Part 1, Chapter 4 - Undergoing Shipputzim (Revisions)

Chapter 4
The Number Cards: Shanah (Time/Cycle)

The Number Cards reveal how divine presence flows into the world and how life unfolds in time. In the Eilat Tarot, they are the sefirot made visible, each one a stage in the rhythm of creation.

What You’ll Find in This Chapter

Although this chapter centers on the Number Cards, its path flows through several systems that give these cards depth and direction.

You’ll read about:

how sacred time is understood in Jewish tradition
the rhythms of daily prayer and how they mirror the Number Cards
the features that appear on each card
the four Aces as gifts of pure potential
the Tree of Life and the ten sefirot that shape the Number sequence
and finally, the alignment of the Number Cards with the Hebrew calendar, the zodiacal decans, and the tribes of Israel

Taken together, these threads reveal how the Eilat Tarot treats sefar (number or measure) as part of the unfolding of creation.

The Nature of Sacred Time

In Jewish tradition, time is not only linear but cyclical. It “spirals and flows” through seasons, prayers, and holy days of remembrance. And as Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote, “Time in Judaism is covenantal — it is the arena in which God and humanity meet.”

God established the “lights in the vault of the heavens to divide the day from the night, and they shall be signs for the fixed times and for days and years” (Genesis 1:14-19), and instructed the Israelites to call sacred assemblies. (Leviticus 23:2).

By observing the new moon, the Israelites were called not only to mark time but to participate in its sanctification. The new month was declared only after reliable witnesses testified to the sighting of the new moon [36]. This legal process made time a matter of sacred testimony. This requirement made the community partners in divine order. It also led to the practice of observing two days of Rosh Hashanah, even in the Land of Israel, to ensure the festival aligned with the new moon as testified by witnesses no matter which day the witnesses arrived in Jerusalem.

The Psalmist reminds us that life’s brevity is part of its holiness: “To count our days rightly, instruct [us], that we may get a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12[37]). Time’s limits can stir fear, yet they also awaken purpose. In the story of Honi the Circle Maker, who saw a man planting a carob tree that would not bear fruit for seventy years, we learn that time’s value lies in continuity, in planting for those who will come after. To live with awareness of time is to recognize that even our smallest acts echo through the generations.

Daily Rhythms of Prayer

The daily prayer cycle reflects this sacred rhythm.

Shacharit, Abraham’s morning prayer, greeting dawn with clarity, gratitude, and renewed purpose

Minchah, Isaac’s afternoon prayer, pausing amid activity to cultivate mindfulness and created balance between action and restraint

Ma’ariv, Jacob’s evening prayer, entering the night with reflection, faith, and trust in divine protection

The Number Cards mirror these cycles of renewal, striving, and surrendering. They ask: Where in the cycle are you standing? How is your relationship with God and others evolving in this moment of time?

Features of Each Number Card

Each Number Card (2-10) includes:
Its number and sefirah on the Tree of Life glyph
A Tree of Life glyph with the appropriate sefirah highlighted
A title expressing the moment portrayed in the Rider-Waite-Smith image
The RWS image
Its zodiac sign, Hebrew month, and tribal association

Together, these symbols transform each card into a web or meaning and story.

The Aces: Gifts of the Elements

The Aces stand slightly apart from the other Number Cards as they represent the hightest sefirah, Divine Will. These cards are not connected to time and are assigned no zodiacal decan. They exist outside the flow of process, before structure, direction, or time.

Each Ace embodies the undivided essence of its suit:

Ace of Pentacles: the gift of presence and embodied life
Ace of Wands: the gift of will and creative energy
Ace of Swords: the gift of clarity and the power of the word
Ace of Cups: the gift of love and devotion

The Aces are both seeds and thresholds. If the numbered cards trace the unfolding of creation in time, the Aces descend like sparks from beyond. [38]

Each Ace is a ray of creative energy, a gift from the Source, opening the way for the journey that may follow. They are unearned gifts entrusted to us and we should accept them with reverence.

The Number Cards and the Sefirot

The Sefer Yetzirah speaks of “eser sefirot belimah,” ten ineffable numbers, which later mystics envisioned as the Tree of Life, a map of divine energy flowing from hidden intention to embodied action. [Should I mention that the Sefer Yetzirah doesn’t discuss individual sefirot because the Tree of Life glyph was created centuries after SY was composed? Should I state what godly attribute I hope to acquire from contemplating each sefirah? I should also mention that Keter is unknowable and often compared to Ein Sof.]

In the Eilat Tarot, each Number Card corresponds to one of these ten sefirot, cascading from Divine Will (Keter) to Presence (Shekhinah/Malkhut). Between them lie Wisdom, Understanding, Overflowing Love, Restraint, Compassion, Persistence, Reverence, and Connection, stages of the soul’s growth.

