,the ,illustrated ,key ,to ,the ,tarot ,,the ,,veil ,,of ,,divination ,illustrating ,the ,greater ,and ,lesser ,arcana ,,embracing ,,the ,,veil ,,and ,,its ,,symbols4 ,,secret ,,tradition ,,under ,,the ,,veil ,,of ,,divination4 ,,art ,,of ,,tarot ,,divination4 ,,outer ,,method ,,of ,,the ,,oracles4 ,,the ,,tarot ,,in ,,history4 ,,inner ,,symbolism4 ,,the ,,greater ,,keys4 ,by ,l4 ,w4 de ,laurence ,,author ,,of1 ,,the ,,master ,,key4 ,,the ,,immanence ,,of ,,god1 ,,know ,,thyself4 ,,god1 ,,the ,,bibl1 ,,truth ,,and ,,christian ,,theology4 ,,medical ,,hypnosis ,,and ,,magnetic ,,hypnotism4 ,,manual ,,of ,,disease ,,and ,,modern ,,medicine4 ,,valmondi3 ,,the ,,old ,,book ,,of ,,ancient ,,mysteries4 ,,the ,,dead ,,man',s ,,home4 ,,self-,,consciousness ,,in ,,public4 ,,the ,,great ,,book ,,of ,,magical ,,art1 ,,hindu ,,magic ,,and ,,east ,,indian ,,occultism1 ,a ,,self ,,guide ,,for ,,all ,,men1 ,,etc41 ,,etc4 ,the de ,laurence ,company ,chicago1 ,ill41 ,u4 ,s4 ,a4 ,copyright1 #aiah ,by de ,,laurence1 ,,scott ,,co4 ,,special ,,notice ,the illustrations1 cover design and contents of this ,volume are protected by copyright1 and must not be reproduced or copied without written permission from the ,publishers4 ,disregard of this warning will subject the offender to the penalty provided by law4 ,this book is manufactured in strict conformity with ,government regulations for saving paper4 ,printed in ,u4,s4,a4 ,,the ,,illustrated ,,key ,,to ,,the ,,tarot ,preface ,it seems rather of necessity than predilection in the sense of apologia that ,i should put on record in the first place a plain statement of my personal position1 as one who for many years of literary life has been1 subject to his spiritual and other limitations1 an exponent of the higher mystic schools4 ,it will be thought that ,i am acting strangely in concerning myself at this day with what appears at first sight and simply a well-known method of fortune-telling4 ,now1 the opinions of some1 even in the literary reviews1 are of no importance unless they happen to agree with our own1 but in order to sanctify this doctrine we must take care that our opinions1 and the subjects out of which they arise1 are concerned only with the highest4 ,yet it is just this which may seem doubtful1 in the present instance1 not only to those1 whom ,i respect within the proper measures of detachment1 but to some of more real consequence1 seeing that their dedications are mine4 ,to these and to any ,i would say that after the most illuminated ,frater ,christian ,rosy ,cross had beheld the ,chemical ,marriage in the ,secret ,palace of ,transmutation1 his story breaks off abruptly1 with an intimation that he expected next morning to be door-keeper4 ,after the same manner1 it happens more often than might seem likely that those who have seen the ,occult ,powers of ,nature through the most clearest veils of the sacraments are those who assume thereafter the humblest offices of all about the ,house of ,wisdom4 ,by such simple devices also are the ,adepts and ,great ,masters in the secret orders distinguished from the cohort of ,neophytes as servi servorum mysterii4 ,so also1 or in a way which is not entirely unlike1 we meet with the ,tarot cards at the outermost gates--amidst the fritterings and dbris of the so called occult arts1 about which no one in their senses has suffered the smallest deception2 and yet these cards belong in themselves to another region1 for they contain a very high symbolism1 which is interpreted according to the ,laws of ,grace rather than by the pretexts and intuitions of that which passes for divination4 ,the fact that the wisdom of ,god 7,nature7 is foolishness with men does not create a presumption that the foolishness of this world makes in any sense for ,divine ,wisdom2 so neither the scholars in the ordinary classes nor the pedagogues in the seats of the mighty will be quick to perceive the likelihood or even the possibility of this proposition4 ,the subject has been in the hands of cartomancists as part of the stock-in-trade of their industry2 ,i do not seek to persuade any one outside my own circles that this is of much or of no consequence2 but on the historical and interpretative sides it has not fared better2 it has been there in the hands of exponents who have brought it into utter contempt for those people who possess philosophical insight or faculties for the appreciation of evidence4 ,it is time that it should be rescued1 and this ,i propose to undertake once and for all1 that ,i may have done with the side issues which distract from the term4 ,as poetry is the most beautiful expression of the things that are of all most beautiful1 so is symbolism the most catholic expression in concealment of things that are most profound in the ,sanctuary and that have not been declared outside it with the same fullness by means of the spoken word4 ,the justification of the rule of silence is no part of my present concern1 but ,i have put on record elsewhere1 and quite recently1 what it is possible to say on this subject4 99 99 99 99 99 ,the little treatise which follows is divided into three parts1 in the first of which ,i have dealt with the antiquities of the subject and a few things that arise from and connect therewith4 ,it should be understood that it is not put forward as a contribution