Waite-Smith (Rider Waite) Thoth (Crowley-Harris) Hermetic (Dowson)
Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette) Magickal (Clark) Golden Dawn Ritual (Cicero)
Gill Tarot Tarot of the Sephiroth Tarot of the Spirit

Golden Dawn Title
Book "T" - The Titles of the Tarot Symbols 1
26. The Lord of Wealth
Crowley: Wealth
Element 2 Earth (#32 bis)
Element's Color 3 Black
Queen Scale: Amber, King Scale: Citrine, Olive, Russet and Black 4
Sephirah Correspondence 5 Malkuth (10), The Kingdom
Mem, Lamed, Kaph, Vau, Tau
The degraded Daughter, the condition of the soul of unenlightened Humanity
10. The Daughter, fallen and touching with her hands the shells.
Intelligence of the Sephirah 6 Resplendent Intelligence
Virtue and Vice of the Sephirah7 Virtue: Discrimination
Vice: Avarice. Inertia
Magical Image of the Sephirah8 A young woman crowned and veiled. (or crowned and throned)
Yetziratic Text 7 The Tenth Path is called the Resplendent Intelligence because it is exalted above every head and sits upon the Throne of Binah. It illuminates the splendours of all the Lights, and causes an influence to emanate from the Prince of Countenances, the Angel of Kether.
Sephirah Color in Queen Scale 3 and 4 Citrine (N), Olive (E), Russet (W), Black (S) Saltire
King Scale: Yellow 4
Kabbalistic World and Color Scale of the Suit Assiah (Material World)
Princess/Empress Scale
Sephirah Color in Princess Scale 3 and 9 Black rayed yellow
Planet of the Sephirah 10 Sphere of the Elements
Cholem ha Yesodoth, the Breaker of Foundations, or Olam Yesodoth, the World of the Elements
Symbols of the Sephirah 11 Altar of the double cube. The equal-armed cross. The magic circle. The triangle of art.
Subtle Anatomy of the Sephirah12 Part of Soul: Guph
Chakra: Muladara
Astrological Decan Ruled 13 Mercury in Virgo
20deg to 30deg Virgo
Sep 12 to Sep 22
Angels of the Decan 14
From Book "T": "Herein rule"
Hihaayah and Laviah
Magical Image of the Decan 15 An old man leaning on a staff and wrapped in a mantle
Associated Court Card 16 Queen of Swords (20deg Virgo to 20deg Libra)
Princess/Ace of Wands (0deg Cancer to 30deg Virgo)
Keyword for Mercury (Symbolic Meaning) 17 Magick, art, writing, trickery
Reasoning Powers; intellectual; observant; communication; understanding; studious; concentrative; clever
Mercury's Color in All Four Scales 3 and 18 Mercury (#12)
King: Yellow, Queen: Purple, Prince: Grey, Princess: Indigo rayed violet
Mercury's Traditional Astrological Metal and Color 19 Metal: Mercury
Color: Violet, Indigo, "Peacock's Tail"
Mercury's Sephirah 20 Hod (8, Splendour)
Keyword for Virgo 21 Assimilation
Practicality; I Analyze; intelligent; business-like; critical; detailed; service; governs solar plexus and bowels; feminine
Virgo's Color in All Four Scales 3 and 22 Virgo (#20) King: Green Yellowish, Queen: Slate Green, Emperor/Prince: Green Grey, Empress/Princess: Plum colour
Virgo's Traditional Astrological Metal and Color 23 Metal: Mercury
Color: Navy Blue, Dark Gray, Brown
Virgo's Nature and Element 24 Nature: Mutable
Element: Earth
Virgo is Ruled by Planet 25 Mercury (Exaltation is Mercury)
Geomantic Sign, if Applicable26



Conjunctio - union, assembly, conjunction, joining, marriage

Abbreviated Meanings according to Book "T" and Crowley

Book "T" 27
The Four Tens.
Generally show fixed, culminated, completed Force, whether good or evil. The matter thoroughly and definitely determined. Similar to the force of the Nines, but ultimating it, and carrying it out.

Ten of Pentacles
Completion of material gain and fortune, but nothing beyond. As it were, at the very pinnacle of success. Old age, slothfulness; great wealth, yet sometimes loss in part, and later heaviness, dullness of mind, yet clever and prosperous in money transactions.
Malkuth of Heh (Riches and wealth).
Herein rule the angels Hihaayah and Laviah.

Crowley in Book of Thoth 28
The Four Tens
These cards are attributed to Malkuth. Here is the end of all energy; it is away from the "formative world" altogether, where things are elastic. There is now no planetary attribution to consider. So far as the Sephira is concerned, it is right down in the world of Assiah. By the mere fact of having devised four elements, the current has derogated from the original perfection. The Tens are a warning; see whither it leads-to take the first wrong step!
The Ten of Disks is called Wealth. Here again is written this constantly recurring doctrine, that as soon as one gets to the bottom one finds oneself at the top; and Wealth is given to Mercury in Virgo. When wealth accumulates beyond a certain point, it must either become completely inert and cease to be wealth, or call in the aid of intelligence to use it rightly. This must necessarily happen in spheres which have nothing whatever to do with material possessions, as such. In this way, Carnegie establishes a Library, Rockefeller endows Research, simply because there is nothing else to do.
But all this doctrine lies behind the card; it is the inner meaning of the card.
There is another view to consider, that this is the last of all the cards, and therefore represents the sum total of all the work that has been done from the beginning. Therefore, in it is drawn the very figure of the Tree of Life itself. This card, to the other thirty-five small cards, is what the twenty-first Trump, The Universe, is to the rest of the Trumps.

