(Fire, Air, Water and Earth), the letters of the Tetragrammaton (Hebrew Name of God: Yod, He, Vau, final He), the Jungian functions and the Minor Arcana of the Tarot. In the court cards, the alchemical symbol corresponding with the classical element that the card itself represents appears on the top left and the symbol for the element corresponding with the suit appears on the top right. It's meant for heavy-duty book study, the kind that requires frequent trips to the library over a period of months or even years. Note the card titles assigned to each card in the Hermetic deck. The tree of life exists simultaneously within four different worlds. Inevitably there will be comparisons between The Hermetic Tarot and the Golden Dawn Tarot by Israel Regardie & Robert Wang (1977) or the Initiatory Tarot of the Golden Dawn by Giordano Berti & Patrizio Evangelisti (2008). and Elias Levi. Meleen vibes, doesnt it? From Book T: The Tarot (in Israel Regardies The Golden Dawn). RWS Page PRINCESS So logically there has to be something wrong with that card, no? Artist Godfrey Dowson draws heavily from elemental dignities, Western astrology, Kabbalah. In the LWB, Key 0: The Fool corresponds astrologically with either Pluto or Uranus, while Key XX: The Last Judgment is either Uranus or Pluto. It can also represent the three parts of the Freudian psychic apparatus, the ego, superego, and the id. This manner of applying many attributions to each sephirah is an exemplar of the diverse nature of Hermetic Qabalah. The 4 Worlds. The Kircher Tree: Athanasius Kirchers 1652 depiction of the Tree of Life, based on a 1625 version by Philippe dAquin. (erel) - perhaps a hero", "Strong's Hebrew: 2830. Each card contains the sigilthe mark of a master craftsman. Privacy Policy & Disclaimer. As a Golden Dawn study deck, the card images are fundamentally focused on alchemical and astrological references such as the decans in the Minor Arcana, with the deck outfitted for theurgy. I think Im just too indoctrinated from having worked with King, Queen, Knight, and Page for so long that for the rest of this lifetime, I guess Im just going to have to operate the tarot with Waites blinds on. In Spiral Tarot, Kay Steventon conveys the spiral mysteries of the subconscious with the mythical imagery of her richly illustrated deck. Tried again, three times: Page of Rods, The Devil, Three of Swords. This article is about traditional Hermetic Qabalah. This flow of light is indicated by the lightning flash shown on diagrams of the sephirotic tree which passes through each sephirah in turn according to their enumerations. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Dear Benebell, good morning, thank you for a weeks bundle of thought-provoking reviews. As for studying tarot systems beyond the prevailing 3 (such as the Hermetic), thats just good fun. (LogOut/ The Lovers also pertains to Sagittarius the Archer hence the bow and arrow at the upper center., Dowsons illustration of The Chariot card is very much modeled after the Thoth. [citation needed]. Hermetic Qabalah was developed extensively by theHermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,Within the Golden Dawn, the fusing of Qabalistic principles such as the ten Sephiroth with Greek and Egyptian deities was made more cohesive and was extended to encompass other systems such as the Enochian system of angelic magic ofJohn Deeand certain Eastern (particularly Hindu and Buddhist) concepts, all within the structure of aMasonicorRosicrucianstyle esoteric order. Boxed Deck of 78 - 2.75 x 4 . Cabalistic and Hermetic symbols that lead one into deeper understanding of the Tree of Life and the Golden Dawn appear on many Tarot. These attributions enable the Qabalist to form a comprehension of each particular sephirah's characteristics. 179 Ludlow Street, Stamford, CT, US, 06902. [7] This flow of light is indicated by the lightning flash shown on diagrams of the sephirotic tree which passes through each sephirah in turn according to their enumerations. Card 3 represents the id, the Holy Spirit, or the final part of the trinitarian force. Dion Fortune, an initiate ofAlpha et Omega(an offshoot of the Golden Dawn), who went on to found theFraternity of the Inner Lightwrote the seminal bookThe Mystical Qabalah, widely considered one of the best general introductions to modern Hermetic Qabalah. ; "The Holy Kabbalah", University Books, 1971, p 554-557. Stuart Kaplan co-wrote the LWB that comes with the cards. Fortitude is personified by the Daughter of the Flaming Sword. Practitioners who use the Thoth will be right at home with the Hermetic Tarot. It is located in the Heart. [5], From Ain Suph Aur crystallises Kether, the first sephirah of the Hermetic Qabalistic tree of life. I am most highly joyed by the fact that these cards are now in my life. something often missing from books and material on Hermetic Qabalah. Im a beginner but I was so drawn to it, I had to have it. Change). Repeated study of each card often reveals for