Kabbalah and Thoth

ArcanoMáximo

Very clear Aeon! Thank you.
I had the common knowledge of the Judaic Kabbalah and that's why i wasn't wanting relate that doctrine with Tarot because i thought that a tradition in which women are so discriminated shouldn't have something with Tarot.
Now i'm understanding better.
But what about the relation of the Majors with the roads between the sephirots, because there are many visions, aren't?

Aeon418

ArcanoMáximo said:
I had the common knowledge of the Judaic Kabbalah and that's why i wasn't wanting relate that doctrine with Tarot because i thought that a tradition in which women are so discriminated shouldn't have something with Tarot.

I'm not sure what Judaic cultural baggage has to do with the Hermetic Qabalah. It's just a framework on which the Tarot can be placed and in which relationships between the different cards can be given meaning and structure.
It also has the added benefit of being very comprehensive. Any other information that you add to the qabalistc framework also enlarges your understanding of the Tarot.

ArcanoMáximo said:
But what about the relation of the Majors with the roads between the sephirots, because there are many visions, aren't?

Choose a scheme that makes sense to you and work with it. Once you've mastered it you can look at others if you like.
The qabalistic attributions that Crowley based the Thoth deck on are the same as those used by the Golden Dawn, with but one exception.

ArcanoMáximo

Thanks Aeon!

AbstractConcept

Aeon418 said:
The Thoth Tarot literally is the Hermetic Qabalah in pictorial form. I can't think of any better learning aid for the Qabalah, than the Tarot.

When you're first trying to get your head around the Qabalah it all seems very dry and theoretical. You can't figure out how the numbers are supposed to relate to their respective qabalistic Sephiroth. And how they change in the four qabalistic worlds (or stages of manifestation) of Atziluth, Briah, Yetzirah, and Assiah is just a mystery.

But it all makes sense once you start using it in conjunction with the Tarot. If you want to know the characteristics of the sephira Binah and the number 3 in the world of Briah, just take a look at the 3 of Cups.
Maybe your interested in the archetypal aspects of the number 8 and the sephira Hod. In that case you're looking at Hod in Atziluth, which is represented by the 8 of Wands.
Or maybe your interested in the forces of the number 5, Geburah, and how it acts upon the mind and intellect, Yetzirah. In that case take a look at the 5 of Swords.

If you want to know how the various sephira relate to one another, study the Major cards that connect them.
Likewise the Court cards are representative of the energies of the 16 different possible combinations of the four elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth.

Everytime you pick the deck up you are holding the complete Tree of Life in your hand.

That is the most unpretnecious and thoughtful explainaition of Qabalah and Tarot's relationship I have read. That's what I like about you Frater Aeon, no matter which forum thread or medium, you cut though all the tinsel and deliver an eloquent response.

I think a good primer for you ArcanoMáximo regaurding Qabalah, would be Dion Fortune's Mystical Qabalah, Lon DuQuette's The Chicken Qabalah and Israel Regardie's A Garden Of Pomengranates. I'd persevere through one of the older books first, then read Duquette's one, then read one of the other's. it makes it sink in a lot better.

Aeon418

AbstractConcept said:
That is the most unpretnecious and thoughtful explainaition of Qabalah and Tarot's relationship I have read. That's what I like about you Frater Aeon, no matter which forum thread or medium, you cut though all the tinsel and deliver an eloquent response.

Thanks AbstractConcept. The cheque is in the mail.

AbstractConcept said:
I think a good primer for you ArcanoMáximo regaurding Qabalah, would be Dion Fortune's Mystical Qabalah, Lon DuQuette's The Chicken Qabalah and Israel Regardie's A Garden Of Pomengranates. I'd persevere through one of the older books first, then read Duquette's one, then read one of the other's. it makes it sink in a lot better.

An absolute must is Robert Wang's, The Qabalistic Tarot. Wang makes the complex relationship between Tarot and Qabalah seem like childs play. It's one of those books where you can physically feel things falling into place as you read it.
It's probably best read once you've gained a general overview of the Qabalah. It's a real gem.