tarot and kabbalistic sacred geometry - j.s

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Journal of the Western Mystery TraditionNo. 17, Vol. 2. Autumnal Equinox 2009

Tarot and Kabbalistic Sacred Geometry

by J.S. Kupperman

In issue thirteen of the JWMT appeared an article on sacred geometryderived from the proto-kabalistic text The Sefer Yetzirah. That articledescribed a way to read the first five chapters to develop what is commonlyreferred to as the Cube of Space and discussed its relationship to the auraand the kabbalistic souls. The current article builds upon the previous andwill discuss a kabbalistic tarot in relation to the Sefer Yetzirah, but also laterkabbalistic text. As the Sefer Yetzirahdeals with the letters of the Hebrewalefbetthis article will focus on the corresponding major arcana of the tarot,which are associated with those letters. This will include not only their

placement on the Cube, and on the Tree of Life, but will also implyinterpretations of those cards based on their location on the Cube and the

sefirotthat surrounds it as well as how they may be understood because oftheir location on the Tree of Life.

The cards of the so-called major arcana, the series of twenty-two imagebearing or trump cards, of the modern tarot deck have been associated, inone way or another, with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alefbetforover two hundred years. Though developed by the likes of Papus andEliphas Lvi Zahed modern decks that employ those letters are largelyderived from the tarot work of Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, oneof the founders of the Order of the Golden Dawn. Following this are decks

based on the work of Aleister Crowley in hisBook of Thoth, and A.E.WaitesKey to the Tarot, both of whom based their tarots on Matherswork.

The Golden Dawns attribution of the letters to the trumps is founded onWilliam Wynn Westcotts corrected translation of the Sefer Yetzirah, a

proto-kabalistic text dating from between the third through sixth centuriesC.E. Later tarot enthusiasts have used a similar ideology in developing theCube of Space, much as I had done in the issue thirteen of the JWMT.

One difference, however, is that previous authors have been working fromthe perspective of modern magical qabalah while my own perspective isderived more from traditional Jewish kabbalah. Applying this to the Cubeof Space and the tarot creates a somewhat different, and very interesting,understanding of the trump cards.

Importantly, I am not claiming to represent the correct version of thetarot. The tarot was derived from a game there is no correct version. Tomake such a claim is to mistake the map for the terrain. However, there are

possibly some systems that work better than others and, worse, some thingsthat present themselves as systems that, ultimately, are dead ends. Not


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having mistaken the map for the terrain, we must read our maps carefully ifwe are to proceed forward at all.

Over the last few centuries there has been any number of differentorderings, names, etc. of the major arcana. Some early decks, designed forgame play rather than divination, have included upwards of thirty trumps.Standardization of the trumps, their names and order has only occurred inthe last one hundred or so years. This article will use the following set of

card to letter attributions. I refer you to the previous article for a greaterunderstanding of how the letter-to-sign correspondences were derived.

Table 1: Association of Letters, Signs and Cards

It is important to note that I have decided to keep the usual letter-card

attributions.[1]This means that the planets here are not necessarilyassociated with the same cards as found in modern tarot decks.

Part I: The Placement of the Cards and Letters

Shelosh Imot - Three Mother

Verse six of the third chapter of the Sefer Yetzirahtells of the position of

the three Mother letters, , , :

The head is created from fire, The belly is created from water, And the chest, from breath,


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Decides between them.[2]

The Sefer Yetzirah is here describing parts of what will eventually beknown as Adam Kadmon, the Holy or Divine Human. Though Rabbi IsaacLuria will eventually associate this with one of his five kabbalistic worlds itis also a term sometimes used to refer to the human form on the Tree ofLife itself. Through this ideology the triad of Keter-Chokmah-Binah make

up the head, Chesed and Gevurah the right and left arms,[3]Tiferet the torso

or trunk of the body, Netzach and Hod the right and left legs, Yesod the

phallus[4]and Malkhut the feet.

The twenty-two extra-sefirotic paths of the Tree of Life are divided intothree horizontal, seven vertical and twelve diagonal lines. These perfectlymimic the divisions of the Mother letters, Double letters and the Simples.Placing the Mothers becomes a simple matter at this point. Breath, given to

the letter A decides between fire ( ) and water ( ), and is located at thelevel of the chest. The path corresponding to this letter runs betweenChesed and Gevurah. Fire, the head, runs between Chokmah and Binah and

Mem, the belly, between Netzach and Hod.

