List of Hebrew alphabet / Tarot trump constellations
If one is going to make Hebrew letter correlations to the Major Arcana, I suppose that, at the least, a number of disparate views need to be entertained, thought through, discussed, temporarily accepted and rejected to see what emerges, and eventually - perhaps, though perhaps not - come to some agreement.
There are possibly four
main views (there are others), and list these with 'titles' for convenience:
- Levi - where the letters follow, sequentially, the order of the Major Arcana, except that the un-numbered Fool is placed as penultimate card;
- GD - where the letters follow again the order of the Major Arcana, save that the Fool has been numbered zero (thereby placed at the beginning), and Justice and Strength interchanged in their position and numbering;
- Crowley - in terms of Hebrew letter allocations, same as the GD, save that the Emperor and Star cards inverse their GD letter allocations (it is also worth noting that, despite GD letter attributions, the numbering reverts, apart from the addition of a zero on the Fool, to the earlier tradition);
- Filipas - (I had to give it a name, and given Mark's important contribution for this ordering, he deserves it) the letters follow the order of the cards, with the Fool, un-numbered, placed at the end of the sequence (as twenty-second card).
Basically, each of these makes differing claims for letter attributions, with ramifications for those who will reflect on the cards following Kabalistic considerations (whether through the works of others, or by direct independent Kabalistic work).
In fact, no single card will has a letter attribution which each of of these four views agrees with! Hence many of my earlier comments that it were better that Kabalah be studied independently of Tarot - at least initially, for then it permits for more at one's disposal as one investigates the merits of each. But let us nonetheless discuss some of the varying attributions... and their respective merits.
For example, taking one card with quite varied allocations, the card numbered four (traditionally and in all decks influenced by each of these lists) is the Emperor.
Some will see it co-relating to
Dalet, some to
Heh, and some to
Tzaddi.
I am not sure where this thread will take us, but given comments made in other threads, thought it was important to (re-)visit...
Correlating the Hebrew letters to the Tarot Major Arcana trumps is the point of this discussion.
Four main sets of correlations between the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot trumps are under consideration: Levi, GD, Crowley, and Filipas. Others may be considered.
The Hebrew alphabet letter list is ancient. Tarot trump correlations should be made to the Hebrew alphabet letter meanings using the card "titles".
The order of the Tarot trumps is compared to the order of the Hebrew alphabet and different orderings of the trumps are examined to determine the correct ordering.
Some early alphabets had a different ordering than now accepted ordering. Various lost, forgotten, unused, discarded, and specialty letters complicate the Hebrew-Tarot connection.
The number Zero may be examined in relation to the Tarot trump order. Is the use of Zero a device that does not belong in the discussion of the connection between the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot cards, which were originally not numbered?
Why did certain decks get cards changed in order, such as the Waite-Smith deck that switches Strength and Justice? Do certain groups have secret information about the Tarot and have influenced the design of the Tarot? Is there or was there a reason for concealing the true order of the Tarot trumps?
Is the correlation between the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot trumps so weak that it should be discarded? Is it possible that by correctly pairing the Hebrew alphabet letters with the Tarot trumps we can realize what the Tarot really is? Were the Tarot trumps unnumbered because they originally had no connection to the alphabet and were an unnumbered set of things (Trumps)?
What proof has any author offered besides word similarity connections between these sets (Hebrew alphabet and Tarot trumps)? How are these connections or correlations judged? Is one correlation stronger than another? How does one judge whether a correlation is correct in regard to the criteria for judging the exhibit, such as the comparison between the Hebrew letter Dalet and the Emperor card? What are the rules?
Some have suggested that the shapes in the cards portray Hebrew letters, but these are not motifs found on the original Tarot trumps, were they?
Is the SY a valid tool for exploring the connection between the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot? Can we retroactively make up connections between ancient artifacts (Hebrew alphabet inscriptions) and inventions such as the Tarot cards?
