| CHAPTER VI |
Arrange the major trumps from 0 to 5 as follows:
The Empress will then be in Binah, the Emperor in Chesed, and the Hierophant in Geburah, on the Tree of Life. As
final Heh of the archetypal world, the Empress is a synthesis of 0, 1, and 2. Her yellow hair, bound by a green wreath,
repeats the symbolism of the Fool; her uplifted sceptre resembles the Magician’s wand; and, like the High Priestess,
she is a woman, seated on a cubic stone. As Yod of Heh, she is both the reflection and the antithesis of the Fool. He is
a youth, standing on a barren height: she is a matron, sitting in the midst of a fertile valley.
She is Binah, Understanding, the Sanctifying Intelligence, termed “the foundation of Primordial Wisdom,” because
Divine Wisdom proceeds from that perfect understanding of Itself and of Its power through which Spirit purifies and
completes all its creations. This purifying power is associated with Water (represented by a stream and pool in the
background of the picture), and Binah, as the “root of Water,” corresponds to the Great Sea – Prakriti, Aphrodite,
Mare – Mary. She is also the Salt which is the active principle of that Sea.
In Chapter IV I have shown how the word BINH, through its number, 67, which reduces to 13, symbolizes the apparent
self-division of Spirit. The opposite aspect of the creative process is indicated by another name for the third Sephirah
– AIMA, “the bright pregnant Mother” – which refers to those characteristics of Binah emphasized by the symbolism of
the Empress. AIMA is 1, 10, 40, 1, or 52 – the doubling of 26 (IHVH), and the sum of the values of the letters of the
Tetragrammaton spelt in full (IUD- HH - VV - HH: 10, 6, 4; 5, 5; 6, 6; 5, 5). It signifies the multiplication of the Supreme
Spirit (IHVH: 26) by Wisdom (Chokmah: 2). Fifty-two is also the value of the word BN, Ben, the Son, associated by
Qabalists with Tiphareth, the sixth Sephirah; and the reduction of 52 gives 7, the number of the letter Zain,
corresponding to the major trump of the Lovers, which bears the number 6, and represents Tiphareth by its emblems.
In AIMA, the Mother, BN, the Son, is concealed, even as the Son is comprehended, together with the Father (I), and
the Mother (H), in BINH. Even so in the number 3, assigned to the Empress, is concealed the number 6, for 6 is the
extension of 3.
As the “root of Water” Binah corresponds to Daleth, because the alchemical symbol of Water, an equilateral triangle
pointing downward, was the ancient Semitic character for Daleth. Furthermore, the value of Daleth is 4, the final
reduction of 67, the number of the word BINH. Nor are these the only links between the Sephirah and the letter, for to
Daleth is attributed the planet Venus, or Aphrodite. The symbol of Venus appears on the heart-shaped shield beside
the Empress, and a variation of it is embroidered upon her robe. The Empress’ crown of twelve stars represents the
zodiac, the year, and so Time. It corresponds to the girdle of the Fool, which has twelve jewels. It also denotes the
Shemahamphorash, or seventy-two explanatory names of God, for the stars are six pointed, and 12 x 6 is 72. For
Qabalists this should be especially significant.
As creative Heh the Emperor is the antithesis of the Magician. The latter, young, dark-haired and beardless, stands in
a garden; the Emperor, white-haired and bearded, sits on a throne of granite, in a desert place. Rugged mountain-
peaks tower behind him in the distance. At their base flows a river.
Heh is Chesed, Mercy or Beneficence; but he corresponds particularly to the aspect of Chesed termed GEDULAH,
Majesty. In a sense he is the crown of the Empress, because the number of Chesed is 72. Her power is derived from,
and subordinate to his, for he is merely another aspect of the same principle represented by the Magician; but
because the feminine principle predominates in the creative world, he is to her as Heh to Yod.
The name of the Path assigned to Gedulah suggests the same thought of passivity. It is the Measuring Intelligence,
which “arises like a boundary to receive the emanations of the higher intelligences which are set down to it. Herefrom
all spiritual virtues emanate by the way of subtlety, which itself emanates from the Supreme Crown.” These phrases of
medieval Qabalism convey the same idea of self-impartation that is implied by “Beneficence,” and intimate that this
free gift of Its powers is part of the very essence of the Primal Will.
