The Jewish mystical tradition called the Kabbalah has created a model of the process of creation and the relation of Spirit (or God) to Earth (or worldly manifestation). The world emanates from the Spirit through seven levels, an idea explained by the neo-platonic philosopher Plotinus and elaborated in the Kabballah and other mystical traditions such as the chakras. These levels exist in the universal Mind of God or cosmic mind, and are reflected, so the tradition says, within each one of us, as well as in the seasons, the solar system, the seven planes, etc., according to the law "as above, so below."
In the Kabbalah (or Kabballah, Kabalah, Cabala, Qabala, etc.) the model of this process of creation is called the Tree of Life, named after the tree in the Garden of Eden in Genesis, the story of Creation. Click HERE to see a small picture of the Tree as conceived and illustrated by Paul Foster Case and his BOTA organization. There are three major divisions and seven levels on the Tree of Life, and ten circles called Sephiroth or Sephirot (Sephira, singular). These are phases in the process of Creation from God or ultimate spirit down to the manifest world, and are numbered one through ten. The highest circle is called the Crown of Creation, for which the original word is Kether. This represents God as pure being, the thought of His own existence, the oneness of universal Mind, etc. It is Sephira number One. On the next level down there are two Sephiroth, number Two or Hokmah (or Chokmah), and number Three or Binah; which represent the Father and Mother aspects of God respectively. Hokmah represents Wisdom, and Binah the Understanding of the Heart. Together these three represent the Mind of God, the highest major division of the Tree.
The next level down (the third) on the Tree of Life also contains two circles: Sephira Four, called Mercy, the outpouring of creation into the world (Hesod), and Sephira Five, called Strength, Severity, Justice, Power, or Will (Gevurah is translated in all these ways), which divides the world from Heaven. On the fourth level down is number Six, Tipareth or Beauty and balance. Like Kether, it is placed in the center while the other circles connected to it (Mercy and Severity) are placed on the right and left sides of the Tree. Tipareth unites the two circles above it, and these three together represent the middle division of the Tree.
On the fifth level are two more Sephiroth, number 7 called Victory (Netzah), and number 8 representing the Glory or Splendour of creation (Hod). On the sixth level in the center is Yesod, called Foundation, representing the generative sexual power and life force of nature, and on the lowest or seventh level is Malkuth, or the Kingdom of the world. These four circles comprise the third and lowest level of the Tree of Life.
The Tarot has not always been connected to the Tree of Life. But starting in 1781 (a very significant date astrologically, since it was the year Uranus was discovered), occultists seized upon similarities in the number patterns between the Tarot as it had come down to them, and the tradition of the Kabbalah’s Tree of Life as they had received it; as well as similarities to astrology and alchemy. These occult subjects are also called Hermeticism, after the legendary god who is credited with creating them back in ancient Egypt (originally he was called Thoth; Hermes is the Greek name).
The Tarot is a deck of cards consisting of playing cards in four suits, with a fifth suit added called the trumps. It was originally created in the Italian Renaissance in about 1420 CE to play a game which is the forerunner of Bridge. Bridge also began to be played soon afterward with regular playing cards, with one suit designated as the trump suit, instead of using the extra fifth suit. So although the Tarot was originally called the Cards of Triumphs (trumps), the name had to be changed in the 1500s because Bridge was also played with regular playing cards. Thus the name Tarocchi, or Tarot; although noone knows for sure where the name came from (one theory has it that the name means "discard," since one move used in the game is to discard a card). The word trump, though, means "triumph," which was originally a kind of parade held in many cities in Italy. In a triumph parade, one figure or character would triumph over (or trump) the previous one, and this device was often used by Renaissance artists to tell a moral or spiritual allegory. The allegory presented in the Tarot’s colorful parade of numbered trump cards represents, many believe, a spiritual "hero’s journey" similar to the universal tale described by Joseph Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces, told with 22 characters. Although originally the number of trumps in the Tarot’s fifth suit varied, by the 17th Century in France the number had been fixed at 22, which was the number most often found in previous decks. Today the trump parade has 21 numbered cards, with an extra wild card called The Fool (number zero), representing the character who takes the journey.