Each sefirah has a traditional Hebrew name. To invite personal engagement, I’ve translated them in ways that highlight human experience, choosing Persistence over “Eternity,” Reverence over “Splendor,” Presence over “Kingship.” These names express not just metaphysical forces but ways of living. In the Eilat Tarot, the first sefirah at the top of the Tree is called Divine Will; it is the silent source of all becoming. The final sefirah is translated Presence, the fulfillment of God’s intention to create the physical world and our intention to experience and perfect it.

These titles should allow readers initially unfamiliar with the sefirot to interpret the cards using just the title of the Letter Card.

Keter, Chokmah, and Binah:

Keter is usually translated as “Crown.” In the Eilat Tarot, I used the more descriptive term Divine Will, which conveys the sefirah’s essence: the ineffable origin from which all creation flows. It is the first stirring of intention prior to thought, form, or differentiation.

I retained the traditional translations of Chokmah and Binah as Wisdom and Understanding. Together they signify the divine mind at least as far as humans are capable of understanding it. While Keter represents undifferentiated will, Chokhmah (Wisdom) is the flash of insight, and Binah (Understanding) is the contemplative process that gives it shape. As Aryeh Kaplan notes, Chokhmah is likened to a point of pure potential, and Binah to the vessel that expands and develops it. [I need to re-read Kaplan for explanation of each of these two aspects of mind.]

The names of some sefirot required more interpretive translations:

Chesed, Gevurah, and Tiferet:

The word Chesed is often translated as ‘loving-kindness’ in the siddur, or as ‘Mercy’ or ‘Grace’ in mystical texts. I use Overflowing Love to reflect divine energy that gives without limit.

Gevurah, usually translated as ‘Strength’or ‘Judgment’ is the counterpoint to Chesed. I considered translations like ‘Steadfastness’ or ‘Moral Discipline,’ but chose Restraint for its description of the boundaries that allow love to take form. It is limitation in service of justice.

Tiferet harmonizes the forces of Chesed and Gevurah. Often translated as ‘glory,’ ‘beauty,’ or ‘harmony,’ I chose Compassion because it’s a divine trait that humans can try to emulate: seeing clearly and responding with love in a measured way.

Together, Overflowing Love and Restraint (Chesed and Gevurah) embody the tension between boundless giving and necessary limits. Their balance in Tiferet is essential for ethical action and spiritual maturity.

Netzach , Hod , and Yesod:

Netzach and Hod are traditionally translated as ‘Victory’ and ‘Splendor’, but those names obscure their complementary movements: the will to persevere and the grace to receive.

For Netzach, the drive to endure, I settled on Persistence because it suggests power and purpose.

Hod is the quiet awe that makes us receptive to blessing. This sefirah was the hardest to name. I considered ‘Gratitude,’ the soul’s response to blessing, but ultimately chose Reverence, which expresses the awe and humility required to receive the gift of revelation.

Yesod gathers all that comes before it and channels it into manifestation. I considered ‘Channel,’ but chose Connection for its acknowledgment of the human and the divine. Just as divine energy flows downward into creation, human yearning and prayer can rise upward through this channel.

Malkhut/Shekhinah:

Malkhut, or Shekhinah, is the final sefirah, where divine intention completes its descent and becomes manifest. I render it as Presence, for it reflects the indwelling nearness of the Divine in the world. The name signals not only divine immanence but also the human responsibility to notice and nurture sanctity in the world. God willed to be present here; the sefirah of Presence asks how we will take part in that desire.

Following is a list of the sefirot, including their names in the Eilat Tarot.

[Insert image of chart with sefirot names]

The Sefirot are arranged along three vertical Pillars:

The Pillar of Mercy (right): giving, love, and creative energy
The Pillar of Severity (left): discernment, restraint, and structure
The Middle Pillar: balance, harmony, and integration

At the top of the right and left Pillars, Wisdom (Chokhmah) and Understanding (Binah) , the archetypal male and female principles give rise to all the rest. Their polarity mirrors the beginning of duality, two modes of knowing, shaping, and becoming. These energies are fluid, not fixed. In the Eilat Tarot, the Daughter may stand on the so-called “masculine” side, and the Son on the “feminine.” Spiritual growth requires such interplay: the dance of giving and receiving, striving and surrender.

Harmony (Tiferet[40]) stands at the center of the Tree, mediating and harmonizing the energies around it.

The sefirot also reflect a dance of masculine and feminine energies, not as genders, but as modes of spiritual motion. The Pillar of Mercy flows through Chokhmah, Chesed, and Netzach, often called the masculine line. The Pillar of Severity moves through Binah, Gevurah, and Hod, associated with feminine qualities. But these energies are fluid, not fixed. In the Eilat Tarot, this fluidity is honored: the Daughter appears on the "masculine" side of the Tree, the Son on the "feminine" side. Spiritual growth requires the interplay of opposites.

