777 Deck

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 30 Aug 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Laurel	30 Aug 2002
My handmade 777 deck arrived this week. I'd picked it up after reading Solandria's review and now possess #143 The 22 Major Arcana-relating cards are not laminated and need extra loving care. They are 4"x5" and don't shuffle well. Lance, the creator calls them "Cabalistic Correspondence Cards", and that's exactly what they are. They're perfect as Qabalistic flash cards! Cardboard might be cardboard, but there is a strange, numinous energy to picking these cards up. It probably relates to the loving focus Lance puts into each card and the powder that's been sprinkled on each one. I'd never use this deck for reading, except possibly using that backs on the cards- each of which has a beautifully detailed Hebrew letter on it. I've seen another commerical oracle deck that contained nothing but the Hebrew letters and can see how they'd be useful for divination. 777 is the name of Crowley's book of qabalistic correspondences. These cards are ~so~ much easier to reference, however. Godnames, candle colors, runs, stones, scenes, gods, titles, you name it- there's a lot of correspondences to each one. This is an excellent deck for any student of Hermetic Qabalah, although you might want to wait for the commercial version which comes out soon (its a little cheaper than the handmade cards and no doubt they will be laminated and capable of withstanding more intense use). I liked the idea of supporting the artist directly and was willing to trade some professionalism in the cards themselves in exchange for the symbolism and "good energy" of the handmade version. But these cards aren't going to last if I used them seriously- they stain and fade very easy. Laurel

Supletion	30 Aug 2002
i dont understand what is the "hebrew meaning" of each card at the bottom of it, how are the words there relate to the card...?

Laurel	30 Aug 2002
That's a really great question! In English, letters don't have names. A= A. Its not a word. In Hebrew, Alef is spelled A(Alef), L(Lamed), P(Peh). The word ALP (or PLA if read from right to left as Hebrew is) has several literal and metaphorical definitions. The one most commonly ascribed to it is Ox. However, ALP can also mean Family/Tribe, and Infinite. Kabbalists contemplate each of these Hebrew meanings and come up with relationships between letters and concepts. For example, a comon explanation for Ox is that the Ox was a animal of enormous value for the ancient Hebrews, a significant life-giving, life-sustaining symbol of power. Then one goes into various roles of the Ox/Bull in mythology.... and so on. Laurel

Supletion	03 Sep 2002
thanks alot for the answer, laurel hebrew is my first language, but i couldnt make the connection between the hebrew meanings to the cards. i forgot the alp is an ox (the word is completely out of use today, although it does appear in sources), and didnt look deeply into the other cards (i should have known, "nun" is a kind of a fish and "resh" sounds very much like head, "rosh"). it brought me to such interest, so i compiled a list of what i asume would be the hebrew meaning of each card... now ill search some info about the deck to check myself :)

Laurel	03 Sep 2002
I'm very glad I was helpful. After I had posted, I noticed you were from Israel and guessed you were Jewish. I worried I had come across as either very dumb or worse patronizing as I was talking about old Hebrew. My own knowledge of Hebrew extends to a couple hundred words, most of them not very useful in any context except Kabbalism. :) Laurel

Kiama	03 Sep 2002
This deck looks really interesting... It's certainly one to add to any collection methinks. Was it expensive? Kiama

Laurel	04 Sep 2002
I think it was $29.95 and I believe the mass production ones will be $19.95 Laurel

The 777 Deck thread was originally posted on 30 Aug 2002 in the Tarot Decks board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Tarot Decks, or read more archived threads.