Ordinary playing cards originated in China, where paper was invented, and migrated through Western Asia and the Middle East where the Mamluks further developed the deck. In China there were nine cards to each suit, but by the time they reached the Middle East there were ten. In this form, playing cards reached late Medieval Europe, before Tarot was invented, with four suits of ten cards each plus royal face cards. These suits were called staffs, coins, cups and swords. These suits have been preserved in the Tarot, as well as in playing cards in southern Europe, while in France the suit names were later changed to clubs, diamonds, hearts and spades respectively. It is an interesting coincidence that there are also ten Sephiroth on the Tree of Life, just as in the numbered cards in playing cards and the Tarot.
By the 16th Century at least, without any connection to the Tarot, the Tree of Life had also come to be pictured with 22 paths running between its pattern of circles or Sephiroth; same as the number of Tarot trumps. The original basis for this Tree of Life pattern came from the first book of Kabbalah, the Sefir Yetsirah (circa First Century C.E.), which laid out the original correlations of the 10 Sephiroth (without describing what they mean) and the 22 Hebrew letters (already called pathways) to the 3 elements, 7 planets and 12 signs. Another coincidence is that there are also 21 possible number combinations on two dice, just as there are 21 numbered trumps; and like dice, playing cards and the Tarot have been used for both games of chance and for divination and fortune telling.
So because there are 22 Tarot trumps and 22 sacred Hebrew letters, the occultists began to link each Tarot trump with a Hebrew letter, which has its own simple pictorial symbol, and this also meant a link of each card to an astrological sign, planet, or three of the four elements. Later these three "elemental" cards (The Fool, Hanged Man, and Judgement) were also linked to the three known invisible planets (Uranus, Neptune and Pluto respectively), so that each card is related to one sign or planet; 22 in all.
There is another interesting fact I have found that is related to this scheme. All the letters in the Hebrew alphabet are considered to be consonants; the vowels are added by the speaker. I also noticed that in other languages, when you take out combination vowel sounds (like long I or U), there are 10 vowel sounds. So you could say that on the Tree of Life there are 10 vowels tones, representing the Sephiroth, and 22 consonants, representing the Paths.
With this background given, I can now relate the Tarot Journey as I see it now. The first four suits, with cards numbered one through ten, plus the four royal face cards in each suit, represent the ten Sephiroth. The Sephiroth represent the sequence in which God created the World, in the mystical interpretation of Genesis. Sephira Ten, the Kingdom of the World, is itself often pictured as divided into four parts, representing the four elements of the world. The four elements are also reflected within each Sephira. In fact, Kabballists speak of the Four Worlds, which are not only a division of the 10 Sephiroth into four parts, but which are also found within each of the Sephiroth (that is, each phase in the creative process). What’s more, vowels are said to represent the Spirit that creates the world. So it is the four original suits of 10 cards each, plus royal court cards, which represent the story of God creating the world from Heaven down to Earth.
These 56 regular cards were all given symbolic pictures for the first time by the artist Pamela Smith, who drew the "Rider Pack" deck designed and supervised by occultist and author Edward Waite. Before this, these cards usually only showed the number and suit symbol. This deck created in 1909 influenced most future Tarot decks. On these cards, we can see some similarities across the suits between cards of the same number. Aces show the descent of God energy from Kether, and do not show full human figures. The deuces show strength and confidence like the Sephira Hokmah, although the pentacles card (Waite’s name for coins) shows indecision. Fours stand for energy coming into form, like the flowing energy of Hesod. Fives often show conflict or division, like Gevurah which divides creation. Sixes, like Tipareth, show harmony and generosity. From number seven on, the burdens and weight borne by the figures in the cards increase, as if being weighed down by the world. On the "yin" suits (cups and pentacles/coins) there is also wealth and success shown, but these achievements also have their burdens! The court cards represent success in the world, or full development of ego and personality. By the time we get to these royal cards, God’s energy is now fully manifest as people in the world who are successful and in charge. In fact, though the Sephiroth represent God's process of creation, they also represent stages in human development.
When a card reading is given, clients are often asked to pick out a court card to represent themselves, according to the type of card. In the Tarot there are 16 of these court or face cards (in contrast to the regular deck which has 12, plus 2 jokers). The fact that there are 16 Jungian types elucidated by the well-known Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and the fact that Jung himself was an occultist who knew of the four elements known to alchemy and astrology, makes me think that each court card can represent an MBTI Type.