This reflects the idea that spiritual growth is not linear. The soul returns again and again to the different sefirot as it deepens its understanding and draws closer to its Source.

Interpreting the Number Cards

Each Number Card reflects a sefirah, a suit, a season, and the imagery of Pamela Colman Smith. The titles are not fixed definitions, but starting points for reflection.

When you draw one, ask: What is happening here? What season of the soul is this? What am I building, releasing, or remembering in this cycle?

Each card can be read as both a moment in time and a reflection of an inner state. The sefirah shows where the energy flows, the suit reveals how it manifests, and the tarot image captures the human experience of that meeting. Each title suggests a turning point in the soul’s journey, an encounter with time’s rhythm and the divine presence within it.

[Insert chart with Number Card titles]

Decans and the Sacred Calendar

The Number Cards explore the dimension of Shanah (Time). Drawing from the Golden Dawn’s decans[41], each trio of Number Cards (2-4, 5-7, 8-10) is linked to a Hebrew month and a corresponding tribe of Israel following traditional associations.

Torah tells us that God created the sun and moon to mark time[42], and gave us the festivals to sanctify it. The calendar reminds us what is important to focus on in our lives at particular times. It gives time meaning and offers us the opportunity to return.

The suit of Swords, associated with the element of air, corresponds to the months of Tishrei, Shevat, and Sivan. For example, Tishrei aligns with Libra and the tribe of Efraim. During that month we observe the High Holy Days; Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, and the harvest festival of Sukkot mark a season of judgment, return, and joy. Their themes echo the qualities of the suit of Swords, clarity of thought, discernment, self reflection, and a willingness to change.

These holy days are spiritual anchors, reminding us that the soul’s journey does not exist apart from the turning of the seasons or the rhythms of collective memory. It is a story that we can trace through the tribes of Israel and the sacred calendar that binds us together.

Each month, like each tribe, resonates with a spiritual signature. Its holy days serve as anchors, grounding our individual journeys in the shared rhythms of sacred time. The Number Cards help us trace this unfolding as part of the Hebrew calendar and the evolving story of our people. They remind us that spiritual growth moves with the seasons and takes shape in community.

Two traditions exist for aligning the tribes of Israel with the months of the year: one follows their order of birth, and the other follows the arrangement of their wilderness encampment around the Mishkan. The Eilat Tarot follows the latter, beginning with Judah (Yehudah), whose camp led the people forward whenever they journeyed. This order emphasizes movement, pilgrimage, and renewal, presenting time as a shared path.

The following calendar table maps each Hebrew month to its zodiac sign, tribal correspondence, key sacred dates, and decanic structure. The significance of time is encoded in the Jewish calendar.

[Insert image of calendar]

Rosh Chodesh

Rosh Chodesh, the New Moon, remains a sacred time in Jewish life. In ancient Israel, it could only be declared by the Sanhedrin after eyewitness testimony of the new moon, making human perception essential to the structure of sacred time. Because Rosh Hashanah falls on the first day of the month, there was no margin for confirming the correct date in time to celebrate it properly. As a result, it was fixed as a two-day holiday, even in the Land of Israel. (Other holidays came to be observed over two days in diaspora due to uncertainty about when news of the official calendar date would arrive.)

A midrash [46] tells that when the moon complained because God had diminished her light, God responded by instructing Israel to offer a sin offering on His behalf. This striking tale is a radical acknowledgment of cosmic imbalance, as well as a sign of divine humility and love.

The new moon is still announced in synagogues on the Shabbat prior, and Rosh Chodesh is marked with special songs of praise. In some communities, it also became a women’s holiday, based on another midrash in which the women refused to contribute their gold to the making of the Golden Calf. Today, Rosh Chodesh is being reclaimed through rituals of renewal, spiritual gatherings, and feminist celebration.

Most major festivals fall on the full moon, when the moon's face is fully revealed. The full moon rises at sunset, a moment when sun and moon face each other, a luminous meeting that Kabbalah views as symbolizing the sacred union of divine masculine and divine feminine. The Jewish calendar, then, is not merely a system of timekeeping, but a mirror of divine relationship and a guide to human joy.

Shabbat

Beyond the rhythm of the moon and the changing of the seasons lies another sanctification of time; every seventh day is Shabbat, the Sabbath. Time was not only created to measure our days, but to give them meaning[47]. The Torah tells us that God made the lights in the heavens “for signs and for seasons, and for days and years” (Gen. 1:14) God made time for us to sanctify. Time makes human life a spiritual journey.

Every seventh day breaks the pattern of labor to remind us that time itself is holy. Shabbat is a pause woven into creation. “God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, for on it He had ceased from all His task that He had created to do” (Gen. 2:3[48]). Every seventh day reminds us that time is holy because it was created and sanctified by God, the Creator of all. [49 - Explain in a footnote: Sabbatical Year and Jubilee Year. Include a description of picking oranges in the Land during a Sabbatical Year.]

