Book of Thoth Study Group #4: Evidence for the Initiated Tradition - Eliphaz Levi

Zephyros

The Evidence for the Initiated Tradition - Eliphaz Levi and the Tarot

1. Eliphaz Levi and the Tarot
Although the origins of the Tarot are perfectly obscure, there is a very interesting piece of quite modern history, history well within the memory of living man, which is extremely significant, and will be found, as the thesis develops, to sustain it in a very remarkable way. In the middle of the nineteenth century, there arose a very great Qabalist and scholar, who still annoys dull people by his habit of diverting himself at their expense by making fools of them posthumously. His name was Alphonse Louis Constant, and he was an Abbé of the Roman Church. For his “nom-de-guerre” he translated his name into Hebrew-Eliphas Levi Zahed, and he is very generally known as Eliphas Levi. Eliphas Levi was a philosopher and an artist, besides being a supreme literary stylist and a practical joker of the variety called “Pince sans rire”; and, being an artist and a profound symbolist, he was immensely attracted by the Tarot.

While in England, he proposed to Kenneth Mackenzie, a famous occult scholar and high-grade Freemason, to reconstitute and issue a scientifically-designed pack. In his works are new presentations by him of the trumps called The Chariot and The Devil. He seems to have understood that the Tarot was actually a pictorial form of the Qabalistic Tree of Life, which is the basis of the whole Qabalah, so much so that he composed his works on this basis. He wished to write a complete treatise on Magick. He divided his subject into two parts---Theory and Practice which he called Dogma and Ritual. Each part has twenty-two chapters, one for each of the twenty-two trumps; and each chapter deals with the subject represented by the picture displayed by the trump. The importance of the accuracy of the correspondence will appear in due course. Here we come to a slight complication. The chapters correspond, but they correspond wrongly; and this is only to be explained by the fact that Levi felt himself bound by his original oath of secrecy to the Order of Initiates which had given him the secrets of the Tarot.
 

Michael Sternbach

The Book of Thoth said:
While in England, he proposed to Kenneth Mackenzie, a famous occult scholar and high-grade Freemason, to reconstitute and issue a scientifically-designed pack.

This is interesting because Mackenzie is believed by many to be the true author of the Cipher MS which first outlined and became the foundation for the whole GD system - including its Tarot. Tarot plays a central role here much like it does in Levi's esotericism.

The scientific take on esoteric matters is reminiscent of the Rosicrucian approach that we discussed in the foregoing thread and that was emphasised by AC throughout his career.

The Book of Thoth said:
He seems to have understood that the Tarot was actually a pictorial form of the Qabalistic Tree of Life, which is the basis of the whole Qabalah, so much so that he composed his works on this basis. He wished to write a complete treatise on Magick. He divided his subject into two parts---Theory and Practice which he called Dogma and Ritual. Each part has twenty-two chapters, one for each of the twenty-two trumps; and each chapter deals with the subject represented by the picture displayed by the trump. The importance of the accuracy of the correspondence will appear in due course. Here we come to a slight complication. The chapters correspond, but they correspond wrongly; and this is only to be explained by the fact that Levi felt himself bound by his original oath of secrecy to the Order of Initiates which had given him the secrets of the Tarot.

This "slight complication" AC mentions refers to the attribution of the Hebrew letters to the Major Arcana as probably first done by Levi - a topic central to any Kabbalistic perspective on Tarot. AC's problem here is that Levi's take differs from the Golden Dawn scheme (to which AC gave an additional twist later). However, I find it highly unlikely that Levi tried to cover up the "true" order of the letter attributions due to an oath he had given to a mysterious Order of Initiates. AC's statement is due to his strong belief in the theory of an unambiguous and unified Secret Tradition. But Levi gives elaborate explanations for the attributions he is making - the following quote regarding Aleph and the Magician being just one of numerous examples:

Dogma et Rituel de la Haute Magie said:
The first letter in the alphabet of the sacred language, Aleph, ', represents a man extending one hand towards heaven and the other to earth. It is an expression of the active principle in everything; it is creation in heaven corresponding to the omnipotence of the word below. This letter is a pantacle in itself – that is, a character expressing the universal science. It is supplementary to the sacred signs of the Macrocosm and Microcosm; it explains the Masonic double-triangle and five-pointed blazing star; for the word is one and revelation is one. By endowing man with reason, God gave him speech; and revelation, manifold in its forms but one in its principle, consists entirely in the universal word, the interpreter of absolute reason.

Nothing but red herring? I don’t think so. Levi simply had a different perspective, and other French occultists like Papus followed him. In order for one perspective to be right, does another have to be wrong? No, not necessarily. What appears to be true often depends on perspective, as not only Obiwan Kenobi knows. Even a hard-core science like quantum chemistry accepts that there are different ways of modelling an atom, depending on the context that is being studied.
 

Zephyros

I find interesting the respect accorded Levi, although disagreement with fundamental principles of what he did.
 

Ross G Caldwell

This is interesting because Mackenzie is believed by many to be the true author of the Cipher MS which first outlined and became the foundation for the whole GD system - including its Tarot. Tarot plays a central role here much like it does in Levi's esotericism.

If Mackenzie is indeed the author of the Cipher Manuscript, which I believe is the consensus, it is remarkable that he so boldly disregarded what he knew to be Levi’s system.

A correction to this -

While in England, he proposed to Kenneth Mackenzie, a famous occult scholar and high-grade Freemason, to reconsitute and issue a scientifically-designed pack.” (Book of Thoth, p. 5)

Crowley’s memory is in error here; this discussion between Levi and Mackenzie took place in Paris, in December 1861. Eliphas Levi visited London twice, in early 1854, when he met the circle of Edward Bulwer-Lytton, and again in May 1861, when he again met Bulwer-Lytton and others. There is no mention in any biographical source I know that he met Mackenzie while there, and from Mackenzie’s remarks in his account of the Paris meeting in the paper linked below, it is clear that this was their first meeting.