In Mr. Waite’s Tarot, the symbolism of the Emperor emphasizes his correspondence to Heh in the alphabet. Ram’s
heads, representing Aries, adorn his throne. Another is embroidered on his cape. Straight lines drawn from the apex
of his crown to his hands, and from hand to hand, will form the upright triangle of Fire; and Aries is a Fire sign.
Beneath a red robe, like the Magician’s, he wears armor. This connects him with Mars, which rules Aries by day,
because iron is the metal attributed to Mars. In the major trumps Mars is represented by the Tower, which is 16, or 4 x
4. Again, the Sun, which is exalted in Aries, is 19 in the major trumps, and the first reduction of 19 is 10, which is the
extension of 4. I have no space to explain these correspondences; but l call attention to them so that earnest students
may work out the doctrines implied for themselves.
The Emperor’s crown has twelve divisions. Five (the number of Heh) are visible. Surmounting it are three small circles,
arranged to form an inverted triangle, to remind us that Chesed corresponds to the element Water. Note the
distinction between Binah, the “root of Water,” and Chesed, to which Water itself is attributed.
In a sense, too, the Emperor reflects the High Priestess, beneath whom he stands on the Tree of Life. His number is
the square of hers, and his power is, in one aspect, the duplication of hers. In addition to his red robe and his armor,
therefore, he wears another garment, blue, like her robe. His sceptre is a Tau-cross (see explanation of Tau in
Chapter III), surmounted by a sun wheel. It denotes the mastery and direction of Fire by the use of an instrument
designed to measure Water.
He is the same combination of Fire and Water that is implied by the fact that the Emperor symbolizes both Chesed and
Aries. The sceptre also implies that the Extension of Light in creative activity is according to laws of mathematics. To
practical occultists it should, moreover, convey a very definite hint of the means to be employed in directing the
Universal Fire. Verbum sap.
The Hierophant, “revealer of sacred mysteries,” is Vau of the creative world – the link between the Emperor and the
Empress. He is also the reflection and the antithesis of the High Priestess, who is the archetypal Vau.
As 1 plus 4, his number combines those of the Magician and the Emperor. The two kneeling ministers, therefore, have
the lilies and roses of the Magician embroidered on their robes; and the Hierophant’s position of authority, indicated
by his throne, tiara, and sceptre, reflects the idea of rulership suggested by the Emperor.
The number 5 is also 2 plus 3. The name of the Hierophant is the masculine equivalent of “High Priestess”; he sits in a
building, between two pillars; and one of his vestments is blue. His correspondence to the Empress is shown by his
white undergarment, by the three bars of his sceptre, and by the white pallium which he wears over his red robe. This
last is a circle surmounting a vertical line, double the diameter of the circle. The line, therefore, is equal to the two
lines forming the cross in the symbol of Venus, of which the pallium is really a variant. The sign which the Hierophant
makes with his right hand signifies, “Two concealed and Three revealed,” or the manifestation of the hidden duad (the
High Priestess), through the activity of the triad (the Empress). Again, the extension of 5 is 15; and this reduces to 6,
the extension of 3, which, in turn, is the extension of 2. Finally, the number 5 corresponds to the number 2 in the
“quaternary numeration” based on the correspondence of numbers to the letters of IHVH, as explained in an earlier
chapter.
As a symbol for Geburah, Strength or Severity, the Hierophant is the Radical Intelligence which “emanates from the
depths of the Primordial Wisdom.” That Wisdom is Chokmah (the High Priestess), and the Hierophant represents its
creative manifestation. By this is he connected with the Great Arcanum of the Pentagram as it is explained in the
writings of Eliphas Levi.
His correspondence to Vau in the alphabet makes him a symbol of the Triumphant and Eternal Intelligence which is
the Path joining Chokmah (2: the High Priestess) to Chesed (4: the Emperor). He also corresponds to the zodiacal
sign Taurus, the first of the Earth triplicity. Taurus is the nocturnal house of Venus (the Empress), and the exaltation
of the Moon (the High Priestess).
Consult the data given in preceding chapters for other meanings of this triad of trumps, and devote a little time each
day to tracing out the connections. Keep a note-book for each major trump, with main headings like those I have used
in explaining the Hebrew alphabet, and other headings for the ideas suggested by the title, number, and symbols of
the card.