As I see it, Introvert types (Type I) are those who by turning inward become investigators and masters of creation. These are rarer than Extravert types too, and kings and queens are detached and remote from the people they rule. So the Kings and Queens are the Introverts, while the Knights and Pages are Extraverts (Type E), who are more active in the world and depend on others for their energy. The Judging Types (Type J) focus their energy and make decisions, and are considered active, rational or assertive, while the Perceiving Types (Type P) are open, unscheduled, easy-going, and considered passive, non-rational and receptive. Since these types have the same nature as masculine (J) and feminine (P), therefore the Kings and Knights, the male figures, are J types, and the Queens are P types. The pages are young people, and since youth is carefree and open-minded, the Pages are also P types.
The four functions (INtuition, Feeling, Thinking and Sensing, or N,F,T,S) are the most essential core nature within each of the 16 types. In their book, Myers and Briggs said there are four types of people: enthusiastic and inspired (NF), logical and ingenious (NT), practical and matter-of-fact (ST) and sympathetic, people-oriented (SF). It seems clear to me that these types correspond to fire, air, earth and water respectively, and these four elements are usually linked to the four suits of the Tarot in this way: fire is staffs or wands, air is swords, earth is coins or pentacles, and water is cups. Noone has only one function mentioned in their MBTI type, but always two. Therefore, the 16 MBTI Types line up with the 16 Tarot court cards in this way:
King of Wands - INFJ (the prophet)
King of Swords - INTJ (the mastermind)
King of Pentacles - ISTJ (the investigator)
King of Cups - ISFJ (the conservator)
Queen of Wands - INFP (the monk)
Queen of Swords - INTP (the architect)
Queen of Pentacles - ISTP (the craftsman)
Queen of Cups - ISFP (the artist)
Knight of Wands - ENFJ (the teacher)
Knight of Swords - ENTJ (the field marshall)
Knight of Pentacles - ESTJ (the supervisor)
Knight of Cups - ESFJ (the provider)
Page of Wands - ENFP (the enthusiast)
Page of Swords - ENTP (the inventor)
Page of Pentacles - ESTP (the entrepreneur)
Page of Cups - ESFP (the performer)
So next time you have a reading, and the reader asks you to pick a court card to represent yourself, you can pick the card that corresponds to your MBTI Type, if you know it. But if men are uncomfortable being represented by a Queen, or women by a King, they can switch to the other royal card of the same suit.
If the 40 numbered cards one through ten plus 16 court cards represent
God’s process of Creation through the 10 Sephiroth and the 16 rulers of
Malkuth’s Kingdom, and he used the vowels or 10 tones of spirit to create
with, then the 21 trump cards and the Fool represent something else: the
spiritual path from the world back to God. It is the path of the successful
person, who has already taken on the burdens of the world, up to spiritual
realization or enlightenment. These are what are represented by the 22
Paths on the Tree of Life and the 22 consonants of the Hebrew alphabet.
The 22 paths are the spiritual "path" which seekers are said to follow. Also you can say the paths represent God "creating" with the letters, but going backward from the future, (like Teilhard de Chardin's omega point that beckons us toward God).
But the tradition established at the turn of the 20th Century by the
occult societies known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the same
tradition which produced the Tarot decks of Waite-Smith, Aleister Crowley
and Paul Foster Case, links the Tarot cards with the Paths and Letters
going from the top down. The 16th Century Kabballist Kircher established
the sequence in his map of the Tree of Life by placing the first path
(which is numbered Path 11, to come after Sephira 10) to run between
Kether and Hokmah at the top of the tree. The 19th Century occultist Eliphas
Levi then linked the Tarot cards with the Hebrew letters in that order, linking trump 1 (the Magician) with the first path, and so on. With one important revision (placing the Fool first and Magician second), Paul Foster Case and his organization Builders of the Adytum (following the sequence established by the Golden Dawn and Aleister Crowley) used this order in their
famous poster of the Tree of Life, which places the Tarot cards on the Tree of Life from the top down. This repeats the same
journey which God has already taken down the Tree.
But why should this cosmic symbol repeat the same thing twice? I find it cogent and coherent to see the Paths as leading from the world back to God instead of vice-versa. Thus the 22 Tarot trumps represent the Seeker (The Fool) on a hero’s journey to enlightenment. I propose therefore that the map and poster of the Tree of Life should show Path numbers 11 and 12 at the bottom of the Tree, starting from Malkuth (Sephira number 10). The Fool (trump zero) and The Magician (trump 1) should be placed there on those Paths. Ironically, the final trump, representing enlightenment and God realization, is called The World, (or sometimes Universe), but this means that the seeker has become enlightened and thus knows that s/he IS the world (cosmic consciousness), whereas at Malkuth (Sephira 10, which is also linked to the first chakra of worldly survival), the court personalities are IN the world and rule OVER the world.