to the history of playing cards1 about which ,i know and care nothing2 it is a consideration dedicated and addressed to a certain school of occultism1 more especially in ,france1 as to the source and center of all the phantasmagoria which has entered into expression during the last fifty years under the pretense of considering ,tarot cards historically4 ,in the second part1 ,i have dealt with the symbolism according to some of its higher aspects1 and this also serves to introduce the complete and rectified ,tarot1 which is available separately1 in the form of colored cards1 the designs of which are added to the present text in black and white4 ,they have been prepared under my supervision--in respect of the attributions and meanings--by a lady who has high claims as an artist4 ,regarding the divinatory part1 by which my thesis is terminated1 ,i consider it personally as a fact in the history of the ,tarot2 as such1 ,i have drawn1 from all published sources1 a harmony of the meanings which have been attached to the various cards1 and ,i have given prominence to one method of working that has not been published previously2 having the merit of simplicity1 while it is also of universal application1 it may be held to replace the cumbrous and involved systems of the larger hand-books4 ,,contents ,,page ,,preface #c ,an explanation of the personal kind--,an illustration from mystic literature--,a subject which calls to be rescued-- ,limits and intention of the work4 ,,part ,i ,,the ,,veil ,,and ,,its ,,symbols #g #a4--;,introductory ,and ,general4 #b4--;,class ,i4 ,the ,trumps ,major1 ,otherwise ,greater ,arcana4 #c4--;,class ,,ii4 ,the ,four ,suits1 ,otherwise ,lesser ,arcana4 #d4--,the ,tarot ,in ,history4 ,,part ,,ii ,,the ,,doctrine ,,behind ,,the ,,veil #cc #a4--,the ,tarot ,and ,secret ,tradition4 #b4--,the ,trumps ,major ,and ,their ,inner ,symbolism4 #c4--;,conclusion ,as ,to ,the ,greater ,keys4 ,,part ,,iii ,,the ,,outer ,,method ,,of ,,the ,,oracles #he #a4--;,distinction ,between ,the ,greater ,and ,lesser ,arcana4 #b4--,the ,lesser ,arcana1 ,otherwise1 ,the ,four ,suits ,of ,tarot ,cards4 ,the ,suit ,of ,wands4 ,the ,suit ,of ,cups4 ,the ,suit ,of ,swords4 ,the ,suit ,of ,pentacles4 #c4--,the ,greater ,arcana ,and ,their ,divinatory ,meanings4 #d4--,some ,additional ,meanings ,of ,the ,lesser ,arcana4 #e4--,the ,recurrence ,of ,cards ,in ,dealing4 #f4--,the ,art ,of ,tarot ,divination4 #g4--;,an ,ancient ,celtic ,method ,of ,divination4 #h4--;,an ,alternative ,method ,of ,reading ,the ,tarot ,cards4 #i4--,the ,method ,of ,reading ,by ,means ,of ,thirty-five ,cards4 ,,bibliography ,a ,,concise ,,bibliography ,,of ,,the ,,chief ,,works ,,dealing ,,with ,,the ,,tarot ,,and ,,its ,,connections #afd ,the ,illustrated ,key ,to ,the ,tarot ,part ,one ,,the ,,veil ,,and ,,its ,,symbols ,section ,i ,,introductory ,,and ,,general ,the pathology of the poet says that the undevout astronomer is mad2 the pathology of the very plain man says that the genius is mad2 and between these extremes1 which stand for ten thousand analogous excesses1 the sovereign reason takes the part of a moderator and does what it can4 ,i do not think that there is a pathology of the occult dedications1 but about their extravagances no one can question1 and it is not less difficult than thankless to act as a moderator regarding them4 ,moreover1 the pathology1 if it existed1 would probably be an empiricism rather than a diagnosis1 and would offer no criterion4 ,now1 occultism is not like mystic faculty1 and it very seldom works in harmony either with business aptitude in the things of ordinary life or with a knowledge of the canons of evidence in its own sphere4 ,i know that for the high art of ribaldry there are few things more dull than the criticism which maintains that a thesis is untrue1 and cannot understand that it is decorative4 ,i know also that after long dealing with doubtful doctrine or with difficult research it is always refreshing1 in the domain of this art1 to meet with what is obviously of fraud or at least of complete unreason4 ,but the aspects of history1 as seen through the lens of occultism1 are not as a rule decorative1 and have few gifts of refreshment to heal the lacerations which they inflict on the logical understanding4 ,it almost requires a ,frater ,sapiens dominabitur astris in the ,fellowship of the ,rosy ,cross to have the patience which is not lost amidst clouds of folly when the consideration of the ,tarot is undertaken in accordance with the higher law of symbolism4 ,the true ,tarot is symbolism2 it speaks no other language and offers no other signs4 ,given the inward meaning of its emblems1 they do become a kind of alphabet which is capable of indefinite combinations and makes true sense in all4 ,on the highest plane it offers a ,key ,to ,the ,mysteries1 in a manner which is not arbitrary and has not been read in4 ,but the wrong symbolical stories have been told concerning it1 and the wrong history has been given in every published work which so far has dealt with the subject4 ,it has been intimated by two or three writers that1 at least in respect of the meanings1 this is unavoidably the case1 because few are acquainted with them1 while these few hold by transmission under pledges and cannot betray their trust4 ,the suggestion is