by E. Alan Meece
(An elaborate and detailed esoteric essay, with lots of charts!)
(See also the second half of this essay on The Tarot)
Table of correspondences:3 parts of the soul and 7 levels of the mystic quest
Table showing how signs of the zodiac generate the chakra currents
TABLE: The Tarot Triumph and correlations with 3 parts of soul, chakras, Toccata in F, etc, followed by another table showing how they fit together.
Table of chakras, exalted planets, colors, New Thought
Correspondences between Tarot cards and Hebrew letters, colors, tones, etc., according to Builders of the Adytum (BOTA), founded by Paul Foster Case.
Tree of Life as depicted by BOTA
Table showing the four-fold world and sacred center
Tarot, by Wikipedia
The Chakras by Anodea Judith
Chakra Paintings
The Caduceus, from Wikipedia
Bach's official seal resembles a caduceus
Wikipedia article on Bach's Toccata and Fugue in F, BWV 540
The Toccata in F for organ by J.S. Bach, BWV 540/1, composed in about 1717, has been my co-favorite (with the other, much more-famous Toccata in D Minor, S. 565) for decades. I have listened to it, and practiced it, more often than any other piece since I first heard it in 1972. Meanwhile, since about 1986 I have been developing the Philosophers Wheel, and a few years later I noticed that the chakras, the 7 main consciousness centers along the backbone of the human body, can be compared to the "backbone" or vertical axis of the philosophers wheel, from materialism up to spiritualism. But it only occured to me in 2004, just before leading an informal talk and ritual at a Summer Solstice Celebration, that this piece I have been practicing, listening to and loving all these years, is actually a picture of the chakra system. Now that I have made this connection, it seems so obvious.
If you haven’t heard this piece before, it is an adventure. Now, it must be admitted that to some people this piece sounds repetitious at times. The organ has the disadvantage that notes sound just as loud no matter how hard you strike them; unlike a piano which allows the musician to "express his emotions" by striking the key more loudly or softly. For that very reason, the full name of the piano, invented in the 18th century in the time of Mozart and Beethoven, is the piano-forte, which means soft-loud in Italian. For this reason, a great organ piece must rely more on the ingenuity and beauty of the note patterns and structures themselves, and the varieties of different sounds, instead of on changes in volume executed by the player. To sensitive hearers, the organ compensates for its lack of personal expressiveness not only by its exquisite tones, with each pipe crafted and voiced by expert builders, but also by allowing the musician to play at least three keyboards at once, with each hand and the feet each playing one line simultaneously, allowing at least three majestic and elaborate melody lines to be composed in counterpoint. Instead of the musician being the source of the sound, it flows as if coming down from heaven, as air is blown into all of the pipes; the sounds only being made as each pipe is opened by the key to the ever-flowing current.
The Toccata in F uses this trait of the organ to full advantage. It rises like a majestic structure from a vibrant, idealistic, uplifting and joyous theme, through an ambitious and elaborate if somewhat repetitive development, full of "musical alliteration," to a visionary, crowning climax. It sounds more like a concerto or a symphony than a piece for one instrument. Its spacious attitude reminds me of Beethoven’s F-Major Symphony, the Pastorale (the sixth). Like Beethoven's Fifth Symphony too, everything is formed out of the original germ, according to organist Lionel Rogg, who performed the most definitive version of the Toccata in 1970 at Arlesheim Switzerland.
The toccata, a musical form which (according to Lionel Rogg) Bach shaped and perfected in this Toccata in F (and which Bach evolved through its predecessors in C major S. 564, and in the Dorian mode S.538), is not really like a symphony or a sonata though. It does not develop themes in the same way, because it is peppered with rapid repeating chords and running passages. Many listeners appreciate the lively, vibrant brilliance and perpetual motion that this form expresses. Such composers as Schumann, Chaminade, and the modern French organ composers created brilliant toccatas based on Bach's Toccata.
Rogg compared the Toccata in F to the building of a cathedral. As we'll see, it's also like the building of kundalini energy in our own bodies, our temple of the spirit. The grand chords and "motoric" running passages of the toccata take you on a journey ever higher, giving you a succession of ever-grander scenic views. Upon hearing (and playing) the climax at the end, composer and organist Felix Mendelssohn famously declared, "It sounded like the church was going to collapse. What an awesome cantor Bach was!" It has been called "apocalyptic" and "monumental."
It is a piece that means so much, to me as well as to others. Whenever I think of "what is the purpose of my life," I think of Bach's Toccata in F. It is a symbol of life and its meaning; of what needs to be created, and of how life can be. It speaks to us of what it means to bring something great into the world. It also represents evolution; how life itself came into being. Of course, as spiritual or religious music, it also creates a picture of how God creates or manifests the world-- not all at once, as today's creationists assume, that's true; but over time, in stages; in 7 stages, in fact, like the chakras! Not only is it the most esoteric, metaphysically significant music in the world, it has a visceral appeal too. It grounds the listener deeply; and at the same time calls you to aspire toward the heights-- and then takes you there. Afterward, in the fugue, you continue to float.
The chakras are 7 places in the body that we experience as 7 major centers of energy, corresponding to the 7 endrocrine centers and 7 nerve ganglia of the body. The Hindus developed the yoga system of kundalini to arouse and liberate the energies that get blocked in each of our centers. The physical and sexual energy of the lower chakras is raised to the higher ones, leading to blissful enlightenment. What occured to me in 2004 was that, since the Toccata unfolds in seven distinct phases, it might be a picture of the seven major chakras.
These stages, furthermore, show a 3-part arrangement within the Toccata which is identical to how Anodea Judith arranges the chakras in 3 parts, with the two base chakras and the two upper chakras mediated by three in between, and centered on the 4th chakra in the center or heart (see Wheels of Life, p.46, 183). Judith goes further to identify the three groups with the Hindu gunas, the first two correlated with tamas (denseness), the middle three with rajas (passion), and the highest two with sattvas (wisdom, expansion); although the heart is considered both rajas and sattvas (indicating the wisdom and balance of the heart). These are also the same three parts of the soul mentioned by Plato, the Kabbalah and Freud. Robert Place showed how the 21 tarot trump cards (the so-called Major Arcana) reveal a 3-stage journey of the soul, and compared them to the Joyful , Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of Christianity, often recited in rosary prayers, describing Christ’s journey; mysteries Bach himself might have known of (The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, p.128). The Joyful stage was Jesus' incarnation and early life (when he was a carpenter), the Sorrowful stage was his trials, passion and death, and the Glorious stage is Christ's resurrection and ascension.
As we move up the Toccata from its auspicious beginning to its crowning glory, we hear the first two sections in which the two hands each play lines that imitate each other, accompanied by a held-down pedal note (called an organ or pedal point); each time followed by a pedal solo. In the next three sections, hands and pedal are played together. The piece concludes with two sections distinguished from the preceeding three by the soaring transformation of the themes, giving the impression that one has risen to the top of the chakras (or mountain, cathedral, cosmos, etc.), with each of the two final sections affording an increasingly magnificent "peak experience" and releasing incredible energy, just as students of kundalini yoga might experience.
Examining the Toccata closer, we find not only 7 sections, but we see that each section in turn has two parts. Of the 7 main sections, however, the last two are somewhat shorter in duration than the other 5, as if each of these final two sections could also be considered a division of one larger section. Thus, 6 sections, and 12 sub-sections.
This corresponds to what Anodea Judith has described (p.118 and 121) as the energy flow or channel on each side of each chakra, one flow upward and one downward, which Hindus represent as two snakes (Ida and Pingala) winding themselves 6 times around the backbone axis (the Sushumna, like the staff of the caduceus symbol), and around each chakra. The two opposing directions of the energy flowing around each chakra, causes them to "spin," and to alternate their direction of spin from one chakra to the next one above it. Thus in the Toccata, in each chakra section of the piece, we hear its first part representing the upward or liberating current, and a second representing the downward or manifesting current, which surrounds each chakra. Judith explains that in the lower chakras the downward or manifesting current predominates, while in the upper chakras the liberating current predominates. These first or "liberating" sections in the Toccata are aspiring and upward-moving. The "manifesting" sections by contrast bring a "landing" which grounds us back to the original theme.
These 12 positions in the chakra system correspond to the 12 signs of the zodiac. As you move through these signs every year, each succeeding sign changes polarity from the preceeding one. Thus Aries is yang (positive polarity), Taurus is yin (negative polarity), Gemini is yang, Cancer is yin, and so on.
Furthermore, each sign of the zodiac is linked to one of the 7 visible planets. A whole pattern is formed among the planets in order, like a ladder from the outermost planet to the Sun, and each planet rules both a yin sign and a yang sign. The signs ruled by Saturn represent the base or first chakra (Aquarius the positive or yang sign, and Capricorn the negative/yin, each ruled by Saturn), the signs ruled by Jupiter represent the 2nd chakra (Pisces the negative, Sagittarius the positive), the signs ruled by Mars represent the third (Aries positive, and Scorpio negative), Venus the fourth (Taurus yin and Libra yang), Mercury the fifth (Gemini yang and Virgo yin), and Moon and Sun represent the 6th and 7th respectively, sharing co-rulership of one sign each (Cancer being the negative yin polarity, and Leo the positive yang)-- just like in the Toccata, where the two shorter final sections can also be considered the two halves of the final section.
Alchemically, we move through the seven metals, from lead, linked to Saturn and the base chakra, up through tin (Jupiter, 2nd chakra), iron (Mars, 3rd chakra), copper (Venus, 4th), mercury (Mercury, 5th) and silver (Moon, 6th chakra) to gold (Sun) at the crown. The color spectrum runs up the chakras as follows: red at the 1st chakra, orange at the 2nd, yellow at the 3rd, green at the 4th, blue at the 5th, indigo at the 6th, and violet at the 7th (again, indigo and violet really being two shades of purple at the two top chakras).
See a chart of the 7 levels here.
Each chakra is ruled by a planet, which in turn rules (is linked to) two signs each, one yin and one yang; except the Sun (yang) and Moon (yin) which rule one sign each. Yang signs are in bold, yin signs are in italics. The ascending, liberating yin current or "snake" flows through the yin signs, and the descending, manifesting current/snake flows through the yang signs. Although to my knowledge this scheme has never been presented before, it is a combination of the chart from Anodea Judith, Wheels of Life (1989, Llewellyn), page 123, and Titus Burckhardt, Alchemy (1960, Penguin), page 88. By the way, sometimes the liberating current is described as yang and the manifesting as yin.
| chakra | Autumn signs | Planets | Spring signs | chakra |
| 7-crown | Leo | Sun/Moon | Cancer | 6-third eye |
| 5-throat | Virgo | Mercury | Gemini | 5-throat |
| 4-heart | Libra | Venus | Taurus | 4-heart |
| 3-solar plexus | Scorpio | Mars | Aries | 3-solar plexus |
| 2-genitals | Sagittarius | Jupiter | Pisces | 2-genitals |
| 1-base | Capricorn | Saturn | Aquarius | 1-base |
Before looking at each section of the Toccata, let’s examine
the theme itself more closely. Get a copy of the piece and listen to it
if you can, and/or find a sample by googling Toccata in F online. Or click on one of the performances available on
YOU TUBE
Or this one
Or this one
Or this one.
