Pictorial Key to the Tarot--"misprints"

Yelell

Sorry if this was in here and I missed it, but I was looking in the PKT (both my versions are digital so who knows from when) and an old Eden Gray Tarot Revealed at the ace of cups. They all say "a cup from which four streams are pouring" but I see five? Is this changed at some point?
 

Abrac

rwcarter has a lot of version of the PKT going back to the original. Hopefully he'll weigh in, but if not you might try to PM him.
 

Abrac

The streams are grouped into 3 streams and 2 streams. LRichard suggests that 3 refers to Binah, the third Sephira and 2 refers to Heh, the second letter of the Divine Name and corresponds to Binah. This is the best explanation I've heard on this so far.

I have an idea for why Waite says "four streams" in his Pictorial Key to the Tarot when there are clearly five (unless "four" is a misprint, in which case it all goes out the window). It has to do with a Golden Dawn doctrine on the Hebrew name for Jesus. By adding Shin to the Tetragrammaton you get Yeheshua, and this is the name for Jesus used by the Golden Dawn and Waite. Yod-Heh-Shin-Vau-He. It represents the four elements governed by spirit. It also corresponds to the Pentagram = 5 = He = Shinkinah.

PENTAGRAM

Initiates in the GD reaching the inner order Adeptus Minor 5=6 grade were first exposed to the document Z-1 which is a commentary and analysis of the Neophyte 0=0 ritual. In it there's an interesting comment in the section "The Symbolism of the Temple." It says "Around the Cross are the Symbols of the Four Letters of the Name YHVH--the SHIN of Yeheshuah being only implied and not expressed in the Outer Order." Members of the outer order were not privy to the use of Shin to create Yeheshuah. Since the Waite-Smith tarot was made for public consumption, Waite says "four streams," the fifth stream being implied but not stated outright.

For whatever it's worth, "Jesus" in Hebrew is Yod-Shin-Vau-Ayin-He, Yeshuah. "Yeheshuah" comes from Kabalistic theory and speculation.
 

rwcarter

Sorry if this was in here and I missed it, but I was looking in the PKT (both my versions are digital so who knows from when) and an old Eden Gray Tarot Revealed at the ace of cups. They all say "a cup from which four streams are pouring" but I see five? Is this changed at some point?
There are many discussions about Waite's descriptions not jibing with the pictures. Artists and authors weren't able to collaborate as easily back then as they can now, even when they're on opposite sides of the world.

Conventional wisdom is that Waite "spoon-fed" Pamela the Majors but she had pretty free reign on the Minors to do as she pleased. So they each worked on the Minors in a vacuum, explaining why the pictures don't jibe with the descriptions.

See this post from the forum index for indexed threads discussing the Ace Cups.

Rodney
 

Abrac

Rodney, I've looked through those links you posted but didn't find anything that discusses this as a possible misprint. Don't recall ever seeing any discussions of it either. There have been a lot of discussions about the discrepancy between what's on the card and what Waite wrote, but what I understand Yelell to be asking is if it was there from the beginning or if it's a mistake in later publishing.
 

Yelell

Member of the outer order were not privy to the use of Shin to create Yeheshuah. Since the Waite-Smith tarot was made for public consumption, Waite says "four streams," the fifth stream being implied but not stated outright

I think of the hidden symbolism as being more things only a few would pick up on but that the average person would not notice, or at least not understand the significance of. The problem is everyone can notice the difference between four and five easily. Why not just say streams with no number then and draw no attention?

But yes, I was asking if this is a consistant statement from the original. Since I have never had a physical PKT book, just text pdfs, I'm not sure if what I do have is an accurate copy or even if the later book copies are accurate copies . Although Eden Grey must have gotten her information from somewhere.
 

rwcarter

The Key to the Tarot in my Pam B deck also mentions four streams. So if it's a misprint, it's carried on since at least the Pam B.

I have no proof, of course, but I think it's more likely that because they were working apart from one another what he wrote is different from what she drew. It's not like they collaborated in the sense that authors and artists can today.

And any "misprint" could be another blind from Waite to put the focus on four when five is the correct number.
 

Yelell

The Key to the Tarot in my Pam B deck also mentions four streams. So if it's a misprint, it's carried on since at least the Pam B.

I have no proof, of course, but I think it's more likely that because they were working apart from one another what he wrote is different from what she drew. It's not like they collaborated in the sense that authors and artists can today.

And any "misprint" could be another blind from Waite to put the focus on four when five is the correct number.

Well thank you for that. The lack of collaboration is a shame. As pompous as Waite is described sometimes, these inconsistencies (intentional or not) could have had people thinking he just couldn't proofread or count to five.
 

Richard

Colman-Smith became a Catholic shortly after the publication of the deck. She may have identified the water in the cup as the living water (blood of Christ), which issued from the five wounds of the crucifixion. Thus the five streams.