fantastic on the surface1 for there seems a certain anti-climax in the proposition that a particular interpretation of fortune-telling--l'art de tirer les cartes--can be reserved for ,sons of the ,doctrine4 ,the fact remains1 notwithstanding1 that a ,secret ,tradition exists regarding the ,tarot1 and as there is always the possibility that some minor arcana of the ,mysteries may be made public with a flourish of trumpets1 it will be as well to go before the event and to warn those who are curious in such matters that any revelation will contain only a third part of the earth and sea and a third part of the stars of heaven in respect of the symbolism4 ,this is for the simple reason that neither in root-matter nor in development has more been put into writing1 so that much will remain to be said after any pretended unveiling4 ,the guardians of certain temples of initiation who keep watch over mysteries of this order have therefore no cause for alarm4 ,in my preface to ,the ,tarot ,of ,the ,bohemians1 which1 rather by an accident of things1 has recently come to be re-issued after a long period1 ,i have said what was then possible or seemed most necessary4 ,the present work is designed more especially--as ,i have intimated--to introduce a rectified set of the cards themselves and to tell the unadorned truth concerning them1 so far as this is possible in the outer circles4 ,as regards the sequence of greater symbols1 their ultimate and highest meaning lies deeper than the common language of picture or hieroglyph4 ,this will be understood by those who have received some part of the ,secret ,tradition4 ,as regards the verbal meanings allocated here to the more important ,trump ,cards1 they are designed to set aside the follies and impostures of past attributions1 to put those who have the gift of insight on the right track1 and to take care1 within the limits of my possibilities1 that they are the truth so far as they go4 ,it is regrettable in several respects that ,i must confess to certain reservations1 but there is a question of honor at issue4 ,furthermore1 between the follies on the one side of those who know nothing of the tradition1 yet are in their own opinion the exponents of something called occult science and philosophy1 and on the other side between the make-believe of a few writers who have received part of the tradition and think that it constitutes a legal title to scatter dust in the eyes of the world without1 ,i feel that the time has come to say what it is possible to say1 so that the effect of current charlatanism and unintelligence may be reduced to a minimum4 ,we shall see in due course that the history of ,tarot cards is largely of the negative kind1 and that1 when the issues are cleared by the dissipation of reveries and gratuitous speculations expressed in the terms of certitude1 there is in fact no history prior to the fourteenth century4 ,the deception and self-deception regarding their origin in ,egypt1 ,india or ,china put a lying spirit into the mouths of the first expositors1 and the later occult writers have done little more than reproduce the first false testimony in the good faith of an intelligence unawakened to the issues of research4 ,as it so happens1 all expositions have worked within a very narrow range1 and owe1 comparatively speaking1 little to the inventive faculty4 ,one brilliant opportunity has at least been missed1 for it has not so far occurred to any one that the ,tarot might perhaps have done duty and even originated as a secret symbolical language of the ,albigensian sects4 ,i commend this suggestion to the lineal descendants in the spirit of ,gabriele ,rossetti and ,eugne ,aroux1 to ,mr4 ,harold ,bayley as another ,new ,light ,on ,the ,renaissance1 and as a taper at least in the darkness which1 with great respect1 might be serviceable to the zealous and all-searching mind of ,mrs4 ,cooper-,oakley4 ,think only what the supposed testimony of watermarks on paper might gain from the ,tarot ,card of the ,pope or ,hierophant1 in connection with the notion of a secret ,albigensian patriarch1 of which ,mr4 ,bayley has found in these same watermarks so much material to his purpose4 ,think only for a moment about the card of the ,high ,priestess as representing the ,albigensian church itself2 and think of the ,tower struck by ,lightning as typifying the desired destruction of ,papal ,rome1 the city on the seven hills1 with the pontiff and his temporal power cast down from the spiritual edifice when it is riven by the wrath of ,god 7,nature74 ,the possibilities are so numerous and persuasive that they almost deceive in their expression one of the elect who has invented them4 ,but there is more even than this1 though ,i scarcely dare to cite it4 ,when the time came for the ,tarot cards to be the subject of their first formal explanation1 the archologist ,court de ,gebelin reproduced some of their most important emblems1 and--if ,i may so term it--the codex which he used has served--by means of his engraved plates--as a basis of reference for many sets that have been issued subsequently4 ,the figures are very primitive and differ as such from the cards of ,etteilla1 the ,marseilles ,tarot1 and others still current in ,france4 ,i am not a good judge in such matters1 but the fact that every one of the ,trumps ,major