Diagram 1: The Mothers on the Tree of Life
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Placement on the Cube of Space is an easy prospect at this point. Followingthe previous article we find that the Mothers run through the X, Y and Zaxes. This is demonstrated in the diagram below:

Diagram 2: The Mothers in the Cube of Space

As you will recall, the three-way axis formed by the Mothers extendthroughthe cube of space, connecting to thesefirotbeyond. A connects to

Chesed and Gevurah, to Netzach and Hod and to Tiferet and Yesod.This double connection, each of the Mothers being situated between not

two, but four[5]will be important when it comes to interpreting the cards.

Alef:To this letter is given the element of air and the Fool card. For sometime it has been given the number 0 and placed either towards the end ofthe deck or at the beginning, with the advent of Mathers correctedsequencing. Kabbalistically one might suggest that it is more appropriately

give then number 1. There are at least three possible reasons for this. First,it is the first card and the first element, from which the others come from. In

gimatriathere is no number 0, so 1 is entirely appropriate and it is the

gimatric value of the letter . Second, and equally important, , and all theletters after it, are distinctly in manifestation, it is only Ayin Sof, the fullytranscendent deity, that is innumerable. Finally, the Fool is the card of

beginnings, but not of origination it is not the nothing from whicheverything came, but the very first something, walking the balanced path

between water and fire, love and fear.
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Mem: is the 13thkey of the tarot, associated with the Mother element ofwater and the Hanged Man card. Given waters association with Chesed itmay seem that the Hanged Man is an unlikely match. However water is alsoan element used for punishment, such as seen in the Biblical story of theflood. The path between Netzach and Hod has to do, amongst other things,

with divine protection and the cessation of divine protection.[6]It is we whohave tied ourselves up, whether or not we will be freed before the waterrises depends upon our actions in this world, whether or not we have gained

protection or have lost it and so will suffer for our falling in with the evilinclination.

Shin:The 21stkey of the tarot and the second to last letter, has attributedto it the element of fire and the Judgment card. ThesefiraGevurah is given

to the idea of judgment and so , with its Gevuric fire, is entirelyappropriate here and no more explanation is needed.

Shevah Kefulot - Seven Doubles

The fourth chapter of the Sefer Yetzirahexplains the role and placement of

the seven Double letters and their planetary associations. Having alreadyestablished the Mothers as the horizontal lines on the Tree of Life, theDoubles are naturally placed on the seven vertical lines. Again, theassociation of the letters and planets has already been established. Asmentioned in the introduction, in order to maintain some semblance withthe now normative positioning of the letters, signs and trumps on the Treeof Life, I have decided to link the planets with their Hebrew letters, ratherthan their tarot cards.

Table 2: Letters, Planets, Cards

The same idea that caused this ordering, the use of the Chaldean order of

the planets, will also help us place the Doubles on the Tree of Life. This isnecessary as even though we know they are to be placed on the verticals,the Sefer Yetzirahis not as obvious about their individual placement as it isfor the Mothers. However, for exact placement, we will also turn to theearliest of the of kabbalistic texts, the Sefer ha-Bahir.

In a theme that will be later taken up by theZohar, theBahirdiscusses thenatures of many of the Hebrew letters. These brief discussions will help us

place the Double letters on the Tree of Life, causing an apparent change to

their perhaps logical order. Thus, as you will see, the letter will be placedbeneath Chokmah, the secondsefiraand not Keter, the first.
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Diagram 3: The Doubles on the Tree of Life

It is obvious from diagram two that even though the cards are beingassociated with the same letters as with the modern forms of tarot, their

positioning on the Tree of Life is radically different as it does not employ

the path of return model used in modern decks.[7]Also, and perhaps moreradically, the card-sign relationships are altered, as they were with theMother letters. A brief discussion of the reasoning behind how the lettersare placed on the Tree of Life follows:

Bet:TheBahir,[8]playing on the etymology of the name of the letter ,

tells us that we should not read it as bet, the letter, but bayit, house. Itquotes Proverbs 24:3, saying: With Wisdom the house is built. . . Thusand Chokmah, wisdom, become directly related in kabbalistic thought.