The morning hymn Adon Olam tells us that God existed “before time began,” and will remain “when all else has ceased.” Time is divinely given. It is the medium in which we live, grow, and return.

Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel called Shabbat a sanctuary in time. While people build cathedrals in space, “the Sabbath is a cathedral in time” that the soul enters rather than builds. Shabbat offers a taste of the world-to-come (Olam Ha-Ba), a world perfected. To observe it is to step outside the current of ordinary time and enter the eternal. Can you see this perfect world in your life or in the cards?

In the Eilat Tarot, the Aces represent wholeness and stillness, the eternal within and beyond the temporal. But time is also dynamic and the Number Cards track that motion, each one marking a moment in the soul’s growth. Titles such as Out in the Cold (Five of Pentacles), Night of the Mind (Nine of Swords), and Grace Made Visible (Ten of Cups) remind us that every phase of life has its place in the sacred cycle. As Kohelet [50] teaches, “To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven.”

The Number Cards remind us that every stage of life is part of a pattern of growth. Time is the medium through which creation unfolds. By attuning ourselves to its rhythm and meaning, we participate in creation. From the first spark of the Aces to the completion of the Tens, these cards reflect the soul’s journey through time.

We’ve seen how the Number Cards align with the dimension of Shanah (Time). In the next chapter, we’ll explore how the Letter Cards align with the dimension of Olam (World).

Part 1, Chapter 3 - Newly Re-revised!

Chapter Three
The Image Cards: b’Tzelem Elokim (Soul/Person)

While the Letter Cards express cosmic principles and the Number Cards reveal temporal tides, the Image Cards focus on us, human beings made b’Tzelem Elokim, in the image of God.

The Divine Image: Tzelim Elokim

The Image Cards remind us that every person embodies the Divine image. In this text, I address this arcana first because we humans, who are called to be partners in creation, want to understand ourselves and learn to live well.

The creation narrative teaches, “And God said, ‘Let us make a human in our image, after our likeness’… And God created the human in His image, male and female He created them” (Gen. 1:26-27). [31]

The Etz Hayim commentary notes,

Commentators in every generation have puzzled over the plural language in this verse… Perhaps God was speaking to the animals: Together let us fashion a unique creature in our images (yours and Mine), a creature like an animal in some ways—needing to eat, to sleep, to mate—and like God in some ways—capable of compassion, creativity, morality, and self-consciousness. Let the divine qualities manifest themselves in this culmination of the evolutionary process. [32]

To see ourselves and others as reflecting the divine image in this world is to recognize that every act of honesty, compassion, or courage participates in the work of creation. We are called to choose whether we will emulate the Divine. A betrayal of trust distorts the Divine image and decreases the divine presence in the world. Harming another person is a betrayal of the Divine within them. When we exploit, deceive, or harm, we violate not only someone’s trust or possessions, but also the sacred purpose each of us was given. Every unjust act is theft. Every betrayal dims the image of God, concealing it in others and in ourselves.

In one of his discussions of Parashat Vayera, Rabbi Jonathan Sacks draws attention to a remarkable moment: just as God appears to Abraham at the entrance of his tent, Abraham sees three travelers approaching and immediately asks God to wait so that he can attend to the needs of these strangers. This daring act suggests that God desires us to recognize the Divine image not only in sacred encounters, but in every human being who crosses our path.

The Image Cards portray people as potentially holy beings, called to reflect God’s image in our daily choices, relationships, and struggles. These cards stand between the cyclical patterns of the Number Cards and the cosmic framework of the Letter Cards as messengers, actors, and witnesses in the unfolding of creation.

Soul, the Three Dimensions of Creation, and the Four Elements

The Sefer Yetzirah speaks of three dimensions of creation: soul, world, and time. This structure of reality is reflected in the three types of cards in the Eilat Tarot. The Image Cards belong to the dimension of soul, nefesh, because they reveal how spirit takes shape in human life. Each suit corresponds to a different facet of the soul:

• Pentacles: presence, rootedness, labor, and shelter
• Wands: will, passion, and intention
• Swords: insight, discernment, and choice
• Cups: devotion, memory, love, and gratitude

These are aspects of each soul, shifting with the seasons, shaped by circumstance, and revealed in the choices we make.

Making Image Cards Readable

In traditional tarot, court cards are often the hardest to interpret. Are they people? Roles? Qualities? Beginners often struggle to interpret these cards, and even experienced readers hesitate. The Image Cards are designed to change that.

Each card bears a clear title, elemental role, and a soul-aspect pointing to a living presence. Instead of feudal ranks, you encounter recognizable figures such as a Watcher of the Grove, a Kindler of Flame, and a Keeper of the Veiled Cup. These are not just characters, but invitations to recognize archetypal forces as they move through human experience.

Features of Each Image Card

Before exploring the symbolic layers of rank, element, and world, it may help to note what each Image Card actually shows. 

