TAROT STUDY HELPS

Compiled by Lelandra

This is, at this point, an abandoned project. When I began working on it, I was a true believer in the Golden Dawn system of correspondences, and began work on this online book-in-progress in order to understand the system in the greatest detail possible. Unfortunately, this project resulted in a personal loss of faith in the system. However, in the possibility that it may be useful to others, I have left up the part of the project that was webbed. I believe that it does represent a good way to systematically engage in the study of tarot from an "esoteric filing cabinet" perspective.

The pages for each card (and those introductory charts as interest the user) are intended to be printed out and put in a three ring binder, where they can serve as the seed for a Tarot journal or workbook. Unlike other Tarot workbooks, the bulk of this work examines the Tarot through the lens of traditional Occultism or Western Esotericism. I have specifically chosen to use the system of correspondences of the Golden Dawn, mentioning some modifications made by Aliester Crowley. I have chosen this as my orienting generalization since two of the most popular Tarot decks in use today, the Rider-Waite-Smith and Crowley-Harris Thoth, come out of the Golden Dawn tradition.

In this book, for each card I show versions from several Golden Dawn style decks, then present a table with the Golden Dawn correspondences. This is followed by quotations from Book "T", Book of Thoth and Waite's Pictorial Key. Finally I provide an examination of symbols from the Golden Dawn description and various other decks.

Complementary to this site, you should become familiar with Paul Hughes-Barlow's site Supertarot. Rather than focusing on individual card meanings, it has online lessons in using Elemental Dignities. It also houses a colection of excellent essays you won't find anywhere else.

INTRODUCTORY MATERIAL

(Just cheat sheets for reminder purposes rather than first encounter tutorials)

The Four Elements

The Seven Planets

The Twelve Zodiacal Signs

Triplicity

Quadriplicity

Various Decan Systems - Manilius, Ptolemy/Face, Hindu

The 36 Decans (external link to Uri Raz, comparing Agrippa Three Books of Occult Philosophy decan descriptions to Book T pip meanings)

Putting it all together, astrologically (external link to Supertarot)

The Tetragrammaton

Qabalah: The Tree of Life, and The Hebrew Alphabet
Summary Chart showing the color scales and comparing the GD attributions to those of R.J. Stewart and Eliphas Levi. In detail, this has already been done quite well elsewhere, so I'll point you there:

Many different tableaux (meditative arrangements) of the Major Arcana


COURT CARDS AND ACES

How Different Decks are Correlated in this Study Guide
(my visual argument for why most writers are wrong in correlating Knights to Princes. The correct correspondence is:
RW King = GD Prince = Thoth Prince,
RW Queen = GD Queen = Thoth Queen,
RW Knight = GD King = Thoth Knight,
RW Page = GD Princess = Thoth Princess)

Chart of Elemental Correspondences for Suits and Courts in Various Decks - according to the designers of those decks

Chart of Different Authors' Attributions to MBTI

Different Systems for Attributing Court Cards to Seasons

(Those who have seen Book "T" will recognize the organization and ordering of the remainder of this table of contents.)

