22 isn't really a very big number...

One of the most confusing things about the Major Arcana
is the attributions and why exactly each card is what it is.

Many assume they come from Kabbalah, but they do not.
Kabbalah is a form of Jewish Mysticism, not about Tarot.
But Kaballah does use the cards because it's more fun.

Astrology is a part of the Major Arcana system of attributes,
but "why" exactly would any card have a correspondence?

The answer is in the cards themselves, and comes from the
ancient Phoenician alphabet (22 Letters). That is the Truth.

Looking at the Marseille cards we can see each of the letters.
I'm not making this up, and you can look for yourself to see.
Hebrew style letters were used because they have the same
basis as Phoenician. Within the alphabet are all of the cards.

*

It begins with 1 Aleph, kind of like The Creator is willing
there to be our Universe. Into that first idea come a few
very necessary things. First, the Moon and Venus, 2 and 3,
because ancient sacred beliefs recognized the Mother Gods.

But there's work to be done, so 4 Mars sets the stage for the
Zodiac, beginning with 5 Aries, which is ruled by that planet.
Everything slowly forms and builds together in the alphabet,
and once you see how naturally it flows, it all becomes easy.

*

There are 12 Zodiac Signs, which are really the 12 Months.
The Phoenician calendar became the Hebrew calendar and
the 12 Letters for the 12 Signs-Months are easy to identify.

But just like how the alphabetic attributions build together
naturally, so too the Signs-Months have "interruptions" in
the order of their appearance, when something is needed.
That is when another Planet is put in place, or an Element.

*

Here are the 12 Months from the Phoenician and Hebrew
calendars, with their corresponding Major Arcana cards:

Nisanu (Nissan) Aries : Letter 5 (He): V The Hierophant
Ayaru (Iyar) Taurus : Letter 6 (Waw): VI The Lovers
Simanu (Sivan) Gemini : Letter 7 (Zayin): VII The Chariot

Du'uzu (Tammuz) Cancer : Letter 8 (Heth): VIII Justice
Abu (Av) Leo : Letter 9 (Teth): IX The Hermit
Ululu (Elul) Virgo : Letter 10 (Yod): X The Wheel of Fortune

Tashritu (Tishri) Libra : Letter 12 (Lamedh): XII The Hanged Man
Arach-Samna (Cheshvan) Scorpio : Letter 14 (Nun): XIV Temperance
Kislimu (Kislev) Sagittarius : Letter 15 (Samekh): XV The Devil

Shabatu (Shevat) Capricorn : Letter 16 (Ayin): XVI The Tower
Tebetu (Tevet) Aquarius : Letter 18 (Tsade): XVIII The Moon
Adaru (Adar) Pisces : Letter 19 (Qoph): XIX The Sun

*

If these appear to be out of order to you, that is because when
The Golden Dawn made Aleph=Zero they also moved all the
other cards back by one letter, so that all 22 cards are shifted,
and this was done by them as part of their Magical Kabbalah.

*

Now, in the order of the 22 Letters, we see the 12 Signs-Months:

1
2
3
4
5 Nisanu (Nissan) Aries : Letter 5 (He): V The Hierophant
6 Ayaru (Iyar) Taurus : Letter 6 (Waw): VI The Lovers
7 Simanu (Sivan) Gemini : Letter 7 (Zayin): VII The Chariot
8 Du'uzu (Tammuz) Cancer : Letter 8 (Heth): VIII Justice
9 Abu (Av) Leo : Letter 9 (Teth): IX The Hermit
10 Ululu (Elul) Virgo : Letter 10 (Yod): X The Wheel of Fortune
11
12 Tashritu (Tishri) Libra : Letter 12 (Lamedh): XII The Hanged Man
13
14 Arach-Samna (Cheshvan) Scorpio : Letter 14 (Nun): XIV Temperance
15 Kislimu (Kislev) Sagittarius : Letter 15 (Samekh): XV The Devil
16 Shabatu (Shevat) Capricorn : Letter 16 (Ayin): XVI The Tower
17
18 Tebetu (Tevet) Aquarius : Letter 18 (Tsade): XVIII The Moon
19 Adaru (Adar) Pisces : Letter 19 (Qoph): XIX The Sun
20
21
22

*

Just as we began with Aleph, the "idea" of The Creator, and added
three very important ingredients to make the Signs-Months work,
as the Signs-Months were presented, their were needed additions.

