The sequence uses the planetary attributions found in the Gra-Ari version of the Sefer Yetzirah, along with Donald Tyson’s revised correspondences for Cancer and Sagittarius, Mercury and the Moon. The result is a familiar journey rearranged:
0. The Fool • Alef • Air
1. The High Priestess • Bet • Moon
2. The Tower • Gimel • Mars
3. The Wheel of Fortune • Dalet • Sun
4. The Emperor • Hei • Aries
5. The Hierophant • Vav • Taurus
6. The Lover • Zayin • Gemini
7. Temperance • Ḥet • Cancer
8. Strength • Ṭet • Leo
9. The Hermit • Yud • Virgo
10. The Empress • Kaf • Venus
11. Justice • Lamed • Libra
12. The Hanged Man • Mem • Water
13. Death • Nun • Scorpio
14. The Chariot • Samekh • Sagittarius
15. The Devil • Ayin • Capricorn
16. The Magician • Peh • Mercury
17. The Star • Ẓadi • Aquarius
18. The Moon • Quf • Pisces
19. The World • Reish • Saturn
20. Judgment • Shin • Fire
21. The Sun • Tav • Jupiter
The High Priestess now follows The Fool. The Tower and Wheel of Fortune appear near the beginning, while The Empress occupies the center and The Magician arrives much later. The journey ends not with The World, but with The Sun.
For readers who prefer the Golden Dawn planetary attributions for the Double Letters, the deck also includes six alternate cards.
2. The Magician • Gimel • Mercury
3. The Empress • Dalet • Venus
10. The Wheel of Fortune • Kaf • the sun
16. The Tower • Peh • Mars
19. The Sun • Reish • Jupiter
21. The World • Tav • Saturn
The standard Eilat Tarot card presents Peh as speech that shapes. The alternate Golden Dawn card presents Peh as a force that breaks through. One builds through words; the other breaks open what can no longer hold.
This is definitely quite interesting. It would take me a bit of time and study to wrap my head around the "disrupted" journey. Do the various pathways on the Tree of Life retain their usual positions? In other words, would "the World" still represent the pathway from Malkuth to Yesod? I definitely want to follow along and learn more about this.
ReplyDeleteYes. The path between Malkhut and Yesod is still the Hebrew letter Tav, so its position on the Tree of Life has not changed. On the standard Eilat Tarot card, Tav shows Pamela Colman Smith’s image of The Sun. Readers who use the six optional Golden Dawn-aligned cards will find Pamela Colman Smith’s image of The World on the Tav card.
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ReplyDeleteThe position of Tower with Gimel is definitely one worth looking at as it crosses "the void". I've long viewed the High Priestess as the "camel" that carries us through this dark night of the soul. I really want to learn more about these correspondences and see how they would apply on the Tree of Life.