• The card’s rank (Daughter, Son, Mother, Father)
• The card’s assigned World (Atzilut, B’riyah, Y’tzirah, Asiyah)
• A Tree of Life glyph showing its World
• Two Paleo-Hebrew letters of the Divine Name
• A title that expresses the figure’s role
• The classic Rider-Waite card image
• The suit element and rank element

Together, these symbols shape each card into a living character, part of the story of the soul in its journey.

The Four Ranks of the Image Cards

The traditional Page, Knight, Queen, and King have been renamed in the Eilat Tarot as Daughter, Son, Mother, and Father, echoing the divine tetrad of Kabbalah.These four ranks are not hierarchical. They are archetypal expressions of human and divine creativity, facets of how the soul develops through action, relationship, and inner life. 

• Daughter: openness, receptivity, and unrealized potential
• Son: striving, journeying, and will in motion
• Mother: discernment, nurturing, and interior depth
• Father: presence, responsibility, and grounded action

Together, these four reflect the dynamic polarity at the heart of creation: the rhythm of giving and receiving that is a reflection of divine emanation.

Elemental Combinations

The Golden Dawn assigned each rank of court cards to one of the four elements: Pages with Earth, Knights with Air, Queens with Water, and Kings with Fire. Each rank was then paired with the element of the suit, producing sixteen unique combinations, such as Earth of Fire (Page of Wands) or Air of Water (Knight of Cups). [35]

In the Eilat Tarot, the same elemental structure remains but labels such as ‘Smoke’ or ‘Pond,’ originally used in Golden Dawn systems to indicate the blending of elements have been transformed into more evocative and human titles such as Messenger of Smoke or Keeper of the Veiled Cup. The following lists present these titles twice: first by rank, and then by suit.

Listing by rank: 

The Daughters (Earth in the Suits):
Pentacles - Earth of Earth - Watcher of the Grove
Wands - Earth of Fire - Messenger of Smoke
Swords - Earth of Air - Walker in the Dust
Cups - Earth of Water - Servant of Grace

The Sons (Air in the Suits):
Pentacles - Air of Earth - Scout of the Land
Wands - Air of Fire - Kindler of Flame
Swords - Air of Air - Rider of the Clouds
Cups - Air of Water - Bearer of Longing

The Mothers (Water in the Suits):
Pentacles - Water of Earth - Keeper of the Field
Wands - Water of Fire - Weaver of Radiance
Swords - Water of Air - Voice of Clarity
Cups - Water of Water - Keeper of the Veiled Cup

The Fathers (Fire in the Suits):
Pentacles - Fire of Earth - Steward of Earth
Wands - Fire of Fire - Guide of Fire
Swords - Fire of Air - Wielder of Judgment
Cups - Fire of Water - Master of Compassion

Listing by suit: 

Suit of Pentacles (Earth):
Daughter - Earth of Earth - Watcher of the Grove
Son - Air of Earth - Scout of the Land
Mother - Water of Earth - Keeper of the Field
Father - Fire of Earth - Steward of Earth

Suit of Wands (Fire):
Daughter - Earth of Fire - Messenger of Smoke
Son - Air of Fire - Kindler of Flame
Mother - Water of Fire - Weaver of Radiance
Father - Fire of Fire - Guide of Fire

Suit of Swords (Air):
Daughter - Earth of Air - Walker in the Dust
Son - Air of Air - Rider of the Clouds
Mother - Water of Air - Voice of Clarity
Father - Fire of Air - Wielder of Judgment

Suit of Cups (Water):
Daughter - Earth of Water - Servant of Grace
Son - Air of Water - Bearer of Longing
Mother - Water of Water - Keeper of the Veiled Cup
Father - Fire of Water - Master of Compassion

The Shapes of the Divine Name

Each Image Card bears two Paleo-Hebrew letters, symbolizing its elemental combination and God’s ongoing creation of the world. Paleo-Hebrew is a nearly pictographic script used in Israel prior to the Babylonian Exile when the modern Ashuric script was adopted. The original Hebrew script was considered holy and God’s name was written in that script in early Torah scrolls and even in Greek translations of the Septuagint. [36]

Rather than using letters of the Havayah [37] on the Image Cards, I chose the paleo-Hebrew forms of the Mother Letters which the Sefer Yetzirah associates with the flow of primordial creative forces: Alef is breath (air), Mem is water from breath, and Shin is fire from water. These are not just the physical elements we experience, but spiritual principles emanating from God.

In his commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah, Aryeh Kaplan suggests that the three Mother Letters are echoed in the Divine Name itself, with Yud representing water, Hei representing fire, and Vav representing air [38]. This connection suggest that the structure of the Havayah contains elemental balance at its core. Though I chose not to place letters from the Divine Name on the cards, the use of the Mother Letters retains that sacred resonance. They point to the same mystery: that God’s breath animates creation, and that we, too, shape the world with our breath, presence, and will.