The Toccata in F begins with a long, snake-like linear string of notes played by the hands. The theme itself consists of 6 notes per measure, with this 6-note figure then virtually repeated in the next measure one note up the scale, to form a total of 12 notes. The 1st note of the next bar can also be considered the 7th note of the previous bar. Again, one note for each sign of the zodiac, and one note for each of the 12 half-sections of the entire piece. The notes of the theme themselves alternate back and forth between up and down. To me, this resembles the movement of a snake, like the two serpents around the axis of the caduceus, the symbol of medicine. Titus Burckhardt writes in Alchemy, "a serpent or dragon as the image of cosmic power is to be found in all parts of the world...A reptile moves without legs and by means of an uninterrupted rhythm in its body, so that it is the incorporation, so to say, of a subtle oscillation." (p.130). This smooth "uninterrupted rhythm" is characteristic of much of Baroque music in general, and of this piece in particular, with its unique up and down oscillation between each note that sounds like the wiggling movement of a snake. Indeed the rhythm is so seductive it almost sounds like a snake dance. Lionel Rogg wrote that Bach’s later organ toccatas are brilliant pieces characterized by an "uninterrupted movement" and "an implacable rhythm," and that they were the basis for the modern form of the toccata.
Click HERE to read liner notes by Lionel Rogg and Harry Halbreich for the Toccata in F by Bach
But in Bach’s Toccata in F, you don’t have just one snake; you
have two, just like in the caduceus symbol! For the identical theme starts
again just two measures later, now played with the left hand, even as the
right hand continues on, each hand now moving in canon form, one imitating
the other in counterpoint. So you have an image in the theme itself of
two snakes twirling around each other. One is played with the right hand;
thus the yang current, and one with the left hand; thus the yin current. It is a round, like "Row Row Row Your Boat." What’s more, you also have the pole holding steady in the center, provided
by the held-down pedal note underlying the whole magnificent theme.
We also notice that this snake or canon (imitation) theme itself, which lasts about a minute, has 7 portions, each consisting of from 6 to 8 measures each. Everywhere
throughout this piece, we have the same pattern repeated on many levels, like a hologram or a fractile. Often the sequence of notes in each measure in the canon "snake theme"
suggests the chakras as a whole. For example, twice among the 7 portions of the theme,
the third measure features 3 longer, triumphant and optimistic notes that leap
upward, suggesting the transformation to come at the third
chakra section. Twice as well, the basic 6-note theme repeats itself 7 times in a row,
starting one note higher on the scale each time, providing us a picture
in minature of the 7 chakras, each one higher than the last. It is significant
that the modulation (change of key), from F to B-flat that happens during the first canon,
and from C to F in the second, each takes place in the fourth measure of
this very sequence, representing the inner transformation that takes place
at the heart chakra. What’s more, during the second canon (or 2nd chakra
section), this 7-measure movement up the chakras starts with C and ends
with B, thereby correlating with the way the notes are traditionally linked
to each chakra.
We notice that the first chakra section has two halves, a liberating part and a manifesting part, as does every section. In the second half, after the canon with the pedal point underlying it (which in its confident tone of new beginning, with the right hand leading the way, can be considered to represent the first chakra’s yang polarity), the theme is then played again all by itself on the pedals. This represents the downward manifesting current of the first chakra, because the solo pounding of the feet on the pedals represents the down-to-earth pull of the first chakra, as we ground ourselves in the movements of our feet. What’s more, most of the time the pedal notes are themselves moving downward toward the roots, or into the dark fog as the 12-note theme is heard one note lower each time, until the very last note leaves us dangling in chaos, as if out of tune. Then at last, a three-note chord immediately and boldly announces the next chakra, in which we move upward again.
In the second chakra section, representing the second chakra of the genital area in the lower abdomen, once again we hear the same canon composed of exactly the same notes, with the theme repeating itself two bars later in the other hand as before; only this time, things are switched around. The left hand starts instead, and it also begins lower down in the dominant key of C major (it soons returns to F, and then back again to C; just as in the first canon it starts with F and moves to B Flat and back). The left hand leading is a clear symbol of the feminine nature of this center, as Anodea Judith states. Once again the held pedal note majestically underlies the snake movement, just like the great OM sound underlying all creation. And this time, the "snake" theme not only gives the impression of joyous celebration, but conveys the "sweetness" for which Chakra 2 is named.
Indeed, I find few if any musical passages as sweet as this second canon in the Toccata in F. This tender joy also indicates the chakra’s yin or feminine polarity. The music also conveys a wonderful fluidity. Somehow the softer sound of the lower notes played by the left hand, leading the higher notes played by the right hand, allows a sweeter feeling to emerge. The subconscious, softer, more relaxed and feminine part of us is leading the way. Both canons together have always given me the impression of a world coming again to new life, as if Kundalini or Shakti is rising out of the trap in which she is originally found, coiled like a snake inside the base of the spine. Now she’s being released, and nothing represents this liberation and new life better than this sweet, snake-like music.
Then once again, the pedal solo follows, which is the manifesting current of the 2nd chakra. The foot movements ground us, showing we are still in a lower chakra; but this time the theme not only moves downward through the pedals, but takes a leap upward too, and moves around with greater freedom. Then, it readies us for the "takeoff" which comes upon us suddenly as we enter the next chakra.
As the third chakra section begins, it is as if the music has burst into flames. Judith indeed compares this chakra to the fire element. What’s more, she says it represents our courage, our power and our will. Indeed, any virtuoso organist who has played Bach’s Toccata in F can testify that it takes courage to play the next three sections, because now both hands and feet are playing elaborate themes all at once. Entering this third section, representing the solar-plexus or power center, it seems like a change of state has occured, from the more joyful but dense tamas phase to the passionate and ambitious rajas phase.
In the first series of chords which announce the change, the wiggling snake is transformed into two great declarative chordal columns (as if standing for the two left and right columns on the Kabballah’s tree of life), with the pedal axis remaining between them. First a pedal note sounds; then the two chords. As we will see, I call this the "chariot theme." Once again, there are 12 chords in all, one for each zodiac sign, while the pedal note preceeding each set of two chords now alternates between higher and lower octaves. This graceful up-and-down octave movement on the pedals once again represents the central staff, its vertical direction now visible to us. Even so, the 12 chordal columns still "wiggle," as they alternate between higher and lower notes just like the original theme. So, in effect, in the chordal columns the original theme is given a larger and slower treatment, fractal-like. It is like two moving triangles, with the pedal notes, one higher and the next one lower, representing the apex of the triangles; one pointing up and one down. This is said to represent the Merkabah, or the soul’s chariot. Those familiar with The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown may also recognize this chariot figure as the two icons for chalice and blade, or male and female, one pointing up and one down, which when combined form the Star of David from the Temple of Solomon, which is also a symbol of the Merkabah.
Then, after another pedal note followed by the same series of 3 chords we heard announcing the second chakra, the original theme itself is magically transformed into an upward-leaping movement that traverses an entire octave; first entering on the pedal, then the right hand, then the left. It is repeated 4 times, modulating (changing) through 4 different keys. Beginning immediately and confidently, this new optimistic, rhythmically-bouyant and uplifting theme represents our will, which has come under our command now. As Anodea Judith explains, our personal power and will is not created by domination, but by the coordination among the parts of our being and by our ability to work together with others. Here this new energy and coordination is represented by hands and feet playing this new courageous, uplifting, liberating theme together in counterpoint. The feet always play the theme first, which may indicate how important the subconscious mind (developed or tapped in the 2nd chakra and in the pedal solos), as well as our passion and sensuality (also 2nd chakra), are in fueling and guiding our will and our power, at least when well programmed by our higher soul centers. In fact, when the 2nd pedal solo jumps upward it anticipates the new uplifting theme with only a one note difference.
What’s more, it is clear that we have entered a truly ambitious and liberating journey that will take us ever higher. We are climbing a "stairway to heaven" (to higher consciousness), which has 7 steps. This confident new uplifting theme is repeated to open each succeeding chakra section (at the climactic 7th chakra the theme is given an expanded and altered treatment). The liberating current becomes dominant as we go up the chakras, and likewise this liberating theme becomes more dominant as we go upward in the music. Already, in the opening two canons or snake themes, it had been suggested in the third measure (thus anticipating the third chakra), as the principle notes of this uplifting, liberating theme were sounded there. But in the lower two chakras, the liberating theme is only suggested, while the snake or "manifesting" theme is completely dominant. This represents the preeminence of the manifesting current in the lower chakras. In the third, fourth and fifth sections, however, the two themes alternate equally. But in the final and highest sections, it is the original manifesting snake theme that becomes submerged and blended beneath the uplifting liberating theme, now transformed into a fabulous crowning glory.
The grand 12-chord column-like figure, accompanied by pedal octaves, which announces the third chakra, returns during all the remaining sections of the piece, usually following the liberating uplifting theme; affording us ever more magnificent scenic views on our journey. Meanwhile, in the third chakra section itself, its second half begins with a new version of the original 12-note "snake" theme, now in a minor key (d minor; related to F major, the key in which the first chakra-- also having a yang polarity like the 3rd-- began), played this time with both hands and feet. The return of the "snake" theme reminds us of the first two chakras "below." It is introduced with huge, grand chords of great energy and flourish. We are meeting the downward movement of the current on the other side of the chakra, represented by the return of the original manifesting snake theme-- this time of shorter duration and in grand style, and played with two hands and feet. The minor key also represents the downward trend. Furthermore, toward the end of this half-section, the pedals perform a torturous, rapid downward-moving shorter version of the original pedal solo, with the left hand imitating it in harmony, accompanied by a slower, descending, up and down movement in the right hand. Capping off the third chakra section (and again also the fourth and fifth), and leading us into the next, are 7 notes moving rapidly down the scale, representing the downward movement through the 7 chakras of the manifesting current.
Then as the "uplifting" or liberating theme sounds again, we have entered the fourth chakra, the heart. We notice a difference this time from the previous section. The theme dangles around itself five times through different keys, as if moving more freely and gracefully (untied or "unstruck," the Hindu name of the chakra), with less of the frantic ambition to move upward and onward that we heard in the previous third chakra. The themes are also played lower on the keyboard than in the previous and upcoming sections. Furthermore, in the middle of the third chakra, an unresolved chord had led us into an extra upward-moving passage that gives the distinct impression that we are making a tortuous and difficult ascent; and this happens again in the fifth chakra. Here this passage is omitted, and the first half of the heart chakra section ends on a quiet tonic chord. This gives the fourth chakra section a more peaceful feeling than the last, representing the calm yin polarity of the heart chakra. The missing "difficult ascent" passage, built from the liberating and then the manifesting theme, here doesn’t block the heart’s center; representing its "balance" and serenity. So now, the two currents, upward & downward, Ida & Pingala, are in equilibrium, and we feel centered here in the very middle of the Toccata, as if we’re in the eye of the storm.
I wondered for some time why the heart chakra section features five repeats of the liberating theme, while the 3rd and 5th chakra sections have only four repeats. The Da Vinci Code provided the answer for me. It makes much of the pentacle (five-pointed star) as the symbol of Venus, the goddess of love and the sacred feminine. Brown, as well as astrology writers like Mark Lerner, have pointed out that Venus makes 5 stations (passages close to Earth) before returning to the same place in the zodiac 8 years later (with an advance of only 8 minutes of arc). As you can see from our tables, Venus rules the heart chakra. The 5 repeats of the liberating theme also matches the "5th element" (or ether, the quintessence), which I have linked to the heart. The pentacle is also related to the famous fibonacci series, upon which (as Pythagoras discovered) all music is based, because the lines within a pentacle are related to each other according to the fibonacci proportion.
Of course, this "divine proportion" is not absent from the great Toccata in F itself; we can expect Bach to have inserted it somewhere. In fact, the length of the liberating and manifesting sections in each of the first 5 chakra sections are related according to the divine proportion; but only in the heart chakra, and in the 2nd chakra (where Venus is exalted), are these proportions close to exact. (HERE is a footnote describing all the mathematical proportions I have so far discovered in the Toccata).