I should also point out that the first occult writers on the Tarot (deMellet and deGebelin) put the final Hebrew letter and The World card at the top of the Tree, as I do. In metaphysical terms, the Sephiroth and the four regular suits stand for involution, or God emanating into the world, while the Paths and the trump suit represents evolution, the journey of liberation back to God.
Moving on the path of the seeker’s quest up the Tree of Life, The Fool represents the naivete of the seeker at the start of his/her quest, still blissfully unaware of the challenges it involves, but eager for the adventure. Looking at the Tarot trumps series this way, we start up the Tree again, and at the bottom we once again see worldly rulers. But this time they are more powerful and unique. There are many kings and queens, but only one Emperor or Pope. The journey starts with the seeker ambitious for greater power. Remember that the seeker starts out not only as a Fool, but as a King; just as the Buddha did (see Robert Place's article on his Buddha Tarot).
If the 16 royal face cards represent the 16 types of personality, the four greater rulers in the trump cards or Major Arcana, I think, represent the four functions individually within all of us. Paul Foster Case in his Tarot book says the first group of seven cards represents "powers and potencies" (p.24). Although I disagree with his characterization on that page of the last group of seven cards, this description of the first seven suggests that they represent the inherent powers or functions within us that we need to develop on our spiritual path. As kings and queens in the world of Malkuth, the "ordinary" manifest world from which we begin our quest as "normal" human personalities, some of our functions are dominant and developed, while others lie dormant. That is how most people function in the world and society today, but as mystics on the quest we are to do more than this. The position of the four imperial rulers in the first group of seven trump cards suggests that, through opening to our Higher Self, we can develop and balance all 4 functions, which we need to do if we are to ascend the Tree and find enlightenment. Each of the four rulers clearly represents one of the functions, and Case's descriptions of the 4 cards in his book The Tarot clearly confirms this.
Each of our functions are one of the 4 ways in which we receive and process information. The Emperor represents Thinking, the function that enables us to understand cause and effect and thereby master worldly forces. The Empress represents Sensation, with all its productive, seductive and life-giving powers, and its glorious and sensuous attractions in the physical and emotional spheres. The Pope or Hierophant represents knowledge of the eternal truths and essential values which he preaches to his faithful. This corresponds to INtuition as Jung defined it: awareness of archetypal general principles and first truths, invisible to our 5 senses. The Female Pope/High Priestess of esoteric religion represents Feeling, which is how we receive information from our experience of subtle, psychic, hidden and subconscious realms.
The male functions are left-brained or dominant (as we commonly understand the meaning of "left-brained"), while the female functions are right-brained or receptive. The secular rulers are worldly oriented, while the sacred rulers interpret the more spiritual realms. Developing all 4 functions is thus part of our mystic journey, a prerequisite for the entire quest. At first, in the "lower soul" of appetite, they are experienced separately. But they all appear again together on the Wheel of Fortune and World cards (as the Bull, Lion, Eagle and Man), showing that by then they are integrated within us. Sometimes Thinking is linked to air, Sensation to earth, INtuition to fire and Feeling to water. It should be noted that in his tarot book Robert Place switches Intuition and Feeling and their meanings and elemental correlations.
See a table of the four-fold world HERE
Another way of looking at the early trumps (different from the "toccata order" on my other page) is by comparing them to the first letters of the Hebrew alphabet. If the letter Beth is a house, representing The Magician, and there are four other early letters representing parts of a house (door, window, nail, fence), then those letters could represent the four imperial cards and their four Jungian functions. Fence would logically represent either The Emperor or The Pope, because empires and organized religions erect fences between people. The Magician is thus the one who brings them all together on his table, and represents the fifth element (spirit) as it is brought into manifestation. The letter for camel, symbol for a mode of transport, would then logically stand for The Chariot card; although that would place the Chariot much earlier as trump #2 in order to correspond with that letter's place in the Hebrew alphabet, and The Emperor or Pope would have to be trump #7.
