place of inner calm.

And, counting from ONE to FIVE … ONE … becoming aware of yourself sitting on a chair or on a cushion on the floor … TWO … gently wiggling your fingers … THREE … slowly moving your head from side to side … FOUR … being aware of your feet and toes, and wiggling them … and FIVE … very very slowly, opening your eyes. Take a deep and clearing breath and stretch your whole body, if this feels good to you.

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“Spirit of Ether”

0 ~ Aleph ~ Fool

Man like the Greek Mercury – bounding up from the earth – the animal from behind him dragging him down.  Caduceus [of Mercury] over his shoulder – represents spiritual power restrained by material conditions.

(Animal has him by the Heel)