The Tarot
www.krishadar.com - Tarology section - used with permission
(abridged and slightly modified by Jean-Michel David,
ed.)
Introduction: What we should know about the Tarot before
starting divination
This first lesson will help us place the Tarot and give
keys which will unlock and decode the arcana in the Tarot.
It will also be an opportunity to discover a little about
the structure of the Tarot and why it is considered one
of the treasures of humanity.
If we can just touch upon the relationship of the Tarot
with the sacred, it will be with even greater respect that
you will use it.
The Tarot is a picture book created in the Middle Ages
and more specifically in the XII century, when most people
did not know how to read or write. It is by the development
of the image that the Church tried to educate the people.
By participating in the courses given on the site, you
will realize that, by following a rigorous method, you
will be able to read the Tarot cards better than any professional!
But beware, to want to learn the Tarot is one thing and
to learn the method is something else. Nothing is easy
by itself. The Occitan Raimon Vidal de Besalu, wrote in
the XII century:
There are some lazy individuals who proclaim with
arrogance and absurdity when they are ruined, that those
born under a good star do not have to get up in the morning.
Do not think as such, and do not rely on such opinions,
because everything happens at the cost of research and
an effort of conquest.
One should avoid simply memorizing the definitions of
the Tarot. A thing understood is easily remembered. A
definition learnt by heart does not necessarily mean that
it has been integrated. It is important that the picture
reminds you of what you should remember. That is why the
Tarot should never be learned without having the cards
in front of you. It is the image of the arcana that must
crystallize that which is known, and become your memory.
The concepts symbolized by each arcana are simple. A
child can easily retain them. It is their continuation
that can become complex. So let us say, that at this initial
stage, it is better not to memorize tons of text, because
it would create confusion.
Do you think you will enjoy doing the Tarot if the card
is hard to understand? Of course not! So we urge you to
set aside all you have initially learned. It is not because
what you know is wrong, but as Descartes said :
To reach truth, it is sometimes necessary to undo
all prior opinions and rebuild new ones, and from the
base, the entire system of knowledge.
Accept that you will have to start from zero. Further
along the way, you will adjust what you know with what
you will have acquired.
We shall focus in the first lessons on learning the tarological
alphabet. But before we do that, some adjustments must
be made.
Configuration of a Deck
The Tarot deck is composed of 78 arcana, subdivided into
two major sections:
- The major arcana [Atouts]
- The minor arcana
The Major Arcana, [Atouts] or
Triumphs is made up of 22 cards. These arcana represent
22 energies that govern the universe as a whole, on the
material as well as the spiritual and divine planes. They
are the arcanas numbered 1 to 21, plus the arcana with
no number: THE FOOL, which is the 22nd arcana.
The following explains why this arcana has no number.
THE FOOL as 0 symbolizes on the divine plane,
the void from which all Creation occurred, and which gave
birth in the Tarot, to the first arcana represented by THE
MAGICIAN (arcana 1). But on the material plane, void
has no meaning. The moment you think, you immediately “create” and
the process possesses a tangible reality. This is why another
number must symbolize 0 in matter: number 22.
The arcana THE FOOL is not numbered, because
if sometimes it is worth 0, it is also worth 22. THE
FOOL would represent the origin of the 21 energies
that follow (0), and also the finality that will enclose
them all (22).
A note about the word Tarot: it is the anagram
of the word ROTA, which is Latin WHEEL.
It is interesting to note that by putting the word TAROT in
a circle and reading it in the Hebraic mode (from right
to left), a funny coincidence occurs: we have the word TORA.
The Jewish TORAH forms the ancient testament made
of the 5 books of Moses, the basis of the Jewish Kabbalah.
In fact, the Tarot represents the eternal evolution of
all things, which by cycles, returns to the same point
but at different levels. When we progress from 0, we go
from 1 to 21, and we find ourselves in 22, which, being
equal to 0, will bring us back to a new sequence of 1 to
21.
This cyclic evolution finds itself in the alchemical
symbol of Ouroboros, the snake that bites its tail. It
shows the eternity included in a circle, but also the element
of return, because the serpent turning on itself, invariably
brings things back to their origin.
The energies that govern the universe of the Tarot are:
1 : THE MAGICIAN (LE BASTELEVR)
2 : THE PAPESS (LA PAPESSE)
3 : THE EMPRESS (L’IMPARATRICE)
4 : THE EMPEROR (L’EMPEREVR)
5 : THE POPE (LE PAPE)
6 : THE LOVER (L’AMOVREVX)
7 : THE CHARIOT (LE CHARIOT)
8 : THE JUSTICE (LA IVSTICE)
9 : THE HERMIT (L’HERMITE)
10 : THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE (LA ROVE DE FORTVNE)
11 : THE FORCE (LA FORCE)
12 : THE HANGED MAN (LE PENDV)
13 : THE NO NAME ARCANA (L’Arcane-Sans-Nom)
14 : TEMPERANCE (LA TEMPERANCE)
15 : THE DEVIL (LE DIABLE)
16 : THE TOWER OF GOD (LA MAISON DIEV)
17 : THE STAR (L’ESTOILLE)
18 : THE MOON (LA LVNE)
19 : THE SUN (LE SOLEIL)
20 : JUDGMENT (LE IVGEMENT)
21 : THE WORLD (LE MONDE)
22 : THE FOOL (LE FOL)
These 22 major arcanas direct and command the minor arcanas
giving them lines of conduct and particular directions.