The way occultists like Paul Foster Case interpret the first five trumps also suggests that the seeker has become able, because of God’s previous descent into worldly form, to receive divine energy and direct it into manifestation. They have not arrived at the stage where they can do this with full understanding, but merely through ritual and through command of the mind’s subconscious powers. Thus the Magician can summon magical powers through his rituals, using the symbols on his table. The Emperor can initiate and command actions in the world and become its master, and the Empress through magical feminine powers can generate wealth and rule through seductive sensuality. The Pope or Hierophant (High Priest) can say mass and instruct the faithful, while the Papess or High Priestess transmits esoteric knowledge unknown to herself through ritual. At this stage, it is as if the seeker attends worship services, is devoted to the leader, and performs rituals, but has not yet entered into the spiritual practices and paths that lead to actual experience of truth and real spiritual growth. The Tarot Journey proceeds through three main phases of 7 cards each (as well as through seven levels), and during this first phase the seeker is still dependent on worshiping the spiritual powers, as powerful world leaders or gurus present them, or on exercizing power within the palace or temple, rather than finding those powers within him/herself.
The Tarot allegory is based on a late Medieval European story of a man who became Pope, but gave up his position to become a seeker and hermit out of a need for greater fulfillment. In the same way, Jesus Christ gave up his successful carpenter trade to go into the wilderness, and it is a fact that the Hebrew letters corresponding to the 7 Tarot cards from the first phase of the journey plus The Fool, all represent parts of a house-- a house which might be built by a CARPENTER (whom Jesus was)-- plus two beasts of burden and a sword to defend the property. Similarly, Buddha gave up his status as the son of a king to become an ascetic and seek enlightenment to understand the suffering he discovered outside his palace. The story is consistent.
So the 5 rulers and ritual-keepers are trumped by the Lovers card. The issue presented by this card is to find out what truly fulfills and drives us. Is it the love of the world, with its successes and comforts? Is it the sensual love that the two pairs of mated rulers (Emperor and Empress; Pope and Papess) enjoy together? Is it the sensual joys of the body? Or is there a greater love and fulfillment we seek as well? Case says the Lovers card represents discrimination, the power to choose; like Gemini and the sword, thus explaining the odd correlation of these symbols to the Lovers card. Tarot designer and author Robert M. Place says that Gemini the Twins were originally male and female like the Lovers. But Case in his book on the Tarot denounces the notion that this card represents a choice between two paths-- sensuality and comfort, or spiritual victory. But this choice is clearly implied by Case’s own links of the card to the symbols of choice, and it is clearly shown by earlier versions of the card. The Waite and Case versions of the Lovers card can also be seen to present this choice, since the man symbolizing Adam on their card looks to Eve, the choice of sensuality; while Eve herself looks up to the Angel, the path to God.
The Lovers card can depict Adam and Eve, or Gemini the Twins; in either case we are at the level of Yesod (Sephiroth 9) on the Tree of Life, which in the Kabbalah represents Adam and Eve in the Garden, and stands for generative and procreative capacity, just like the second chakra that corresponds to this level of the Tree. Yesod also represents the subconscious mind, of which the Lovers, the Empress and the Priestess are the masters. Robert Place says that the Lovers card describes the continuum of beauty and love through all forms, as Plato presented it in the Symposium. The question is what will fulfill us, and we see this meaning only when this card is placed in the context of the overall story as number 6 in the series of numbered cards. Outside this story, however, we can also see it as the need to contact the superconscious (the angel) through the subconscious (Eve),-- useful knowledge for those seeking to master the laws of consciousness. Either way, it is love as the motivating force and guide that fuels our quest up the Tree to cosmic consciousness, and love is the power within our subconscious mind. The Lovers card shows the need to access and apply the lower parts of ourselves in order to climb toward the higher parts. In that sense, the card represents more than a choice between them, but also the wise use of and relation to them.
Powered by our desire, we mount our Chariot and confidently move up into the next of the three levels in the journey upward that starts with the next card. It is a journey up from the "soul of appetite," as Plato described the lowest of the three levels, represented in the Tarot by worldly success and rulership, pleasure, and the Magician who goes to the Fair to gamble for wealth. The next level of the journey up the Tree is the "soul of will" and the "passion" of the Christ, Buddha, etc (Plato’s name for this middle soul level is also often translated as "passion"). The charioteer now commands both souls, represented by the two steeds, one black and one white. But he still needs to learn how to direct them properly. As a warrior, he represents Plato’s middle soul.
