Hebrew letter Tarot correlations

Pocono Platypus

a tradition not my own

There is very little that I have discovered on my own. Often, when I seem to have an original insight, I find that it is already known. So, for the most part, everything I know was given to me by a teacher or a tradition. Tradition descends and biology descends -- not always to the same people. So if the door is open, genuinely open, then walk in. And be grateful.

What are the four Hebrew letters that go upward?
 

Fulgour

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Pocono Platypus said:
What are the four Hebrew letters that go upward?
Beth ~ Kaph ~ Pe ~ Shin

ps: Hello!
 

Pocono Platypus

going up

This is my own interpretation from doing calligraphy with the letters.
None of the letters are symmetrical. All the letters go forward (to the left).

But some go more upward -- to my eye.

Aleph, Shin, Tzade, Ayin

This gets interesting. Aleph-Shin spells Fire (going up), and Ayin-Tzade spells Tree (the branches above, the stem below).

So the words look like what they are. I am encouraged in my study when I see things like this -- wondering how much more is unknown.

I have studied Hebrew for several years, but just now beginning to study Tarot. I will say that Hebrew and Tarot are inspired systems of symbols and they go together well.
 

Fulgour

Yes they do go "up" when writing the letter, but I thought
you meant up ~ as in ascending meanings, the action in
the alphabet itself... So, did you ever ponder the "dots" there,
in Beth Kaph and Pe? (I added Shin because you asked for 4).
 

Pocono Platypus

Beth Kaph and Pe

Beth Kaph and Pe are related in structure -- What is their upward meaning?

My Hebrew primer says:

The "dagesh" is a dot in the center of a letter.
The dagesh changes the pronunciation of Beth. With a dagesh it sounds "b" -- without the dagesh it sounds "v"

Kaph with a dagesh is "k" -- without a dagesh it sounds "ch" as in Bach
Pe with a dagesh is "p" -- without a dagesh it sounds "f"

Tav, Dalet and Gimel also take a dagesh -- but with those three letters, the dagesh doesn't change the pronunciation -- not anymore, but it used to.

Would the upward meanings for Beth, Kaph and Pe come from Hebrew words that begin with those letters?
 

Fulgour

Glory Cometh

Your original question didn't provide any specific guidelines
for "up" other than asking which four letters "go upward?"

I think the dagesh on Beth Kaph and Pe is there to signify
that an important stage has been reached in the sequence
of the alphabet itself ~ and the little dot is there to sound
forth like a great trumpet. It says, "Pay attention. Listen!"
 

Pocono Platypus

Thank you, Mr. Dagesh

This discussion prompted me to review the Hebrew Primer. I will take more notice of the dagesh in the future. They are little trumpets, as you say.
They didn't have smiley faces and emoticons back then -- or did they?

On Monday I will begin to compare the Hebrew Letters with the Major Arcana in the Rider-Waite deck.

The numbers are still beyond me, but I am reading the posts of other people about their structure and meaning.
 

jmd

The Waite/Colman Smith deck already presumes particular letter correspondence, as does, in a different manner, the Wirth deck... as also does, for example, the Lasenic.

I would encourage you to assess correspondences with a deck earlier than these - and of course would personally recommend for the purposes a Marseille style deck.

You may also be interested in reading through Mark Filipas's little work:
 

Fulgour

Pocono Platypus said:
On Monday I will begin to compare the Hebrew Letters with the Major Arcana in the Rider-Waite deck.
Dear Mr. Platypus,

The Pamela Colman Smith Tarot of 1909 (Rider-Waite) does not,
per se, have any alphabetical correspondences. But the system
superimposed upon it by The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
has many unfortunate (absurd) digressions, alphabetically speaking.
They use 0=1, 1=2, 3=4, etc. They blithely transpose card orders.

Tarot has a much longer history than that of a few Victorian magicians,
and so no real harm has been done. Simply begin with Aleph and One,
the first card and the first letter. The Magician is Aleph, beginning it all.
Here is a link to a very well known article that will prove most helpful:

http://www.spiritone.com/~filipas/Masquerade/Essays/epsilon.html

But be advised, The Fool (22) comes last ~ and that means Tav. ;)
And too, there are a few around here who will now bestir themselves...
Great wailing and gnashing of teeth do oft accompany this simple topic.

Sincerely,
Mr. Dagesh
 

Rusty Neon

jmd said:
I would encourage you to assess correspondences with a deck earlier than these - and of course would personally recommend for the purposes a Marseille style deck.
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Why not a Visconti-Sforza Tarot deck?