We can see the 7 traditional planets in the sky just by looking up,
and the Phoenician alphabet has 7 Letters to go with the Planets,
which are called Beth, Gimmel, Daleth, Kaph, Pe, Resh, and Taw.

Here is where these Planets appear in the order of the 22 Letters:

1
2 Beth
3 Gimmel
4 Daleth
5 Nisanu (Nissan) Aries : Letter 5 (He): V The Hierophant
6 Ayaru (Iyar) Taurus : Letter 6 (Waw): VI The Lovers
7 Simanu (Sivan) Gemini : Letter 7 (Zayin): VII The Chariot
8 Du'uzu (Tammuz) Cancer : Letter 8 (Heth): VIII Justice
9 Abu (Av) Leo : Letter 9 (Teth): IX The Hermit
10 Ululu (Elul) Virgo : Letter 10 (Yod): X The Wheel of Fortune
11 Kaph
12 Tashritu (Tishri) Libra : Letter 12 (Lamedh): XII The Hanged Man
13
14 Arach-Samna (Cheshvan) Scorpio : Letter 14 (Nun): XIV Temperance
15 Kislimu (Kislev) Sagittarius : Letter 15 (Samekh): XV The Devil
16 Shabatu (Shevat) Capricorn : Letter 16 (Ayin): XVI The Tower
17 Pe
18 Tebetu (Tevet) Aquarius : Letter 18 (Tsade): XVIII The Moon
19 Adaru (Adar) Pisces : Letter 19 (Qoph): XIX The Sun
20 Resh
21
22 Taw

There are 5,040 ways, mathematically, to put any 7 things in order:

1 x 1 = 1
2 x 1 = 2
3 x 2 = 6
4 x 6 = 24
5 x 24 = 120
6 x 120 = 720
7 x 720 = 5,040

No traditional text exists to say what order the Planets appear in the
alphabet, and so most systems rely on Kabbalah. Kabbalah is wrong.
Think for yourself which planet may (should) go where. You decide.

For myself what I did was look out the window, and in order of their
distance from Earth: Moon Venus Mars Mercury Sun Jupiter Saturn.

That's my order for the Planets, and even if I am wrong, I am happy.
Plus, I can look up to the heavens and see that they are actually so.

*

Since we now know which Letters go with the Planets and Signs-Months,
we can see that along with Aleph there are 2 other Letters for Elements.

Letter 1 is Aleph, traditionally given the attribute of Air (Mind).
Letter 13 is Mem, traditionally given the attribute of Water (Body).
Letter 21 is Shin, traditionally given the attribute of Fire (Soul).

*

And so here are all 22 Letters with their corresponding attributions:

1 ALEPH
2 Beth
3 Gimmel
4 Daleth
5 Nisanu (Nissan) Aries : Letter 5 (He): V The Hierophant
6 Ayaru (Iyar) Taurus : Letter 6 (Waw): VI The Lovers
7 Simanu (Sivan) Gemini : Letter 7 (Zayin): VII The Chariot
8 Du'uzu (Tammuz) Cancer : Letter 8 (Heth): VIII Justice
9 Abu (Av) Leo : Letter 9 (Teth): IX The Hermit
10 Ululu (Elul) Virgo : Letter 10 (Yod): X The Wheel of Fortune
11 Kaph
12 Tashritu (Tishri) Libra : Letter 12 (Lamedh): XII The Hanged Man
13 MEM
14 Arach-Samna (Cheshvan) Scorpio : Letter 14 (Nun): XIV Temperance
15 Kislimu (Kislev) Sagittarius : Letter 15 (Samekh): XV The Devil
16 Shabatu (Shevat) Capricorn : Letter 16 (Ayin): XVI The Tower
17 Pe
18 Tebetu (Tevet) Aquarius : Letter 18 (Tsade): XVIII The Moon
19 Adaru (Adar) Pisces : Letter 19 (Qoph): XIX The Sun
20 Resh
21 SHIN
22 Taw

*

Best Wishes!
Fulgour

Fulgour said:

The answer is in the cards themselves, and comes from the
ancient Phoenician alphabet (22 Letters). That is the Truth.

Click to expand...

Splutter, cough, splutter! Says who?