By following this plan you will quickly accumulate much information, classified in such a way that you can refer to it
easily. Remember that, apart from its general doctrine, the Tarot has a special message for you, because it speaks by
evoking thought. Record what it tells you in the manner just explained, and you will understand why adepts, for
generations, have counted this book of symbols among their most cherished possessions.
final Heh of the archetypal world, the Empress is a synthesis of 0, 1, and 2. Her yellow hair, bound by a green wreath,
repeats the symbolism of the Fool; her uplifted sceptre resembles the Magician’s wand; and, like the High Priestess,
she is a woman, seated on a cubic stone. As Yod of Heh, she is both the reflection and the antithesis of the Fool. He is
a youth, standing on a barren height: she is a matron, sitting in the midst of a fertile valley.
She is Binah, Understanding, the Sanctifying Intelligence, termed “the foundation of Primordial Wisdom,” because
Divine Wisdom proceeds from that perfect understanding of Itself and of Its power through which Spirit purifies and
completes all its creations. This purifying power is associated with Water (represented by a stream and pool in the
background of the picture), and Binah, as the “root of Water,” corresponds to the Great Sea – Prakriti, Aphrodite,
Mare – Mary. She is also the Salt which is the active principle of that Sea.
In Chapter IV I have shown how the word BINH, through its number, 67, which reduces to 13, symbolizes the apparent
self-division of Spirit. The opposite aspect of the creative process is indicated by another name for the third Sephirah
– AIMA, “the bright pregnant Mother” – which refers to those characteristics of Binah emphasized by the symbolism of
the Empress. AIMA is 1, 10, 40, 1, or 52 – the doubling of 26 (IHVH), and the sum of the values of the letters of the
Tetragrammaton spelt in full (IUD- HH - VV - HH: 10, 6, 4; 5, 5; 6, 6; 5, 5). It signifies the multiplication of the Supreme
Spirit (IHVH: 26) by Wisdom (Chokmah: 2). Fifty-two is also the value of the word BN, Ben, the Son, associated by
Qabalists with Tiphareth, the sixth Sephirah; and the reduction of 52 gives 7, the number of the letter Zain,
corresponding to the major trump of the Lovers, which bears the number 6, and represents Tiphareth by its emblems.
In AIMA, the Mother, BN, the Son, is concealed, even as the Son is comprehended, together with the Father (I), and
the Mother (H), in BINH. Even so in the number 3, assigned to the Empress, is concealed the number 6, for 6 is the
extension of 3.
As the “root of Water” Binah corresponds to Daleth, because the alchemical symbol of Water, an equilateral triangle
pointing downward, was the ancient Semitic character for Daleth. Furthermore, the value of Daleth is 4, the final
reduction of 67, the number of the word BINH. Nor are these the only links between the Sephirah and the letter, for to
Daleth is attributed the planet Venus, or Aphrodite. The symbol of Venus appears on the heart-shaped shield beside
the Empress, and a variation of it is embroidered upon her robe. The Empress’ crown of twelve stars represents the
zodiac, the year, and so Time. It corresponds to the girdle of the Fool, which has twelve jewels. It also denotes the
Shemahamphorash, or seventy-two explanatory names of God, for the stars are six pointed, and 12 x 6 is 72. For
Qabalists this should be especially significant.
As creative Heh the Emperor is the antithesis of the Magician. The latter, young, dark-haired and beardless, stands in
a garden; the Emperor, white-haired and bearded, sits on a throne of granite, in a desert place. Rugged mountain-
peaks tower behind him in the distance. At their base flows a river.
Heh is Chesed, Mercy or Beneficence; but he corresponds particularly to the aspect of Chesed termed GEDULAH,
Majesty. In a sense he is the crown of the Empress, because the number of Chesed is 72. Her power is derived from,
and subordinate to his, for he is merely another aspect of the same principle represented by the Magician; but
because the feminine principle predominates in the creative world, he is to her as Heh to Yod.
The name of the Path assigned to Gedulah suggests the same thought of passivity. It is the Measuring Intelligence,
which “arises like a boundary to receive the emanations of the higher intelligences which are set down to it. Herefrom
all spiritual virtues emanate by the way of subtlety, which itself emanates from the Supreme Crown.” These phrases of
medieval Qabalism convey the same idea of self-impartation that is implied by “Beneficence,” and intimate that this
free gift of Its powers is part of the very essence of the Primal Will.