Further, theZohar[9]tells us that the Bible begins with the letter becauseit is the letter of blessings, connecting the idea of beginnings with the letter.The kabbalists associated the ten depths of creation mentioned in the Sefer

Yetzirahwith the tensefirot.[10]Most commonly they decided thatChokmah represented the depth of beginning, further establishing an

association between and Chokmah. As this is a Double letter, the onlyplace for it is descending vertically from Chokmah to Chesed, where the
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blessings will fill the cup of blessing found in thesefiraof LovingKindness.

To is given the Magus card and the planet Saturn. Astrologically, Saturnis the great teacher whose slow lessons give us wisdom. This is the role ofthe Magus, the knower of all wisdom. It is through this wisdom, which isexperiential, not just intellectual, that the Magus is able to manipulate theworld as he does. As Chokmah contains the blueprint of all possible

creation the path of the Magus is one of supernal wisdom. For this reasonwe might rename the card Theurgos or Theurgist, the God-Worker, whichin Neoplatonic cosmology is associated with Nous, or the Divine Mind.

Gimel:The letter is described as something that renders (gomel)

kindness. is to render goodness to the lowersefirot, to the poor.[11]All ofthesefirotare poor in comparison to Keter, for it is from Keter that

everything else emanates. Thus , with its attribution of wealth[12]canonly be appropriately placed beneath Keter, the source of all spiritualwealth.

Gimel is the High Priestess and the planet Jupiter. The rendering ofkindness, the blessings of Keter is highly appropriate for Jupiter, the greater

benefic. Here the High Priestess might be seen as a kind of UpperShekhinah, hinting not only at the Empress descending from Binah but theWorld card that leads into Malkhut. These two cards, the High Priestess andthe World, may be seen and upper and lower reflections of one another. TheHigh Priestess work, like that of the Magus/Theurgos, is truly spiritual innature, leading us only higher and higher on the path of tikun, rectification.

Dalet:According to theBahir,[13]daletrepresents poverty (dal, poor). This

may be read as an allusion to the Shekhinah and Malkhut, both of whichultimately stem from Binah, through Gevurah. Malkhut is poor because itdoes not give its own blessings it only receives them from above. D is alsogiven the power of seed in the Sefer Yetzirah, an appropriate power for

Binah, who is also calledIma, mother.[14]

The Empress card is associated with , along with the planet Mars. This issignificantly different from its now normative planetary correspondence,Venus. The martial ideology here is a reflection of kabbalistic thought.Binah, as the head of the left-hand pillar, is the source of all severity and

restriction. It is through the power of restriction that all creation comes,symbolized by the pregnant Empress. This idea is reflected in Genesis,where the name of God that creates is Elohim. This, according to

kabbalistic tradition, is the divine name of Binah when spoken.[15]

Mythologically, it could also be added that the Roman god Mars, though agod of war, was a god of crops as well, linking the above ideas together.

Kaf:The fourth Double letter, K, comes from kaf, the palm of the hand. Ofthis it is written that the palm is called a pan of merit (kaf zechut). In the

Sefer Yetzirah the pan of merit is associated with the letter as the

element of water, which is given to Chesed, loving kindness.[16]Further, K
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has the power of life, which is only appropriate for the life-giving sun.[17]

The 11thkey is the Wheel of Fortune, connected to the Sun. In the modernsystems this card is given to Jupiter and represents, ultimately, goodfortune. The idea of the Sun connected to fortune has a kabbalistic

precedent. According to the Zohar whether or not one will have children is

a matter of fate, mazel.Mazelhas the literal meaning of star,[18]ofwhich, of course, ours is the sun. So, we pray for good fortune, lovingkindness stemming from Chesed, for the giving of children, one of thegreatest blessings a couple can have in Jewish thought. This can, of course,

be seen symbolically as representing good fortune in general, so itsplacement here in fact replaces the planetary attribution of the modern deck.

Peh: , to which is given the planet Venus, descends from Gevurah and has

the power of Dominance given to it by the Sefer Yetzirah.[19]TheBahir

is silent about , though given its commentary on , and the Zoharic

attribution of Luna for suggest this is the only other place for the letter tobe placed.