The Minor Arcanas or Honors are
56 in number, divided in 4 groups:
THE RODS
THE CUPS
THE SWORDS
THE COINS
These four categories represent the four worlds of the
Tree of Life of the Kabbalists :
- The Angel - distills the water contained by the Cup;
- The Eagle - flies in the air as the sword cuts the
air;
- The Lion - burns with energy as the fire burns the
rod;
- The Bull- works the earth from which the coin is taken.
In short:
- The world of Emanation = Angel = Water = CUPS ;
- The world of Creation = Eagle = Air= SWORDS ;
- The world of Formation = Lion= Fire = RODS ;
- The world of Action = Bull= Earth = COINS.
Each group or color is made of 14 arcanas split in the
following manner:
- 10 arcanas symbolizing numbers 1 to 10.
- A JACK, a KNIGHT, a KING and a QUEEN.
The Kabbalah explains the complexity of the universe,
by indicating that the Tree of Life can itself
give birth to other Trees of Life. Hence, if the
main tree brings forth four worlds - which are the worlds
of Emanation, Creation, Formation and Action, symbolized
by the CUPS, the SWORDS, the RODS and
the COINS, the latter represent the hierarchy
of the four worlds of this particular Tree of Life.
Thus, the first 10 arcana of each color [suit] represent
the 10 Sephiroth of this particular new Tree
of Life. As for the KNAVES, KNIGHTS, QUEENS and
the KINGS, they personalize the hierarchy of the
4 worlds of this Tree of Life. For a neophyte,
this might seem complex, but when we become familiar with
this type of language, everything becomes simple. It is
not necessary to know Kabbalah to practice the art of divination,
but it is important to know that the composition of a Tarot
deck is perfectly structured and is intelligible.
The minor arcana are at the source of the ordinary card
game, used also for divination. Nevertheless, a little
historical research shows that the Tarot, a tool of knowledge
and meditation par excellence, very early, following the
interdiction of the church, degenerated into a simple social
game, which did not have the major arcana and the Knights.
The French historic evolution had already retrieved and
changed the minor arcana into diamonds (= the Rods), spade
(= the Swords), hearts (= the Cups), and clubs (= the Coins).
It was conclusive! Let us give thanks to Italy, who appropriated
the French Tarot, to officially adopt the colors of the
country. Even today, Italian playing cards are subdivided
into swords, cups, rods and coins.
On the divinatory level, the game of the Tarot, with
its 78 arcanas, can cause problems of coherence. The major
arcana often are in contradiction with what the minor ones
predict. For instance, THE SUN talks about a successful
love story, but associated with the 8 of CUPS,
indicates the loss of affection. One must know his game,
so as not to be trapped. Hence it is strongly recommended
that the beginner stick to the major arcana. The courses
given on the site state techniques that have been used
professionally, efficiently and with satisfactory results.
Also, by avoiding conflicts between the two arcana, the
mind is at rest and clairvoyance can express itself naturally.
A Hermetic Language Available for everyone’s comprehension
To talk about the worlds of Atziluth, Briah, Yezirah and Assiah may
seem unintelligible for a beginner, and he is in the right
to question if he must know all of that to learn the art
of divination. The answer is, on a certain level: no, but
on the level of decoding the concept of an arcana: yes.
- An angel symbolizes Atziluth. Each time we
see an angel, we know we have access to divine thought,
or essence.
- An eagle symbolizes Briah. Every time we
see an eagle, we know God’s thought has just taken
off: the forces of creation are in action.
- A lion symbolizes Yezirah. Each time we see
a lion, we know the forces of formation shape what was
thought.
- A bull symbolizes Assiah. Hence, each time
we see a bull, and especially a horse, we know the forces
of action act in conformity to the will of thought.
This is theoretic code, which helps us understand the
arcana. This code is based on a simple idea that can be
summarized by this hermetic phrase : 3 created 4.
The World
If you read books on alchemy, and even astrology, four
elements will always be mentioned: air, water, fire and
earth. In the medieval concept, earth is the outcome. Hence,
for instance, if you look at THE WORLD (arcana
21), you will see the angel, the eagle, and the lion all
have a halo except for the bull. This shows that only three
of the elements are consecrated and the fourth one is in
evolution.
In fact, we read in the Sepher Yetzirah that
God put in a balance, water, air and fire and kept them
in equilibrium. It is not necessary to be a genius to understand
that if you take fire and throw water on it, you will have
vapour.
So air is between water and fire. But what is air? It
is atmosphere. And air comes from the cold, symbolized
by water, and heat symbolized by fire, themselves symbolized
by the Ancient scholars by the moon and the sun. For them,
air is life. This life is a function of two principles:
the masculine, which symbolizes the active, a principle
of fire, and the feminine, which symbolizes the passive,
principle of water. This results in the conclusion: man
is hot and dry, and woman is humid and cold. The union
of these two principles allows for creation, but also allows
God’s thought to be manifest.
The Magician
The Ancient scholars looked at things through the eyes
of a child. Actually, this child is the consequence of
the union of man = fire, woman = water, and the expression
of thought = divine air. And he becomes the fourth element,
the manifest, which will itself symbolized by earth. This
is why THE MAGICIAN has a table with three legs.
It is held up by the three basic elements: water, air and
fire. As long as earth = the fourth element, is not created
(= THE EMPEROR), we will not be able to see the
fourth leg.
We have given you what is called the theory of the basics.
It is most abstract for those who are not familiar with
these concepts. But you will see that it will allow us
to understand the language of the medieval cards.
Many thanks to Kris Hadar & Ginette Bergeron for
permission to include their work in this Newsletter.
Visit
Kris Hadar's Website
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