In Mr. Waite’s Tarot, the symbolism of the Emperor emphasizes his correspondence to Heh in the alphabet. Ram’s
heads, representing Aries, adorn his throne. Another is embroidered on his cape. Straight lines drawn from the apex
of his crown to his hands, and from hand to hand, will form the upright triangle of Fire; and Aries is a Fire sign.
Beneath a red robe, like the Magician’s, he wears armor. This connects him with Mars, which rules Aries by day,
because iron is the metal attributed to Mars. In the major trumps Mars is represented by the Tower, which is 16, or 4 x
4. Again, the Sun, which is exalted in Aries, is 19 in the major trumps, and the first reduction of 19 is 10, which is the
extension of 4. I have no space to explain these correspondences; but l call attention to them so that earnest students
may work out the doctrines implied for themselves.
The Emperor’s crown has twelve divisions. Five (the number of Heh) are visible. Surmounting it are three small circles,
arranged to form an inverted triangle, to remind us that Chesed corresponds to the element Water. Note the
distinction between Binah, the “root of Water,” and Chesed, to which Water itself is attributed.
In a sense, too, the Emperor reflects the High Priestess, beneath whom he stands on the Tree of Life. His number is
the square of hers, and his power is, in one aspect, the duplication of hers. In addition to his red robe and his armor,
therefore, he wears another garment, blue, like her robe. His sceptre is a Tau-cross (see explanation of Tau in
Chapter III), surmounted by a sun wheel. It denotes the mastery and direction of Fire by the use of an instrument
designed to measure Water.
He is the same combination of Fire and Water that is implied by the fact that the Emperor symbolizes both Chesed and
Aries. The sceptre also implies that the Extension of Light in creative activity is according to laws of mathematics. To
practical occultists it should, moreover, convey a very definite hint of the means to be employed in directing the
Universal Fire. Verbum sap.
The Hierophant, “revealer of sacred mysteries,” is Vau of the creative world – the link between the Emperor and the
Empress. He is also the reflection and the antithesis of the High Priestess, who is the archetypal Vau.
As 1 plus 4, his number combines those of the Magician and the Emperor. The two kneeling ministers, therefore, have
the lilies and roses of the Magician embroidered on their robes; and the Hierophant’s position of authority, indicated
by his throne, tiara, and sceptre, reflects the idea of rulership suggested by the Emperor.
The number 5 is also 2 plus 3. The name of the Hierophant is the masculine equivalent of “High Priestess”; he sits in a
building, between two pillars; and one of his vestments is blue. His correspondence to the Empress is shown by his
white undergarment, by the three bars of his sceptre, and by the white pallium which he wears over his red robe. This
last is a circle surmounting a vertical line, double the diameter of the circle. The line, therefore, is equal to the two
lines forming the cross in the symbol of Venus, of which the pallium is really a variant. The sign which the Hierophant
makes with his right hand signifies, “Two concealed and Three revealed,” or the manifestation of the hidden duad (the
High Priestess), through the activity of the triad (the Empress). Again, the extension of 5 is 15; and this reduces to 6,
the extension of 3, which, in turn, is the extension of 2. Finally, the number 5 corresponds to the number 2 in the
“quaternary numeration” based on the correspondence of numbers to the letters of IHVH, as explained in an earlier
chapter.
As a symbol for Geburah, Strength or Severity, the Hierophant is the Radical Intelligence which “emanates from the
depths of the Primordial Wisdom.” That Wisdom is Chokmah (the High Priestess), and the Hierophant represents its
creative manifestation. By this is he connected with the Great Arcanum of the Pentagram as it is explained in the
writings of Eliphas Levi.
His correspondence to Vau in the alphabet makes him a symbol of the Triumphant and Eternal Intelligence which is
the Path joining Chokmah (2: the High Priestess) to Chesed (4: the Emperor). He also corresponds to the zodiacal
sign Taurus, the first of the Earth triplicity. Taurus is the nocturnal house of Venus (the Empress), and the exaltation
of the Moon (the High Priestess).