Ten of Disks: Wealth
The number Ten, Malkuth, as always, represents the final issue of the Energy. Here is great and final solidification. The force is completely expended and results in death. Mercury rules this card in Virgo; and this may imply that the acquired wealth, being inert, will be dissipated unless put to further use by devoting its power to objects other than mere accumulation.
Among the Geomantic figures, Mercury in Virgo is Conjunctio. The meaning, conjunction, is shown plainly by the attraction of the descending (female) Triangle, the cipher of the Yoni, to the ascending (male) Triangle, that of the Lingam. This union completed, they appear interlaced, forming the figure of Capricornus, the Sign in which the Sun finds his rebirth. It is the holy Hexagram, the symbol of the uniting of the Macrocosm and the Microcosm, the accomplishment of the Great Work, the Summum Bonum, True Wisdom and Perfect Happiness. Sic sit vobis!

Waite - Pictorial Key 29
Divinatory Meanings: Gain, riches; family matters, archives, extraction, the abode of a family. Reversed: Chance, fatality, loss, robbery, games of hazard; sometimes gift, dowry, pension.
Additional Meanings: Represents house or dwelling, and derives its value from other cards. Reversed: An occasion which may be fortunate or otherwise.

Mathers' 1888 document 30
68. Ten of Pentacles - House, Dwelling, Habitation, Family; R. Gambling, Dissipation, Robbery, Loss.

Etteila's Tarot (1788) 31
Ten of Coins - House

Symbols on the Card

Book "T" 27
An angelic hand holding a branch by the lower extremity, whose roses touch all the Pentacles. No buds however are shown. The symbols of Mercury and Virgo are above and below the Pentacles thus:

  *   *

    *

  *   *

  *   *

    *

  *   *

In The Tarot Trumps By G.H. Soror, Q.L., "... in the 10 of Pentacles we have the number Ten and tertiary colors, citrine, olive and russet, working in Malkuth, the material plane.... in these cards, the sephirah is indicated by the coloring of the clouds; the plane by the coloring of the symbols..."

Book of Thoth 28
The disks, or (as they have now become) coins, are arranged on the Tree of Life, but the Tenth coin is much larger than the rest; the image indicates the futility of material gain.

These disks are inscribed with various symbols of mercurial character except that the coin in the place of Hod (Mercury) on the Tree is marked with the cipher of the Sun. This indicates the only possibility of issue from the impasse produced by the exhaustion of all the elemental forces. At the end of matter must be complete stagnation, were it not that in it is always inherent the Will of the Father, the Great Architect, the Great Arithmetician, the Great Geometer. In this case, then, Mercury will represent the Logos, the Word, the Will, the Wisdom, the Eternal Son, and Virgo the Virgin, in every implication of that symbol. This card is in fact a hieroglyph of the cycle of regeneration.

Waite - Pictorial Key 29
A man and woman beneath an archway which gives entrance to a house and domain. They are accompanied by a child, who looks curiously at two dogs accosting an ancient personage seated in the foreground. The child's hand is on one of them.


Symbols and Colors that Reinforce GD Correspondences
Symbols of Earth and/or Qabalistic World of Assiah

Pentacle or Disk or Coin (Book "T", Waite-Smith, Thoth, Hermetic (Dowson), Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Golden Dawn Ritual, Gill (golden fruit on tree), Sephiroth, Spirit, Light and Shadow, Marseilles, Rohrig, Cosmic Tribe, Gendron, Haindl, Vision Quest (baskets), Ancestral Path (round lodges), African, Arthurian (chessboard), Buckland Romani (wheels), Spiral, Cosmic, Melissa Townsend, Londa, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Herbal, Old Path, Morgan-Greer, Hanson-Roberts, Hudes)

Black (GD color: according to Felkin, the coloring of the symbols) (Waite-Smith, Thoth, Ceremonial Magick (part of black rayed yellow), Golden Dawn Ritual, Gill (part of black rayed yellow), Sephiroth (black and white checkered floor), Spirit, Rohrig, Gendron, Haindl, Ancestral Path (night sky), Arthurian (chessboard), Spiral, Melissa Townsend, World Spirit, Hanson-Roberts)

Green (another traditional color for Earth; not gray, slate, or yellow green, but more of an emerald or kelly green) (Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Magickal (Clark), Golden Dawn Ritual, Spirit, Londa, Old Path)

Hermetic Earth Symbol (the triangle with the horizontal line) (Magickal (Clark), Golden Dawn Ritual)

No pentacle, disk or coin, but the word for the suit (Rock Art ("Sensation"))

No pentacle, disk or coin, but another symbol common to all earth pips (Magickal (Clark): a circle containing an Earth triangle from the points of which sprout leafy trees and a Heh in the center of the triangle)