the first time a new dimension and scope not seen in a previous reading. All the detailing in the art is symbolic. Crowley, of course, does the same in his deck, but the symbols are frequently less clear than portrayed here. If the post itselfI dont see where, or how? Yet I wouldnt call these scenic per se, at least not the way the RWS Minors are scenic. According to Golden Dawn texts (see, e.g., Regardie), the Wheel is the revolution of experience and progress, and therefore on this tarot card, the key icons is the zodiac wheel. This is a symbol of the Kabbalah, or the science of numbers, which we will begin to analyze today. In modern times, wands are usually associated with stage magic or supernatural magic, but there have been . The Hebrew letter associated with the Major Arcana is clearly visible on each card. . One of the most important features of Dowsons Hermetic Tarot is his emphasis on the Golden Dawn astrological attributions of the cards. Company: The World of Jesuits and Their Friends. For the beauty of it I love the Hansen Roberts, especially The Star. It is an artistic recreation of a mysterious, esoteric Tarot deck by Mathers, a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn. This word means to Uncover, denude QUALITIES OF INSTRUCTIONAL BOOKLET With constant referrals to SEPHIRAH on the Tree of Life, this booklet makes it clear that the study of Tarot is a deeply spiritual process. Richardson, Alan, The Magical Life of Dion Fortune, Aquarian Press, 1991, p. 137, Last edited on 19 November 2022, at 10:04, Learn how and when to remove these template messages, texts from within a religion or faith system, Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Strong's Hebrew: 691. Each card is visually identified with corresponding planets, aspects, and elements. For instance, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in Christianity; the Triple Goddess in Neopaganism; or the three promises of a relationship: love, honor, and protection in the Irish tradition. You can make of that what you will. "These additions are clear evidence that the Tarot took definite and arbitrary steps to assert the new discovery in Magick some two thousand years ago; for no system is more rigid than a Hebrew system. This manner of applying many attributions to each sephirah is an exemplar of the diverse nature of Hermetic Qabalah. The Hermetic Tarot by Godfrey Dowson was one of my earliest deck reviews on this blog, back in 2013. Okay, theres no reason why in (say) 100 shuffle-cuts any one card shouldnt come up a hundred times. Contemporary academics of Jewish mysticism have reassessedGershom Scholems theory that the new doctrine of Medieval Kabbalah assimilated an earlier Jewish version of Gnosticism; Moshe Idel instead has posited a historical continuity of development from early Jewish mysticism. Hermetic Initiation Wednesday, October 26, 2011 Hieroglyphs Before the Tarot The Art of Hieroglyphs - as Hermetic Symbols If the Tarot is truly based upon hieroglyphs a study of their origin and meaning should naturally serve to provide further insights into Tarot symbolism. It is similar to theJewish angelic hierarchy. My brain is now mush from talking about so many different GD decks in such close proximity to one another, so I cant remember the exact source now (but I feel like I mentioned it inthe review Im referencing, so if youve been following this series, youll be able to pinpoint the author) the RWS King (Fire), Queen (Water), Knight (Air), and Page (Earth) court rankings was allegedly a blind that Waite put on his deck to conceal certain occult knowledge. It is lit only bh the lux of the universal fluidic agent. The bottom foreground features the cosmic egg and an ear of wheat, dormant for years, but ready to nurture to life at the opportune time. The snake here symbolizes Wisdom sought.. Dammit, I meant for me ), Which isnt to decry Tarot per se, intuition, feminine wisdoms and feeling the universe all around at any moment. teaches esoteric psychology, occult tarot, Hermetic Qabalah, astrology, and meditation. In creating Ethereal Visions Tarot, Matt Hughes has drawn inspiration from the Art Nouveau movement, adopting its distinctive style and meticulous approach to craftsmanship. Kether (1), Chokhmah (2), Binah (3), Daath, Chesed (4), Geburah (5), Tiphareth (6), Netzach (7), Hod (8), Yesod (9), Malkuth (10). I wait to be convinced . The ritual tools, Orphic:s . The first is a state of complete nullity, known as Ain ( "nothing"); the second state, considered a "concentration" of Ain, is Ain Suph ( "without limit, infinite"); the third state, caused by a "movement" of Ain Suph, is Ain Suph Aur ( "limitless light"), and it is from this initial brilliance that the first emanation of creation originates. hello Benebell , looking at the charts with the correspondences between the RWS and the Hermetic Tarot , i believe that there is a mistake in there , should be : in your submit is simply great and i could assume you are knowledgeable in this In the Major Arcana, the Key s corresponding Hebrew letter appears on the top left . The center seal in the Wheel, in white, is the Seal of Ezekiel, and when this card appears in a reading upright, its an omen of good fortune; when it appears ill-dignified or in reverse, it is an omen of bad luck. Contact us. Welcome to the world of tarot reading, Argus. 