As the snake theme returns again in the second or manifesting half of the fourth chakra section, the left hand leads the way this time, representing again the yin polarity; whereas the right hand had come in before the left in the third section. A new, more-lyrical, passionate and tender phrase is also added to the start of the theme, a powerful motif that anticipates the crown chakra. Then, the same rapid "downward" movement in the pedals is heard as in the previous section, but this time it is imitated by the higher notes in the right hand, with the left hand in the middle accompanying with the slower notes. As we move higher, so do the notes. The key of this manifesting section is A minor, which is related to the C major in which the previous yin section, the 2nd chakra, started. "Related" keys have all the same notes on the keyboard; a minor just starts the scale two notes below the major. Remember we saw this also with the first two yang chakras, d minor being the related key to F major.
The third-chakra’s "uplifting" theme then enters again to start the fifth section, and this time we sense greater urgency as we continue our climb. We realize now we are in another yang or masculine chakra, the fifth or throat chakra. We can’t rest now; we are attacking the summit! There’s no messing or whirling around with the liberating theme this time, as the 4 modulations and their concluding chords all end on an upward tonic note; and the tone is getting darker and more urgent. Things are stated clearly and unambiguously, since this is the chakra of communication. As we enter the chakra ruled by Mercury, or Hermes the Magician himself, we feel about to be transformed by the magical work, and we face the dark demons within. This time, in the manifesting or second half of the 5th chakra section, the "downward" movement that once was laboriously played out with the feet on the pedals and imitated with one hand, has now been transferred upward to both hands alone. The pedal plays the slower accompanying notes. This not only represents the manual dexterity of Mercury, but indicates that we are opening up our higher mental faculties. At the same time, we feel less grounded, even as we feel higher and closer to the climax. Some listeners begin to feel strained at the anxious repetition of similar themes we’ve heard before. We begin to wonder, and to ask our Master Hermes/Bach, "will we ever get to the top?" Will our great work ever end? Is this the darkness before the light?
Soon though, as the "uplifting" theme sounds again, we have entered into the sixth chakra section, at the brow or third eye. Suddenly a breakthrough occurs, as the entire landscape stretches down before us. We realize how high we have climbed. It is like revelations are occuring. The original snake theme and the 12-chord column figure are blended together in counterpoint, and our vision breaks all boundaries as we soar upward into the exalted key of B-Flat, accompanied by Om-like bass pedal points. The music now seems graceful and poised again, since we are now in a yin chakra, and our chariot has carried us into the sattva level of higher consciousness. Once again, as in the 2nd and 4th yin sections, the chariot theme ends on a peaceful tonic chord.
Then, in the final part of this shorter 6th section (or perhaps this is the start of the 7th), the music readies us for the final leap. The "uplifting" theme enters again twice, in two fragments, and then we are hurled exuberantly into the glorious final section. A totally-transformed theme is sounded triumphantly over a huge new C-major Om-like pedal point. It is a simple theme crafted from all the preceeding elements of the music. You can also see it as stretching and extending the chords of the liberating theme. We feel the bliss in which everything seems perfect, even if only for a moment. We have arrived at the radiant golden summit; the top of the head; the crown chakra! The kundalini energy then is fully unleashed, as the uplifting, liberating theme rushes up and down the keyboard and is turned upside down and back again with seemingly reckless abandon. Light and sound flushes through us, and we are connected to the cosmos. Then the 12 chord-columns of the chariot theme sound again, this time descending from the heights. Finally, in an amazing stroke, Bach brings back the passage of tortuous ascent that he had cut from the heart chakra, and attaches it here to the end as the final coda. Now however, it seems like a theme of conquest and resolution, one that also connects the cosmic energy of the crown chakra back to our own heart center. We are back again in F major now too, as if ready to begin the entire adventure again-- perhaps on another level.
Indeed, the final chord is exactly the same as the chord that boldly introduces the second chakra, as if introducing the first section again and allowing us to start the whole Toccata over. But if the listener chooses, (s)he can move on instead into the Fugue in F that follows the Toccata, in which the new serenity and peace you have gained moves smoothly through two entirely new main themes, as if floating in glowing clouds of glory; each theme entering successively, one radiant and the other more quiet and serene, and then combined together at the end like an alchemical marriage of Sun and Moon in the 7th chakra. During the first theme, the glorious crown theme of the Toccata is alluded to often, and the second theme in places resembles the Toccata's second theme, the "liberation" theme of upward arpeggios.
It is a fun exercize to visualize the colors of each chakra, and pay attention to each center’s location in your body, while listening to each section of the Toccata in F. For which color corresponds to which chakra, see the chart below (or Judith, p.46). The whole musical image of the Toccata in F so clearly represents the chakras and kundalini, that we have to ask, how could the devout Christian J.S. Bach have been aware of the Hindu system of Tantra yoga, or even of astrology, the Tarot, or even alchemy-- sometimes called the kundalini of the West? Well, we know that the symbol of the caduceus, and similar alchemical and astrological symbols, are found all over cathedrals, on Christian crosses, and on other forms of Christian art, even though some American Christians today might consider these subjects to be the work of the devil. They are embedded in Western tradition nontheless. Bach was certainly well-exposed to the Western tradition in all its richness, and we know (as Albert Schweitzer has pointed out) that he used musical symbolism in composing his organ works (his Prelude and Fugue in E Flat is clearly a symbol of the Trinity, for example). But maybe this kind of esoteric knowledge wasn’t necessary to Bach. He simply opened himself to whatever came to him from divine inspiration. Perhaps God just spoke through him, and a universal pattern unfolded. The Toccata certainly is a mystic meditation on the soul's heroic journey to enlightenment through seven levels, which Robert Place says is a venerable ancient tradition.
It might even be that he anticipated discovery of the double helix of DNA, especially since the snake theme is in 3/4 time (3 beats per measure), just as each section of the helix contains three sets of interlocking proteins. The Toccata's initial motif, stated in the first measure and repeated thereafter in varied forms, contains 4 different notes (like the 4 molecules of DNA). The single strands of the following pedal solos are even like RNA.
Another idea illustrated by the Toccata in F is Spiral Dynamics of Integral Philosophy, which proposes that life, people and history develop in stages, and that each stage "transcends and includes" the previous stage. The toccata theme itself is spiral-like as it oscillates back and forth, and in the first two sections of the toccata, we hear the snake-like theme twirling around itself; also spiral-like. Integral Philosophy also carries the same image illustrated in the Toccata in F of the two great currents moving up and down the entire spiral. At each of the 7 levels of the toccata, we move up in spiral fashion; first a yang chakra section and then a yin, as in Spiral Dynamics. The next level also "transcends and includes" the previous one. For example, the second chakra section shows how the first can be included and transcended by keeping all the same notes, but reversing the direction (left-hand leading instead of the right) and shifting to the dominant key. The third chakra adds a whole new theme based on the original one, yet brings back the original one too. In the fourth and fifth chakras, new themes are added to the start of the recurrance of the original theme (in the manifesting sections), and the fifth section retains the theme introduced in the fourth. At each level, all the themes are transferred to higher notes on the keyboard. Finally at the 6th chakra, the themes begin to be condensed and combined together, in a way that seems to expand our vision. The chariot and snake themes are played in counterpoint. In the final section all the themes are synthesized into one seamless expression of bliss.
| chakra | chakra trait | signs | exalted planet | polarity of chakra | element | color and source | Divine Science inherency of God | Fillmore's 12 soul powers | virtue/tarot |
| 7-crown | knowledge of God | Leo | Neptune (the mystic) | yang | spirit as yang (thought) | Neptune = violet | knowledge | Leo = wisdom | Wisdom/World |
| 6-third eye | visionary | Cancer | Jupiter (higher mind, prophecy) | yin | fire as yin (light) | Jupiter = blue or violet | wisdom | Cancer = imagination | Hope/Star |
| 5-throat | expression | Virgo, Gemini | Mercury in Virgo | yang | air (gas) | air = sky blue | understanding (interpretation) | Virgo = understanding, Gemini = power of word | Temperance |
| 4-heart | love, center of being | Libra, Taurus | Saturn in Libra, Moon in Taurus (justice and mercy) | yin | spirit as yin (ether, central 5th element) | Saturn = green | love | Libra = order, Taurus = love | Justice |
| 3-navel/solar plexus | will, coordinated energy | Scorpio, Aries | Sun in Aries (conscious will) | yang | fire as yang (energy) | Sun = yellow | power | Scorpio = strength, Aries = will | Strength |
| 2-genitals/lower stomach | sensual, joyous | Sagittarius, Pisces | Venus in Pisces (sensuality) | yin | water (liquid) | Venus = orange-yellow | joy | Sagittarius = zeal, Pisces = faith | Love/Lovers |
| 1-base | grounding, survival-oriented | Capricorn, Aquarius | Mars in Capricorn (initiative) | yang | earth (solid) | Mars = red | life | Capricorn = life, Aquarius = release | Faith/Fool |
What about that other Toccata? (The famous one in D-Minor, S. 565) What does it represent? Hint: I think the "name of God" in Hebrew-- YHVH-- forms the basis for its famous 4-part fugue theme; and it’s also like a cross with the 4 directions. Briefly, the first four notes come down from above (like Y), the second four notes move upward from the middle register (like H), the third come up from below (like V), and the final four notes repeat the second four (like the second H). Each note, of course, is preceeded by the same high A note note (at the dominant), creating "oneness" through the theme. This theme is the basis for everything in this great Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, which is also known as "The Phantom of the Opera" and is said to have been Bach's symbol for a cosmic storm. It is a mainstay of the Bewitched Genre of music, and the cross with the four directions is used in many pagan, occult and shamanic traditions, as well as being a symbol of Christianity and "the throne of God" (c.f. The World tarot card below)
Topping the list is Chakra Gold by Aetherium, who are Kevin Kendle and Chris Puleston.
The Song of the Tree by Lis Addison
Light Music by Richard Shulman
Music for a Busy Head by Absolute Ambient/Matt Coldrick
Chakra Journeys by Seckund Naychur
The Seven Stages of Alchemical Transformation by Seth Osborn
Jonathon Goldman has created music on this theme.
I will mention others here as I find or remember them.
So why did the occultists of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) align these cards with the Kabbalistic Tree of Life in a descending sequence? The Tree of Life is the symbol in the Kabbalah (or Qabala, Cabalah), the Jewish mystical tradition, for divine creation and its reflection within us. See the Tree of Life as depicted by BOTA HERE. The Tree of Life shows the levels of creation or emanation from the highest in Kether, meaning crown or knowledge of God (usually linked to the crown chakra), to the lowest in Malkuth, or the worldly kingdom (usually linked to the base chakra). If the tarot trumps are the journey of the soul back up to God (or enlightenment, the mystic realization) from worldliness, it must be a journey UP the tree of life from Malkuth to Kether. They do not represent God’s descent into form. They represent evolution, not involution. Although the currents of the chakras in the caduceus run both ways, if Place’s research is correct that the trumps are a ladder that starts with worldliness and move toward the spirit and "heaven," then the tarot trumps describe the upward or liberating journey. So the famous poster of the Tree of Life created by the Builders of the Adytum, is clearly incorrect in aligning the tarot cards with the paths in the tree of life numbered from the top downward.