Symbols of Ten and/or Qabalistic Sephirah Malkuth

Ten (Book "T", Waite-Smith, Thoth, Hermetic (Dowson), Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Magickal (Clark), Golden Dawn Ritual, Gill, Sephiroth, Spirit, Light and Shadow, Marseilles, Rohrig, Cosmic Tribe, Gendron, Haindl, Vision Quest, Ancestral Path, Rock Art (word only), African, Arthurian, Buckland Romani, Spiral, Cosmic, Melissa Townsend, Londa, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Herbal, Old Path, Morgan-Greer, Hanson-Roberts, Hudes)

Malkuth (the word) (Magickal (Clark))

Pentacles in Tree-of-Life pattern, Malkuth position disk is larger than the rest (Thoth, Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette))

Princess/Empress Scale Color (Black rayed yellow) (Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Golden Dawn Ritual, Gill)
This represents Malkuth in Assiah; these decks show each suit in a different color scale.

Queen Scale Color (Citrine, Olive, Russet and Black) (Waite-Smith, Golden Dawn Ritual, Gill, Sephiroth, Spirit, Rohrig, Vision Quest, African, Cosmic (pastel), World Spirit, Hanson-Roberts)
All disks in the Golden Dawn Ritual deck contain these colors. The Tarot of the Sephiroth renders the sphere borders of all sephiroth in the Queen Scale Color for that key (rather than using a different color scale for each suit), so all Tens have this color border. Frequently it is stated that Paths should be rendered in King Scale and Sephiroth in Queen Scale. It so happens that the King Scale color for Earth (#32 bis) is the same set of colors, so some decks have these colors on all pentacles/disks/coin cards (e.g. Golden Dawn Ritual).

King Scale Color (Yellow) (Waite-Smith, Thoth, Sephiroth, Spirit, Cosmic Tribe, Gendron, Ancestral Path, Rock Art, Spiral, Cosmic, Melissa Townsend, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Herbal, Old Path, Morgan-Greer, Hanson-Roberts, Hudes)
Crowley states in 777 that one should render Paths in Queen Scale and Sephiroth in King Scale4. Thus the Thoth deck does not show each suit in a different color scale (the Princess Scale for this suit). However, since the Thoth deck is most consistent in including colors for the astrological correspondences, the occurrence of Yellow is probably a result of it being a color of Mercury (Yellow does not appear on the other tens in the Thoth deck). A number of decks color their pentacles/disks/coins yellow and are included in this list for this card as a result. Those decks may not show up in this category for other cards.

Symbols of Force being Locked Into Form, or The Great and Final Solidification of Energy

Each rose is full-blown and touches a pentacle (Book "T", Hermetic (Dowson), Goden Dawn Ritual)

Disks Appear in Tree of Life Formation (Waite-Smith, Thoth, Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Sephiroth, Spiral)
Often, there is also a Tree of Life Formation worked into the design of the Ace of Wands that this reflects. The Book of Thoth states that this card is a "hieroglyph of the cycle of regeneration".

Childhood and Maturity or Old Age are Represented (Waite-Smith, Light and Shadow, Gendron, African, Buckland Romani, Spiral, Melissa Townsend, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Hanson-Roberts, Hudes)
While commonly three generations are shown to drive the point home, two generations are sufficient to show the contrast. This symbol is particularly rich because it can be looked at as either ending a cycle or the beginning of a new cycle. "The child shows that the next generation is always arriving, peering across the threshhold, and that we do our good work not just for ourselves but for the future too."34

Ascending Colors of Bodily Energy Centers, Pen Drawing a Spiral (Spirit)
The pen, which is drawn pretty abstract, contains all of these colors, and the stars are arranged vertically as well, which "indicates that all is in proportion, all is balanced, all is in a state of perfection." The pen is in the process of drawing a spiral on the paper and this "signifies that the word has become manifest" and "that you hold the pen." The key word for the card, The Great Work, refers to this spiral-drawing, and the card as a whole "shows the descent of energy from above, drawn down to do its work on earth.32

Tree Bearing Fruit (Gill)
Every tree bringeth forth good fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit (Matthew 7:17) "Prosperity pictures a tree whose nourishment is drawn from the highest level, and whose gift to Malkuth is the golden fruit of completion in the ten spheres."33

W-A-I-T-E Monogram on Old Man's Mantle (Waite-Smith)

Wild Yam (Herbal)
"Spiritually, just as this root draws into itself concentrated energy from very deep in the earth, it will reveal accumulated energy and power. Through its releasing action it will encourage the use of talents gifts and possessions for the greatest good.... This herb may help one to see that inner will can be aligned to the Divine Will and thus see the creative impulse and the accompanying prosperity as a spiritual manifestation."36

The Words "Bonum Summum", "Will", and "Word" (Magickal (Clark))
Summum Bonum (which the card shows in reverse order) means the supreme good from which all others are derived.