Since only three elements are described in the Sefer Yetzirah, I needed to find a fourth symbol to include on the Image Cards. I considered using the astrological symbol for the planet earth (a cross within a circle) which, I noticed, looks a bit like the paleo-Hebrew letter Tav, so I chose Tav to represent the element of earth. As the final letter of the alef-bet, it suggests completion and manifestation. It is also the symbol for the mishkan, the wilderness tabernacle, around which the tribes encamped.

Its name means ‘sign’ or ‘seal,’ evoking the human being as the final expression or imprint of divine creation.

Each paleo-Hebrew echoes its original, pictographic form and seems to also reflect the elemental quality associated with it:

• Alef 𐤀 resembles an ox, a living breathing creature. In the Eilat Tarot, it is a symbol for the element of air.
• Mem 𐤌 resembles a wave. In the Eilat Tarot, it is a symbol for the element of water.
• Shin 𐤔 resembles teeth or flames. In the Eilat Tarot, it is a symbol for the element of fire.
• Tav 𐤕 means ‘sign’ or ‘mark.’ In the Eilat Tarot, it is a symbol for the element of earth.

In contemporary Hebrew script, the forms of these letters reflect the human experience of being in the world. Alef (א) balances above and below, evoking our dual nature, spiritual and physical. Mem (מ) turns inward, echoing our inner depths and emotional life. Shin (ש) radiates outward, expressing our will, energy, and power to act. And Tav (ת) closes the circle, reminding us of endings, integration, and the seal of our becoming, the imprint of who we’ve shaped ourselves into, during the course of our lives.

These sacred letters remind us that the Sefer Yetzirah is not merely an account of what God once did, but an invitation for us to participate in co-creating the world and to find meaning in our own acts of will, word, and breath.

In this way, the Image Cards reflect the dimension of nefesh: the living soul engaged in the ongoing process of creation, mirroring divine action through the choices of daily life.

Elements and Soul

When a card’s rank and suit share the same element, I have linked it to one of the four traditional levels of the soul. Three of these cards also bear a Hebrew letter (א-Alef, מ-Mem, or ש-Shin), each symbolizing a primordial element from which the Hebrew letters, and through them, the world, were formed [39].

Ten Sefirot of Nothingness:
One is the Breath of the Living God…

Two: Breath from Breath.
With it He engraved and carved…

Three: Water from Breath.
With it He engraved and carved…

Four: Fire from Water
With it He engraved and carved…

–Sefer Yetzirah 1:9-1:12

The Daughter of Pentacles, Earth of Earth, is labeled Nefesh, the soul of vitality and action. The Son of Swords, Air of Air (א), is labeled Ruach, the soul of thought and striving. The Mother of Cups, Water of Water (מ), is labeled Neshamah, the soul of insight and discernment. The Father of Wands, Fire of Fire (ש), is labeled Chayah, the soul of awe and transformation.

No card is linked with the fifth level of soul, Yechidah, the soul of pure unity with the Divine.

Each of us contains all four elements and moves fluidly among them. The cards remind us of the many facets of being alive.

Image Cards and Prayer

Each suit in the Eilat Tarot also corresponds to a mode of prayer: 

• Wands: praise
• Swords: petition
• Cups: thanksgiving
• Pentacles: presence, the silent prayer of being

Prayer is not only liturgical but lived. It is embodied in awe (יִרְאָה), compassion (רַחֲמִים), hope (תִּקְוָה), serenity (מְנוּחָה), faith (אֱמוּנָה), honesty (יוֹשֶׁר), and joy (שִׂמְחָה). These and other powers of the soul (kochot hanefesh) are expressed through thought, speech, and action.

The Image Cards mirror this living practice. Each one encourages us to ask: Who am I becoming? How am I reflecting the Divine image in this moment?

The Four Worlds and the Image Cards

In Kabbalah, the Four Worlds (Arba Olamot) describe the continuous unfolding of divine creativity, from infinite unity into material multiplicity. Each World is both a stage of divine emanation and a state of consciousness.

Each of these Worlds is traditionally understood as a complete Tree of Life, with the final sefirah of one World also being the first sefirah of the next. However, in the Eilat Tarot, I have chosen to portray the Four Worlds on a single Tree of Life glyph, reflecting the continuous unfolding of creation as a single flowing movement. Although we dwell in the world of Assiyah (action), the other worlds flow into ours and our actions can affect worlds above our own.

Each rank of the Image Cards corresponds to one of these Four Worlds: 

• Daughter - Atzilut (Emanation), spark of potential
• Son - B’riyah (Creation), impulse to initiate
• Mother - Y’tzirah (Formation), cultivation, discernment
• Father - Asiyah (Action), manifestation, presence

Traditional Kabbalistic sources, such as those cited by Aryeh Kaplan, align the world of Atzilut with the soul-level Chayah, and Asiyah with Nefesh. But in the Eilat Tarot the Father is linked to the world of Asiyah and the soul level of Chayah (awareness and awe), while the Daughter belongs to Atzilut, the World of pure emanation, and is assigned the soul level of Nefesh.