Normally associated with Mars, here is given to Venus and the BlastedTower. While the Tower may be the Tower of Babel, which was destroyed

because of the arrogance of humanity, that destruction also allows for newgrowth, life and rectification, a major theme of kabbalistic works,

especially after Rabbi Isaac Luria. TheZoharsimultaneously associateswith redemption (purqena) but also the serpent by the shape of its body.Traditionally kabbalistic sources blame Eve, Venus, for humanity beingexiled from the Garden of Eden by being tempted by the serpent, openingthe way of the evil inclination, represented by the serpent, to dominate the

world. It is through the Shekhinah, or in Christian belief theVirgin Mary,that this will be rectified. So the Tower can be seen as a symbol of bothdestruction and resolution.

Resh:TheBahir[20]says that is the root of every tree. Leading into

Yesod, the root or foundation of the Tree of Life, we can see that is thuslogically placed. This logic of discussing Yesod rather than Tiferet directly

is continued in a kabbalistic interpretation of the Sefer Yetzirah. Here is

given the power of peace, shalom, a title of Yesod.[21]

The letter is here associated with the Sun card and the planet Mercury,which is the planet closest to the sun. The Sun card is here appropriately

placed between Tiferet and Yesod, both of which are symbolized by the sunin kabbalistic texts. It is the sun, the Bride Groom or Blessed Holy One thatconnects to the moon, Shekhinah, a kabbalistic pageantry of the higher selfcoming into the lower and rectifying it. Thus this card may be said torepresent the completion of a cycle, with the higher and lower married, withnew prospects in the future.

Tav: The last of the Doubles, indeed the last letter of the alefbet is , towhich is given the moon. According to Aryeh Kaplan, in his commentary
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on theBahirand its discussion of tohu, chaos, the letter , being the final

letter, represents Malkhut, the final sefira.[22]More significantly, theZoharmakes constant allusions to the full moon being the symbolic manifestation

of the Shekhinah, the presence of God in creation.[23]Thus, it can be seenhow the World, Malkhut, is entirely appropriate for this letter and its

position.

In the Cube of Space the planets form a secondary axis, supported by the

Mother letters. Unlike the Mothers, the axis of the Doubles extends only tothe perimeter of the Cube of Space, which is made up of the Simple letters.The Doubles, with their tarot and planetary attributions, are as follows:

Diagram 4: The Doubles in the Cube of Space

Unlike as with the Mothers, which have a double set of trump-between-sefirotattributions, the Doubles do not extend beyond the Cube of Space.That being said, as we will see, the sphere of the sefirotdescribed in the

previous article will come to influence the Doubles, in fact all of the letters,in unexpected ways.

Shtem Esray Pashutot - Twelve Simples

Chapter five of the Sefer Yetzirahdeals with the Simple letters, which areassociated with the signs of the zodiac. Of all the chapters of this short text,this is the most explicit about the placement of the letters, telling us theirgeneral position on the Tree of Life and their precise position in what willmake up the actual cube part of the Cube of Space.
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Twelve Elemental

Their foundation is the twelve diagonal boundaries.[24]

Table 3: Letters, Signs, Cards

There are many different ways that the Simples can be placed on theirpaths. For instance there is an emanatory method. Eachsefira, with theexception of Malkhut, projects from it one or more netivot, paths. Theemanatory method simply allows for the paths to extend naturally andchronologically, with eachsefiraemanating its path(s) before the next. Inthe cases of Keter, Chokmah and Binah, all of which have two, or three inthe case of Keter, netivotleading from them, rather than one, paths are

projected first to the higher then the lowersefira

Diagram 5: The Simples on the Tree of Life
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It will be noticed that unlike in the form of the Tree of Life used by most

modern qabalists, there are no diagonal paths connected to Malkhut. This isin keeping with kabbalistic doctrine that Shekhinah receives only through

union with Yesod, the divine phallus, and nothing else.[25]The readershould also notice that this creates a fundamentally different looking Treeof Life from what is found in most modern books on the qabalistic tarot. Itsattributions also differ greatly from versions of the Tree of Life given bythe Gra and Rabbi Isaac Luria.

Associated with Aries and the Emperor, has the 5thkey of the tarot.Though this cards attributions are in keeping with modern tarot decks, its

placement is not. To H is given the power of speech,[26]the ultimatecreative act in all of the Abrahamic religions. As the first of the Simples tocome from Keter it is fitting that the first and most proactive zodiacal sign

be associated with it. The Emperor is here the true King, descending fromthe Crown, empowering the divine Will of Chokmah with sacred andcreative speech.