19(2), Winter 20012002. Jachin signifying love and Boaz signifying power.. Like DuQuettes deck, Enochian magic is also integrated into some of the symbolism in Hermetic Tarot the background grid on Key 12 looks like a blanked version of the four Watchtower Qudrangles from Israel Regardies Book 9: The Angelic Tablets in The Golden Dawn. As a Golden Dawn study deck, the card images are fundamentally focused on alchemical and astrological references, with the deck outfitted for theurgy. Daath is not assigned a number as it is considered part of Binah or a hidden sephirah. Spiral Tarot. The numerology/astrology reading requests I get are even weirder. Or perhaps not . For me there is no comparison. The Hermetic Tarot comes with a 70-page LWB, which is thicker than most, which details astrological attributions for the cards and the numerological correlations of the Minor Arcana with the Tree of Life. Anyway, lets revisit the deck and add this posting to our cluster of Golden Dawn deck discussions. Theres a tablehere on Uri Razs Tarot Site that gives the First and Second Angel Names in Hebrew corresponding to the tarot pips, if you have the Hermetic Tarot and would like to give it a try. The Hermetic Tarot by Godfrey Dowson is a masterpiece. Phew . what literature do you recommend to get a better sense of this deck? Francis Barrett's The Magus (1801) handbook of ceremonial magic gained little notice until it influenced the French magical enthusiast Eliphas Levi (18101875). The Society set down certain instructions for its members to follow, but these instructions were abbreviated at best. Card 2 represents the superego, the order of the universe, or the collective unconscious. The Hermetic Tarot deck features the esoteric, black-and-white designs of the secret society known as the Golden Dawn, which emphasize the mystical, astrological and kabbalistic influences of the ancient order. At least to me, they almost appear to be an optical illusion, and I think I see them spinning. The courts are ranked: Knights (corresponding to the element Fire), Queens (Water), Kings (Air), and Princesses (Earth), where the Knights represent the Yod force of the Tetragrammaton. Learn More. Moreover, some imagery in the Hermetic Tarot are reminiscent of the Thoth, such as Key 12, The Hanged Man, Four of Cups, or Ten of Wands, among others. This post includes a Table of Hebrew letters, their gematria and Tarot Keys. It was created by the modernist mystic Godfrey Dowson, who lived in England in the early 20th Century. The Major Arcana cards redesigned by Roberto Viesi. The art style here gives me strong M.M. In both Hermetic and Lurianic Kabbalah, the paths correspond to letters in the Hebrew Alphabet. They only feature a certain number of symbols. The 22 cards including the 21 Trumps plus the Fool or Zero card are often called the "Major Arcana" or "Greater Mysteries" and are seen as corresponding to the 22 Hebrew letters and the 22 paths of the Tree; the ace to ten in each suit correspond to the ten Sephiroth in the four Qabalistic worlds; and the sixteen court cards relate to the classical elements in the four worlds. [3], These emanations arise out of three preliminary states that are considered to precede manifestation. These mixed and varied symbols allow the reader to draw inspiration from any number of religious schools of thought, the very fact that attracted me to purchase this deck. And it wasnt even really a deck review. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Book T spelled out a new set of correspondences between the Tarot trumps, the Hebrew alphabet, pathways on the Tree of Life, and astrology. on the Rider Waite, is great for triggering your creativity in analyzing a particular problem. The details and symbols in each card reveal many of the esoteric workings of the Secret Order of the Golden Dawn, which flourished around the turn of the century.. Godfrey Dowson's subtle black and white designs emphasize the Golden Dawn's astrological attributes with . Copyright 2012 - 2023 U.S. Games Systems, Inc. It represents a trinity of forces that combine into a unity. For example, the sephirah Hod has the attributions of: Glory, perfect intelligence, the eights of the tarot deck, the planet Mercury, the Egyptian god Thoth, the archangel Michael, the Roman god Mercury and the alchemical element Mercury. A wand is a thin, light-weight rod that is held with one hand, and is traditionally made of wood, but may also be made of other materials, such as metal or plastic.Long versions of wands are often styled in forms of staves or sceptres, which could have large ornamentation on the top..