The Artist Gazing at his Handiwork (the Spinning Stars) (Light and Shadow)
This represents "the satisfactions of completion... the feelings of consummation that come from working well and finishing at last."34

Illuminated hands offer us the world (in the form of globe-headed Gaia) (Cosmic Tribe)

Spiral (Spiral)

Contains no Symbol (Marseilles, Rohrig, Gendron, Haindl, Vision Quest, Ancestral Path, Rock Art, African, Arthurian, Cosmic, Londa, Old Path, Morgan-Greer)

Symbols of Mercury (the "busy god of commerce and productivity"34)

Astrological Symbol (Book "T", Thoth, Hermetic (Dowson), Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Magickal (Clark), Golden Dawn Ritual, Sephiroth, Spirit, Light and Shadow)

Golden Dawn Color Scale Colors (Yellow/Purple/Grey/Indigo Rayed Violet) (Thoth, Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette: yellow in Enochian square), Sephiroth (Purple), Rohrig, Gendron, Rock Art (Purple), African (Purple), Spiral, Melissa Townsend (Purple, Yellow, Dark Blue sky), World Spirit, Robin Wood, Morgan Greer, Hanson-Roberts)
Yellow could be present due to King Scale Malkuth

The Word Mercury (Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette))

Various Mercury Symbol Glyphs (Thoth)

Magical Symbols/Magick Circle (Waite-Smith, World Spirit)
In Waite-Smith what seem to be magical symbols decorate the old man's mantle. In World Spirit, the man identified in the book as "the sage" sits in a meditative pose on what looks like a magick circle (though is identified as a playground), with tools of the four elements in front of him (pipe, cup, knife, flowers).

Caduceus (Sephiroth)

Emblems of Technology (Light and Shadow, Rohrig (computer chip))
"The pentacles seem to spin in their circular disks, as their design varies from one to the next, invoking the dynamism of technology and the energy of magic."34

Contains no Symbol for Mercury (Gill, Marseilles, Cosmic Tribe, Haindl, Vision Quest, Ancestral Path, Arthurian, Buckland Romani, Cosmic, Londa, Herbal, Old Path, Hudes)

Symbols of Virgo (the "star-maiden constellation of rich gifts"34)

Astrological Symbol (Book "T", Thoth, Hermetic (Dowson), Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Magickal (Clark), Golden Dawn Ritual, Sephiroth, Spirit (partially cropped off), Light and Shadow)

Golden Dawn Color Scale Colors (Green Yellowish/Slate Green/Green Grey/Plum Colour) (Thoth, Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette: Green yellowish in Enochian square), Rock Art (Slate Green), Spiral, Cosmic, Melissa Townsend ("10" is light greyish green))

The Word Virgo (Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette))

Contains no Symbol for Virgo (Waite-Smith, Gill, Marseilles, Rohrig, Cosmic Tribe, Gendron, Haindl, Vision Quest, Ancestral Path, African, Arthurian, Buckland Romani, Londa, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Herbal, Old Path, Morgan Greer, Hanson-Roberts, Hudes)

Symbols of Astrological Decan

Names of Angels of the Decanate (Hermetic (Dowson), Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette - has a different spelling), Magickal (Clark)

Magical Image of Old Man Leaning on a Staff and Wrapped in a Mantle (Waite-Smith (has the old man and the mantle, but not the staff))

Symbols of Book "T" Meaning: Old Age (var. Maturity, Life Mastery)

No buds are shown on the rose branch (Book "T", Hermetic (Dowson - also does not show branch), Golden Dawn Ritual)

Figure of a Bearded Old Man (Waite-Smith, Light and Shadow, Spiral, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Hanson-Roberts)
Gendron has a bearded young man. It's actually not determinate that the Light and Shadow man is old, but the book does say he bears the "long beard of maturity and life mastery"34. The Spiral has a "ghost" generation rather than an old man, but it serves the same purpose. Hudes also has a bearded young man.

Winter (Ancestral Path, Arthurian)

Night (Gendron (night sky through arch and as "mother's" gown, Ancestral Path, Melissa Townsend)

Contains no Symbol for Old Age (Thoth, Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Magickal (Clark), Gill, Sephiroth, Spirit, Marseilles, Rohrig, Cosmic Tribe, Haindl, Vision Quest, Rock Art, African, Buckland Romani, Cosmic, Melissa Townsend, Londa, Herbal, Old Path, Morgan-Greer, Hudes)

Symbols of Book "T" Meaning: Riches and Wealth (var. Abundance, Achievement, Legacy, Inheritance)

Roses Touch all the Pentacles (Book "T", Hermetic (Dowson), Golden Dawn Ritual)

Keyword of Wealth written on Card (or variant) (Thoth, Hermetic (Dowson), Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Magickal (Clark), Golden Dawn Ritual, Gill ("Prosperity"), Rohrig, Cosmic Tribe ("Abundance"), Haindl ("Richness"), Vision Quest, Rock Art ("Prosperity"))
Rohrig contains the following English phrases written on its face: "Inside and Outward Wealth", "To let it become Outward", and "Ability to pass on inside wealth". In the Cosmic Tribe deck, the book notes "When we transcend the impulse to hoard, we more clearly see how we have collectively inherited the precious blue sapphire called earth. We all own stock in the mothership. Our outer wealth is the same as our inner wealth. We are as wealthy as the planet that supports us."37

Gold Coins, Gems, Treasure Chest (Thoth, Rohrig, Gendron, Londa)

Rich Garments or Surroundings (Waite-Smith, Light and Shadow, Arthurian, Buckland Romani, Rock Art (robe with 28 shields), Cosmic, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Old Path, Morgan-Greer, Hanson-Roberts, Hudes)
One of the decorative elements on the old man's mantle in Waite-Smith is clusters of grapes and leaves. Grapes also appear in that deck on the King of Pentacles, the 9 of Pentacles, as a wall decoration on the 2 of Wands, and terminating the woman's tail on the Devil card. Thought on how this collection of cards relates to the 10 of Pentacles will prove profitable. The young man on the Cosmic card looks to me to be wearing a ballet costume and cape. He is also cradling a dove near his heart.