The Golden Dawn tradition numbers the pathways starting with path number 11 representing the Fool, and path number 12 representing the Magician, and both paths are connected to Kether (Crown, the highest circle or "sephiroth" on the Tree), and move down the Tree from there. Place says however that this way of numbering the paths was not the only one within Kabalistic tradition; just "the one which influenced the occult tarot tradition." So there is nothing sacrocanct about this sequence, even within the Kabalah. The first ten "path" numbers, of course, represent the Ten circles or sephiroth, the fruits on the tree of life. This downward numbering sequence is correct, representing the sequence followed by God in creating the World. The pathways are lines connecting these circles. But once one has reached the Worldly Kingdom, (Malkuth), at sephirah #10 at the bottom of the Tree, why not continue the numbers again from where you are, and number a path connecting these circles at the bottom of the tree as number 11, and move upward from there? The Fool would remain path #11, and The Magician path #12, but both would be placed on one of the paths connected to Malkuth at the bottom of the Tree.
That this should be done is clear from the nature of the story told by the Tarot. This allegory moves through 3 sections, representing the 3 parts of the soul. Most interpreters, such as Paul Foster Case of Builders of the Adytum, acknowledge this three-fold division of the Tarot, in which each division contains 7 cards each, with the Fool as an extra card usually numbered zero. What they miss is the importance of the direction of the Tarot’s story.
The first section of the trumps is definitely worldly, revealing that we are starting from Malkuth, the kingdom of the world, and moving upward. It includes two sets of worldly kings and queens, one secular (The Emperor and The Empress) and one sacred (The Female Pope or High Priestess, and the Pope or Hierophant/High Priest). The Magician guides us through divination to bring God’s beauty into the world; unless he appears in his lower guise as the trickster or gambler bent on beguiling us out of our money. The Lovers card appeals to our sensuality, lust and romance, but also reminds us that love is the driving force of our lives. Fueled by this Love, we then mount the Chariot and drive off, now ready to ascend further up the tree.
If this first section of the trumps is worldly, and we are not deceived by the apparent stature of the four powerful rulers of Malkuth’s Kingdom into placing them at the top of the tree, then it clearly aligns with the lower four circles on the Tree of Life, with the lower sensual, worldly and appetitive part of the soul recognized by the kabbalah (Nefesh), as well as by Plato, Freud, and the Hindus (tamas); with the subconscious part of the soul recognized in metaphysical philosophy, and also with the lower two chakras, the base and the genitals, corresponding to the first two levels on the Tree. And in the Toccata in F by Bach, S. 540, clearly another great esoteric thought structure representing the 7 levels of the hero’s journey to enlightenment or victory over death, this worldly section of trumps corresponds to the first two bright, joyous, snake-like and sensuous canons followed by foot-pounding pedal solos. Symbolically we hear the two corresponding lowest notes C and D on the 7-note scale; we see the slowest-vibrating colors red and orange on the spectrum; and we resonate with the two lowest metals lead and tin on the alchemical ladder, corresponding to faint and distant Saturn and Jupiter on the ladder of planets.
The second section of trumps clearly represents the valiant struggle of the soul with the limits of time and fate, in the course of which the 3 cardinal virtues are developed or given by grace to the soul on its upward journey. It is a difficult and arduous ascent up the tree of life, which the soul has chosen in order to triumph over death in enlightenment and liberation. If the soul stays on the pleasant and comfortable worldly level, it cannot develop the strength and wisdom to rise up the tree to spiritual immortality, but instead will be forever subject to the world’s kingdom and ruled by its appetites and compulsions. In the third chakra the virtue of Strength at the solar plexus gives us the power and will to conquer the obstacles of fate, and we enter the ascetic path of the Hermit to learn the discipline and patience of spiritual practice. We learn from the Wheel of Fortune, representing Fate, that the rewards of the world come and go with time, and we develop the virtue of Justice at the heart chakra to give us the sense of form and balance within to make our choices from the Heart instead of just reacting to what Fate brings. We undergo the sacrifice of initiation with the Hanged Man in order to remain true to our heart’s guidance despite the world’s opposition, and we learn to hang loose and unleash ourselves from our "hang-ups" so that our heart energy can flow compassionately outward to meet the world’s needs. At the throat chakra we even stare face to face into the abyss of Death, so that we can let go of our egos in order to change and grow more easily. We develop the virtue of Temperance or adaptation to interpret and deal with all these challenges with greater equanimity.
Clearly then, we are in the middle of the tree of life, aligned with its three central levels; as well as with the "moral" part of the soul recognized by the kabbalah (Ruah) in which the "virtues" are developed; with the "spirited" or wilful, courageous, passionate part of the soul recognized by Plato, with the conscious part of the soul understood by metaphysical philosophy, with the ego of conscious choice described by Freud, and with the passionate, ambitious rajas of the Hindus. We move through the third, fourth and fifth chakras, and in Bach’s Toccata we ascend through the vast uplifting themes and soaring columns and chords of its three-part central section, where we feel the challenge and struggle of our climb up the tree. On the scale we hear the powerful E, the radiant and pastoral F and the clear and noble sounds of G, and we see bright yellow, soothing and life-giving green, and calm but passionate blue. The metals get ever more radiant and colorful, as we climb through iron, copper and mercury and the corresponding planets Mars, Venus and Mercury.
The last seven tarot cards in the third section of trumps complete our ascent back to the spirit. First we meet the Devil, who administers the final temptation. The last layers hiding our demons and illusions are stripped away and we meet them face to face. Then the lightning flash strikes them down along with the worldly Tower of Power, as the Devil and the lower two parts of the soul are overthrown and no longer rule us. The obstacles now cleared away, the glories of spiritual realms are suddenly revealed to us in The Star, and the two halves of our being are integrated. We climb the stairway to heaven through planets of ever greater radiance, from the Star and the 7 planets to the Moon and the Sun, and we transcend the time they keep and consummate the alchemical divine marriage of male and female within. In Judgement we are released from our graves and attain spiritual immortality, the mystical goal; and we achieve enlightenment and union with the universe at The World. We dance upon the throne of God. Without a doubt, the Tarot has taken us up to the top of the tree, not down to the bottom! We have rejoined God (the mystic truth) in the highest three sephiroth, and have aligned with the highest part of the soul, called Neshemah by the Kabalah, reason and wisdom by Plato, the super-conscious by metaphysics, the super-ego by Freud, and sattvas by the Hindus. We have reached the visionary third-eye or 6th chakra, the crown or 7th chakra of spiritual knowledge, and the glorious two-part final synthesis in Bach’s Toccata. We hear the bright high tones of A and the compelling, exotic sounds of B-flat and B. We see the unworldly, psychic and spiritual colors of indigo and purple or violet. We have transformed lead into the radiant metals silver and gold, and reached the top of the planetary ladder with the corresponding brightest celestial bodies, the Moon and the Sun.
| 3 parts of soul: Plato | Kabbalah | Hindu gunas | Freud's psychology | metaphysics | chakra | Toccata in F section | tone | color | metal | planet | Tree of Life |
| reason/wisdom | Neshemah | sattvas | super-ego | super-conscious | 7=crown | synthesis: crown theme | B | violet/purple | gold | The Sun | Kether (crown) |
| reason/wisdom | Neshemah | sattvas | super-ego | super-conscious | 6=3rd eye | synthesis: breakthrough | A | indigo | silver | The Moon | Hokmah (wisdom) & Binah (understanding) |
| passion/will | Ruah | rajas | ego | conscious | 5=throat | uplifting chords, urgent and clear | G | blue | mercury | Mercury | Hesod (mercy) & Gevurah (severity) |
| passion/will | Ruah | rajas/sattvas | ego | conscious | 4=heart | uplifting chords, calm and centered | F | green | copper | Venus | Tipereth (beauty) |
| passion/will | Ruah | rajas | ego | conscious | 3=navel | uplifting chords, strong and fiery | E | yellow | iron | Mars | Netzah (victory) & Hod (glory) |
| appetite/worldly | Nefesh | tamas | id | sub-conscious | 2=genitals | joyous canon, left hand leads | D | orange | tin | Jupiter | Yesod (foundation) |
| appetite/worldly | Nefesh | tamas | id | sub-conscious | 1=base | joyous canon, right hand leads | C | red | Lead | Saturn | Malkuth (kingdom) |
Given this clear direction of the Tarot up the tree of life, what should we make of the Hebrew alphabet to which occultists link the 22 paths on the tree of life, and the 22 trumps of the Tarot? Each Hebrew letter represents a concrete image, starting with "ox" for the first letter aleph, and "house" for beth, and so on through "cross" or "mark" for the last letter tau. Occultists generally link the first letter aleph or "ox" with The Fool (trump zero), the second letter beth or "house" to The Magician (trump one), the third letter gimel or "camel" with The Priestess (trump two), the fourth letter daleth or "door" with The Empress (trump three), and so on. The complete list of correspondences can be found on page 81 of Place's book The Tarot, and also at the BOTA web site.
Arthur Waite and Robert Place make the good point that depending on the Hebrew letters and their simple symbols to understand the Tarot can rob the rich images on the cards of their symbolic power. Clearly the correlations don’t always make a lot of sense by themselves anyway. The sword, for example, is not a good symbol of the lovers card (trump six), and doesn’t tell us what it means. The Priestess does not much resemble a camel! What does a fish have to do with Death, or the Tower with the human mouth? Perhaps the Tower of Babel? Speaking truth to power? One may discover intriguing and illuminating hidden links between the letters and the cards, but such speculations don’t resonate with our experience in a powerful way.
Even so, some of the correspondences make some sense. Religion (as in The Pope) means to bind, and so does a nail (the letter corresponding to The Pope, or 5th trump). Occultists and thus "Magicians" named their Masonic orders after housebuilders. The eye (the Hebrew letter linked to The Devil card) can be a prime source of satanic temptation. The cross represents the four corners of the world depicted on the World card. And so on. The Hebrew alphabet can be seen as yet another system of spiritual knowledge describing the journey to virtue and enlightenment, and is used thus in the Bible. If the Hebrew alphabet contains 22 letters, and the Tarot 22 trumps, it is logical to seek a correspondence between these two spiritual systems; even if one sees that the Tarot was not historically based on the Hebrew alphabet, as some authors allege. And it is quite a coincidence that Tarot cards have 10 numbered cards in each suit (same number as the Sephiroth of the kabalah's Tree of Life), as well as 22 trumps (same as the number of pathways); and that 10 planets plus the 12 signs of the zodiac = 22.
Here is where I see something that has not been pointed out elsewhere to my knowledge. If we align the Hebrew alphabet with the journey UP the Tree of Life diagram, instead of Down, as is usually done, we can see that, just like the Tarot, the Hebrew alphabet falls into three distinct groups of seven. We can even join the first letter "ox" with the first group to make eight letters in the first section.
Furthermore, the obvious meanings of these three groups of letters coincide perfectly with the meanings of the three groups (low, middle and high) in the Tarot, the Tree of Life, the chakras, the toccata, and all the other systems, where there is a lower worldly or sensual part, a middle moral or passionate part, and a higher rational or spiritual part. And yet on the BOTA Tree of Life, the higher letters and cards are placed on pathways at the bottom of the tree, and the lower letters and cards are placed on pathways at the top of the tree. From the evidence of the meanings of the cards and letters themselves, this order needs to be switched!