might have answered for watermark purposes is shown by the cases which ,i have quoted and by one most remarkable example of the ,ace of ,cups4 ,illustration ,i should call it an eucharistic emblem after the manner of a ciborium1 but this does not signify at the moment4 ,the point is that ,mr4 ,harold ,bayley gives six analogous devices in his ,new ,light ,on ,the ,renaissance1 being watermarks on paper of the seventeenth century1 which he claims to be of ,albigensian origin and to represent sacramental and ,graal emblems4 ,had he only heard of the ,tarot1 had he known that these cards of divination1 cards of fortune1 cards of all vagrant arts1 were perhaps current at the period in the ,south of ,france1 ,i think that his enchanting but all too fantastic hypothesis might have dilated still more largely in the atmosphere of his dream4 ,we should no doubt have had a vision of ,christian ,gnosticism1 ,manichanism1 and all that he understands by pure primitive ,gospel1 shining behind the pictures4 ,i do not look through such glasses1 and ,i can only commend the subject to his attention at a later period2 it is mentioned here that ,i may introduce with an unheard-of wonder the marvels of arbitrary speculation as to the history of the cards4 ,with reference to their form and number1 it should scarcely be necessary to enumerate them1 for they must be almost commonly familiar1 but as it is precarious to assume anything1 and as there are also other reasons1 ,i will tabulate them briefly as follows3-- ,,class ,i ,,section #b ,,trumps ,,major ,,otherwise1 ,,greater ,,arcana #a4 ,the ,magus1 ,magician1 or ,juggler1 the caster of the dice and mountebank1 in the world of vulgar trickery4 ,this is the colportage interpretation1 and it has the same correspondence with the real symbolical meaning that the use of the ,tarot in fortune-telling has with its mystic construction according to the secret science of symbolism4 ,i should add that many independent students of the subject1 following their own lights1 have produced individual sequences of meaning in respect of the ,trumps ,major1 and their lights are sometimes suggestive1 but they are not the true lights4 ,for example1 ,eliphas ,lvi says that the ,magus signifies that unity which is the mother of numbers2 others say that it is the ,divine ,unity2 and one of the latest ,french commentators considers that in its general sense it is the will4 #b4 ,the ,high ,priestess1 the ,pope ,joan1 or ,female ,pontiff2 early expositors have sought to term this card the ,mother1 or ,pope's ,wife1 which is opposed to the symbolism4 ,it is sometimes held to represent the ,divine ,law and the ,gnosis1 in which case the ,priestess corresponds to the idea of the ,shekinah4 ,she is the ,secret ,tradition and the higher sense of the instituted ,mysteries4 #c4 ,the ,empress1 who is sometimes represented with full face1 while her correspondence1 the ,emperor1 is in profile4 ,as there has been some tendency to ascribe a symbolical significance to this distinction1 it seems desirable to say that it carries no inner meaning4 ,the ,empress has been connected with the ideas of universal fecundity and in a general sense with activity4 #d4 ,the ,emperor1 by imputation the spouse of the former4 ,he is occasionally represented as wearing1 in addition to his personal insignia1 the stars or ribbons of some order of chivalry4 ,i mention this to show that the cards are a medley of old and new emblems4 ,those who insist upon the evidence of the one may deal1 if they can1 with the other4 ,no effectual argument for the antiquity of a particular design can be drawn from the fact that it incorporates old material2 but there is also none which can be based on sporadic novelties1 the intervention of which may signify only the unintelligent hand of an editor or of a late draughtsman4 #e4 ,the ,high ,priest or ,hierophant1 called also ,spiritual ,father1 and more commonly and obviously the ,pope4 ,it seems even to have been named the ,abbot1 and then its correspondence1 the ,high ,priestess1 was the ,abbess or ,mother of the ,convent4 ,both are arbitrary names4 ,the insignia of the figures are papal1 and in such case the ,high ,priestess is and can be only the ,church1 to whom ,pope and priests are married by the spiritual rite of ordination4 ,i think1 however1 that in its primitive form this card did not represent the ,roman ,pontiff4 #f4 ,the ,lovers or ,marriage4 ,this symbol has undergone many variations1 as might be expected from its subject4 ,in the eighteenth century form1 by which it first became known to the world of archological research1 it is really a card of married life1 showing father and mother1 with their child placed between them2 and the pagan ,cupid above1 in the act of flying his shaft1 is1 of course1 a misapplied emblem4 ,the ,cupid is of love beginning rather than of love in its fulness1 guarding the fruit thereof4 ,the card is said to have been entitled ,simulacrum fidei1 the symbol of conjugal faith1 for which the rainbow as a sign of the covenant would have been a more appropriate concomitant4 ,the figures are also held to have signified ,truth1 ,honor and ,love1 but ,i suspect that this was1 so to speak1 the gloss of a commentator moralizing4 ,it has these1 but it has other and higher aspects4 #g4 ,the ,chariot4 ,this is