I Felled the Tree: Three Planks of Tarot.

Due to my trying to fit the Majors of Tarot on to the Kabalistic Tree of Life in a way that made sense to me, I felled the tree for usable lumber.
I was thinking about TdM and The Medieval world it sprang from. The one word that kept cropping up was Dualism,(and St Augustine).
Religious dualism, originating with the Zoroastrians, and filtered through Judaism, reached its logical conclusion in Christianity.Gnostic Dualism, Cathar dualism,Bardic, Troubadours, Alchemical practice and platonic thought, all boiling in the in the pot when Tarot was born. Tarot is dualism also and so was the world understood physically that way. Life responding to Light and Darkness- the loss of light at the Winter solstice and the Light returning at the Summer Solstice.
Dualism is the view that two fundamental concepts exist, which often oppose each other, such as good and evil, light and dark, or male and female. The word's origin is the Latin dualis, meaning "two" (adjective).
My Planks are in the order of 3/7/12 and tell the tale of philosophic thought of Dualism in Medieval times.
It is clearly expressed if you use a TdM like say the Hadar
Top plank: Elements, Mother letters and conditions of where we live
Le Mat is Air(Aleph)0......La Mort is Water(Mem)13..........Le Bateleur is Fire(Shin)1

Middle Plank: The Planets and the double letters placed in Card order 2,3,4,5,6,7,8.
La Papesse/Moon/Beit/House
L'Imperatrice/Venus/Gimel/Camel
L'Imperatore/Mars/Daleth/Door
Le Pape/Mercury/Kaph/Hand
Les Amants/Sun/Pe/Mouth
Le Chariot/Saturn/Resh/Head
La Justice/Jupiter/Tau/Seal,Mark

Bottom Plank: 12 Months of the year starting at St Augustine Card 9 L'Ermite/ the Single Letters. He is Card 9 bringing the light for the Winter Solstice.His month is Tishri when the days are even in light, so the Hermit gets the solar sign of Libra. Card 9 has no card above it. I call him Heh=Behold (I have the light)
The next Card is Card 10 La Roue/W.O.F. and is under La Papesse the Moon showing that this is a Lunar Calendar and the time of the Winter Solstice and is called Cheshvan/November/Scorpio= Vau/Waw= the link (The Water Wheel, with a sting)
so on you go. (La force 11 Kislev/Zayin) (Le Pendu 12 Tevet/Cheth) (La Temperance 14 Shevat/Teth) (Le diable 15 Adar/Yod under the Lovers as the light is still locked up) (La Torre/Tower 16 Nissan/Lamed) (Les Etoiles/Star 17 Iyar/Nun Summer solstice under card 8 Justice)
Then at the end is the last four cards 18, 19, 20, 21 , La Lune:Samekh/Sivan, La Soleil:Ayin (the eye)Tammuz, Le Jugement:Tsade/Av, La Monde: Qoph/Elul respectively.
I like the correspondences as I look at the patterns. If you have had the patience to bear with me and lay the cards out- what do you think of my tree felling? Do you get good building material from these planks?
Comments and rotten fruit welcome. I could not make it less wordy- sorry ~Rosanne

This might make it easier to talk about-

0........Le Mat...........Aleph.......Air
1........Le Bateleur.....Shin........Fire
11.......La Papesse.... Beit........Moon
111.....L’Imperatrice...Gimel.......Venus
1V......L’Empereur......Daleth.....Mars
V.......Le Pape..........Kaph........Mercury
V1......L’Amoureux..... Peh.........Sun
V11....Le Chariot.......Resh........Saturn
V111...La Justice.......Tau.........Jupiter
V1111..L’Eremite........Heh.........Aries/Nissan
X........La Fortuna......Waw.......Taurus/Iyar
X1......La Force.........Zayin......Gemini/Shivan
X11.....Le Pendu........Heth.......Cancer/Tammuz
X111....La Mort.........Mem........Water
X1V....La Temperance.Teth.......Leo/Av
XV......Le Diable........Yod.........Virgo/Elul
XV1....La Maison Dieu.Lamed.....Libra/Tishri
XV11...L’Etoile...........Nun........Scorpio/Cheshvan
XV111...La Lune........Samekh....Sagittarius/Kislev
X1X.....Le Soleil........Ayin.........Capricorn/Tevet
XX......Le Judgement..Tsade......Aquarius/Shevat
XX1.....Le Monde....... Qoph......Pisces/Adar
I have edited this post to start the Hermit/L'Ermite as Aries starting the Zodiac and the equinox ~Rosanne

I just had a pm from someone I respect, so I thought I would share some of my views with you about The Alphabet.
I think that the Sacred letters of the Hebrew Language are exactly that- Sacred! I think they and the Paths/Sepheroth are not Tarot, but Tarot was influenced by Jewish Mysticism (I don't want to discuss here what Jewish Mysticism is)
The nearest analogy I can think of is the Christian Cross. The cross shape is precious to Christians, but it is also a framework to make a Kite. When flying my homemade Kite, I am not using the Cross in a debased way for a Cruxifix- it is a framework to fly a kite. I could make another shape- like a box Kite, but I prefer this shape for classic Kite flying; I can separate the two ideas.
There is no doubt in my mind that Tarot is an amalgamation of philosophical ideas that explain Man and his life here in this place. I think God and Nature are the same thing or that I cannot separate them as this is how love is expressed and I am a part of it all. I am in no way, debasing the sacredness of the Letters. I think using the ideas expressed in Kabalah enhances the richness of Tarot, but does not make them the same thing. ~ Rosanne

I value the process of drawing parallels between the symbolism of the two, without however using the one as an authority to make changes in the other. I feel uncomfortable with changing traditional attributions or other aspects of the symbolism of the letters to fit the tarot, or vice versa.