In the first group, from aleph to cheth, we see no less than
five letters that mean a house and parts thereof: house, door, window,
nail (or hook) and fence. Two of the other letters represent heavy beasts of burden: the
ox (or bull) and the camel. The remaining letter stands for a weapon used to defend
all this property, the sword. The first group of letters represents worldly
concerns: the need to survive and prosper in the world by building and
defending a physical house and a yard (the "Emperor's domain"), and using beasts of burden there to meet your needs. They thus could not correctly coincide with the upper
three sephiroth that represent knowledge of God, God the Father in heaven,
and the great Mother goddess of celestial love and understanding! Instead they correspond with Malkuth the worldly kingdom, with life’s Foundation or fertility, its sensuous
Splendour, and its Victory (perhaps victory in fending off threats to worldly acquisition):
the lower four sephiroth.
Another interesting coincidence appears when we compare the first 8 letters to the Joyful Mysteries among the Christian Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries we discussed before. If the Magician and most of the first eight letters represent a house, and if therefore these letters represent the first or worldly part of the journey shown in the tarot and the toccata, then these symbols also correspond to Christ's early life (the Joyful Mysteries) when Jesus was a carpenter (house-builder). Here again this shows how the tarot and the Hebrew alphabet represent the spiritual mystic journey from worldly pursuits UP THE TREE to spiritual liberation, as this is reflected in the Christ story as well as other similar storys such as Buddha's life and Plato's myth of the cave, where we start in a position of being immersed in the world and its concerns and trappings of power.
In the second group from teth to samekh, which would coincide
with the middle sephiroth whichever direction (moving up or down the Tree) is chosen, we see another interesting fact. Two of the letters represent the human hand. The occultists
seemed to have forgotten Adam Kadmon. This is the kabalistic doctrine that
the tree of life aligns with the perfect Man-- Adam-- and symbolically
with the human body of everyone. If this is so, it is logical that the
middle group of Hebrew letters should have symbols for the hands in the
middle of the body. It also contains two symbols for tools used by the
hands; an ox goad, and a tent peg-- linked to the virtue cards Justice and Temperance respectively. The peg or prop indicates that we are less focused on permanent shelter and security in the world and more willing to "camp out" and thus adapt, move and grow (and "adaptation" is what the word Temperance, linked to this symbol, originally meant). This middle section also contains two animals, like the first; but they are not beasts of burden, but symbols of powers or "virtues" in the human soul: the serpent (representing Strength) and the fish (representing Death, or the ability to swim with the currents of change). Finally there
is water, a symbol of passion often associated with the heart, the center
of our being. Water is in the middle of the elements too; less stable than
earth, but more substantial than air and fire.
In the third group, from ayin to tav, the correspondence with
Adam Kadmon is made crystal clear. No less than five of the seven letters
are named after parts of the human head: eye, mouth, back of head, front
of head, and tooth. The head is the seat of the higher chakras, and thus
the spiritual parts of the soul. This is known to all occultists, and yet
they link these letters to the groin, the genitals and the stomach! The
other two symbols are a fish hook, the means of spiritual discovery within
the sea of life; and the cross of the 4 elements, which symbolizes the throne (or crown)
of God, linked to The World card where this throne is pictured; and also to the cross of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Christ.
Further support for reversing the order on the Tree is shown by the astrological correlations made to the letters and cards. The signs run from pioneering Aries for The Emperor near the start of the letter order, to spiritual Pisces for Moon near the end. Paul Foster Case, founder of BOTA, goes on to link these signs to colors and tones, starting with red and C for Aries and Emperor and ending with purple and B for Pisces and the Moon card. But we know that the lowest chakra corresponds with red and C, and the highest chakra with purple and B. Taking the chakras into account, clearly the order in which the cards move up the tree fits better with BOTA's own correlations.
Clearly, the Hebrew letters take us up, not down the Tree of life; and if they correspond to Tarot trumps, the same direction is shown. The Tarot triumph is thus also a journey UP the Tree.
Interestingly, Robert Place noted that the High Priestess card was originally a picture of a female pope chosen by a heretical 13th-century sect which called itself "the new age." So the order implied by Bach in his toccata was actually a prophecy of the new age and the feminism of today! And as I noted before, the powerful presence of love, joy and sensuality near the beginning of the journey also shows how much of a motivating factor it is; we could not make the ascent without it. The discipline of virtue needs to be seen not as inflicting pain or domination on oneself or others. Rather, it is focusing on our 7 soul centers, and recognizing the power over us of our own uncentered demonic compulsions, fears and habits. By becoming conscious of these "demons," we master them. This is what Buddha meant, I contend, by his second Noble Truth, in which craving and attachment is named as the cause of suffering; which in turn is healed by Awakening (Nirvana, the 3rd Noble Truth). Remember also that on the Strength card, a woman tames a powerful lion using love. Notice how in the Toccata the pedal, heard solo in the Lovers card, soon leads the way in the uplifting theme of the Strength card.
We also know today that our reasoning mind is not always virtuous, but often is chief among our demons. The ancient philosophers did recognize, however, that reclaiming ourselves and our consciousness from these compulsions is true power and virtue, not the worldly dominance over other people depicted on the lower trumps. They taught us that our addiction to indulgence, fear or comfort sometimes needs to be sacrificed in order to achieve "the great work." We also notice that the virtues and the highest wisdom are represented in the cards by females. Perhaps religious liberals and conservatives can find some common ground in the universal symbols of the Tarot trumps. It is interesting that the "severity" of Justice, represented by the card Justice and by the sephirah circle colored red on the Tree of Life by modern occultists, and the leniency, nurturance and openness of Mercy, represented by the Hanged Man trump and by the blue sephirah on the Tree, are both linked and balanced in Tipereth, the kabalistic symbol of the heart. Perhaps in the spiritual journey, then, we can reconcile today’s red and blue states and their conflicting values in the culture wars. In my order, Temperance is placed between the red and blue circles on the Tree of Life.
Let's look more closely now at the correlations between the Tarot trumps and Bach's Toccata in F. See the Table below. You can follow this journey by looking at the cards as we go. HERE is a good summary with pictures of the tarot cards by Builders of the Adytum. HERE is an article and pictures from Wikipedia on the Waite-Smith tarot deck, and of the earlier French deck called Tarot of Marseilles
I have decided that The Fool card represents the basic three-chord or "triad" figure that concludes the piece (three "ABA" chords, of which the last is the 3-note "triad"). It also concludes the first section, after the first pedal solo, and thereby introduces the second section. At the start of the third section (or end of the second), it becomes the 3 last chords that follow the 12-chord pillar figure that represents the Chariot. Thus, it also introduces the third chakra, and appears in every chakra thereafter. It also appears in the liberating theme, which is repeated often, and at the beginning of the "manifesting" themes (the return of the initial snake theme), during the middle sections. In other words, this figure is ubiquitous throughout the Toccata, and in any case it is hardly unique to this piece of music. That the figure has three chords could represent the three parts of the soul that we all have. The Fool is the symbol of Everyman who makes the journey, and the basic three-note chord is its symbol in the Toccata. It comes at the end, which also can become the beginning if you start the Toccata over again; thus introducing the first canon, just as it later introduces the second. Since the Fool and its number zero represents what precedes all manifestation, you could say that the chord preceeding the toccata is inaudible and "unmanifest"-- unless you start the music over from the end. So the Fool’s journey also involves reconnecting with his beginnings, and his discovery that "in my end is my beginning" or that eternity has "ended before the beginning." I also think the aspiring and adventurous, idealistic tone with which the Toccata opens represents the Fool's spirit of faith as he embarks on his journey to enlightenment.
The Magician is represented by the first pedal solo. It is the first trump, and although it doesn’t come first in the Toccata, it goes the lowest on the keyboard (the lowest pedal notes), leading us as it were into the depths of matter. So it represents the lowest trump on the journey. But it can also be seen to be bringing the spirit down to the earth, just as the Magician’s hands point to heaven above and the earth below, symbol of the hermetic phrase, "as above, so below." It thus fulfills its role in the Toccata as representing the "manifesting" current. In fact, just as the Magician in the original game of the Tarot had the lowest rank, but one of the highest scores if you hold it at the end, so the Magician represents the final term and destination of the manifesting current which starts with God or Spirit at the crown. Thus he stands for the full power to manifest spirit into reality and bring beauty into the world.
I have assigned the two male rulers The Emperor and Pope or Hierophant (High Priest) to the first canon or snake theme, and the two female rulers the Empress and Papess or High Priestess to the second (both canons clearly have 2 parts, because the theme starts over half-way through). One could also assign the secular rulers to the first and the sacred rulers to the second, which would correspond to some early Tarot decks reported by Robert Place in The Tarot. I prefer the first grouping because the first chakra is considered male (yang) and the second female (yin) by Anodea Judith in Wheels of Life, and this also corresponds to Malkuth and Yesod on the Tree of life. During the second half of each canon snake, which symbolizes the two sacred rulers Pope and Priestess, the repeating canon is interrupted each time by a motif that resembles and anticipates the final crown theme (only 1 note is missing), as if the two sacred rulers are mediating the divine for their subjects. This motif even has 3 notes, as if representing the Pope's tiara (3-pointed crown). By the way these same notes also introduce or "frame" the chariot theme in the middle chakras, as if guiding our journey.
The planetary rulers of the zodiac signs representing the lower two chakras are Saturn and Jupiter, which could represent the secular and sacred rulers respectively; but what’s more interesting is that the planets exalted in these signs are Mars and Venus (in the first and second chakras, respectively). These again are male symbols for the first chakra, like the Emperor and Pope, and female for the second, like the Empress and High Priestess. The first chakra could thus signify male sexuality, usually seen to be lower in the male body than female sexuality is in the female body, and thus female sexuality is represented by the second chakra. The Empress, of course, is clearly a sensuous symbol, and her Venusian sweetness really shines through in the second canon of Bach's Toccata in F.
If the trump order is changed to reflect the chakras and the Toccata-- and the "new age" order in which female rulers trump males ones, and in which the "esoteric" High Priestess trumps the "exoteric" Pope-- we have:
2. Emperor (Aries, camel) (formerly #4, Aries, window)
3. Pope (Mars, door) (formerly #5, Taurus, nail)
4. Empress (Venus, window) (formerly #3, Venus, door)
5. Female Pope (Taurus, nail) (formerly #2, Moon, camel)
The male Pope is usually assigned to Taurus, a feminine sensuous sign; which makes no sense at all. In this order, on the other hand, the female pope or High Priestess would be trump #5, and assigned to Taurus, which is ruled by Venus, and is the sign in which the Moon is exalted. Robert Place reports that the High Priestess is probably celebrating the pagan rites of Venus. In the Da Vinci Code, remember, the number 5 (or pentacle) represents Venus and the sacred feminine. Changing these astrological symbols for the cards would allow us to restore the Moon (traditionally linked to the High Priestess) to the Moon card-- now usually assigned (without much reason) to Pisces. Then the Tower, representing liberation, would be assigned to liberating, rebellious Aquarius instead of Mars, and The Star (which, like Pisces, integrates the two halves of experience) would be assigned to Pisces instead of Aquarius. Obviously though, the Pope is also connected to Jupiter or Pisces.
This dissolves the patriarchal order, but other speculations can be made too. Camel (gimel) could also be switched with fence (cheth), so that camel represents the Chariot and fence represents The Emperor. Then all 4 rulers in the tarot trumps would correspond to the parts of the house built by the Magician (beth). Emperors build fences between peoples, and the camel is a kind of chariot (the ship of the desert). But in that case, The Chariot would be trump 2 and the Emperor trump 7, if the Hebrew alphabet's order is maintained. It seems to be the case that the order among the lower group of trumps can be moved around more than the upper groups.