Vav:Corresponding to is the sign of Taurus and the Hierophant card. TheHierophant is a card of creation, something that gives shape. The numerical

value of the letter is six, which alludes to the six directions in space and
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the six seals of the Divine name that surround it.[27]This is appropriate fora card that inspires Binah, which means intuition and understanding and is

given the power of thought. [28]It is this thought that gives meaning and

form to the speech of .

Zayin: has associated with it the Lovers card and Gemini. This netivahruns between Chokmah and Gevurah, which is perhaps fitting for a letters

whose very image, is that of a sword

[29]

and whose name means weapon."is given the power of motion according to the Sefer Yetzirah.[30]Coupled

with Gemini, the twins, we have the suggestion of strife or the sword ofGod cleaving between two things to separate and restrain them as found inthe beginning of the alchemical process, which is necessary to create the

perfect gold.

Chet: is the Chariot and Cancer. It has the power of sight as bridges thegap between Binah, the supernal Mother, and Chesed, the lower father. Thechariot is the merkavahor throne upon which the Upper Shekhinah, Binah.We see upon the chariot the image of God, a vision of creation in its

supernal form the union of Mother and Father. It is this chariot that carriesus from the lowersefirotto the Supernals. The feminine nature of Cancersupports both the image of the Shekhinah as chariot rider and the armoredchariot itself.>

Tet: leads from Chokmah to Tiferet and is associated with Justice andLeo. Justice is a fitting card for this path as Tiferet is thesefiraof justiceand true justice can only come from the Supernals, which exist beyond thesubjective realm. Justice occurs through the careful listening of thecomplaint and deciding with wisdom, and hearing is the power associated

with this letter.[31]

Leo is the honorable lion, which is also a symbol forChrist streaming down from the Father. Courage is necessary in thecarrying out of justice, as it is often the case that we do what is easy, notwhat is right.

Yod:The card connected with is the Hermit, its sign Virgo. connects

Binah, the Mother, and Tiferet, the son. The power of is action,[32]which,along with its receiving of power from Binah, seems contradictory to theidea of the virgin and the reclusive hermit. However, the virginal hermit isone who, through action and compassion has rectified themselves,overcoming the evil inclination in order to lead others along the path of

tikkun

Lamed:Typically Justice is attributed to Lamed, but here it is Fortitude, its

sign is Libra. Lamed is the ox goad, and idea which connects this card to ,the ox. Fortitude can be seen as the perseverance of moving under pressure,the goad moving the ox. It also speaks of a requisite spiritual fortitudenecessary to move from the place of beauty beyond, to higher levels ofspirituality that are not so easily gained, and never gained without trial andordeal. This is represented by the woman taming a lion on the trump.Classically the soul was seen as being feminine in nature, thus it depicts the
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soul in its ordeal. Lamed is also associated with kingship,[33]as Tiferet isthe king of the Kingdom, Malkhut. The ordeal must be met and passed forthat kingship to remain, and for it to vivify the world it must be temperedwith loving kindness.

Nun: The sign that corresponds to is Scorpio, the card is Death, which

connects Gevurah and Tiferet. The power of is that of smell,[34]fitting for

Death. The letter is also association with nofelim, fallen,

[35]

as alleventually fall to death, who is called the End of all Flesh.

Samekh:This is the Temperance card, associated with Sagittarius, a sign ofspiritual seeking. Samekh is the support of the world, holding up the fallen.[36]This idea works well with Netzach, which is accorded the role of giving

divine protection to those who need it.[37]The power associated with issleep, which is also fitting, as Netzach, along with Hod, are responsible for

the spiritual gifts of vision and prophecy.[38]

Ayin: is the Devil and Capricorn, connecting Tiferet to Hod. Whereas

Netzach is given authority to protect, Hod withdraws that protection,[39]

leaving us vulnerable when we have given ourselves to the evil inclination,

which is associated with Satan and the power of anger[40]. Further, is

associated with avon, iniquity.[41]

Tzaddi:The Star and Aquarius, connecting Netzach and Yesod. is

tzaddikim, the righteous of the world, which is associated with Yesod.[42]It

has the power of taste,[43]which refers to the flowing water coming fromthe water bearers vessel this is the flow of divine blessings from above,

originally being poured out from the High Priestess.