What types of proof are acceptable to prove one thesis over another? A very early Tarot card deck with Hebrew letters on the trumps would be good. Even a very early deck with numbers would be great, because the problem with the zero could be resolved.
What is the connection between the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot trumps? Could it be that the Tarot trumps are a set of pictures that depict something that the Hebrew alphabet also pictures or depicts? Could the pictures on the Tarot trumps actually be pictures of the Hebrew alphabet or an even earlier alphabet, which the Hebrew alphabet was based on?
Since discoveries in Wadi el-Hol in Egypt have confirmed that the earliest alphabets began in Egypt, what connection does Egypt have to the alphabet and the Tarot? If one can see a connection between a Hebrew alphabet letter and a Tarot trump, is it possible to see the same connection between an associated Egyptian symbol and a Tarot trump?
Why would the Hebrew letter "Dalet" mean "door" and be associated with the Emperor?
Early forms of the Hebrew letter "Dalet" look like a door, to some extent. The Hebrew letter "Dalet" can be drawn over the constellation Cepheus. (If the Emperor card was a depiction of the constellation Cepheus, then there would be a connection because I think both the Hebrew letter and the Tarot trump are both based on the same constellation.)
The correlations between the lists (Hebrew alphabet +Tarot trumps) must include the entire sequence of letters and 22 Tarot trumps. It is desirable to find a correlation that does not require the order of the Tarot trumps to be greatly modified to fit a particular theory. A straight across correlation would be fine, for instance, connecting the Hebrew letter Aleph with the Magician card of the Tarot.
My "proofs" depend on extensive graphics of ancient alphabet characters using epigraphic analysis. Will these types of overlays of star patterns over the alphabet letters and Tarot cards be acceptable? Where is the line between conjecture and evidence in this regard? If a scholar only depends on written evidence can pictorial evidence be of any value?
Does the particular theory of correlation between the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot trumps have collaborating exhibits of other derivative systems such as the Mayan and Chinese symbol systems?
Does the correlation system explain the icons and imagery in the Tarot trumps with accuracy? How can images and icons be judged to be associated with a particular card, such as a sickle in the Death card? What makes icons important in correlating the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot trumps?
And why does the Fool have to wander from one end of the deck to the other, often as a zero?
My thesis is that the ancient Hebrew alphabet was based on constellations used by the Egyptians and others in that area and that the Tarot is based on those same set of constellations, and the Mayan calendar and Chinese calendar are also based on those same set of constellations. My theory gives valid reasons for the order of the Tarot trumps. I have identified the constellations used for the alphabet and those are the same constellations used in the Tarot trumps, with one exception, the Pope / Hierophant, which does not follow the sequence, possibly due to the misreading of a medieval list of constellations.
This leads me to my list and the implication that an actual list exists that resembles this one and has been used by various secret societies for various purposes, either to lead or mislead. My List of Hebrew alphabet / Tarot trump constellations:
Lyra = Aleph = MAGICIAN
Ursa Minor = Beth = POPESS
Cassiopeia = Gimel = EMPRESS
Cepheus = Daleth = EMPEROR
Ursa Major = He
Perseus, Andromeda = Vaw = LOVERS
Auriga = Zayin = CHARIOT
Hercules = Heth = STRENGTH
Ophiuchus = Teth = HERMIT
Polar Constellations = Yod = WHEEL
Libra = Kaf = JUSTICE
Cygnus = Lamed = HANGED MAN
Sagittarius = Mem = DEATH
Draco = Nun = TEMPERANCE
Capricorn = Samech = DEVIL
Corona Borealis = Ayin = TOWER
Canis Major = Peh = STAR
Leo = Tzade = SUN
Cancer = Kof = MOON
Delphinus = Resh = LAST JUDGEMENT
Virgo = Shin = WORLD
Bootes = Tav = FOOL
- Cartomancer (Lance Carter)