This pattern reflects spiritual process, beginning with the Daughters and reaching the Fathers. Each World contains echoes of the others, forming a continuum of becoming. The tarot figures embody the paradoxes of creation, where blending and reversal are signs of divine motion. Paradox thrives in the world and so also within the Tree of Life glyph. The Daughter’s realm, Atzilut, includes the masculine Pillar, while the Son’s realm, B’riyah, rests on the feminine side of the Tree. Such apparent contradictions express the divine dance through which all worlds are created.

The Tree at the Crossroads, A New Year Rite of Vision and Release with Hekate

Hekate dances before a tree too immense to fully see.

I place three candles on the earth and light them.

I light these flames at the roots of the world tree.
Flame of the crossroads. Flame of the soul. Flame of the future.
Hekate Enodia, Hekate Phosphoros, Hekate Trimorphis.
Help me understand these messages.

I place The Hermit card (reversed) before the white candle and invoke Hekate:

Enodia, show me where I resist stillness.
Help me hear the wisdom that lives beneath the silence.

I place the Two of Cups (reversed) before the red candle and invoke Hekate:

Aglaos and Vrimo, illuminate the wounds I must heal.
Why is love withheld? How may I open to connection again?

I place the Knight of Pentacles before the black candle and invoke Hekate:

Psychi Kosmou and Hthonia, show me the gate that opens.
How shall I plant and nourish the seeds of growth?

I place a pomegranate, a key, and an offering cup near the candles.

I place the Four of Swords before the pomegranate and invoke Hekate:

Fruit of the Underworld, sealed and sweet,
I will not force the path.
Let the hidden potential ripen in silence.
Let me lay down the sword and welcome sacred rest.

I place The Magician card before the key and invoke Hekate:

Hekate Klidouchos, Keeper of Keys,
May I find what I need.
Teach me to use what I already carry.
Let will and wisdom meet.

I place the King of Pentacles before the offering cup and invoke Hekate:

I return the gifts that once helped me.
Help me release control.
Let my spirit grow where fear once ruled.

I inscribe a circle on the ground.

I place the Ten of Pentacles within the circle and invoke Hekate:

Show me what will take root.
What vision is ready to come into form?

I place the Death card within the circle and invoke Hekate:

Hekate of Many Faces,
Show me who I must become.
Guide me through the shedding.
Let the old self die with grace.

I await a vision...

I kindle fire in the cauldron and pour water into the basin.

I pass the Two of Wands (reversed) through the flames of the cauldron and invoke Hekate:

Cauldron of transformation,
Receive what I must release.
Hekate, help me name what is false and what I fear,
and give me strength to cast them into the flame.

I pour water from the basin over the Five of Pentacles (reversed) and invoke Hekate:

Water of life, water of mercy.
Hekate, show me what must be cleansed.
Let this basin carry away sorrow, shame, and isolation.
Let resilience and grace take their place.

I pour water on my hands and splash my face. Then I offer thanks to Hekate:

The flame returns to the root.
The path returns to silence.
The goddess remains.
May what was seen unfold in time.
Hail and farewell, Hekate,
Light-bringer, Key-holder, Guide through shadow.

Postscript

When I performed this rite, the visualization came quickly and vividly. I saw Hekate dancing before the World Tree which, in the darkness, was vast beyond sight. I recited Hekate's mantra and felt the damp earth and warm air around me. The candles flickered over each card. The pomegranate, key, and cup were real. I inscribed the circle with white chalk and felt Hekate communing with me.

When I laid down the Death card, I asked what part of me must die so I can live more fully. But then I noticed: The Ten of Pentacles had come first. Perhaps transformation isn't a prerequisite for change; perhaps change will begin to take root before I fully understand who I must become.

The Five of Pentacles, washed in water, offered hope. I saw the possibility of returning to a place of light, of finding a new home, within myself or elsewhere.

I gazed at The Two of Cups, its candle still burning brightly even though it had became shorter, and I asked Hekate to help me find love and connection and to heal whatever has kept me distant from others.

Something shifted. I felt a quiet turning and heard the beginning of something. Now I wait in stillness to understand the rest.

New Year's Tarot Spread

This morning, I began the year by performing a tarot reading using Arith Harger’s The Altar of Hekate - Rune Divination Method, a spread that invites reflection, transformation, and the wisdom of the liminal goddess. The cards are read in ten sacred positions, each one symbolically tethered to phases of ritual work at an altar.


Opening the Crossroads

Card 1 - White candle, new moon, our inner temple. Asking Enodia for advice and wisdom regarding the next cycle.