God sends down the Tree to the seeker three virtues to aid in the quest. Love and willingness to ascend the path gives the seeker Strength, the first virtue (originally Justice was the first, but the Golden Dawn switched the position of these two cards; I think rightly). The seeker now has Love energy as well as cosmic power (both represented by the Lady) which can tame and direct the primitive energies of the lower soul represented by the Lion, and dedicate these energies to the quest. She has recovered her Will, instead of being dominated by primitive energies within (the lion). She can be centered, and develop the skills of the martial artist, who learns to focus on the third chakra, which is the level we have now reached on the Tree.
With this strength and energy, the seeker becomes the ascetic Hermit, the master of spiritual discipline, and s/he also becomes a teacher who can light the path for others. S/he climbs and reaches the heights. From these the Hermit can look down on the worldly quest s/he used to pursue, and others still do, and can divine their Fortune. S/he can now see that worldly success is temporary, while lasting "fortune" is found through developing the soul and its wisdom. The seeker can therefore master the world’s wealth by detaching from its fateful temptations, and instead receive the cosmic currents and direct them into manifestation, like the Magician does; but now s/he does it as a master teacher who knows what s/he is dealing with. Fate does not tempt the seeker now; s/he has learned freedom and knows the way to fulfillment.
The seeker can next receive and learn the next virtue, Justice, which allows a view of the world as an ordered whole. Holding a sword as well as the scales, she is like the Lovers card symbolized by the Hebrew letter of "the sword," and as with the other card, it provides discrimination. We thus enter the heart chakra where we can weigh and discern from the love center of our being. We have arrived at the center of the journey, the eye of the storm. We know true values from the heart, and therefore have a basis for making decisions and taking action based on principle and balance.
Moving thus from our center, we can defy the world’s ridicule and convention. We risk the world’s opposition, and we may get ourselves strung up like Jesus or Socrates. The world views us as a traitor, and we sacrifice for the truth and justice we know from our heart center. We stay true to our values and accept the world’s judgement. We are connected to and "hung" from cosmic life, symbolized on the card by the Tav shape of the post from which we hang (Tav is the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet which represents the World card or cosmic consciousness). Since we are "hung" from it, by the way, this implies that the World card is indeed above us at the top of the tree. Our values are the reverse of most people, who look upon us as hanging upside down. The Hanged Man is the other side of the heart from Justice. The two sides are connected to Mercy and Justice on the Tree of Life, to Perceiving and Judging in MBTI, or to dissolve and coagulate in alchemy. Astrologically Justice is Libra (where Saturn is exalted) and the Hanged Man is Taurus (where The Moon is exalted). The Hanged Man represents openness to the manifesting flow of energy from the Crown to the Base. We hang loose and hang out, realizing that being strung up, rejected and apparently powerless, we can only let go. Connected to Water and to flow or openness, as well as to The Moon, The Hanged Man also represents the heart’s compassion for those who suffer the world’s rejection, injustice and cruel fate. Caring becomes the true heart’s value. The seeker sacrifices worldly position for the sake of true values known from the heart. In this sacrifice s/he is connected to humanity, and seeks like Christ to redeem.
The Hanged Man is the card of initiation, and of learning through loss and pain-- even willingly so, in obedience to inner guidance. Knowing Justice, the seeker sees a higher order and purpose for human suffering. By hanging ourselves from the Tree and the Cosmos, we discover we can depend on (the word depend is related to the word hang) a greater power than our personal or social selves, a power which can surmount the world’s opposition and ridicule. Now only the Source of the All can sustain us. Rejecting the world, or rejected by it, the Hanged Man depends totally on the inner source in the Crown and in the Heart. The false social self is "surrendered." Authenticity is our only option. Impure motives are dissolved and phoniness dispelled. The Hanged Man is also known traditionally as "the traitor," but he is a traitor to the phony social self imposed by society’s conditioning. He confronts his "hang-ups." His "initiation" is like the deliberate arousal of "hang-ups" by a Zen master so he can confront his phoniness and see the separate self as a social convention. Then this social self "dies" to authenticity. We flow in pure openness, and energy flows through us into the world. We let go of the need for status and approval which the personal self so desperately craves.