Harvest Fruits and Vegetables or Rich Flowers and Greenery (Vision Quest, African, Spiral, World Spirit, Herbal)
The African deck also shows a cow, a form of wealth. On the Herbal deck, besides the wild yam, pentacles are climbing up the card, like ivy growing. According to the book, this shows "the multitude of inner vitues, values, skills, talents, established conditions, inheritance or material possessions that have accumulated and are available for use."36

Pyramid Scene (Magickal (Clark))
"The pyramid denotes both great wealth and its uselessness if not put to good use."35

Gaia's abundantly fleshy body (Cosmic Tribe)

Futility of Material Gain (Thoth, Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Magickal (Clark), Cosmic, World Spirit)
In the case of Thoth and Ceremonial Magick (by inheritance), the tenth coin is larger than the rest, which it is stated in the Book of Thoth is to show the futility of material gain. See Pyramid, above, for Magickal. The blah look on the young man in the Cosmic card could be interpreted to show the same point. Jean Huets' book states that this card is about the experience of "reaching a pinnacle of complete success and recognition... happiness ... is mixed with a feeling of emptiness... the feeling of standing still while the world rushes on past us". The contrast between the meditating sage and the couple with their waterfront home is touched on in the book for World Spirit, which uses the word "Legacy" for this card: "This card speaks to the importance of creating something worth passing on to future generations... The everyday world contains magic and mystery that we are often too busy to acknowledge. Honoring this magic is perhaps the most profound and valuable legacy we can leave behind."42

Contains no Symbol for Wealth (Sephiroth, Spirit, Marseilles, Ancestral Path, Melissa Townsend)

Symbols of the Geomantic Sigil Conjunctio

Adult Couple (Presumably Married) (Waite-Smith, Gendron, African, Spiral, Melissa Townsend, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Old Path, Morgan-Greer, Hanson-Roberts, Hudes)
Old Path and Morgan-Greer have only the adult couple; no child and no grandparent. In Old Path, the book points out that the pentacle held by the man is intended as a symbol of the union of a couple.

Hexagram (Thoth)
The union completed of the descending and ascending triangle that make up the figure of conjunctio.


Symbols that Supply Additional Information
House, Dwelling, Habitation (var. Stability, Solidity, Belonging, Comfort)

House or other dwelling (Waite-Smith, Ancestral Path, African, Arthurian, Buckland Romani, Cosmic, Melissa Townsend, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Herbal, Hanson-Roberts)
Light and Shadow shows a city through the archway; it is unclear if the archway belongs to the man's house. (If that is not your assumption, Light and Shadow is not in this category.) As with Light and Shadow, Gendron shows an archway, but it is unclear what structure the archway would belong to. The Ancestral Path shows a village of ten lodges (houses). In the case of the Cosmic deck, the figure is inside the mansion. In the World Spirit deck, the house is across the river from where the sage meditates and the children and dog frolic. In the case of the Morgan-Greer deck, it's not completely clear whether the couple are in the doorway of a house or some other structure.

Archway (Waite-Smith, Light and Shadow, Gendron, Cosmic, Melissa Townsend, Robin Wood, Old Path, Morgan-Greer, Hanson-Roberts, Hudes)
Light and Shadow shows a city through the archway. In the Gendron, the ivy-draped and star-decorated archway opens out into outer space. In the Cosmic, the archway is to blue sky outside (since the figure is inside). In the Old Path, the pentacles form an archway. The archway could be interpreted in a number of ways: a protective structure, a threshhold, and a reflection of the 10 of cups rainbow on Waite-Smith derived cards.

Key, Presumably to a House (Rohrig)

Savanna From Which Humanity Evolved; Globe of Earth (Cosmic Tribe)

Contains No Symbol for House (Book "T", Thoth, Hermetic (Dowson), Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette), Magickal (Clark), Golden Dawn Ritual, Gill, Sephiroth, Spirit, Marseilles, Haindl, Vision Quest, Rock Art, Londa)
I don't include Magickal (Clark) as showing a house, as the pyramid is either an initiation structure or a tomb. If you look at it as dwelling, remove it from this category.

Family

Man, Woman and Child (With or Without Old Man) (Waite-Smith, Gendron, African, Spiral, Melissa Townsend, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Hanson-Roberts, Hudes)
The Spiral is interesting in that it shows three separate groupings of families in older and older garb; indicating generations. The family at the top of the card is colored such that they may be seen as ghosts. The book states that this card is about "not only the immediate family, but the traditional and cultural heritage that forms the family of humans today. It is the richness of the family, not just in monetary terms, but in our memories, histories and myths that stands behind us."40

Community Beyond the Immediate Family (Light and Shadow, Cosmic Tribe, Ancestral Path)
Light and Shadow shows a city through the archway. "The glorious city is civilization itself, the community of creative souls, working together in past, present and future to create the ideal city on a hill..."34 Cosmic Tribe is concerned with the planet as a whole. "We are as wealthy as the planet that supports us."37 Ancestral Path considers the community of the family, village, culture, and global village. The footprints between the lodges emphasize this.