The Hermit reversed suggests that I'm resisting stillness and failing to listen to my inner guidance, that I'm not embracing the isolation and silence I currently need. I'm seeking sensible action and external answers when I should be seeking higher wisdom.

Card 2 - Red candle, red moon, the sacred flames of Aglaos and Vrimo. Illuminating the path to regeneration and helping defend against blocks to your potential.

The Two of Cups reversed suggests that I've never really accepted that no one will ever love me back. I'm not seeking romantic love, but the love with those around me who make up the fabric and melody of a meaningful life. I've never figured out what makes me so vile and unlovable. I've just had to accept that only a few people care and that the love I give is what I should focus on. This absence of connection must be healed in some way.

Card 3 - Black candle, dark moon. Purification of home and self before transition to next cycle; Psychi Kosmou and Hthonia reveal which gate will open for you.

The Knight of Pentacles indicates responsibility and duty, and the satisfaction of being responsible and dutiful. These qualities reflect who I am, but the other cards suggest I may need to redirect my energies. It may indicate continuing with my current situation, but tending it differently so sprouts of new life may begin to cover that ploughed field. I dreamed of a home last night and the night before. It may be time to nest and make a home in which I can grow.

Descent to the Inner Temple

Card 4 - Pomegranate of Hthonia to find yourself. Revealing the hidden fruit of the Underworld, your potential; don’t force yourself onto a path you’re not suited for.

The Four of Swords suggests that my potential can't be found through action now. I must lay down the sword and accept this period of dormancy. The pomegranate, symbol of the underworld, and this card ask me to be still, rest, and let the fruit ripen in silence.

Card 5 - Keys of Kliduchos. Revealing the keys to your soul, your journey, your hidden potential.

The Magician suggests I have access to all the keys and tools I need even if they feel distant now. Perhaps they will become visible to me in this season of stillness.

Card 6 - Offering cup. Releasing gifts that might prevent the unfolding and growth, unveiling the next cycle to gain confidence in it.

The King of Pentacles suggests that my attachment to material control and outward stability is a shield, but that it now cages me. I don’t need to give up security, but I must let go of my fear of losing it. I need to seek spiritual growth.

Vision from the Deep

Card 7 - The magic circle, active part of the altar. Obtaining a concrete image of what to expect in the next cycle.

The Ten of Pentacles suggests I will find a situation in which to become rooted and strong and giving. I will establish a foundation, reconnect with tradition, claim a place within a community, and gain a sense of belonging that will bless both me and others.

Card 8 - Hekate of many epithets. We are too fluid to be the same person throughout our lives; this rune or card shows the identity we must embrace for this cycle.

Death suggests that my old self is dissolving while a new one is rising. Hekate as psychopomp will guide me through this transformation. Like the figures in the card, I should surrender and welcome this transformation. My old identity cannot accommodate the future that is arriving.

Release and Return

Card 9 - Cauldron. Burn everything no longer needed on the altar, refine the vision you've gained, and keep that vision in the fertile silence of the Underworld for future use.

The Two of Wands reversed shows hesitation, fear of taking the wrong action. I should surrender doubt of this vision and wait trustfully in the fertile silence for the vision to come to fruition.

Card 10 - Water. Release the creative energies you invoked for this ritual, cleanse the altar and yourself. Dissolve the ritual circle and return to the flow of life and self.

The Five of Pentacles reversed represents emerging from scarcity, shame, and the ache of being out in the cold. It shows me reclaiming a sense of self worth. Let the water wash away old wounds and patterns of behavior that keep me isolated. Let resilience and self-trust flow into me, carrying me into a new future.

Turning the Reading into a Rite

How do I turn the lessons of this reading into a ritual. What ritual actions will solidify the vision in my mind and in reality?

• The Hermit asks: What kind of meditation will help me cultivate stillness and hear the voice of inner wisdom?
• The Two of Cups reversed raises the question: How do I face this ache in my character, this yearning for connection? Will it dissolve with the transformation that is coming?
• The Knight of Pentacles wonders: Would creating an altar space be sufficient to help me tend my life with more care and intention?
• The Four of Swords whispers: What kind of rest do I truly need, especially when illness has already taken so much time from gainful employment?
• The Magician echoes: What kind of stillness will allow me to recognize the keys I already possess?
• The King of Pentacles challenges: How do I transmute my desire for material control into a deeper search for spiritual growth?
• With the Ten of Pentacles and Death, I wonder: Is this transformation inevitable? Do I trust it to unfold, no matter what I do?
• The Two of Wands reversed urges me to ask: Is it truly possible to release fear? What symbol can I burn?
• And finally, the Five of Pentacles reversed asks: How do I release the old story of exclusion and scarcity that has shaped me since childhood? What symbol can I wash away?

Would candles, breath, and word be enough? Or is this a ritual that can only unfold in the astral temple, with Hekate guiding me and revealing the symbolic objects I must release?