represented in some extant codices as being drawn by two sphinxes1 and the device is in consonance with the symbolism1 but it must not be supposed that such was its original form2 the variation was invented to support a particular historical hypothesis4 ,in the eighteenth century white horses were yoked to the car4 ,as regards its usual name1 the lesser stands for the greater2 it is really the ,king in his triumph1 typifying1 however1 the victory which creates kingship as its natural consequence and not the vested royalty of the fourth card4 ,m4 ,court de ,gebelin said that it was ,osiris ,triumphing1 the conquering sun in spring-time having vanquished the obstacles of winter4 ,we know now that ,osiris rising from the dead is not represented by such obvious symbolism4 ,other animals than horses have also been used to draw the currus triumphalis1 as1 for example1 a lion and a leopard4 #h4 ,fortitude4 ,this is one of the cardinal virtues1 of which ,i shall speak later4 ,the female figure is usually represented as closing the mouth of a lion4 ,in the earlier form which is printed by ,court de ,gebelin1 she is obviously opening it4 ,the first alternative is better symbolically1 but either is an instance of strength in its conventional understanding1 and conveys the idea of mastery4 ,it has been said that the figure represents organic force1 moral force and the principle of all force4 #i4 ,the ,hermit1 as he is termed in common parlance1 stands next on the list2 he is also the ,capuchin1 and in more philosophical language the ,sage4 ,he is said to be in search of that ,truth which is located far off in the sequence1 and of ,justice which has preceded him on the way4 ,but this is a card of attainment1 as we shall see later1 rather than a card of quest4 ,it is said also that his lantern contains the ,light of ,occult ,science and that his staff is a ,magic ,wand4 ,these interpretations are comparable in every respect to the divinatory and fortune-telling meanings with which ,i shall have to deal in their turn4 ,the diabolism of both is that they are true after their own manner1 but that they miss all the high things to which the ,greater ,arcana should be allocated4 ,it is as if a man who knows in his heart that all roads lead to the heights1 and that ,god 7,nature7 is at the great height of all1 should choose the way of perdition or the way of folly as the path of his own attainment4 ,eliphas ,lvi has allocated this card to ,prudence1 but in so doing he has been actuated by the wish to fill a gap which would otherwise occur in the symbolism4 ,the four cardinal virtues are necessary to an idealogical sequence like the ,trumps ,major1 but they must not be taken only in that first sense which exists for the use and consolation of him who in these days of halfpenny journalism is called the man in the street4 ,in their proper understanding they are the correlatives of the counsels of perfection when these have been similarly re-expressed1 and they read as follows3 7a7 ,transcendental ,justice1 the counter-equilibrium of the scales1 when they have been over-weighted so that they dip heavily on the side of ,god 7,nature74 ,the corresponding counsel is to use loaded dice when you play for high stakes with ,diabolus4 ,the axiom is ,aut ,deus1 aut nihil4 7b7 ,divine ,ecstasy1 as a counterpoise to something called ,temperance1 the sign of which is1 ,i believe1 the extinction of lights in the tavern4 ,the corresponding counsel is to drink only of new wine in the ,kingdom of the ,father1 because ,god 7,nature7 is all in all4 ,the axiom is that man being a reasonable being must get intoxicated with ,god 7,nature72 the imputed case in point is ,spinoza4 7c7 ,the state of ,royal ,fortitude1 which is the state of a ,tower of ,ivory and a ,house of ,gold1 but it is ,god 7,nature7 and not the man who has become ,turris fortitudinis a facie inimici1 and out of that ,house the enemy has been cast4 ,the corresponding counsel is that a man must not spare himself even in the presence of death1 but he must be certain that his sacrifice shall be--of any open course--the best that will ensure his end4 ,the axiom is that the strength which is raised to such a degree that a man dares lose himself shall show him how ,nature 7,god7 is found1 and as to such refuge--dare therefore and learn4 7d7 ,prudence is the economy which follows the line of least resistance1 that the soul may get back whence it came4 ,it is a doctrine of divine parsimony and conservation of energy because of the stress1 the terror and the manifest impertinences of this life4 ,the corresponding counsel is that true prudence is concerned with the one thing needful1 and the axiom is3 ,waste not1 want not4 ,the conclusion of the whole matter is a business proposition founded on the law of exchange3 ,you cannot help getting what you seek in respect of the things that are ,divine3 it is the law of supply and demand4 ,i have mentioned these few matters at this point for two simple reasons3 7a7 because in proportion to the impartiality of the mind it seems sometimes more difficult to determine whether it is vice or vulgarity which lays waste the present world more piteously2 7b7 because in order to remedy the imperfections of the old notions it is highly needful1 on occasion1 to empty terms and phrases of their accepted