Since the dawn of human consciousness, we have sought to derive meaning from the perceptible universe. The process known as divination has aided humankind in its survival by intuiting meaning out of the mysterious patterns and synchronicities of life and nature. Many forms of divination exist, but one, in particular, has been arguably the most popular over the last millennia. Cartomancy, or divination by interpreting a random selection of playing cards that display symbols or imagery embedded with meaning, is a relatively new invention from human history. The Tarot, in particular, is a trove of mystery and inspiration, with the earliest decks going back to the fifteenth century. It is generally accepted that Tarot originated in what is now Italy from the card game carte da trionfi, a game similar to modern-day bridge. Later on, around the 1530s, the game became known as tarrochi. The earlier cards, which were said to have depicted gods, demigods, heroes, virtues, vices, and fortunes, were designated with specific values, and the goal of the game was for one player to "trump" their opponent with a higher card. Over time these figures were replaced with Catholic imagery but managed to retain the secret wisdom of their forebears. Our oldest decks do not have names attributed to them, and the number of cards and their arrangements differ. When Victorian-era occultists eventually attempted to organize the cards to create a system of divination with them, they realized there was a need to come to some consensus about the cards' names, numbers, and inherent meanings. This birthed one of the biggest debates among modern magick circles. The ordering of the trumps has been the source of much contention, leading to lodge schisms and even physical confrontations, but why is this important? What is it about these cards that seem to generate so much gravity and controversy?
The ethos of Western civilization has Greco-Roman philosophy as its cornerstone and Plato, likely the most influential philosopher in history, as its voice. He spoke of a “realm of forms” that preceded the perceivable universe. This realm, he believed, is the basis or foundation upon which the universe was made manifest. This was Plato’s way of explaining why a triangle is a triangle and a square is a square no matter where you are in this universe. This invisible world essentially houses all archetypal forms and expresses absolute truth. This outlook places excellent meaning and significance on signs and symbols. Manly P Hall viewed the tarot as a book of these forms, acting as a kind of Western mandala or a pictorial representation of lofty concepts, such as the creation, organization, function, and what will inevitably be the finale of the universe, as well as a guide of the human experience in its relation to the development of the soul. When one contemplates these concepts with the aid of the cards, one starts to notice a mythology and cosmology unfolding before them. Thus, to the seeker or querent, the meaning and placement of the cards directly correlate to and shape their worldview. This is why the arrangement and numerology of the Trumps seem so important. Also, we should consider how revolutionary it was to have this level of knowledge and wisdom all within the palm of your hand in an age when books were rare and most people were illiterate. It's easy to imagine what kind of impact this imagery could have on one’s psyche, in the same way, media impacts our consciousness and subconsciousness today.
As the study of Tarot expanded, one organization known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn sought to correct what was perceived as a grave error in the tarot system. Traditional decks such as the Tarot de Marseilles and the deck of Caitlyn Geoffry (c. 1557), as well as the Knapp-Hall Tarot, attribute the 8th Trump to Justice (aka Adjustment), which is also attributed to the astrological sign of Libra, and the 11th to Strength (aka Fortitude), which traditionally corresponds with the constellation Leo. This disrupts the natural order of the zodiacal wheel, which should be Leo - Virgo - Libra. This also mixed up the Hebrew letter correspondences to which they were assigned. So, how did they fix this seemingly glaring error? Simply swapping the order, making Strength - Trump 8 and Justice - Trump 11. This is a minor and straightforward correction. Still, many who studied the story of the Fool’s Journey felt that the traditional card structure, created by their Rosicrucian forebears, must have been structured that way for a reason and should not be changed. One of these members was the infamous Aleister Crowley.