Loyalty, Tradition

Dog(s) or Other Domesticated Animals (Waite-Smith, Light and Shadow, Gendron, African, Buckland Romani, World Spirit, Robin Wood, Hanson-Roberts)
Generally dogs. In the Light and Shadow deck, even Brian Williams seems unsure whether it is a dog or pig that the man is petting, but cats are at his feet. In the African deck, a cow is shown (and is not being petted). In Waite-Smith, dogs are also found on the Fool and the Moon cards.

Heraldry/Banners (Waite-Smith, Light and Shadow, Morgan-Greer)
In Waite-Smith, shields/banners are also found on the Six of Cups, the Chariot, and the Empress. In Waite-Smith, there is a checkerboard border around the largest banner. Checkerboard elements are also found on the Hierophant and the 3 of Wands.

Goetia

Day and Night Spirits of the Goetia (Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette))

Enochiana

Enochian Square (Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette))

Protection

Shields (Ancestral Path, Rock Art)
There are shields outside some of the lodges on Ancestral Path. On the Rock Art image, there are shields within shields on the top right and bottom left.

Pentacles Form a Partial Egg-Shaped Ring Around the Man (Cosmic)

Great Intellect

High Hat and Tall Veiled Headdress (Old Path)

Testing

Chessboard Castle (Arthurian)
"The Chessboard Castle is always a place of testing. Those who come there often find a game of chess underway in which the pieces move by themselves."38

Other items

Sun (Thoth, Robin Wood)
In Thoth, a symbol of the sun (the hexagram) is shown on the sephirah Hod position disk. In Robin Wood, there is a Sun on the arch, at the top left of the picture.

Chakra Symbolism (Spirit)

Same Arrangement of Stones as 10 of Cups Card (Haindl)
See also Archway, under House above. The archway could be interpreted as a reference to the 10 of Cups rainbow on Waite-Smith influenced decks. Such a reflection between the two cards provides a contrast between material wealth and happiness and a good life.

I Ching Hexagram 48 "The Source"/"The Well" (Haindl)
"... the divine source of nourishment and meaning. Inexhaustible, it never changes, for it exists beyond the material form it awakens.... the hexagram teaches us to organize society around basic values and needs."39

Magpie (Arthurian)
Two magpies fly with the chessboard (gwyddbwyll board) to the castle. The Hallowquest book did not comment on the choice of magpie as a totem, so one must look elsewhere for the reason for choosing this sociable, curious, thieving, expert nest-building bird of the crow family. This black and white "chack-chacking" bird that builds its strong nests in thornbushes, which are said to be doorways to the fairy realm. Groups seen in parties are called "magpie weddings". An old Scottish rhyme about magpies says "One's for sorrow, two's mirth, Three's a wedding, four's a birth, Five's a christening, six a death, Seven's heaven, eight is hell, And nine's the devil his ain sel". This is a very efficient symbol, wrapping up many of the meanings discussed for this card.

Robin Wood's Color Scheme and Decorative Patterns (Robin Wood)
purple, gold, burgundy = richness, abundance, power, liberality (old man's robe, dad's cloak)
gold = wealth and luxury (trim of boy's outfit)
white = purity (old man's shirt, boy's outfit, girl's outfit)
blue = pureness of spirit, spiritual gifts (boy's outfit, flowers in gift basket)
deep blue = intuition/inspiration (dad's outfit)
red = passion and courage (boy's outfit, dad's hat)
pink = love (flowers in gift basket)
yellow, pink, orange = joy, love, warmth (mom's outfit)
green = growth and femininity (girl's outfit)
pattern of vines and songbirds = growth and spirit singing within (old man's robe)
pattern of trefoils inside circles = past, present and future tied together into one moment (boy's outfit)
spiral pattern = introspection (girl's outfit) 43