significance1 that they may receive a new and more adequate meaning4 #aj4 ,the ,wheel of ,fortune4 ,there is a current ,manual of ,cartomancy which has obtained a considerable vogue in ,england1 and amidst a great scattermeal of curious things to no purpose has intersected a few serious subjects4 ,in its last and largest edition it treats in one section of the ,tarot2 which--if ,i interpret the author rightly--it regards from beginning to end as the ,wheel of ,fortune1 this expression being understood in my own sense4 ,i have no objection to such an inclusive though conventional description2 it obtains in all the worlds1 and ,i wonder that it has not been adopted previously as the most appropriate name on the side of common fortune-telling4 ,it is also the title of one of the ,trumps ,major--that indeed of our concern at the moment1 as my sub-title shows4 ,of recent years this has suffered many fantastic presentations and one hypothetical reconstruction which is suggestive in its symbolism4 ,the wheel has seven radii2 in the eighteenth century the ascending and descending animals were really of nondescript character1 one of them having a human head4 ,at the summit was another monster with the body of an indeterminate beast1 wings on shoulders and a crown on head4 ,it carried two wands in its claws4 ,these are replaced in the reconstruction by a ,hermanubis rising with the wheel1 a ,sphinx couchant at the summit and a ,typhon on the descending side4 ,here is another instance of an invention in support of a hypothesis2 but if the latter be set aside the grouping is symbolically correct and can pass as such4 #aa4 ,justice4 ,that the ,tarot1 though it is of all reasonable antiquity1 is not of time immemorial1 is shown by this card1 which could have been presented in a much more archaic manner4 ,those1 however1 who have gifts of discernment in matters of this kind will not need to be told that age is in no sense of the essence of the consideration2 the ,rite of ,closing the ,lodge in the ,third ,craft ,grade of ,masonry may belong to the late eighteenth century1 but the fact signifies nothing2 it is still the summary of all the instituted and official ,mysteries4 ,the female figure of the eleventh card is said to be ,astra1 who personified the same virtue and is represented by the same symbols4 ,this goddess notwithstanding1 and notwithstanding the vulgarian ,cupid1 the ,tarot is not of ,roman mythology1 or of ,greek either4 ,its presentation of ,justice is supposed to be one of the four cardinal virtues included in the sequence of ,greater ,arcana2 but1 as it so happens1 fourth emblem is wanting1 and it became necessary for the commentators to discover it at all costs4 ,they did what it was possible to do1 and yet the laws of research have never succeeded in extricating the missing ,persephone under the form of ,prudence4 ,court de ,gebelin attempted to solve the difficulty by a tour de force1 and believed that he had extracted what he wanted from the symbol of the ,hanged ,man--wherein he deceived himself4 ,the ,tarot has1 therefore1 its ,justice1 its ,temperance also and its ,fortitude1 but--owing to a curious omission--it does not offer us any type of ,prudence1 though it may be admitted that1 in some respects1 the isolation of the ,hermit1 pursuing a solitary path by the light of his own lamp1 gives1 to those who can receive it1 a certain high counsel in respect of the via prudenti4 #ab4 ,the ,hanged ,man4 ,this is the symbol which is supposed to represent ,prudence1 and ,eliphas ,lvi says1 in his most shallow and plausible manner1 that it is the adept bound by his engagements4 ,the figure of a man is suspended head-downwards from a gibbet1 to which he is attached by a rope about one of his ankles4 ,the arms are bound behind him and one leg is crossed over the other4 ,according to another1 and indeed the prevailing interpretation1 he signifies sacrifice1 but all current meanings attributed to this card are cartomancists' intuitions1 apart from any real value1 on the symbolical side4 ,the fortune-tellers of the eighteenth century who circulated ,tarots1 depict a semi-feminine youth in jerkin1 poised erect on one foot and loosely attached to a short stake driven into the ground4 #ac4 ,death4 ,the method of presentation is almost invariable1 and embodies a bourgeois form of symbolism4 ,the scene is the field of life1 and amidst ordinary rank vegetation there are living arms and heads protruding from the ground4 ,one of the heads is crowned1 and a skeleton with a great scythe is in the act of mowing it4 ,the transparent and unescapable meaning is death1 but the alternatives allocated to the symbol are change and transformation4 ,other heads have been swept from their place previously1 but it is1 in its current and patent meaning1 more especially a card of the death of ,kings4 ,in the exotic sense it has been said to signify the ascent of the spirit in the divine spheres1 creation and destruction1 perpetual movement1 and so forth4 #ad4 ,temperance4 ,the winged figure of a female--who1 in opposition to all doctrine concerning the hierarchy of angels1 is usually allocated to this order of ministering spirits--is pouring liquid from one pitcher to another4 ,in his last work on the ,tarot1 ,dr4 ,papus abandons the traditional form and depicts a woman