While creating his tarot deck, the Thoth Tarot, Crowley reestablished the traditional position but sensed that something still needed to be corrected. On April 8th, in a little hotel room in Cairo, Egypt, Crowley, while in fervent meditation, received a revelation that would create balance to the original order and revealed the secret knowledge that validated the traditional assembly. As he scribed what would be known as the Book of the Law, he wrote down what he believed was being channeled to him from his Holy Guardian Angel, an entity named Aiwass. One of its alleged instructions was, “All these old letters of my Book are aright, but Tzaddi is not the Star.” This initially confused Crowley until he realized after careful study and deliberation that when one observes the order of the traditional tarot and creates a Zodiacal diagram from it, there appears to be a twist on one end of the wheel. As an amateur occultist would tell you, the universe is constantly adjusting, attempting to reach a state of homeostasis, and therefore, it does not tolerate imbalance for long. That is the reasoning the Golden Dawn had for making adjustments to the Tarot in the first place. However, Crowley found that if one was to create the same twist at the other end of the zodiacal wheel, it not only put things into balance but also corrected what the Master Therion and other occultists felt was a confusing contradiction in Hebrew letter correspondence.
Initially, the fourth Hebrew letter Heh was assigned to Trump 4 - the Emperor, but this could have sat better with many students of the Golden Dawn. The Hebrew alphabet has masculine, feminine, androgynous letters; Heh is considered feminine and the most feminine. In fact, in the tetragrammaton or four-lettered name of god, Yod Heh Vav Heh, the Heh is the female component of the name. Heh translates to “window,” “portal,” or a way “to behold” something, and is both the mother letter of the element water and the daughter element of Earth. This translation alludes to the celestial womb or portal of the Divine Mother from which all things are conceived and birthed into existence via her daughter, Mother Nature. The Emperor being the zodiacal trump of Aries, named after the Greek god of martial matters, also representing cardinal fire and the All-Father, couldn’t possibly be linked to Heh. Through Crowley’s correction ‘His Excellency” is attributed to Tzaddi, which means “fish hook.” The fish hook is an excellent metaphor for masculine energy as it is a sharp, projective device that ensnares the fish and pulls it out of the water, severing the cord of life; much like our fathers sever our umbilical cord, our connection to our mother, at birth. This ritual act has incredible spiritual significance and fits well with the traditional meaning of the Emperor, which represents government, rulership, or dominion over something. Attributing Heh to the Star and Tzaddi to the Emperor creates a second twist that balances both poles of the zodiac and fixes this correspondence error.
When we study Arcanum 17, we see that the pose of the goddess on the card suggests an allusion to the position which grounds the initiate when they obligate themselves at the altar during most initiation ceremonies; kneeling on one knee, their leg forming the angle of a square with their body erect. The form represents the healing power of hope and the grace that comes from taking this sacred oath of silence and pursuing higher virtues over the Maya or illusion of the material world. This is further demonstrated by the body's formation of the swastika, which symbolizes spiritual resurrection. Heh, as mentioned before, represents the divine feminine, and the Star oozes this energy. As the zodiacal trump of Aquarius, it is the mystical healer who bestows hope with the waters of life that satiate the land and our soul. Also, when we consider the shape created by this double twist, we see a dynamic formation, one that can be found in many temples and shrines, a triple circle or infinity sign that intimates a cyclical ebb and flow.
Although these seem like excellent reasons why this change has merit and rationale, there are still plenty of occultists, many of which are adepts, who prefer the Golden Dawn system of Tarot. For example, decks like the Rider/Waite/Smith are used effectively. So who is correct here? The further we contemplate these cards, the closer we get to the archetypes our universe is built upon. Although there continues to be debate over these correspondences and their accuracy, we as seekers must remember that the work is never complete, and study will always be necessary. Otherwise, it wouldn't be called "the Mysteries." One can explain why Crowley and our Rosicrucian predecessors were incorrect and why the Golden Dawn was “right” to fix the Tarot. Still, at the end of the day, we are all searching for guidance and understanding, and the power of the practitioner's mind is the true tool here. Perhaps a day will come when we can all dwell together in peace, knowing that the Tarot, and ultimately the universe, is perfect just as it is, as it unfolds in all of its manifestations as we hustle and bustle about in our daily lives, the Fools of our own journey.
Images: Understanding the Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo Duquette
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