Khof:Finally, is the Moon, which is associated with Pisces and the

power of laughter.[44]Khof is associated with deceit,[45]the most commontrait of the new moon, which is given over to the power of the EvilInclination and Satan. It was for this reason that the Azazel goat sacrificewas implemented, to distract the Evil Inclination so the blessings fromabove could descend unmolested.

Chapter 5:2 of the Sefer Yetzirahgives us explicit directions for theplacement of the diagonal paths to create the actual Cube of Space proper.

The east upper boundary The east northern boundary The east lower boundary The south upper boundary The south eastern boundary The south lower boundary The west upper boundary The west southern boundary The west lower boundary
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The north upper boundary The north western boundary The north lower boundary

The implication here is that the letters should be placed in the abovesequence according to how they were listed in four sets of three in theearlier portion of the same section.

Diagram 6: The Simples forming the Cube of Space

The so-called Cube of Space isnt exactly a cube, however. Theboundaries described in chapter 5:2 do not form a six-sided shape but afour-sided one, the top and bottom are open, perhaps allowing for the influxof supernal energy into the quasi-cube. Or, as Netzach and Hod are

associated with the gifts of vision and prophecy,[46]this may be theopening through which those gifts are brought into manifestation. That

these two sides are open is not entirely relevant to the current discussion,though perhaps interesting given the general subject matter i.e. divination.

The Cube of Space, as it pertains directly to the tarot trumps, is nowcomplete. However, these first five chapters of the Sefer Yetzirahdont dealsolely with the letters of the alefbet they also discuss thesefirot belimah,thesefirotof nothing. The role thesesefirotplay here has to do with theoverall influence they have on different sections of the Cube, and how thatinfluence relates to the trumps there and their interpretations. The nextsection of this paper will discuss the how all of this reflects upon thoseinterpretations.
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Part II: The Influences of the Cube of Space and External Sefiroton the TrumpsThe Cube of Space, as defined by the twelve diagonals of the Simpleletters, is surrounded by two sets of sefirot. The first are those outside of thewhole system, designated by the Sefer Yetzirahas Beginning (Chokmah)

and End (Binah), Good (Keter) and Evil (Malkhut).[47]In accordance withtheir relative positions on the Tree of Life, I have placed these four sefirotaround the other depths. These sefirot cut the sphere created by the six

directions in space into four quarters. Each of these quarters is influencedby their respective sefira:

Table 4: The Sefirot and the Quarters

The whole system can be seen in the following diagram:

Diagram 7: The External Sefirot and their Influence on the Cube of Space

When the above diagram is broken down, we see that each quarter haswithin it multiple letters. The cards of these letters fall under the influenceof thesefirathat dominates the quarter that it is in. The sole exception to

this is , which lies in the precise center of the sphere and is eitherinfluenced by all four of the surroundingsefirotor none. Given thehypercube that will form around the center of the Cube, the former is morelikely than the later. Also, some of the Simple letters, being on the bordersdividing the quarters, will fall under the influence of more than onesefirot.The Mothers will likewise be associated with the powers of twosefirotas
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they pierce the central access of the Cube.

Beneath this is another of influences, determined by the six depths thatcorrespond to the six directions. This will create a second set of influences.Though this becomes very difficult to represent graphically, the follow setof tables in Chart 1 demonstrates how the externals influencesefirotof thesix directions. Chart 2 shows how they influence the letters and Chart 3how thesefirotof the six direction influence the letters. Missing from these

charts is the letter , which is affected by all thesefirot.

Chart 1: Externals/Directionals

Chart 2: Externals/Letters

Chart 3: Directionals/Letters


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As can be seen each letters, and thus each chard, is governed by not only itsastrological sign but multiplesefirot.

What does all of this mean for a kabbalistic tarot? In fact, many things.First, and perhaps most importantly, it allows for a richly complex

cosmology. This in turn will affect the use of the cards both for scrying andfor divination. In designing each trump the confluence of forces can, andshould, be taken into considering, providing for multiple levels ofsymbolism for interpretation. Also, as the minor arcane and the court cardscan be placed on this system, it is a completesystem.

On a practical magical level, much as discussed in the previous article, thissystem also creates a map of energies present in any magical space that iscreated using this ideology. Thus, for instance, physical postures can bedeveloped to tap into these energies, much like the Order of the GoldenDawns grade signs. It also suggests initiatory purposes wherein each

progressive initiation moves the candidate through different portions of thehall corresponding to the various levels discussed here and elsewhere.