After mastering fate (Fortune) and rejection (Hanged Man), now we confront the ultimate fear. The seeker has now reached the most difficult phase of the journey. For unless s/he is willing to die for the quest, s/he is not truly dedicated. The next two cards are interchangeable in the order, but traditionally Death comes first, and then the last virtue Temperance. Both represent adaptability to change. Temperance gives us the "correct mixture" (this is the actual meaning of the word) of temperaments to adapt to circumstance and calm our fear and our anger, so we can get through this darkest section of the trumps, which on the Tree of Life can be represented by Daath, "the abyss." Strung up on the Tree, we might die. Symbolically, our false self dies on the Tree or on the Cross, and we are reborn and transformed constantly from now on. Death is the next step for the Hermit (the old man), who can now spiritually master not only pain and fear but death itself. Mr. Death is, like the Hermit, a very challenging and exacting teacher who transforms all who fall into his path. Death means change and the ability to adapt through temperance. Now we are at the 5th chakra level, ruled by mutable (adaptable) signs Gemini, Virgo and Sagittarius. Death is even connected to the Hebrew letter for fish, like Pisces the Fishes (also a mutable sign), and Temperance is connected to the letter samekh, symbolized by a tent peg, which is a temporary tool to hold up a tent for shelter, which unlike the house built by the young Jesus or the masonic Magician (the card linked to the letter for "house"), is taken down in order to adapt quickly and move on, as mutable signs do.
Case finds in Temperance "the coordination of vibratory activities" like sound, which is also another meaning of the letter samekh, and it is thus connected to the 5th chakra of the throat. Indeed, Jesus in Matthew 15:11 says "it’s what comes out of our mouth that defiles us," hence the need for temperance to regulate what comes out of our "abyss." Now that we know a greater self, since the false social self has died, the higher angels of our nature, pictured on the Temperance card, can blend and balance the aspects of our psyche to obtain the "correct mixture," a "middle path," and a calm temperament within ourselves. In my scheme Temperance is placed on the Path between the red circle Gevurah or Severity and the blue circle Hesod or Mercy, balancing them. According to Case, red and blue also represent fire and water, which are pictured on his Temperance card as a lion and an eagle. Just as Strength aligns with the Sephira Victory on the third chakra level of the Tree, and Justice with Justice or Severity at the 4th chakra, so Temperance could be represented by Daath at the 5th chakra, which Kabbalist Will Parfitt called the "rainbow bridge." The Temperance card features a rainbow, or the irises of the rainbow goddess, and these are linked to the "bow" of Sagittarius the Archer.
Balanced and transformed, we may feel our journey complete. Well, the middle division of the journey has indeed been completed now, and we enter the third and highest division of spiritual ascent. But we may get stuck here. We could be spoiled and complacent, or even fall into despair. For it is now that the final temptation comes to us. In restrospect we know this means that we are near to our goal. The Devil guards the gates to spiritual attainment. As we know, the Devil was once the highest Angel. We meet him now because we are ready to confront him. Ruler of the world and its sinful powers, he now tempts the seeker with all the power which the material or temporal world has to offer, if s/he will only give up the quest. This final test may seem like an impasse. Will the journey ever end? Shall I give up? The seeker feels his/her limits keenly. All the bad and ugly urges come out; there’s no more place for them to hide. We have penetrated our folly to its deepest level, and the ultimate ogre within is revealed.
But we needed to feel the chains of ignorance grate against us painfully in order to free ourselves of them. In the battle with our own inner demons, we gain strength and transform them into allies. Finally, we gather together our three liberating virtues (Strength, Justice and Temperance), and with them we rise up, rebel and overturn the Devil’s authority. Not only our worldly appetites, but also our striving will-- both lower parts of our souls-- are now inadequate, limiting and "irrational." The higher soul of wisdom casts them overboard. Through turbulent upheaval, we topple The Tower and overthrow the Devil. We free outselves from the bondage of addiction. Pretentious human structures and superficial ideas are toppled. We get Satan behind us, and we see things from a greater perspective. Suddenly the battle is over, and peace comes. The veil is drawn back, as spiritual vistas open up in breath-taking discovery. The Devil could only deceive us with superficial views. Now we can see both the heights and the depths. The two lower souls no longer rule us, and now they are integrated within us. As The Star comes out, both lower parts of the soul can now nourish the world, as the "star lady" pours forth healing liquid on the land and the sea alike. Having learned balance and adaptation under Temperance, now the Higher Self we saw on that card has returned to bring the two souls together in counterpoint. The pathway to heaven becomes visible, symbolized by the seven stars of the seven levels of the stairway to heaven (or the seven heavens) and by the 8th Star of the Universe. Our perspective is clear, as brilliant revelations come to us. We are hopeful again.