Taking suggestions from another web site, I have also thought that, if Jupiter (symbol of organized religion) is the Pope, then Saturn (fate) could represent Fortune, while Pisces could take Saturn's place as symbol of The World card (universal consciousness). Then The Star would be Aquarius again, but Uranus (rebellion) could be The Tower instead of Aquarius or Mars. Since brave, pioneering Mars, which was my "new age" symbol for The Pope, has here been displaced in that role by Jupiter, Mars could then represent The Fool (instead of Uranus) as initiator of the journey. But Aries could also serve this purpose, with Mars then as symbol of The Emperor. The signs and planets then all line up in order, but with Sun and Moon still near the top (and Neptune still comes before Uranus).
This order, with Aries as The Fool, has the advantage that (if The Fool is placed first in the order), the virtue tarot cards line up with both the chakras and the Yang signs-- plus Pisces (final yin sign) as the final virtue Wisdom. I call this the Yang=Virtue order. The chakras, virtue cards and yang signs are: 1.Fool/Faith = Aries, 2.Lovers/Love = Gemini, 3.Strength = Leo, 4.Justice = Libra, 5.Temperance = Sagittarius, 6.Star/Hope = Aquarius, 7.World/Wisdom = Pisces. These are incorporated in the table below.
Perhaps each card and letter can have several astrological correlations, each of which adds to our understanding of them. Remember you can see the traditional order at the BOTA web site. This order is still valid, insofar as the patriarchal order is still and has been the way of the world. Remember too that all symbols can have several different meanings or correspondences at times, depending on the context. No one definition or picture can exhaust the full meaning of a genuine symbol, which always holds within it the energy of the infinite divine.
Here is my own table with four of the many possible orders correlating the cards, letters and astrology, so you can see which one you like best. Unlike BOTA's chart, however, and in keeping with my other charts here, I put the last letter tau on the highest level of the chart, so that the letters and cards represent the journey upward. The first three orders, based on the Kaballah which attributes one sign or planet to each letter, can be called the direct current running up the chakra tree. The final chakra order can be called the alternating current, since there are two simultaneous sequences, one running up from Winter to Summer signs (the liberating current) and the other down from Summer to Winter signs (the manifesting current).
| Soul Level | Trump | Tarot/Virtue | Hebrew letter | Patriarchal | New Age | Yang=Virtue | Chakra |
| Reason | 21 | World/Wisdom | tau=cross | Saturn | Saturn | Pisces | 7.Leo/Neptune |
| Reason | 20 | Judgement | shin=tooth | fire/Pluto | Pluto | Pluto | 7.Leo/Neptune |
| Reason | 19 | Sun | resh=front of head | Sun | Sun | Sun | 6/7.Leo |
| Reason | 18 | Moon | qoph=back of head | Pisces | Moon | Moon | 6.Cancer/Jupiter |
| Reason | 17 | Star/Hope | tzaddi=fish hook | Aquarius | Pisces | Aquarius | 6.Cancer/Jupiter |
| Reason | 16 | Tower | peh=mouth | Mars | Aquarius | Uranus | 6.Cancer |
| Reason | 15 | Devil | ayin=eye | Capricorn | Capricorn | Capricorn | 5.Virgo/Mercury |
| Will | 14 | Temperance | samekh=tent peg | Sagittarius | Sagittarius | Sagittarius | 5.Gemini |
| Will | 13 | Death | nun=fish | Scorpio | Scorpio | Scorpio | 5.Gemini |
| Will | 12 | Hanged Man | mem=water | water/Neptune | Neptune | Neptune | 4.Taurus/Moon |
| Will | 11 | Justice | lamed=ox goad | Libra | Libra | Libra | 4.Libra/Saturn |
| Will | 10 | Wheel of Fortune | kaph=closed hand | Jupiter | Jupiter | Saturn | 3.Scorpio |
| Will | 9 | Hermit | open hand | Virgo | Virgo | Virgo | 3.Aries |
| Will | 8 | Strength | teth=serpent | Leo | Leo | Leo | 3.Aries/Sun |
| Appetite | 7 | Chariot | cheth=fence | Cancer | Cancer | Cancer | 2.Sagittarius |
| Appetite | 6 | Lovers/Love | zain=sword | Gemini | Gemini | Gemini | 2.Sagittarius |
| Appetite | 5 | Pope | vav=nail | Taurus | 3/Mars | Jupiter | 1.Capricorn/Mars |
| Appetite | 4 | Emperor | heh=window | Aries | 2/Aries | Mars | 1.Capricorn/Mars |
| Appetite | 3 | Empress | daleth=door | Venus | 4/Venus | Venus | 2.Pisces/Venus |
| Appetite | 2 | Priestess | gimel=camel | Moon | 5/Taurus | Taurus | 2.Pisces/Venus |
| Appetite | 1 | Magician | beth=house | Mercury | Mercury | Mercury | 1.Aquarius |
| 0 | Fool/Faith | aleph=ox | air/Uranus | Uranus | Aries | 1.Aquarius |
The first two canons of the Toccata vividly symbolize two great wheels or spirals moving in opposite directions. It is amazing to behold. The masculine right hand leads in the first section, and the feminine left hand leads in the second, each section thus moving in reverse order from the other. This is a clear symbol of the change of direction from the first chakra to the second. The glyphs of the planets that rule these chakras also reflect this reversal. The switch of hands at the second canon, which also switches to the dominant key, represents the duality that Chakra Two introduces, according to Anodea Judith. Robert Place also points out that in many tarot decks, the Emperor and Empress cards each display shields with birds facing opposite directions (like the 2 canons and the first 2 chakras turning in opposing directions), indicating that at the beginning of the mystic journey the male and female aspects of the soul separate so they can later be reunited. Even Johann Sebastian Bach's personal seal shows his ornate initials JSB pictured in opposite directions on each side (mirror images of each other), and united in the crowned center. Seeing this seal, I have to say that the Toccata in F, which it so clearly resembles, is probably one of Bach's "signature pieces."
Wow; even the letters J and B are used in tarot cards and masonic rituals to represent the male and female forces (Joachim/Jakin and Boaz, pictured on the High Priestess card, representing columns in Solomon's Temple), and the S becomes the uniting pillar and pedal note in the center! J for Johann and B for Bach also refer to J and P from the MBTI Jungian personality test, and to I and P or Ida and Pingala from kundalini. "S" for Sebastian of course also stands for Sushumna, spiral, spirit, snake, serpent, Shakti, Shekinah, Solomon, etc. etc.
On page 137 of Robert Place's book The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination, he shows an alchemical illustration from 1618 by Michael Maier showing Zeus letting two eagles fly in opposite directions to find the sacred center. Place suggests that this image and myth may be the source of the two birds facing opposite directions on the Emperor and Empress cards. I couldn't help notice the striking resemblance of this illustration to Bach's seal. The text containing this illustration is called "Atalanta Fugiens" (fugue means flight, and we all know how closely the fugue in music is associated with Bach). Michael Maier himself was also a musician who wrote a set of fugues, which were also entitled "Atalanta Fugiens" (You can hear one on a Dorian recording called Music for Witches and Alchemists). Looking at the illustration and the seal, we remember the two canons in the Toccata in F, each played with the opposite hand leading, which I have used to symbolize the Emperor and Empress cards (together with Pope and Papess). The elaborate quality of Bach's seal reminds one of Oriental, Arabic, Moorish, Celtic and Baroque images full of interwoven rich detail, as is Bach's music. In fact, organist Lionel Rogg refers in the liner notes from his Bach Organ Works album to the canons or "snake themes" (as I call them) as "arabesques." The caduceus symbol originates from Arab lands, and is often depicted on Arab talismans in a style closely resembling Bach's seal (for example, see page 135 of Alchemy by Titus Burckhardt (a Penguin book).
In my article The Tarot Journey, I compare the 16 royal face cards in the tarot deck's Minor Arcana to the 16 Jungian-based MBTI personality types. The four greater imperial rulers (Emperor, Pope, Empress, Female Pope) in the trump cards or Major Arcana, I think, each represent one of the four functions individually within all of us (see The Tarot Journey).
Here is one way of looking at the 4 imperial tarot cards in the context of the four-fold world (represented by arms of the cross, or *quadrants of the circle, or both), with the 5th element in the center; all placed in toccata order (not cyclic order). Placed in this chart, it is easier to see some of the more obscure connections between the symbols. With the center included, this 5-fold symbolic arrangement is called a quincunx.
| Imperial Tarot cards #1-5 | Emperor | Pope/High Priest | Magician | Empress | Papess/High Priestess |
| Bach Toccata in F portion | first canon pt.1 | first canon pt.2 | first pedal solo | second canon pt.1 | second canon pt.2 |
| *Bach's seal; corresponding symbols | Eagle facing left/East = | J = Johann, Joachim, Judging | S = Sebastian, Shakti, Sushumna | Eagle facing right/West = | B = Bach, Boaz, Perceiving |
| *Jungian Function | thinking | intuition (archetypal knowledge) | individuation | sensation | feeling (psychic or esoteric knowledge) |
| *philosophy circle | rationalism | essentialism | spiritualism manifest | empiricism | existentialism |
| Element | air | fire | spirit | earth | water |
| Weather | dry | hot | alive | cold | wet |
| Cardinal Direction | East | Up/South (or North) | Center | Down/North (or South) | West |
| *Quadrant | lower east | upper east | center | lower west | upper west |
| Tarot suit | swords | wands | trumps | coins/pentacles | cups |
| MBTI Type | NT | NF | integrated | ST | SF |
| *Court cards | knights | kings | imperial cards | pages | queens |
| *Evangelist | Matthew | Mark | Jesus | Luke | John (or Mary Magdaline) |
| *Symbolic Creature | Man/Angel | Lion | Lady on World card | Bull | Eagle |
| *Zodiac Sign | Aquarius | Leo | anima mundi | Taurus | Scorpio |
| Astrology symbol, revised Golden Dawn | Aries | Mars | Mercury | Venus | Taurus |
| *Social Class | Noble | Priest | Saint/outcast | Merchant | Peasant/Worker |
| Social Archetype | Teacher/King | Visionary/Priest | the integrated person | Warrior | Healer/Lover |
| Generation type | Civic Hero | Idealistic Prophet | society as a whole | Reactive Nomad | Adaptive Artist |
| *Color Wheel | yellow/orange | red | purple | green | blue |
| *Sephiroth | Glory | Wisdom/Severity | Beauty | Victory | Understanding/Mercy |
According to Place, the the Lovers represent joining together the male and female into one stream of energy. Thus it can be represented by the single stream of the second pedal solo, and the carnal passions trampled out by the feet in this pedal solo represent the next level of the manifesting current that we meet, as we go up and it moves downward. This time the pedal movement is freer than with the Magician, moving upward as well as downward, as love frees us to move onward and upward in our quest for immortality, or causes us to choose whether to move up the tree to enlightenment or stay down on the level of sensuous love. Recall that the upward movement during this 2nd pedal solo, the section representing The Lovers, features a bar in which almost the same notes are heard as in the uplifting theme itself, which we hear as we move up the tree and encounter the virtues. The choice to move up is thus presented to the seeker. We are thrust forward, and find ourselves in The Chariot (the warrior in a cart pulled by both a white and a black steed).
This is perhaps the clearest and most important symbol in the Toccata for a Tarot trump. The series of 6 dual chords, each preceeded by a pedal note, can be seen as 6 triangles, and they alternate between higher and lower pedal notes; thus between triangles pointing downward and pointing upward. Obviously this represents the 3 figures on the card, the warrior and his 2 horses; repeated 6 times. But it is also said by some occult authors to be the exact symbol for the Merkabah, the spiritual vehicle of ascension (for example, Nothing in This Book is True by Bob Frissell, p.26). The two moving triangles combined together is called the Star or Seal of Solomon, and is a key symbol used in The Da Vinci Code. Together the two triangles, one pointed up and one down, also combines the symbols for the 4 elements, as well as representing the two chakra currents.