wearing an ,egyptian head-dress4 ,the first thing which seems clear on the surface is that the entire symbol has no especial connection with ,temperance1 and the fact that this designation has always obtained for the card offers a very obvious instance of a meaning behind meaning1 which is the title in chief to consideration in respect of the ,tarot as a whole4 #ae4 ,the ,devil4 ,in the eighteenth century this card seems to have been rather a symbol of merely animal impudicity4 ,except for a fantastic head-dress1 the chief figure is entirely naked2 it has bat-like wings1 and the hands and feet are represented by the claws of a bird4 ,in the right hand there is a scepter terminating in a sign which has been thought to represent fire4 ,the figure as a whole is not particularly evil2 it has no tail1 and the commentators who have said that the claws are those of a harpy have spoken at random4 ,there is no better ground for the alternative suggestion that they are eagle's claws4 ,attached1 by a cord depending from their collars1 to the pedestal on which the figure is mounted1 are two small demons1 presumably male and female4 ,these are tailed but not winged4 ,since #ahef the influence of ,eliphas ,lvi and his doctrine of occultism has changed the face of this card1 and it now appears as a pseudo-,baphometic figure with the head of a goat and a great torch between the horns2 it is seated instead of erect1 and in place of the generative organs there is the ,hermetic caduceus4 ,in ,le ,tarot ,divinatoire of ,papus the small demons are replaced by naked human beings1 male and female1 who are yoked only to each other4 ,the author may be felicitated on this improved symbolism4 #af4 ,the ,tower struck by ,lightning4 ,its alternative titles are3 ,castle of ,plutus1 ,god's 7,nature's7 ,house and the ,tower of ,babel4 ,in the last case1 the figures falling therefrom are held to be ,nimrod and his minister4 ,it is assuredly a card of confusion1 and the design corresponds1 broadly speaking1 to any of the designations except ,maison ,dieu1 unless we are to understand that the ,house of ,god 7,nature7 has been abandoned and the veil of the temple rent4 ,it is a little surprising that the device has not so far been allocated to the destruction of ,solomon's ,temple1 when the lightning would symbolize the fire and sword with which that edifice was visited by the ,king of the ,chaldees4 #ag4 ,the ,star1 ,dog-,star1 or ,sirius1 also called fantastically the ,star of the ,magi4 ,grouped about it are seven minor luminaries1 and beneath it is a naked female figure1 with her left knee upon the earth and her right foot upon the water4 ,she is in the act of pouring fluids from two vessels4 ,a bird is perched on a tree near her2 for this a butterfly on a rose has been substituted in some later cards4 ,so also the ,star has been called that of ,hope4 ,this is one of the cards which ,court de ,gebelin describes as wholly ,egyptian--that is to say1 in his own reverie4 #ah4 ,the ,moon4 ,some eighteenth-century cards show the luminary on its waning side2 in the debased edition of ,etteilla1 it is the moon at night in her plenitude1 set in a heaven of stars2 of recent years the moon is shown on the side of her increase4 ,in nearly all presentations she is shining brightly and shedding the moisture of fertilizing dew in great drops4 ,beneath there are two towers1 between which a path winds to the verge of the horizon4 ,two dogs1 or alternatively a wolf and dog1 are baying at the moon1 and in the foreground there is water1 through which a crayfish moves towards the land4 #ai4 ,the ,sun4 ,the luminary is distinguished in older cards by chief rays that are waved and salient alternately and by secondary salient rays4 ,it appears to shed its influence on earth not only by light and heat1 but--like the moon--by drops of dew4 ,court de ,gebelin termed these tears of gold and of pearl just as he identified the lunar dew with the tears of ,isis4 ,beneath the dog-star there is a wall suggesting an enclosure--as it might be1 a walled garden--wherein are two children1 either naked or lightly clothed1 facing a water1 and gambolling1 or running hand in hand4 ,eliphas ,lvi says that these are sometimes replaced by a spinner unwinding destinies1 and otherwise by a much better symbol--a naked child mounted on a white horse and displaying a scarlet standard4 #bj4 ,the ,last ,judgment4 ,i have spoken of this symbol already1 the form of which is essentially invariable1 even in the ,etteilla set4 ,an angel sounds his trumpet per sepulchra regionum1 and the dead arise4 ,it matters little that ,etteilla omits the angel1 or that ,dr4 ,papus substitutes a ridiculous figure1 which is1 however1 in consonance with the general motive of that ,tarot set which accompanies his latest work4 ,before rejecting the transparent interpretation of the symbolism which is conveyed by the name of the card and by the picture which it presents to the eye1 we should feel very sure of our ground4 ,on the surface1 at least1 it is and can be only the resurrection of that triad--father1 mother1 child--whom we have met with already in the eighth card4 ,m4 ,bourgeat hazards the suggestion that esoterically it is the symbol of evolution--of which it carries none of the signs4 ,others say that it signifies renewal1 which is