However - I do congratulate you for the quiet absolutism (some might say the gall!) of your beliefs, in this day and age of relativism. I enjoyed your demonstation, which is internally coherent, though absolutely unconvincing as to the causal relation between:

a) the phoenician alphabet and the tarot; and
b) astrology (phonecian, chaldean, or other) and the tarot.

Why am I unconvinced? Well, I am that old-fashioned sort, who looks at the tarot a a system of imagery & symbolism, born as a game, and which eventually became sophisticated system of divination. This imagery reflects above all the philosophical & cultural concerns of the ages it went through - from the 15th century to 2005. It is possible, nay probable, that the Phoenicians influenced the Hebrews & the Greeks, who influenced the Romans, all three of whom influenced the Humanists, who influenced the tarot. But to make a direct link between the Phoenician alphabet, astrology and the tarot...

I look at the Marseille cards. I look at them next to the alphabet. And no, sorry, but I do not see a Phoenician letter more than a Greek one, or a cloud, or any number of shapes. It is possible to project what you like on an image. But it's not a bad idea to look at what is there, as opposed to what we like to project in the shape of this leg or the curve of that arm. We can all play this game of seeing different things from what is actually on the card:

Let's look at the Bateleur:

His table, rectangular, is the Temple; it is missing one leg because the Temple is not yet (re)built. But he has started! Because the Tarot is actually a manual to build the Temple! Look at the angle of his body - perfect geometric description of how to build the Temple. Le Bateleur, the first card of the sequence, is the blueprint...

Oh, we can go through all 22 in that way. Some peope have done it - and it works! Just as the Phoenician alphabet, and the Greek, and the Hebrew. And astrology, ancient and modern. Alchemy, most definitely. Even tree letters seem to work. That's the Truth.

Why's that?

Because the Tarot, as a system of universal "mirror of the world" - does mirror the world. It mirrors all worlds. It mirrors - sometimes exactly, sometiems less so - spiritual and philosophical systems thousands of years & kilometres away from it. It mirrors what you want it to mirror. It mirrors the Phoenician alphabet and Chaldean (and Pythagorician) numerology and astrology and Hermeticism and bardo-celtic shamanism and masonic thought, and alchemy, and, and, and.

It mirrors you.

Helvetica said:

Let's look at the Bateleur: His table, rectangular, is the Temple; it is missing one leg because the Temple is not yet (re)built. But he has started! Because the Tarot is actually a manual to build the Temple!

Click to expand...

Thank you for sharing your thoughts

I barely know the Golden Dawn system, Fulgour. I am amazingly ignorant about it. Perhaps you shouldn't make assumptions like that without inquiring? I was quoting Alain Bocher, a French Mason, specialist of the compagnons, and long-time Marseille lover (the pack, not the football club ).

He attributes Le Bateleur to Aleph, btw (and the Greek alpha). I forget the astrological attribution he makes. He also sees the constellations of the Bear in Le Bateleur, and the Bouvier (sorry, I can't find the English for that - the oxherd?) The three pillars of the Temple (the legs of the table) are also attributes of Hathor, Rehu and Horus. The fourth is Le Bateleur himself, Man, Osiris.

I enjoy his demonstrations as much as yours. I have read others, some with a reasonably coherent structure, all different. Often their authors claim, as you do, to hold the Truth.

And in a way, you do. As I said, Tarot will mirror what you put in front of it.

Ain't it great?

Helvetica said:

Ain't it great?

Click to expand...

Yeah! And since you've often shared with us how you
spent years working exclusively with the Thoth Tarot:

1=0 was done to facilitate "Magical Kabbalah" and not Tarot.
Here is a simple guide to changes done just to the 12 Signs:

1 = 0
2 = 1
3 = 2
4 = 3
5 = 4 The Emperor was changed to Aires
6 = 5 The Hierophant was changed to Taurus
7 = 6 The Lovers was changed to Gemini
8 = 7 The Chariot was changed to Cancer
9 = 8 Justice (Strength) was changed to Leo
10=9 The Hermit was changed to Virgo
11=10
12=11 Strength (Justice) was changed to Libra
13=12
14=13 Death was changed to Scorpio
15=14 Temperance was changed to Sagittarius
16=15 The Devil was changed to Capricorn
17=16
18=17 The Star was changed to Aquarius
19=18 The Moon was changed to Pisces
20=19
21=20
22=21

*

I think it's HEALTHY for people to KNOW the Golden Dawn
changed everything, and just to have a Mercury Magus.