1. The Ace of Wands is called the Root of the Powers of Fire.

2. The Ace of Cups is called the Root of the Powers of Water.

3. The Ace of Swords is called the Root of the Powers of Air.

4. The Ace of Pentacles is called the Root of the Powers of Earth.

5. The Knight of Wands is "The Lord of the Flame and Lighting: the King of the Spirits of Fire."

6. The Queen of Wands is "The Queen of the Thrones of Flame."

7. The King of Wands is "The Prince of the Chariot of Fire."

8. The Knave of Wands is "The Princess of the Shining Flame: the Rose of the Palace of Fire."

9. The Knight of Cups is "The Lord of the Waves and the Waters: the King of the Hosts of the Sea."

10. The Queen of Cups is "The Queen of the Thrones of the Waters."

11. The King of Cups is "The Prince of the Chariot of the Waters."

12. The Knave of Cups is "The Princess of the Waters: the Lotus of the Palace of the Floods."

13. The Knight of Swords is "The Lord of the Wind and the Breezes: the King of the Spirits of Air."

14. The Queen of Swords is "The Queen of the Thrones of Air."

15. The King of Swords is "The Prince of the Chariot of the Winds."

16. The Knave of Swords is "The Princess of the Rushing Winds: the Lotus of the Palace of Air."

17. The Knight of Pentacles is "The Lord of the Wide and Fertile Land: the King of the Spirits of Earth."

18. The Queen of Pentacles is "The Queen of the Thrones of Earth."

19. The King of Pentacles is "The Prince of the Chariot of Earth."

20. The Knave of Pentacles is "The Princess of the Echoing Hills: the Rose of the Palace of Earth."


PIP CARDS

NO. CARD LORD OF DECAN IN
21 5 of Wands Strife Saturn Leo
22 6 of Wands Victory Jupiter Leo
23 7 of Wands Valour Mars Leo
24 8 of Pentacles Prudence Sun Virgo
25 9 of Pentacles Material Gain Venus Virgo
26 10 of Pentacles Wealth Mercury Virgo
27 2 of Swords Peace restored Moon Libra
28 3 of Swords Sorrow Saturn Libra
29 4 of Swords Rest from Strife Jupiter Libra
30 5 of Cups Loss in Pleasure Mars Scorpio
31 6 of Cups Pleasure Sun Scorpio
32 7 of Cups Illusionary Success Venus Scorpio
33 8 of Wands Swiftness Mercury Sagittarius
34 9 of Wands Great Strength Moon Sagittarius
35 10 of Wands Oppresion Saturn Sagittarius
36 2 of Pentacles Harmonious Change Jupiter Capricorn
37 3 of Pentacles Material Works Mars Capricorn
38 4 of Pentacles Earthly Power Sun Capricorn
39 5 of Swords Defeat Venus Aquarius
40 6 of Swords Earned Success Mercury Aquarius
41 7 of Swords Unstable Effort Moon Aquarius
42 8 of Cups Abandoned Success Saturn Pisces
43 9 of Cups Material Happiness Jupiter Pisces
44 10 of Cups Perfected Success Mars Pisces
45 2 of Wands Dominion Mars Aries
46 3 of Wands Established Strength Sun Aries
47 4 of Wands Perfected Work Venus Aries
48 5 of Pentacles Material Trouble Mercury Taurus
49 6 of Pentacles Material Success Moon Taurus
50 7 of Pentacles Success Unfulfilled Saturn Taurus
51 8 of Swords Shortened Force Jupiter Gemini
52 9 of Swords Despair and Cruelty Mars Gemini
53 10 of Swords Ruin Sun Gemini
54 2 of Cups Love Venus Cancer
55 3 of Cups Abundance Mercury Cancer
56 4 of Cups Blended Pleasure Moon Cancer


TRUMP CARDS

THE TWENTY-TWO KEYS OF THE BOOK LETTER ATTRIB-
UTION
57 0 The Foolish Man The Spirit of GR:Alpha-iota-theta-eta-rho

a

Air
58 1 The Magician The Magus of Power

d

Mercury
59 2 The High Priestess The Priestess of the Silver Star g Moon
60 3 The Empress The Daughter of the Mighty Ones d Venus
61 4 The Emperor Sun of the Morning, chief among the Mighty h Aries
62 5 The Hierophant The Magus of the Eternal w Taurus
63 6 The Lovers The Children of the Voice; the Oracles of the Mighty Gods z Gemini
64 7 The Chariot The Child of the Powers of the Waters; the Lord of the Triumph of Light j Cancer
65 11 Fortitude The Daughter of the Flaming Sword f Leo
66 9 The Hermit The Magus of the Voice of Power,the Prophet of the Eternal y Virgo
67 10 The Wheel of Fate The Lord of the Forces of Life k Jupiter
68 8 Justice The Daughter of the Lords of Truth: the Ruler of the Balance l Libra
69 12 The Hanged The Spirit of the Mighty Waters m Water
70 13 Death The Child of the Great Transformers: the Lord of the Gates of Death n Scorpio
71 14 Temperance The Daughter of the Reconcilers: the Bringer-Forth of life s Sagittarius
72 15 The Devil The Lord of the Gates of Matter: the Child of the Forces of Time u Capricorn
73 16 The Blasted Tower The Lord of the Hosts of the Mighty p Mars
74 17 The Star The Daughter of the Firmament, the dweller between the Waters x Aquarius
75 18 The Moon The Ruler of Flux and Reflux: the Child of the Sons of the Mighty q Pisces
76 19 The Sun The Lord of the Fire of the World r Sun
77 20 The Judgement The Spirit of the Primal Fire c Spirit and Fire
78 21 The Universe The Great One of the Night of Time 't Earth and Saturn

Other Correspondence Systems for the Trumps

Levi's attributions compared to GD compared to Carlo Suares


If you don't see hebrew letters, install the Hebrewa font found here

Sources

I relied primarily on the following sources in compiling this material:
Israel Regardie
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
Israel Regardie, became secretary for Crowley 1928, joined Felkin's Hermes Temple of the Stella Matutina around 1934

Aliester Crowley
Master Therion. The Book of Thoth (Egyptian Tarot). orig 1944. 1991: Samuel Weiser, York Beach, Maine. ISBN 0-87728-268-4
Master Therion is a pseudonym for Aleister Crowley, who was initiated into the Golden Dawn in 1898, and left in 1903 or 1905

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

W. Wynn Westcott
Kuntz, Darcy (Ed.). Golden Dawn Court Cards: As Drawn By W.W. Westcott: Golden Dawn Studies Series 5 b 1995: Holmes Publishing Group. ISBN 1558183361

Many secondary sources (list)

David Allen Hulse. The Key of It All: An Encyclopedic Guide to the Sacred Languages and Magickal Systems of the World. Book Two: The Western Mysteries 1996: Llewellyn Publications (2nd Printing). ISBN 0-87542-379-5

Decks used in illustration - and some opinionated comments in lieu of reviews

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Copyright © 2001 Joan Schraith Cole. All Rights Reserved
Webbing began in 2001. Latest update March 2005.
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