Consult the data given in preceding chapters for other meanings of this triad of trumps, and devote a little time each
day to tracing out the connections. Keep a note-book for each major trump, with main headings like those I have used
in explaining the Hebrew alphabet, and other headings for the ideas suggested by the title, number, and symbols of
the card.
By following this plan you will quickly accumulate much information, classified in such a way that you can refer to it
easily. Remember that, apart from its general doctrine, the Tarot has a special message for you, because it speaks by
evoking thought. Record what it tells you in the manner just explained, and you will understand why adepts, for
generations, have counted this book of symbols among their most cherished possessions.
| CHAPTER VII |
To the tableau of major trumps previously given, add 6, 7, and 8, as follows:
The Lovers will then be in Tiphareth, the Chariot in Netzach, and Strength in Hod.
As final Heh of the creative quaternary, the Lovers is a synthesis of 3, 4, and 5. The woman is the Empress, the man
the Emperor, and the angel the Hierophant. The man and woman also correspond to the two ministers of the
Hierophant, to the pillars of the High Priestess, and to the lilies and roses of the Magician. The man, again, symbolizes
the masculine pillar of the Tree of Life (Chokmah, Chesed, and Netzach), and the woman typifies the feminine pillar
(Binah, Geburah, and Hod). The angel between them is the middle pillar (Kether, Tiphareth, Yesod, and Malkuth).
As Yod of Vav, the sixth trump symbolizes the active principle of the formative world. That principle is RVCh, Ruach,
the Life-Breath, ascribed by Qabalists to Tiphareth, to which they also assign the Sun and the angel Michael. In the
Lovers, the Sun is at the top of the picture, and Michael, riding on a cloud, which typifies the atmosphere, blesses the
scene below. The symbolism may be interpreted thus: The Universal Energy, concentrated in the Sun, and modified
by the atmosphere, is the formative principle of all things.
That Energy works through a law which produces the phenomena of sex in living organism. The root of this law is the
self-division of Spirit. By that self-division, or self-reflection, the One becomes Two, the One and Two unite to form
Three, and from the extension of Three proceeds Six. In the Lovers, the man is One, the Magician (Adam), and the
woman is Two, the High Priestess (Eve). The angel corresponds to the Fool.
This reading of the symbols differs from that given in the second paragraph, but the difference is only apparent; for
the lilies and roses of the Magician are emblems of his power and that of the High Priestess, and the pillars between
which she sits are, in one sense, herself and the Magician. She is the equilibrating power between the black pillar
(feminine) and the white pillar (masculine). The idea behind all this apparent confusion of symbols is this: Spirit
manifests itself through the activity of its own Power, and by that Power (Prakriti, the High Priestess) regulates itself. In
some phases of manifestation the female aspect of Spirit is emphasized, and appears to be the controlling principle; in
other phases the masculine aspect is the more prominent; and there are still other modes of self-expression wherein
the masculine and feminine both seem to be subordinate to a higher aspect, which transcends distinctions of gender.
Besides the implicits suggested by the correspondence of the Lovers to the various Qabalistic meanings of Zain, the
student should observe that Zain represents Ruach, because RVCh is the number 214, which reduces to 7, or Zain.
This is another link between the Lovers and Tiphareth, wherein Ruach is especially active. It likewise indicates a
correspondence between the Lovers and the Fool, who corresponds to Ruach through Aleph. The number 7,
furthermore, is analogous to 1, the number of Aleph, because 28, the extension of 7, has 1 for its final reduction. So,
too, Zain, corresponds to Daleth, for Daleth is 4, which extends to 10. Finally the number of the Lovers (VI) is the
extension of that of the Empress (III).
In direct antithesis to the Lovers, yet repeating much of their symbolism, is the Chariot, Heh of the formative world.
The Charioteer is the angel of the Sun, but he has descended into the cubic chariot of Matter. This is drawn by
sphinxes, corresponding to the man and woman, and to the pillars of the High Priestess. The Lovers stand in a
garden, but the Chariot is on a plain, before a walled city. Behind it is a river, like that which rises in the garden of the
Empress and flows through the valley behind the Emperor.
The Chariot is Netzach, Victory, the seat of Occult Intelligence. To this Sephirah Qabalists ascribe the element Fire,
and lines drawn from the Charioteer’s hands to his crown, and from hand to hand, form the upright triangle of Fire.