Another perspective - From Joan Bunning's site


Footnotes

1. p. 541 GD, p. 283 BoT, p. 225 and 227 Whitcomb, p. 304 Hulse [GD and Crowley Title]
2. p. 17 of 777 Table II, p. 278 BoT [keyscale for element]
3. p. 99 GD, p. 4 and 7 of 777 Table I (King: col XV, Queen: col XVI, Emperor/Prince: col XVII, Empress/Princess: col XVIII), p. 263 Wang, p. 279-281 BoT, p. 266 Fortune [color scales]
4. p. 614 GD: Citrine = Air of Earth, Olive = Water of Earth, Russet = Fire of Earth, Black = Earth of Earth. p. 72 of 777 "Citrine combines blue, red and yellow with a predominance of yellow; olive, with a predominance of blue; russet, with a predominance of red; and these represent respectively the airy, watery, and fiery sub-elements. Black is the earthy part of Earth. But here we observe a phenomenon compatible with that found in the Tarot, where the four Empresses (symbolical of He final) are the throne of the Spirit as well as being the ultimate recipients of the force of King, Queen and Emperor. The black is the link between the lowest conception, the climax of the degeneration of pure color in the final assimilation of light, and the black of Binah. It is the lowest part of the daughter which contains in darkness the identity with the Pure Mother, to set her upon whose throne is one definite image of the Great Work."
p. 114 Wang, p. 160 Whitcomb.
p. 67 of 777 (Malkuth in King Scale) "The yellow indicates Malkuth as the appearance which our senses attach to the solar radiance. In other words, Malkuth is the illusion which we make in order to represent to ourselves the energy of the Universe."
p. 78 of 777 (regarding how Crowley uses color scales) "You can use the four scales of colour as you choose. The only thing to remember is the attribution, the Tetragrammaton. The Sephiroth are given in the King's Scale and the paths in the Queen's Scale in accordance with the general law of balance. You must never have a masculine sticking out by itself without a feminine to equilibrate it." (On most decks that use the color scales, the paths are King's Scale and the sephiroth are Queen's Scale.)
5. p. 265-266 Fortune, p. 114 Wang, p. 138 Chicken (degraded daughter quote), p. 28 Gematria in 777 (Crowley variation of daughter quote), p. 161 Whitcomb [sephirah correspondence]
6. p. 4 of 777 Table I col XIII, p. 266 Wang, p. 265 Fortune [sephirah intelligence]
7. p. 265 Fortune [sephirah virtue and vice, yetziratic text]
8. p. 25 of 777 Table IV col CXX, p. 265 Fortune, p. 160 Whitcomb [sephirah magical image]
9. p. 75 of 777 "Malkuth has been set upon the Throne of Binah and the rays of the bridegroom Tiphareth flood her with Gold. Black rayed yellow."
10. p. 63 GD, p. 2 of 777 Table I col VII, p. 265 Fortune, p. 145 and 216 Chicken, p. 114 Wang, p. 159-160 Whitcomb [planet of sephirah]
11. p. 265 Fortune, p. 114 Wang [symbols of sephirah]
12. p. 160 and 165 Whitcomb [subtle anatomy]
13. p. 49 and 51 Wang (best diagrams), p. 541, 554, 600 GD, p. 283 BoT, p. 26 of 777 Table IV col CXXXIV, p. 165 and 167 Chicken. Also p. 642 GD and 644 GD. [decan attribution]
14. p. 554 GD, p. 24 of 777 Table IV col CXXXII, p. 119 Wang, p. 266 Whitcomb [angels of decan]
15. p. 28-29 of 777 Table V (1st decan: col CXLIX, 2nd decan: col CL, 3rd decan: col CLI), p. 269 Whitcomb [decan magical image]
16. p. 51 Wang, p. 305 Hulse, p. 166 and 176 Chicken [associated court cards]
17. p. lii Hulse, p. 36-37 Astrology [keyword for planet]
18. p. 19 of 777 Table III (key scale of planet), p. 68 of 777 "The yellow of Mercury suggests the balanced but articulate movement of the mind", p. 72 of 777 "Mercury is purple suggesting the iridescence of quicksilver and the blue of mercury vapour.", p. 76 of 777 "Mercury's perfection is to still and concentrate thought, until it becomes deep red through which runs the violet vibration of spiritual-erotic ecstasy. (Note that the great defect of Mercury is its cold-bloodedness.)"
19. p. 267 and 287 GD [planetary colors], p. 19 Table III of 777 col lXXXI (metal), p. lxxxviii Hulse [color], lxi [metal], p. 520 Whitcomb, p. 121 Whitcomb [traditional color and metal of planet]
20. p. 275 BoT "The Numbers of the Planets", p. 123 Whitcomb, p. 156 Whitcomb
21. p. 176 Whitcomb, p. 36 Astrology [keyword for sign]
22. p. 69 of 777 "Virgo has the yellowish green of young grass. The connection is evident.", p. 73 of 777 "The slate-green of Virgo may refer to the apparent ennui or colourless melancholy of the hermit life.", p. 77 of 777 "The perfection of virginity is fruitfulness."
23. p. 300 and 302 and 305 GD, p. 169 and 171 Whitcomb [traditional color and metal of sign]
24. p. 167 and 169 Whitcomb, p. 165 Chicken [triplicity and quadriplicity]
25. p. 27 of 777 Tale V col CXXXVII (sign), col CXXXVIII (ruler), CXXXIX (exaltation), p. 284 BoT, p. 537 GD, p. lxxvi Hulse, p. 482 and 167 and 169 and 173 Whitcomb [planetary dignities]
26. p. 69 and 494-495 and 526-527 GD, p. lxxxix-xcviii Hulse, p. 188 Whitcomb [geomancy]
27. p. 552 and 554 and 584 and 209 GD
28. p. 187 and 188 and 217 BoT
29. http://www.sacred-texts.com/tarot/index.htm A.E. Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910)
30. Mathers 1888
31. p. 94 Wicked
32. p. 235 Spirit
33. p. 196 Gill
34. p. 178-179 Light and Shadow
35. p. 147 Magickal
36. p. 94-5 Herbal
37. p. 176-177 Cosmic Tribe
38. p. 92 Hallowquest
39. p. 116-119 Haindl
40. p. 120 Spiral
41. p. 137 Cosmic
42. p. 152-3 World Spirit
43. p. 114-116 Wood

