15 yods in the Moon

wizzle

I'm really struggling with the 15 yods in the Moon card. Why 15? I reviewed all of the threads here and other websites that discussed the symbolism used, but couldn't find any information that seemed definitive. The yod is the symbol for the Hermit card, so that link seems fairly obvious. Also, if the yod is a symbol for sperm, the 15 yods link very well to the Devil. And I suppose yods/sperm falling out of Yesod toward earth make a good deal of sense in terms of final materialization. Note that in the Thoth deck there are only 9 yods, clearly establishing the resonance with the Hermit card. Hence my puzzlement over the 15 in the RWS version.

Your thoughts and insights would be most welcome.
 

tarobones

still looking

I've done a little investigating and so far have not found any explanation. Rachel Pollack mentions the 15, but does not explain it. So far nothing else I've checked even mentions the number. It's curious though, and I know that many times such details do indeed have special meanings. BB, Michael
 

RChMI

In Greco-Roman times when the zodiacal wheel was drawn out, the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth were placed within the circle upon the center line. These three aspects taken in conjunction with the twelve zodiac signs, amounted to the sum of fifteen. Which could be later reduced to the number six, as represented by the Hexagram. In this regard, the number fifteen could be viewed as the Hermetical aspect of the number six, which could be viewed as the religious aspect of fifteen.
 

Abrac

My first guess would be a Kabalistic connection with 15. I don't study the Kabalah so I couldn's say what it means, but I'm fairly certain that's where the anwser lies.

fools_fool
 

wizzle

The Saturn Square

Thanks to everyone for your input on this question.

I'm not sure I've found THE 15, but I've found a 15 that is tempting and that's the magical Saturn Square. Now, as all you budding mage's are sure to know, this is right out of the Temura and the "magic" number is 15. Also, it's the first of the magic squares. And the Moon in her persona as Yesod, is the first step when rising on the planes and doing magic. I know it's tenuous, but it's the best I've found so far. I bolster my thought by the fact that 15 - the Devil is showing the sign of Saturn on his raised hand and is associated with Saturn astrologically.

Bottom line... the 15 yods are associated with 15 - the Devil via the Saturn square. How does that grab ya'll?
 

Abrac

wizzle...

Interesting point about the Saturn Square. Certainly something to ponder.

fools_fool
 

Rusty Neon

Generally, Robert Wang, in _Qabalistic Tarot_, is pretty good in coming up with Golden Dawn Qabalistic and astrological rationale.

The best that Wang could come up with regarding the 15 yods in the Rider deck's Moon card are that they're "a possible reference to the matter symbolized by the fiftteen Key, the Devil". I'm curious whether Hulse came up with anything in his book on Western Mysteries.