This rests on the square face of the Chariot, so that the complete figure is a triangle surmounting a square. It
symbolizes the number Seven (3 plus 4) and also the union of Spirit and Matter. The square may also be represented
by a cross, and then the Charioteer in his car typifies the alchemical Sulphur, analogous to the Rajas of Hindu
philosophers.
To the implicits of Cheth, the letter corresponding to the Chariot, the following observations may be added:
1. The letter-name Cheth, ChITh, is 418, which gives 13 (a number that we recognize as a symbol of BINH) and 4
(Daleth, the Empress), by reduction. The river behind the Charioteer, and his fair hair, bound by a green wreath,
repeat the symbolism of the Empress, who is BINH. She is the “Root of Water,” and Cancer, the first sign of the Water
triplicity, is assigned to Cheth.
2. In Cancer the Moon rules day and night. This is indicated by the crescents on the Charioteer’s shoulders. The
Moon is the High Priestess, whose pillars correspond to the sphinxes that draw the Chariot. She is Gimel, GML, 73,
which reduces to 10, and 10 is the extension of 4, the reduction of the value of ChITh.
3. The number of Cheth, the letter, is 8, the cube of 2, and 2 is Beth, the Magician, whose wand corresponds to the
scepter of the Charioteer. 8, moreover, is the reduction, of IHVH 26, and of IShVO, 386 (the Aramaic form of the name
Jesus). In symbolism, 8 is commonly represented by an eight-armed cross, an emblem that has been employed in
every age and clime to designate the Sun. The eight-pointed star on the Charioteer’s crown has the same meaning.
These are only a few of the implicits suggested by the Chariot, but lack of space obliges me to leave further
development of the interpretation to the student, who should note that the number of the Chariot (VII) establishes its
correspondence to the Magician (I), to the Emperor (IV), and to the Wheel of Fortune (X). This last is a symbol of
Jupiter, the planet exalted in Cancer.
In the zodiac, Cancer is followed by Leo, attributed to the letter Teth, and represented in the Tarot by Strength. In one
respect older versions of this picture are better than Mr. Waite’s. In the latter a woman closes a lion’s mouth, but in the
older symbolism the mouth of the lion is opened by his mistress. The woman is Binah, and the lion is the Astral Light.
To “open the lion’s mouth” is to give him the power of speech. Here is one clue to the Great Arcanum of practical
magic.
The Astral Light is also typified as a dragon, or a serpent, and the letter-name, Teth, means “serpent.” This letter was
originally pictured as a tally, suggesting counting, or measurement. Every student of Hindu philosophy knows how
important counting is in many exercises for the control of Prana (symbolized as Kundalini, the coiled serpent), and
students of Western magical systems will also recall many applications of a similar principle of measured, rhythmic
activity. This counting is invariably an aid to concentration, and concentration is always directed to the maintenance of
a selected image in the field of consciousness, without breaks or interruptions. Hence all practical methods, Eastern
or Western, for controlling the Astral Light, involve the activity of the purified Imagination, typified in Strength by the
woman.
She is the Empress, but the sign above her head shows that she has assimilated some of the qualities of the
Magician. Readers of Hudson’s works on psychic phenomena will see in her the subjective mind, purified and trained
by suggestions from the objective (the Magician), mastering the Fire-principle in the human body, and so gaining
control over its manifestations outside the body.
Qabalists will remember that Hod, the eighth Sephirah, is named “Splendor,” in reference to the glory of the purified
Fire-principle. They will also recall the fact that Hod belongs to the feminine pillar of the Tree of Life, and that its
number is the sum of the numbers of Binah, Understanding, and Geburah, Severity, the other two Sephiroth of the
feminine pillar. Hod is the Path of Occult Intelligence, the sphere of the planet Mercury (represented in the Tarot by
the Magician), and to it is attributed the element Water. In Strength the woman is Water and the lion is Fire. Thus the
whole picture represents the modification of Fire and Water, and the secret of this is the Great Arcanum.