The up and down movement of the pedal notes thrusts the Chariot up the tree, not only here, at the start of the third section (which is also regarded as the end of the second section), but throughout the rest of the mystical journey, since we hear this theme again in all the following sections. In fact, the journey itself is often symbolized in many stories by the hero in his chariot, so it is fitting that we hear it on each level from now on.
After the first hearing here of the Chariot theme, we begin our conscious struggle for liberation by discovering our virtue of Strength (a woman taming a lion), and there’s no better symbol of it than this fiery upward arpeggio. It is repeated here four times in succession, "boldly" moving through 4 different keys; the first two ending on an upward note, and the last two on a downward note. This shows how strength is really receptive as well as assertive. Each time the pedal sounds the theme first, then imitated twice by the hands as if the spiral energy is continuing. Soon afterward the Chariot theme is heard again, preceeded or "framed" (in this and each of the 3 virtue card sections) by an altered, more mobile or unbalanced version of the final chord (representing the World card, showing how God is setting the direction of our journey, and giving us our virtues by grace). Interpreters of the Chariot card say that initially the two horses are unruly, meaning that the seeker (the charioteer or "soul of reason") needs to learn to direct and balance the energies of the "lower souls" (soul of appetite and soul of will), and by framing the chariot theme Bach is indicating that the seeker is gaining guidance and learning to direct his energies toward the goal.
Then the arduous struggle or climbing theme is heard. This theme represents the Hermit or ascetic, who stands atop a lonely mountain to which he has climbed, holding a lantern to guide the climbers below. We feel like mountain climbers here during this passage, as the liberating theme climbs higher three times (through 6 measures); then the snake theme returns and is transformed into a passionate rush of 7 variations. Thus, the whole journey is represented, and the six-pointed star which shines in the Hermit's lamp is represented by the 6 measures of the climbing theme.
Then we hear the most powerful chords of the entire Toccata, representing the great Wheel of Fortune. It indeed sounds like some great wheel in motion. These seven or eight chords could indeed stand for the eight spokes of the great Wheel. Another interesting coincidence is that in Kevin Kendle's new age music work on The Tarot, his theme for Wheel of Fortune is the same as these chords in Bach's Toccata in F. Represented in occult lore by Jupiter, The Wheel of Fortune is presented here with all the fateful power and flourish befitting the world’s wealth and prestige. We have met again the downward manifesting current, apparently still very powerful, like Fate; though not heard as far down on the scale, nor played out so long, as were the pedal solos on the first two lower levels. The snake theme returns, now played by both hands and feet with lots of twirls and trills, taking us upward; but this is followed by a tortured, agonizing descent played out thunderously on the pedals and imitated in the left hand. In this agonizing descent the right hand stands out, providing a slower-moving up-and-down counter-phrase of high notes, as if representing the descent of a higher virtue into this lower level, where the French Tarot creators deliberately installed it according to Robert Place. In the next two higher chakra sections of the Toccata, this same downward movement is heard again, but this time it is transferred first to the pedals and right hand, with the left hand in the middle accompanying (in the Hanged Man portion in the middle 4th chakra), and then to both hands alone, with the pedal accompanying (in the Devil portion, in the higher 5th chakra). The pedal accompanying in the fifth chakra could represent the lowest virtue Temperance’s placement in the higher section, in accordance with this pattern.
This is the first of three sections played entirely in a minor key. These are not only "manifesting" sections, but have been called meditations on human Fate; the troubles we all share on our journey. The more "tragic" minor keys symbolize this. This section in d minor represents Fate and Fortune; the necessities of life we must face. The section in a minor in the 4th chakra represents the Hanged Man, where we deal with society's rejection. The section in g minor in the 5th chakra represents The Devil, where we meet our inner demons-- the ultimate adversary.
The 4th heart chakra section consists of only two cards, Justice and Hanged Man. I indicated above how they represent the heart.
Each of the 3 virtue cards (Strength, Justice and Temperance) are represented successively by the liberating theme that lifts us upward on the Tree and the chakras. This time it is repeated in a leisurely gait through five modulations, dangling like the scales of Justice. Justice represents the side of the heart that can close and defend itself and determine its preferences, according to its inward wisdom of what is right, just and beautiful. The virtue of Justice, the woman holding the scales and a sword, is linked to Libra The Scales, which is able to take time to weigh alternatives and find balance.
The virtue Justice was considered the highest by Plato. When the Golden Dawn switched the cards to place Justice here instead of Strength, they lined up the highest virtue with the central chakra and center of our being; the place of love and order where wise people find guidance and inner knowing. This is also why I have aligned it with the element of Spirit (or Ether), which is considered central to the others. The Heart is also called the Sacred Center, and so is the Crown, which I also link to the element Spirit.
The Hanged Man (the man hanging upside down from a cross-beam to which he is tied) represents the heart’s openness, which allows the soul to sacrifice itself and hang loose, letting the current of life flow down through it, thus linking it to the flowing power of water. It is also the manifesting half of the 4th chakra, which is aptly symbolized by the downward-pointing position of the hanging man, and by the sacrifice which he suffers and endures for the good of his fellows and his quest. By being receptive, the Hanged Man (like Jesus on the cross) brings the current of spirit downward and allows it to flow into the world. Thus, it is really liberating too. This section of the piece is among its most powerful and poignant. After the chariot theme ends with the basic "fool" chords, at the end of "Justice," the same chords immediately jump up majestically an octave higher, with the last chord held longer in passionate fashion, and then the following notes (including the new poignant phrase) hang down the scale from it.
It is also noteable that the huge Wheel of Fortune chords are the geographic center of the Toccata (as many bars before and after), just as they represent the center of gravity in the body (the third chakra). The Hanged Man chords come at the phi proportion, since it contains bar number 271 out of 438 total, and this corresponds to the center of the heart chakra, the core of the soul. More on the Toccata's proportions below. If you are following the toccata on Youtube, watch the knob's place on the status bar at this point and you'll see the divine proportion.
For the fifth chakra, I placed the virtue Temperance before Death so it could be represented by the liberation theme. The Temperance card usually pictures an angel (or a woman with wings) pouring water between two pitchers. Like the original creators of the Tarot, I am mixing the order around a little bit, but not departing from what is essential (interestingly, on page 36 of Place's Tarot book, he shows deGebelin's trump card drawings, in which deGebelin "mistakenly" labeled both Temperance and Death as number 13). Speaking of mixing, "proper mixture" is what the word "temperance" means. By discovering and learning this virtue, we have the inner balance of temperament to face and adapt to the unknown, "the great abyss" in the next 2 cards. The liberation theme here sounds four times, each time ending with the "Fool" chords. The chords alternate between higher and lower octaves (first the chords are heard high on the scale; then low), which reminds us of the tarot image of the angel pouring water from one cup above to another cup below it to obtain the correct mixture. We also remember that in the Buddha's quest, as Robert Place has pointed out, the hermit's asceticism was replaced by "the middle way" of "temperate" moderation.
Then Death (the grim reaper) is represented by the same anxious phrase (the struggle theme) that represented the ascetic Hermit card in the third section. Clearly there is a similarity here between the suffering of the Hermit and the suffering of Death, though perhaps not the identity between them that repeating the very same passage here would imply. But by facing Death, the seeker has taken the Hermit’s quest further. Indeed, the Hermit is an "old man" (originally Father Time), perhaps on the verge of death, like the old man the Buddha saw outside his palace when he was a prince. The second time we hear it, this "struggle theme" and the sharp, dissonant "inversion" chord with which it begins, startle us a bit, sounding more suspenseful by being played much higher on the keyboard. Both Death and the old Hermit are symbols of the seeker's struggle with time and its limitations. Both Temperance and Death allow the seeker to change and grow, adapting and purifying themselves in order to complete the great work.
The Chariot is the concluding card of the Tarot trumps’ first section (the lowest of the 3 souls), but it also can be seen as the first card of the third chakra. This represents what Anodea Judith noted, that the third chakra mediates between the lower chakras and the middle ones. She also says the fifth chakra mediates between the middle and higher chakras. It is only appropriate then, that the first card of the highest trump section (highest part of the soul), should still be located at the top of the middle section of the Toccata, concluding the 5th chakra. It is even more fitting that this card should be The Devil. In the Toccata, we have not really yet entered its 3rd and highest section, even though we’re entering the 3rd and highest section of the tarot trumps. Instead the Devil represents the last full statement of the manifesting or snake "temptation" theme; the highest one we meet in our journey. From now on, the original canon snake "manifesting" theme will be synthesized with the liberating theme, and in the last two chakras there won’t be an entire manifesting section at all. The Devil thus represents the Spirit as it first comes into manifestation and thereby loses itself in the world, the realm of illusion. By the same token it represents the last temptation before the soul’s liberation as it returns to Spirit.
It is in this section that the Toccata’s tone is darkest and most urgent, befitting the struggle with the Devil; but it also moves higher on the keyboard than ever before. The music now feels passionate and heroic; in battling our inner demons, we are developing our souls to their highest level, and we tap our inner powers. The 5th chakra is ruled by Mercury, which represents the hands as well as the throat. True to form, in this part of the toccata, the hands do more and the feet less. Mercury is often linked to The Devil card (as well as to The Magician), and Mercury rules both the hands and the mind-- chief among our demons, as well as a key to higher realms through investigation and research.
I mentioned also that for some listeners this section can seem tedious, and they might start to wonder if the piece will ever end; as if that very repetitiveness (passionate though it is!) stood for the darkness before the dawn, or the dark night of the soul, that can lead some seekers to give up the quest (or a listener to weary of the toccata). On closer examination, the three middle sections (3rd, 4th and 5th chakras) have many differences between them, and the more you look, the more interesting correlations you discover. So the discerning listener can see beyond this apparent "Devil’s delusion" of repetition as (s)he listens more carefully to the Toccata.
Indeed, I used to wonder what the significance was of the three chords that begin this Devil section, which in fact always seemed a bit sinister. While reading Paul Case's description of this card, it hit me. The Devil (in his and other decks) is standing on a pedestal, which only appears in two dimensions. This represents, according to Case, the superficial, sense or symbol-bound consciousness which the Devil persuades us is all there is to reality. In the Toccata, this section begins with only treble chords; unlike at the start of the Wheel of Fortune and Hanged Man sections, there is no base accompaniment to the chords. Thus, they have no depth, just as the Devil's view of the world is superficial and has no depth, and the pedestal he stands on has no depth either. We notice, therefore, that the chords which begin each of these three manifesting sections in minor keys, describe the tarot card to which they correspond. The Wheel of Fortune is announced by 7 or 8 enormous, powerful chords representing the spokes of the great wheel. The Hanged Man section is "hung from" three chords played an octave higher. The Devil stands on three chords which have no base notes.
These same chords are also heard earlier, toward the end of the two canon snake themes. In fact, it begins what I called above the 7th (and last or "highest") portion of the long, 54 measure theme. There the treble-only chords could symbolize the Devil's rulership of the "manifest" realm, represented by the "worldly" section of the trumps and the toccata. Perhaps they may even symbolize the Devil's rulership of the institutional Church (since the cards linked to these measures in the toccata are the Pope and Female Pope)!