Kwaw

Hi Kwaw! I changed the twelve letter correspondences, because visually when laid out that is how it looked to me.
I have this 'uncomfortable' feeling when trying to slot the 22 cards of Tarot, into the traditional order of the Tree of Life. Some believe that Tarot expresses in images what that traditional order is. I do not. Some of the Tarot symbolism looks like Buddhism (dualistic belief) for example, but Tarot is not Buddhist order expressed in images of the order of Tarot. For me it is a matter of incorporating the ideas of the two separate codes (for want of a better word)
I could of course remove the sacred letter names and thus remove the association- but I like some of the associations too much laid out in this pattern.
For example I like Card 9 as Libra- because of the at that time of year the light is in balance and the Hermit brings the light to the Winter Solstice(Oct/Nov)- the next month. As I said Heh means 'behold' and the image of the Hermit expresses that for me. ~Rosanne

kwaw said:

I value the process of drawing parallels between the symbolism of the two, without however using the one as an authority to make changes in the other. I feel uncomfortable with changing traditional attributions or other aspects of the symbolism of the letters to fit the tarot, or vice versa.

Kwaw

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However, it is a mistake also to confuse Kabbalah as being synonymous with Judaism, it arguably never has been and demonstrably has not been so since at least the late 15th century. Jewish traditions are not the measure by which non-Jewish kabbalist traditions [eg, Christian and Hermetic] can be judged as 'authentic' or otherwise; nor can it or should it be assumed that a kabbalistic reference or concept necessarily reflects or refers to Jewish belief or practice.

Kwaw

Rosanne said:

For example I like Card 9 as Libra- because of the at that time of year the light is in balance and the Hermit brings the light to the Winter Solstice(Oct/Nov)- the next month. As I said Heh means 'behold' and the image of the Hermit expresses that for me. ~Rosanne

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Doesn't a simlar argument apply at the spring equinox when the sun enters Aries? The light too is 'in balance' but then growing in strength bringing light after the darkness of winter. Heh behold indeed, while retaining the traditional attribution to Aries?

Kwaw

Yes you are right- The balanced light could apply to Aries.
Singles in order Heh, Waw, Zayin, Heth, Teth, Yod, Lamed, Nun, Samekh, Ayin, Tsade, Qoph.
Zodiac in order Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
Because I put the throned Cards on the Double letters, with the Lover as the Sun (mind you the Le Diable looks like he is standing on his Throne)So he could be the Sun.
I have left in order of the Tarot- Hermit, Wheel, Strength, Hanged Man, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement, World.
Now if you cannot move the Letters and you cannot change the Tarot (as in 8/11) I cannot make them fit visually Letters to Cards.
So this pattern in this thread should not be in this forum of Kabalah and Alphabets. Thats as best as I can explain it.~Rosanne

Rosanne said:

Yes you are right- The balanced light could apply to Aries.

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Also Aries is consignificator of first house and rising sign, the moment of birth, behold man, ADM = 45 = the sum 1-9, and 9 symbol of birth as number of months of pregnancy. So 9 as an end and a beginning, death and (re)birth {easter, connected with spring equinox, also taken as new year at various places and periods}.

Singles in order Heh, Waw, Zayin, Heth, Teth, Yod, Lamed, Nun, Samekh, Ayin, Tsade, Qoph.
Zodiac in order Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius, Pisces
Because I put the throned Cards on the Double letters, with the Lover as the Sun (mind you the Le Diable looks like he is standing on his Throne)So he could be the Sun.
I have left in order of the Tarot- Hermit, Wheel, Strength, Hanged Man, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement, World.
Now if you cannot move the Letters and you cannot change the Tarot (as in 8/11) I cannot make them fit visually Letters to Cards.
So this pattern in this thread should not be in this forum of Kabalah and Alphabets. Thats as best as I can explain it.~Rosanne

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I wouldn't say you cannot move the letters, only not change their attributions. It is more elegant or convincing if it shows some order of course, but the pattern of the order need not be alphabetical; for example other astrological based orders may be Heh, Teth, Samekk, Vau, Yod, Ayin, etc [Aries, Leo, Sag; Tau, Vir, Cap, etc], or Heh, Nun, Zain, [Aries, Scorpio, Gemini etc in a Yod or finger of God, fate type pattern]. And also as you have already started to order the letters to an extent, as 3, 7, 12 as in the SY, instead of A-T.

Kwaw

kwaw said:

I wouldn't say you cannot move the letters, only not change their attributions. It is more elegant or convincing if it shows some order of course, but the pattern of the order need not be alphabetical; And also as you have already started to order the letters to an extent, as 3, 7, 12 as in the SY, instead of A-T.
Kwaw

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OK.. gottcha! It was like a slide rule, moving between 0 at the top -0 at the bottom of the list. I thought it had to be strictly abjab-able and every one seemed to be moving it around especially GD. I will look at my arrangement again. Thank you. The visuals that had me puzzled; Pe which I would put to the Lovers as mouth seemed sensible, but I can find no one who puts Pe and the Lovers together- even if I put the Devil/Samekh/prop there as the Sun- again I can find no one, so I figured it is not Kabalah. Anyway I will plug on with a smile now~Rosanne