Then the Moon rises, and thus our chariot, our merkabah vehicle, is perfected. The Chariot card, linked by occultists to the sign Cancer, is the symbol of this vehicle, and so is The Moon, since Cancer is ruled by the Moon in astrology. Our 6th chakra of imagination is unleashed, because we have purified ourselves of all reaction and addiction, so that we can envision clearly and powerfully. Like the Moon, we become a perfect recepticle for the inner light, and we master the ebb and flow of time. Then, as The Sun comes up, we feel the exhilaration of victory. We radiate joy and energy to all. The "divine marriage" of the Sun and Moon, or masculine and feminine powers is made, as the two young figures on the card prepare to leave the tarot garden to experience final liberation, and to transcend time (kept by the Sun and Moon) and all Sun-Moon duality. We feel the joy of liberation and success. We are ready to reach our goal, confident of glory.
And there it is! The final Judgement. We reach the Crown, rising from the grave of mortal life, summoned by Gabriel’s trumpet to immortality. The soul realizes its eternal nature, and we experience the awesome bliss of resurrection. The mystical goal is attained. Words cannot describe it; perhaps only Bach does it justice in the crowning glory that concludes his great organ Toccata in F Major! And the organ is creation’s most finely crafted set of sacred trumpets! It is thanks to Bach, as well as to Robert Place and his predecessors, that I can relate the story of this journey in this humble essay in the way that I do.
After the celebration, we get back to work. Only now, we dance. Like D.T. Suzuki said, it is just like normal, except 3 inches off the ground. This is because we have reached the top of the tree! We become the teacher again; now a Master who returns into the World like a bodhisattva to help all other seekers until every sentient being is free and immortal. At the start, The World was our domain; now we ARE the World. We become carefree, like The Fool again (but won’t get fooled again), because we are wise and strong. The seeker, now Master, connects the heart center with the Crown, the heart’s missing piece, and thus every action we take is divinely guided, without effort, and both currents flow up and down the chakras without obstruction. Perhaps we may even be ready for another challenge-- to descend into form and ignorance again, or to ascend to the higher octave of the journey. But the liberation of all other souls; that seems challenge enough! We are identified with God, and God is always sending down His creative energy into further creations and forms. But as far as the Tarot is concerned, the journey is complete.
Also compare the Tarot Journey with Campbell's description of the Hero's Journey. Concentrating on its spiritual aspect, in the first of the journey's three parts The Fool answers "the call" of the heart (Lovers), meets guides (Magician, High Priestess) and confronts authorities (Emperor, Empress, Pope). The Seeker then crosses the threshold into the unknown, the 2nd part (where The Chariot takes you), enters upon tests (The Hermit) and meets helpers, which are often women companions (the virtues, represented by women on the tarot cards, are also given to the Seeker by grace from above, according to Tarot). As the Seeker continues The Journey, the tests get harder, and s/he is initiated (The Hanged Man, Death). Finally, the head villain meets the Initiate face to face for the ultimate battle (The Devil). Having passed through the abyss, the Initiate experiences At-Onement and Apotheosis (Judgement), and takes flight (climbing the ladder of planets-- Star, Moon, Sun; note that the 6th chakra is symbolized by wings). In the final part the Initiate, now Master, returns (The World card) to bring his gift back to the people, facing new challenges in that adventure.
Be sure and see the page on Bach's Toccata for more insights.
How about a Prisoner tarot deck? See how the story of The Prisoner matches The Tarot Journey HERE.
Bach's Toccata in F, The Tarot and the Chakras by E. Alan Meece
Tarot and The Prisoner TV Series
Neo-Platonism and Alchemy by E. Alan Meece
Summer Solstice Essay by E. Alan Meece
Philosophy on a Circle, by E. Alan Meece
Philosophy Questionnaire
Robert M. Place, author of The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, and Tarot deck creator
Builders of the Adytum founded by Paul Foster Case
Tarot, by Wikipedia
Anodea Judith and the Wheels of Life, best book on the chakras
J.S.Bach
Tantra-Kundalini
Hero's Journey in 8 stages and 3 parts
Campbell's Hero's Journey summary
Hero's Journey, from Clemson
Hero's Journey, from Berkeley
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