The tarot is a deeply rich cosmological system. When attached to akabbalistic paradigm that richness is enhanced many times. Through theSefer Yetzirahand kabbalistic texts such as theBahirandZohara complexand complete system can be developed to enhance both ones magical andspiritual journey. The map thus created consists not only of a five-dimensional hyper-cube but one with external and internal structures thatcan be utilized to explore both the micro- and macrocosm. Such a systemmust be carefully produced and, more importantly, explored. It will be


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through a complete investigation of the kabbalistic tarot that its true fruitswill be harvested.

Index

Notes

[1] With one exception for those who are used to a Golden Dawn style setof attributes. The version above pre-dates the Golden Dawns attributes

(Christopher I. Lehrich, The Occult Mind: In Theory and Practice (Ithica,NY: Cornell University Press, 2007), 135).

[2]Aryeh Kaplan, trans., Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation(York Beach,ME: Weiser Books, 1997), 3:6. As with the previous articles, unlessotherwise stated, all quotations from the Sefer Yetzirahare from the Kaplantranslation.

[3] Respectively. Traditional kabbalah does not reverse the right and leftsides as later hermetic qabalah does. Thus, in texts such as the Zohar,constant references to the Left-hand side, the side of the demonic derived

from Gevurah, are made.

[4] Traditionally Yesod was associated with the place of the Covenant, thecircumcised penis. Though generally considered masculine, Yesod is alsothe place of union between the Blessed Holy One (Tiferet) and Shekhinah(Malkhut) and a portion of its Divine Name, Shaddai, shares a root with theHebrew words for mountain and breast, suggesting a hidden feminineside as well.

[5] With the exception of A, which is lays between Chesed and Gevurah onboth the Cube and the Tree of Life. This, in and of itself, suggests

something about the nature of A and the Fool card.

[6] This theme is woven throughout the chapter on Netzach and Hod inGikatillas Shaare Orah. Joseph Gikatilla, Gates of Light: Shaare Orah,trans. Avi Weinstein (San Franscisco: Harper Collins Publishers, 1994),115-146.

[7] This model traces the letters going sequentially down from Keter toMalkhut, These can then be followed back upwards forming the GoldenDawns Serpent of Wisdom.

[8] Aryeh Kaplan, trans., The Bahir: Illumination(York Beach, ME:Weiser Books, 1979), 6.

[9] Daniel C. Matt, trans., The Zohar (Stanford: Stanford University Press,2004-6), 1:3b.

[10] C.f. Kaplan, Sefer Yetzirah, 44-6.

[11] Matt,Zohar,1:3b.

[12] Kaplan, Sefer Yetzirah, 4:9
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[13] Kaplan, 11.

[14] C.f. Geoffrey W. Dennis, The Encyclopedia of Jewish Myth, Magicand Mysticism(Woodbury, MN: Llewellyn Publications, 2007), 34 andMatt,Zohar vol 1, 459.

[15] It is spelled YHVH but said Elohim. See, for example, Gikatilla,Gates, 283.

[16] Kaplan, I believe, mistakenly associates the three Mothers with Keter,Chokmah and Binah. TheZoharfully establishes Chesed, Gevurah andTiferet as being archetypal for mercy, judgment and balance i.e. the scaledescribed by theSefer Yetzirah. See, for exampleParsha Bo, 201.

[17] Kaplan, Sefer Yetzirah, 175.

[18] C.f. Matt,Zohar, 1:115a, 1:137a.

[19] 4:12.

[20] Kaplan, 30.

[21]< 4:16 Gikatilla, Gates 66-7.

[22] 90.

[23] C.f. Matt,Zohar, 1:136a,1:237a.

[24] 5:2.

[25] C.f. Gikatilla, Gates, 55.

[26] Kaplan, Sefer Yetzirah, 5:7.

[27] Kaplan,Bahir, 12. This refers to the numerical value of the letter.


[29] Matt,Zohar, 1:3a.

[30] 5:7

[31] Ibid., 5:8

[32] Ibid.




[36] Ibid.


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[37] Gikatilla, Gates, 115-146.

[38] Ibid.

[39] Ibid.



[42] Ibid.


[44] Ibid.

[45] Matt,Zohar, 1:2b.

[46] Gikatilla, Gates, 130-33.

[47] Kaplan, 1:5.

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