[GD] = Regardie, Israel. The Golden Dawn: A Complete Course in Practical Ceremonial Magic. Four Volumes in One. The Original Account of the Teachings, Rites and Ceremonies of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn (Stella Matutina) as revealed by Israel Regardie, with further revisions, expansion, and additional notes by Israel Regardie, Chris Monnastre, and others, under the editorship of Carl Llewellyn Weschcke. Complete index compiled by David Godwin. Sixth Edition. orig 1971. 1995: Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul, MN. ISBN 0-87542-663-8

[777] = Regardie, Israel, ed. 777 and Other Qabalistic Writings of Aleister Crowley. orig 1973, 777 orig 1909. 1997: Samuel Weiser, York Beach, Maine. ISBN 0-87728-670-1

[Fortune] = Fortune, Dion. The Mystical Qabalah (First published 1935) 1991: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-596-9

[Wang] = Wang, Robert. The Qabalistic Tarot: A Textbook of Mystical Philosophy. (First published 1983) 1992: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-672-8

[Chicken] = DuQuette, Lon Milo. The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford 2001: Weiser Books. ISBN 1-57863-215-3

[Whitcomb] = Whitcomb, Bill. The Magician's Companion: A Practical & Encyclopedic Guide to Magical & Religious Symbolism. 1993: Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul MN. ISBN 0-87542-868-1

[Hulse] = Hulse, David Allen. The Key of It All: An Encyclopedic Guide to the Sacred Languages & Magickal Systems of the World. Book Two: The Western Mysteries. 1996: Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul MN. ISBN 0-87542-349-5

[Astrology] = Brodie-Innes, J.W. The Astrology of the Golden Dawn. Edited by Darcy Kuntz. 1996: Holmes Publishing Group.

[BoT] = Master Therion. The Book of Thoth (Egyptian Tarot). orig 1944. 1991: Samuel Weiser, York Beach, Maine. ISBN 0-87728-268-4

[Wicked] = Decker, Ronald, Thierry Depaulis & Michael Dummett. A Wicked Pack of Cards: The Origins of the Occult Tarot. 1996: St Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-16294-4

[Mathers 1888] = MacGregor Mathers, S.L.. The Tarot: Its Occult Significance, Use in Fortune-Telling, and Method of Play, etc. 1888: George Redway. Webbed at http://www.hermeticgoldendawn.org/Matherstarot.htm

[Ceremonial] = DuQuette, Lon Milo. Tarot of Ceremonial Magick: A Pictorial Synthesis of Three Great Pillars of Magick: Enochian, Goetia, Astrology. 1995:Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-764-3

[Spirit] = Eakins, Pamela. Tarot of the Spirit. 1992: Samuel Weiser. ISBN 0-87728-730-9

[Gill] = Gill, Elizabeth Josephine. The Gill Tarot. 1996: US Games Systems. ISBN 0-88079-963-3

[Light and Shadow] = Williams, Brian and Michael Goepferd. The Light and Shadow Tarot. 1997: Destiny Books. ISBN 0-89281-503-5 (comes with deck)

[Magickal] = Willis, Tony. The Magickal Tarot Handbook. 1992: The Aquarian Press, London. ISBN 1 85538 093 5 (came with deck)

[Herbal] = Michael Tierra and Candis Cantin. The Spirit of Herbs: A Guide to the Herbal Tarot. 1993: US Games Systems. ISBN: 0880795255

[Cosmic Tribe] = Ganther, Eric. The Cosmic Tribe Tarot. 1998: Destiny Books. ISBN 0-89281-700-3 (came with deck)

[Hallowquest] = Matthews, Caitlin & John. Hallowquest: Tarot Magic and the Arthurian Mysteries. 1990: The Aquarian Press, London. ISBN 0-85030-963-8

[Haindl] = Pollack, Rachel. The Haindl Tarot: Volume II: The Minor Arcana. 1990: Newcastle Publishing, North Hollywood, CA. ISBN 8-87877-156-5

[Spiral] = Steventon, Kay. Spiral Tarot: A Story of the Cycles of Life. 1998: US Games Systems. ISBN: 1572811315

[Cosmic] = Huets, Jean. The Cosmic Tarot. 1997: US Games Systems. ISBN: 0880796995

[World Spirit] =

[Wood] = Wood, Robin. The Robin Wood Tarot: The Book. 1998: Robin Wood. ISBN 0-9652984-1-8


Reviews and More Information about the Pictured Decks
Top Left: Waite-Smith (Rider-Waite) -- Top Middle: Thoth -- Top Right: Hermetic (Dowson)
Middle Left: Ceremonial Magick (DuQuette) -- Middle Middle: Magickal (Clark) -- Middle Right: Golden Dawn Ritual
Bottom Left: Gill -- Bottom Middle: Tarot of the Sephiroth -- Bottom Right: Tarot of the Spirit


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Illustrations from the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck, Hermetic Tarot, Ceremonial Tarot, Gill Tarot, Tarot of the Sephiroth, and Tarot of the Spirit reproduced by permission of U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA. Copyrights 1971, 1982, 1990, 2000, 1996 respectively by U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Further reproduction prohibited. The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck* is a registered trademark of U.S.Games Systems, Inc.

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