They discussed Tarot during their meetings over two days. Both Levi and Mackenzie planned to publish on it, and Levi reveals that he had designed all the cards, with “characters” in the ostensibly original Zoharic script on them. I don’t know if this volume has survived.

From “Philosophical and Cabbalistic Magic. A Narrative. By Frater Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie, VI°”
in The Rosicrucian and Red Cross; A Quarterly Record of the Societies’ Transactions, vol. II, no. 20 (May, 1873), pp. 27-34.

First visit to the home of Eliphas Levi, morning of Tuesday, 3rd of December, 1861:

“I said that I had been, for some time, been making collections in reference to the occult game of Tarot, and that I wished particularly to learn whether he proposed to carry out the intention expressed in the Rituel et Dogme de la Haute Magie of issuing a complete set of Tarot cards.
“He replied that he was very willing to do so – and took from among his manuscripts a small volume in which were depicted the twenty one cards of the Tarot with the Zero or Fool, according to the earliest authorities. Those cards were drawn by his own hand, and the little volume contained a large number of the symbols of Theurgia and Goetia, a medley of collections from the Key of Rabbi Solomon and similar occult repertories.
“This little work (he told me) had cost him twenty years to put together. He was kind enough to state that if I had any intention of publishing, in England, any set of Tarot cards, I might count upon him for all assistance, and that he would supply me with all drawings and instructions for their use.” (pp. 29-30)
“Eliphas Levi informed me that if there were any truths to be discovered in his books – as he believed there were – they were not to be attributed to his own wisdom, but that he had arrived at the various inductions there published by means of the combinations presented by the twenty-two cards of the Tarot.” (pp. 30-31)

Second visit, morning of Wednesday, 4th of December, 1861:

“The mention of the name of Paracelsus led me to remark upon the talismanic nature of many of his medical preparations, and I commented upon the effect these talismans produced either upon the imagination or otherwise. Eliphas Levi then proceeded to relate to me the following singular vision:-
“”Among the various works of Paracelsus which have been published, is one consisting almost entirely of talismans and sigils; I had been much surprised at finding no reference in that work directly or indirectly to the subject of the Tarot, a subject which has engaged my whole life, and which, originally contained in the book Zohar, has come down to our time in the form in which I showed it to you yesterday.” (pp. 31-32)
He talks about the Zohar and the characters of the original writing system it was written in
“At this Eliphas Levi took out his manuscript work upon the Tarot, and there showed me the original characters.” he then describes a dream-vision he had of Paracelsus:
“I remarked upon the fact that I found no reference to the Tarot in his works; but I observed that I could not imagine him ignorant of that important subject. At the waist of Paracelsus there hung a small pouch, and from it, in reply, he drew a copper coin. The coin I have described in one of my works. It represents the first figure of the Tarot, the Bateleur or juggler – before him is a table on which are displayed the various symbols of his art.” (p. 32)

Kenneth Mackenzie’s account of visiting Levi
http://www.iapsop.com/archive/materials/rosicrucian/rosicrucian_n20_may_1873.pdf

Or, use the full list of scanned issues -
“The Rosicrucian”, selected issues
http://www.iapsop.com/archive/materials/rosicrucian/
 

fixedair

Did not Aleister Crowley believe himself to be the reincarnation of Eliphas Levi? That may explain the respect and double-think about the Secret Tradition and oaths.
 

Zephyros

Nothing but red herring? I don’t think so. Levi simply had a different perspective, and other French occultists like Papus followed him. In order for one perspective to be right, does another have to be wrong? No, not necessarily. What appears to be true often depends on perspective, as not only Obiwan Kenobi knows. Even a hard-core science like quantum chemistry accepts that there are different ways of modelling an atom, depending on the context that is being studied.

This may have been an attempt by the GD to claim authenticity and lineage, as the other option is to say that you ripped someone off. They admitted that there was "something" to attributing the letters to the Trumps, but it is an old tactic to claim that you are special and have the true knowledge, and so they "rectified" Levi.
 

Michael Sternbach

This may have been an attempt by the GD to claim authenticity and lineage, as the other option is to say that you ripped someone off. They admitted that there was "something" to attributing the letters to the Trumps, but it is an old tactic to claim that you are special and have the true knowledge, and so they "rectified" Levi.

Assuming that Mackenzie wrote the Cipher MS and that its attributions of the Hebrew letters to the Majors are correct: What Ross said above about Mackenzie meeting Levi (once again very interesting background information - thank you!) leaves us with only two options, imo.

1) Levi indeed secretly supported the letter/cards attributions that were later adopted by the GD (just like AC suggested) and entrusted them to Mackenzie.

2) Mackenzie liked Levi's basic concept but drew different conclusion regarding the exact attributions. I wouldn't consider this a rip-off but a scientifically valid approach - although AC's version sounds better in the ears of many an occultist, to be sure.

The second option seems much more likely to me.
 

Aeon418

The second option seems much more likely to me.
One has to wonder why sections of the Cipher Manuscripts decode into French instead of English. What was Mackenzie up to if his sole purpose was to disregard Levi and blaze his own trail?
 

Michael Sternbach

One has to wonder why sections of the Cipher Manuscripts decode into French instead of English.

Please elaborate.

What was Mackenzie up to if his sole purpose was to disregard Levi and blaze his own trail?

I don't think that his purpose was to disregard Levi. Rather, he had a somewhat different perception of things - the right of a creative thinker.