To this the name of the Path attributed to Teth also refers. It is “Intelligence of the Secret,” or “Intelligence of all of the
activities of the Spiritual Being.” Strength, then, symbolizes control of the Astral Light by Understanding; and because
it is Vau of the formative world, it shows that such control is the equilibrating activity in all formation. In that world
desire (the Lovers) takes the initiative; will (the Chariot) is the determinative principle, corresponding to the letter Heh;
and subconscious modification of the Astral Light (Strength) maintains the balance between desire and will. Here is a
great truth, expressed in simple emblems. Happy is he who can apprehend it, and happier he who has courage and
patience to apply it!
As final Heh of the creative quaternary, the Lovers is a synthesis of 3, 4, and 5. The woman is the Empress, the man
the Emperor, and the angel the Hierophant. The man and woman also correspond to the two ministers of the
Hierophant, to the pillars of the High Priestess, and to the lilies and roses of the Magician. The man, again, symbolizes
the masculine pillar of the Tree of Life (Chokmah, Chesed, and Netzach), and the woman typifies the feminine pillar
(Binah, Geburah, and Hod). The angel between them is the middle pillar (Kether, Tiphareth, Yesod, and Malkuth).
As Yod of Vav, the sixth trump symbolizes the active principle of the formative world. That principle is RVCh, Ruach,
the Life-Breath, ascribed by Qabalists to Tiphareth, to which they also assign the Sun and the angel Michael. In the
Lovers, the Sun is at the top of the picture, and Michael, riding on a cloud, which typifies the atmosphere, blesses the
scene below. The symbolism may be interpreted thus: The Universal Energy, concentrated in the Sun, and modified
by the atmosphere, is the formative principle of all things.
That Energy works through a law which produces the phenomena of sex in living organism. The root of this law is the
self-division of Spirit. By that self-division, or self-reflection, the One becomes Two, the One and Two unite to form
Three, and from the extension of Three proceeds Six. In the Lovers, the man is One, the Magician (Adam), and the
woman is Two, the High Priestess (Eve). The angel corresponds to the Fool.
This reading of the symbols differs from that given in the second paragraph, but the difference is only apparent; for
the lilies and roses of the Magician are emblems of his power and that of the High Priestess, and the pillars between
which she sits are, in one sense, herself and the Magician. She is the equilibrating power between the black pillar
(feminine) and the white pillar (masculine). The idea behind all this apparent confusion of symbols is this: Spirit
manifests itself through the activity of its own Power, and by that Power (Prakriti, the High Priestess) regulates itself. In
some phases of manifestation the female aspect of Spirit is emphasized, and appears to be the controlling principle; in
other phases the masculine aspect is the more prominent; and there are still other modes of self-expression wherein
the masculine and feminine both seem to be subordinate to a higher aspect, which transcends distinctions of gender.
Besides the implicits suggested by the correspondence of the Lovers to the various Qabalistic meanings of Zain, the
student should observe that Zain represents Ruach, because RVCh is the number 214, which reduces to 7, or Zain.
This is another link between the Lovers and Tiphareth, wherein Ruach is especially active. It likewise indicates a
correspondence between the Lovers and the Fool, who corresponds to Ruach through Aleph. The number 7,
furthermore, is analogous to 1, the number of Aleph, because 28, the extension of 7, has 1 for its final reduction. So,
too, Zain, corresponds to Daleth, for Daleth is 4, which extends to 10. Finally the number of the Lovers (VI) is the
extension of that of the Empress (III).
In direct antithesis to the Lovers, yet repeating much of their symbolism, is the Chariot, Heh of the formative world.
The Charioteer is the angel of the Sun, but he has descended into the cubic chariot of Matter. This is drawn by
sphinxes, corresponding to the man and woman, and to the pillars of the High Priestess. The Lovers stand in a
garden, but the Chariot is on a plain, before a walled city. Behind it is a river, like that which rises in the garden of the
Empress and flows through the valley behind the Emperor.
The Chariot is Netzach, Victory, the seat of Occult Intelligence. To this Sephirah Qabalists ascribe the element Fire,
and lines drawn from the Charioteer’s hands to his crown, and from hand to hand, form the upright triangle of Fire.
This rests on the square face of the Chariot, so that the complete figure is a triangle surmounting a square. It
symbolizes the number Seven (3 plus 4) and also the union of Spirit and Matter. The square may also be represented
by a cross, and then the Charioteer in his car typifies the alchemical Sulphur, analogous to the Rajas of Hindu
philosophers.