The final full statement of the liberation theme, sounding much as it first appeared at the start of the third section, follows the Devil, and thus represents the The Tower. This is not the 4th virtue Prudence or Wisdom, which is presented on the final card. But it serves here perfectly as a statement of final liberation from the Devil and the lower souls, and their limited viewpoints, which are pictured falling from the Tower as lightning strikes it down. This section is played high on the keyboard (like a high tower), and sounds clear and powerful, but the theme only needs to be heard 3 times instead of 4 or 5 (for the 3 now-developed virtues, perhaps; all contained within the final virtue Wisdom). The three triad chords ("the Fool" chords), which conclude each of these 3 repeats of the liberating theme in the Tower section, are all heard an octave higher than the other notes in the theme, representing the height of the Tower and the high place we have reached in our journey. By contrast, only two of the triple Fool chords in the Temperance section were heard an octave higher (out of 4 total repeats of the theme), and fewer with the earlier virtues-- once in the heart chakra (Justice), and none in the solar plexus (Strength).
We have thus entered the sixth chakra section, high up in our third eye. Discovery, inspiration or revelation follows in The Star (On the card, a bright star is surrounded by 7 other stars, below which is a woman pouring water on both land and sea). This is really an amazing moment in the Toccata. We know we’re in the highest soul section now, and the view is clear and spectacular. Hope and guidance are given us after the battle with our demons. The snake and the chariot are played in counterpoint here for the first time, representing the water being poured on both land (the snake or manifesting theme) and sea (the chariot that always follows the liberating theme) by the woman in the card. This combination of the themes, together with the high B-flat tone, is what gives this section its special brilliance. The "fish hook" Hebrew alphabet symbol for this card, as well as the crustacean and wild wolf on the following Moon card, reminds us that reaching the spiritual heights also depends on plumbing the unconscious depths. The climbing and ambitious male soul of will (represented here by the chariot theme, and on the card by the sea) thus re-unities with the lost female soul of appetite or instinct (the snake theme, and the land), before spiritual enlightenment can happen. Duality is reconciled and synthesis made. The beautiful lady on the card pouring water represents both Mother Nature (snake theme) and our Higher Self (chariot theme). 7 notes follow in descending order, which seem to represent the 7 planets that surround the Star. By the way, since the "fish hook" is the Hebrew symbol for this card, the sign Pisces (The Fishes) fits well, despite the apparent correlation with Aquarius suggested by the pitchers pouring water.
The Moon card which follows is represented by only the chariot theme, now repeated again-- this time without the snake. It sounds calm, scenic and restful, as we prepare for the last part of our journey; just what The Moon card is supposed to represent. The Moon is ruled by Cancer, which is also linked to the Chariot. We see the alternating columns of the chariot theme turned into the two towers on the Moon card. Another example of the link which the toccata and the astrology correlations reveal between these two cards, Moon and Chariot, is how the two animals on The Moon card (dog and wolf) could be seen as similar to the two steeds pulling the Chariot (one trained and one wild, like the dog and wolf).
One could question, however, why the Moon card is represented only by the chariot theme here, when this theme is also heard many other times as part of other sections. Perhaps this shows how the Moon, ruler of Cancer, may be symbolically linked to the Chariot as the vehicle of our entire spiritual journey. We have perfected our Merkabah, our perfect lunar receptivity to Spirit. Thus, it deserves its own section here. As in the heart section (also a yin chakra), the chariot theme concludes on a peaceful tonic chord. If we put the first instance of the chariot theme (corresponding to The Chariot card) in the 2nd section (as is usually done by editors, etc., instead of as opening the 3rd), then this theme also ends on a tonic chord in the 2nd chakra (also yin). Meanwhile the first chakra (yang) ends on a "dangling" unresolved pedal note, and in the 7th crown chakra the chariot theme finishes with the same unresolved "inversion" chord that it ended on in the 3rd and 5th sections (the other three yang chakras).
In any case, The Sun’s section follows immediately after the Moon, and there’s little doubt that this correlation works. It even comes in two parts, two fragments of the liberating theme; representing the two young children in the card, a symbol that could indicate the divine marriage of male and female (similar to the Lovers card, some say, which is linked to Gemini the Twins). It means we are ready for final liberation. Following Plato, the Sun card represents enlightenment; the real light outside the cave. The tarot card indeed depicts a victorious, radiant moment, but the victors are leaving the garden and moving on to an even greater experience. That is exactly how the music sounds; very radiant, powerfully liberating; yet clearly introducing the next section, which is the Toccata’s crowning glory. Or as Lionel Rogg called it, the culmination.
Though there are no trumpets, as on the Judgement card, parts of this section sound just like a fanfare. It certainly feels like the resurrection pictured on the card. The grand new theme, heard now for the first time, has been alluded to several times before however, as if the spirit above were influencing events below. At first glorious and ethereal, the music quickly becomes ecstatic and almost seems blissfully out of control; yet it is an ingeneous synthesis of the previous themes. Often the notes come from above downward as if from heaven; almost as if this section were a manifesting section that follows the liberating 6th section before it. As I said before, the last two chakra sections can also be considered as two parts of one final section, just as indigo and purple are two shades of the same color, and as the Sun and Moon only rule 1 sign each (yin or yang) while the other planets rule both a yin sign and a yang. But almost as often, the music is leaping upward. This rapid up and down movement represents the two currents of the journey united, and the BOTA web site points out that the trumpet also represents our breath of life, which this up and down (or in-and-out) movement indicates. The liberating theme, although transformed, is dominant here, and once again the Chariot theme follows it; but this time it is entirely a descending movement, as if the Chariot were emerging from heaven out of the clouds. This is the Charioteer’s final "triumph," and we are truly seeing the throne of God. In the final card, we become God.
Bach then brought back the "struggle theme" from the middle of the 3rd and 5th sections, which was omitted in the 4th or heart section, and inserted it here in the 7th as a recapitulation/coda to conclude the Toccata, and it represents The World or Universe card, the highest trump, which symbolizes the mystical goal of the journey: identification with The Universe, and Nirvana. The ultimate state of consciousness is thus shown to be a link between the crown and the heart. It combines, as said before, the Toccata’s two themes, both liberating and manifesting, one after the other, passionately transformed; thus representing the whole journey. A link is thereby made to Death and The Hermit, where the same theme is heard. This thematic link also indicates that Nirvana is the same as the struggle within the world and time represented by Death and The Hermit; perhaps you can't have one without the other. The Spirit is everywhere, including in all our struggles in the everyday world; it is the whole journey, and knowing this IS real liberation. We become the journey-- and the World. Before enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood and carry water. Like a bodhisattva, we return to the struggles of life until every sentient being is enlightened. We go back into Plato's cave to bring light to the captives. THAT is why Bach uses the same passage to represent both the highest consciousness, the goal of the journey (World)--- AND the deepest struggles and darkest abyss during the journey itself (The Hermit and Death).
I used to think that this coda in the toccata contained no hint of the four figures on the World card (Bull, Lion, Eagle and Man) representing the four evangelists, four elements, four fixed signs of the zodiac, etc.; but now I think the final chords, the very end of the piece, which consists of the 3-part "Fool Chord" preceeded by a slow pedal note, represents this fourfold "throne of God," and is thus a fitting end of the journey where we reach the throne. Of course, this interpretation links The World card with several other cards, since the same series of 3 chords preceeded by a note, or a series of 4 chords, is heard in several other places. (Actually, the 3 chords are often preceeded by two notes, which could represent the five elements). A link is made, therefore, between The World card, which is also the symbol of the primary virtue of wisdom or "prudence" (represented by Sophia, the female nude on the card), and the 3 other "virtue" card sections (Strength, Justice and Temperance), as well as with the liberating Tower card. In all these card sections, these 3 chords preceeded by a note are heard several times each. The 4 chords are also contained entirely within the section of The Chariot card (the souls' vehicle or merkabah on the spiritual journey, symbolized by a 6-pointed star in motion; the 6-pointed star is also an occult symbol of the 4 elements combined), on the 6th chakra Moon card (linked through the sign Cancer to the Chariot); as well as during the dramatic Wheel of Fortune card section. This is the only other card where the same four symbolic figures (Bull, Lion, Eagle and Man) are pictured, and these two sections of the piece (World and Wheel of Fortune) are also the only ones where the "struggle theme" is followed by the same full 4 chords (or 3 chords preceeded by a pedal note).
Most telling of all, perhaps, is the fact that this same chord series that so majestically concludes the piece, also concludes the first chakra section, which as we saw concludes the first pedal solo. This pedal section represents the Magician, the lowest trump card, where the four magical symbols that represent the same four elements are shown on his table. Since the Magician's hands are indicating the slogan, "as above, so below," the appearance of the same chord series at the end of both the highest and the lowest trump section shows how the same divine principle of four elements represented in the "throne of God" appears both "above" on the World card and "below" on the Magician's card, just as the Magician brings the divine into full manifestation. Everywhere that the four chords are heard in the Toccata, we are connected to God as the ultimate end, guiding us as we gain our fortune, develop our virtues, and take our journey. And since within these 4 notes is always heard the 3-chord symbol of The Fool, we are also given the suggestion that God is indeed always within us, and within "everyman"-- (or that "everyman" is within God). Indeed on The World card itself, Sophia, the divine lady of wisdom in the center (the fifth element), is surrounded by an oval wreath in the shape of a zero, the number of The Fool.
Robert Place says, that with the World card with its four figures, we return to the world (or the "kingdom") of the four elements (like the four rulers Emperor and Empress, Pope and Papess; or I could say, the four magical symbols on the Magician's table). The circle is complete, and we return to the start (like the Fool); only now, since the woman representing Sophia/Wisdom is nude, we know the naked truth; that the world is sacred. The Tarot is the "squaring of the circle," represented by Leonardo's Vitruvian Man, that teaches us that we are Spirit within the physical.
Because this series of 4 chords, or a note followed by 3 chords, moves from high notes to middle to low to middle, it also resembles the 4-letter word YHVH, the tetragrammaton, which is the sacred name of God-- and often linked to the four elements, four directions, four evangelists, four fixed signs, four tarot suits, etc. As we saw, YHVH is also implied by the theme of Bach's other great Toccata in D Minor BWV 565. This theme (the "fugue" theme) is composed of 4 sections of 4 notes each (in counterpoint to a repeated dominant note). The first 4 notes come down the scale, sort of like a Y. An ascending 4 note sequence follows (H), and then four notes come up the scale from below, sort of like V. The last 4 notes of the great theme are the same as the second four-- thus the second H.
By the way, I also remembered that Bach's famous Passacaglia has exactly 21 variations; same as the number of Tarot trumps (minus The Fool, for which the Fugue could stand).
Make of all this what you will, but I don’t think Bach was basing his Toccata in F or other organ works directly or literally on the Tarot cards, and likely he knew nothing of them. He may well have had some knowledge of esoteric philosophy, as his seal seems to indicate; but we don't know. If anything, the sequence of the Toccata in F teaches us even more about the mystic journey than we could know from the cards alone. Just as images say more than words, so does music. We see here a correspondence, a similarity, even in great detail, between two great examples in the arts representing the hero’s mystical journey to enlightenment and victory over death. I think that’s pretty exciting, and beautiful to behold.
triumph = trump. Each person (image) in the parade trumps the one before. Listed from the highest:
| 3 Parts of the Soul | Trump Card | chakra | meanings,notes | Toccata in F section |
| Soul of Reason | World | 7=knowledge | prudence,world soul, sophia | coda; struggle ends |
| (wisdom) | Judgement | 7 | resurrection, goal of mystics | crown theme, synthesis |
| The Sun | 6/7 | 3 lights are the time keepers; | intro to crown | |
| The Moon |
