Hebrew letter Tarot correlations

Richard

The Hebrew alphabet represents two circles - one spiritual , and one physical. Two trees - a tree of life and tree of knowledge. To understand the sequence of events in the Hebrew alphabet it not right to 'logically" move from the first letter to the last. Such logic does not work here. The Fool represents the second circle - the tree of knowledge. And, of course, it is in the beginning of the circle but not in the beginning of the Alphabet.
Sorry, I can't follow your reasoning at all.
 

roxana

Sorry, I can't follow your reasoning at all.

gnosticteachings.org/courses/alphabet-of-kabbalah/713-beth.html

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. ... So the first word of the Bible could be read as "Two kingdoms. ... Two kingdoms, created the Elohim.

Yes, two kingdoms - physical and spiritual. Guess why the card "Moon" has no any person? Because it is the last step of the Fool's journey, when he had all the world (The World) and lost it - four beasts from the Card The World become dogs, cancer and moon-face. I do not mean just moving the Fool from 0 to 21 in a row.
After the card Moon, the Minor Arcana (reincarnated beasts) starts "lifting up" Fool's soul to the Spiritual Kingdom - from Aces to Kings. This story is told in the Revelation as well. If you look at Sola Busca cards (minor Arcana) you will see how the Fool collects all his losses and these pictures are different from Waite's Minor Arcana. I just cannot rely on Waite's tarot as standard.
 

Richard

Roxana, thanks for the explanations.

Richard
 

Mephisto

Hebrew Tarot

Hello,

I'm "resurrecting" this topic after more than 1 year because I think I can add something new to the discussion.

First of all, I should explain which one is my perspective:

– I believe there definitely *are* connections between the Hebrew letters and the Major Arcana of the Tarot;

– I believe the first hebrew letter, Aleph, corresponds to the Magician (I), while Cheth is "Justice" (VIII), Kaph is "Strength" (XI), Shin is "The World" (XXI), and Tav is "The Fool" (XXII). So this would be included in the "Filipas" perspective, as mentioned in the first message of this thread.

What can I say or show to support my point of view?

It's simple. I believe that the names of the Major Arcana, when translated to Hebrew, begin with the hebrew letter they correspond to. In other words, if "The Magician" corresponds to the letter Aleph, then its hebrew name must also begin with the letter Aleph – and I've been able to confirm this, at least to the major part of the Arcana.

The key I've used to transliterate hebrew letters is this:

A B G D H V Z Ch T Y K L M N S A'a P Tz Q R Sh Th
(which is Aleph, Beth, Gimel, Daleth, ..., Resh, Shin, Tav)

And these are the hebrew names of the Arcana I've come up with, after many researches and studies:

I. Magician = AShP ("Magician; Sorcerer") = ALEPH
II. High Priestess = BThVLH ("Maiden; Virgin") = BETH
III. Empress = GBYRH ("Lady; Mistress") = GIMEL
IV. Emperor = DVD ("David" – The King of Israel) = DALETH
V. High Priest = HGMVN ("Bishop"), possibly from greek "Hegemon" = HEH
VI. Lovers = VAV (the hebrew letter meaning "and": transmits the idea of duality, of uniting two different ideas)
VII. Chariot = Z ???
VIII. Justice = ChRB ("Sword") = CHETH
IX. Hermit = THVR ("Pure") = TETH
X. Wheel of Fortune = YHVH ("God") ??? = YOD
XI. Strength = KCh or KVCh ("Strength") = KAPH
XII. Hanged Man = LHQRIB ("to sacrifice; to immolate") ??? = LAMED
XIII. Death = MTh or MVTh ("Death") = MEM
XIV. Temperance = NZIRVTh ("Temperance/Abstinence") = NUN
XV. Devil = SMAL ("Samael", the Devil) / SDM ("Sodom") = SAMECH
XVI. Tower = OMRH ("Gomorrah") = AYIN
XVII. Star = P ??? = PEH
XVIII. Moon = TzL ("Shadow") or TzLM ("Shade, phantom") = TZADI
XIX. Sun = QYTz ("Summer") = QOPH
XX. Judgement = RVCh ("Breath/Spirit" – reanimating the dead?) ??? = RESH
XXI. World = ShVBO ("Satiety"; "Fullness") or ShBO ("Seven": 21 is 3x7) = SHIN
XXII. Fool = ThVOH ("Vagabond; wanderer; stray") = TAV

What is your opinion about thins?

Please note this is a work in progress. If you have any ideas, or would like to make any corrections, I will be extremely pleased to hear you! Thanks :)

Mephisto
 

kwaw

The same thing can be done (and has been done), with other trump sequences, e.g., with Aleph as Fool. There is no such sequence of hebrew word lists and trumps that appears to be any more or less significant (in a statistical sense) than another. Such lists do not, or least of themselves are insufficient to, prove any relationship between the Trumps and Hebrew letters and/or names. Filipas has already explored this theses extensively, with a somewhat more complete and more convincing word list than your own, and it (along with the methodology) was debunked some time ago.
 

augursWell

Kwaw,

I was wondering what sources there are that debunk this methodolgy and the word lists. I agree that there would need to be something more to establish a connection between Tarot and Hebrew letters but when you say something is debunked there is usually a source for that.

Thanks.
 

Laurelle

Hi jmd,

I was wondering why it is important to theorize on Hebrew letter correlations to Tarot cards. I don't think that the Hebrew people invented the Tarot.

Hebrew letters form patterns. These patterns spell words and sentences. So the same can be true of tarot. I think it was probably just an alphabet system that already had depth to it.

I've thought the same question before and this is just want I came up with on my own. I really am not so sure what the true meaning is.
 

Zephyros

Hebrew letters form patterns. These patterns spell words and sentences. So the same can be true of tarot. I think it was probably just an alphabet system that already had depth to it.

I've thought the same question before and this is just want I came up with on my own. I really am not so sure what the true meaning is.

Well, as I see it there is no "true" meaning. Hebrew is just a convenient and rather deep way of categorizing symbols and meaning. While Tarot and Hebrew, and consequently Kabbalah, were not connected at first they became so over time. All the traditional meanings we know today came from this connection and it has become part of Tarot "canon."
 

Hythlodaeus

This is a fascinating discussion that I wish I'd gotten on board sooner! To get up to speed, I'm trying to track down Mark Filipas' "The Alphabetic Masquerade." However, his page seems to be gone as all the links to it are dead. Does anyone know where I can still find it? Thanks!