To the implicits of Cheth, the letter corresponding to the Chariot, the following observations may be added:
1. The letter-name Cheth, ChITh, is 418, which gives 13 (a number that we recognize as a symbol of BINH) and 4
(Daleth, the Empress), by reduction. The river behind the Charioteer, and his fair hair, bound by a green wreath,
repeat the symbolism of the Empress, who is BINH. She is the “Root of Water,” and Cancer, the first sign of the Water
triplicity, is assigned to Cheth.
2. In Cancer the Moon rules day and night. This is indicated by the crescents on the Charioteer’s shoulders. The
Moon is the High Priestess, whose pillars correspond to the sphinxes that draw the Chariot. She is Gimel, GML, 73,
which reduces to 10, and 10 is the extension of 4, the reduction of the value of ChITh.
3. The number of Cheth, the letter, is 8, the cube of 2, and 2 is Beth, the Magician, whose wand corresponds to the
scepter of the Charioteer. 8, moreover, is the reduction, of IHVH 26, and of IShVO, 386 (the Aramaic form of the name
Jesus). In symbolism, 8 is commonly represented by an eight-armed cross, an emblem that has been employed in
every age and clime to designate the Sun. The eight-pointed star on the Charioteer’s crown has the same meaning.
These are only a few of the implicits suggested by the Chariot, but lack of space obliges me to leave further
development of the interpretation to the student, who should note that the number of the Chariot (VII) establishes its
correspondence to the Magician (I), to the Emperor (IV), and to the Wheel of Fortune (X). This last is a symbol of
Jupiter, the planet exalted in Cancer.
In the zodiac, Cancer is followed by Leo, attributed to the letter Teth, and represented in the Tarot by Strength. In one
respect older versions of this picture are better than Mr. Waite’s. In the latter a woman closes a lion’s mouth, but in the
older symbolism the mouth of the lion is opened by his mistress. The woman is Binah, and the lion is the Astral Light.
To “open the lion’s mouth” is to give him the power of speech. Here is one clue to the Great Arcanum of practical
magic.
The Astral Light is also typified as a dragon, or a serpent, and the letter-name, Teth, means “serpent.” This letter was
originally pictured as a tally, suggesting counting, or measurement. Every student of Hindu philosophy knows how
important counting is in many exercises for the control of Prana (symbolized as Kundalini, the coiled serpent), and
students of Western magical systems will also recall many applications of a similar principle of measured, rhythmic
activity. This counting is invariably an aid to concentration, and concentration is always directed to the maintenance of
a selected image in the field of consciousness, without breaks or interruptions. Hence all practical methods, Eastern
or Western, for controlling the Astral Light, involve the activity of the purified Imagination, typified in Strength by the
woman.
She is the Empress, but the sign above her head shows that she has assimilated some of the qualities of the
Magician. Readers of Hudson’s works on psychic phenomena will see in her the subjective mind, purified and trained
by suggestions from the objective (the Magician), mastering the Fire-principle in the human body, and so gaining
control over its manifestations outside the body.
Qabalists will remember that Hod, the eighth Sephirah, is named “Splendor,” in reference to the glory of the purified
Fire-principle. They will also recall the fact that Hod belongs to the feminine pillar of the Tree of Life, and that its
number is the sum of the numbers of Binah, Understanding, and Geburah, Severity, the other two Sephiroth of the
feminine pillar. Hod is the Path of Occult Intelligence, the sphere of the planet Mercury (represented in the Tarot by
the Magician), and to it is attributed the element Water. In Strength the woman is Water and the lion is Fire. Thus the
whole picture represents the modification of Fire and Water, and the secret of this is the Great Arcanum.
To this the name of the Path attributed to Teth also refers. It is “Intelligence of the Secret,” or “Intelligence of all of the
activities of the Spiritual Being.” Strength, then, symbolizes control of the Astral Light by Understanding; and because
it is Vau of the formative world, it shows that such control is the equilibrating activity in all formation. In that world
desire (the Lovers) takes the initiative; will (the Chariot) is the determinative principle, corresponding to the letter Heh;
and subconscious modification of the Astral Light (Strength) maintains the balance between desire and will. Here is a
great truth, expressed in simple emblems. Happy is he who can apprehend it, and happier he who has courage and
patience to apply it!
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Introduction To The Study Of The Tarot: Chapter VI & VII