obvious enough2 that it is the triad of human life2 that it is the generative force of the earth 444 and eternal life4 ,court de ,gebelin makes himself impossible as usual1 and points out that if the grave-stones were removed it could be accepted as a symbol of creation4 #ba--which1 however1 in most of the arrangements is the cipher card1 number nothing--,the ,fool1 ,mate1 or ,unwise ,man4 ,court de ,gebelin places it at the head of the whole series as the zero or negative which is pre-supposed by numeration1 and as this is a simpler so also it is a better arrangement4 ,it has been abandoned because in later times the cards have been attributed to the letters of the ,hebrew alphabet1 and there has been apparently some difficulty about allocating the zero symbol satisfactorily in a sequence of letters all of which signify numbers4 ,in the present reference of the card to the letter ,shin1 which corresponds to #bjj1 the difficulty or the unreason remains4 ,the truth is that the real arrangement of the cards has never transpired4 ,the ,fool carries a wallet2 he is looking over his shoulder and does not know that he is on the brink of a precipice2 but a dog or other animal--some call it a tiger--is attacking him from behind1 and he is hurried to his destruction unawares4 ,etteilla has given a justifiable variation of this card--as generally understood--in the form of a court jester1 with cap1 bells and motley garb4 ,the other descriptions say that the wallet contains the bearer's follies and vices1 which seems bourgeois and arbitrary4 #bb4 ,the ,world1 the ,universe1 or ,time4 ,the four living creatures of the ,apocalypse and ,ezekiel's vision1 attributed to the evangelists in ,christian symbolism1 are grouped about an elliptic garland1 as if it were a chain of flowers intended to symbolize all sensible things2 within this garland there is the figure of a woman1 whom the wind has girt about the loins with a light scarf1 and this is all her vesture4 ,she is in the act of dancing1 and has a wand in either hand4 ,it is eloquent as an image of the swirl of the sensitive life1 of joy attained in the body1 of the soul's intoxication in the earthly paradise1 but still guarded by the ,divine ,watchers1 as if by the powers and the graces of the ,holy ,name1 ,tetragammaton1--those four ineffable letters which are sometimes attributed to the mystical beasts4 ,eliphas ,lvi calls the garland a crown1 and reports that the figure represents ,truth4 ,dr4 ,papus connects it with the ,absolute and the realization of the ,great ,work2 for yet others it is a symbol of humanity and the eternal reward of a life that has been spent well4 ,it should be noted that in the four quarters of the garland there are four flowers distinctively marked4 ,according to ,p4 ,christian1 the garland should be formed of roses1 and this is the kind of chain which ,eliphas ,lvi says is less easily broken than a chain of iron4 ,perhaps by antithesis1 but for the same reason1 the iron crown of ,peter may lie more lightly on the heads of sovereign pontiffs than the crown of gold on kings4 ,,class ,,ii ,,section #c ,,the ,,four ,,suits ,,otherwise1 ,,lesser ,,arcana ,the resources of interpretation have been lavished1 if not exhausted1 on the twenty-two ,trumps ,major1 the symbolism of which is unquestionable4 ,there remain the four suits1 being ,wands or ,scepters--ex hypothesi1 in the archology of the subject1 the antecedents of ,diamonds in modern cards3 ,cups1 corresponding to ,hearts2 ,swords1 which answer to ,clubs1 as the weapon of chivalry is in relation to the peasant's quarter-staff or the ,alsatian bludgeon2 and1 finally1 ,pentacles--called also ,deniers and ,money--which are the prototypes of ,spades4 ,in the old as in the new suits1 there are ten numbered cards1 but in the ,tarot there are four ,court ,cards allocated to each suit1 or a ,knight in addition to ,king1 ,queen and ,knave4 ,the ,knave is a page1 valet1 or damoiseau2 most correctly1 he is an esquire1 presumably in the service of the ,knight2 but there are certain rare sets in which the page becomes a maid of honor1 thus pairing the sexes in the tetrad of the court cards4 ,there are naturally distinctive features in respect of the several pictures1 by which ,i mean that the ,king of ,wands is not exactly the same personage as the ,king of ,cups1 even after allowance has been made for the different emblems that they bear2 but the symbolism resides in their rank and in the suit to which they belong4 ,so also the smaller cards1 which--until now--have never been issued pictorially in these our modern days1 depend on the particular meaning attaching to their numbers in connection with the particular suit4 ,i reserve1 therefore1 the details of the ,lesser ,arcana1 till ,i come to speak in the second part of the rectified and perfected ,tarot which accompanies this work4 ,the consensus of divinatory meanings attached both to the greater and lesser symbols belongs to the third part4 ,,section #d ,,the ,,tarot ,,in ,,history ,our immediate next concern is to speak of the cards in their history1 so that the speculations and reveries1 which have been perpetuated and multiplied in the schools of occult research may be disposed of once and for all1 as intimated in the preface hereto4 ,let it be understood at the beginning of this point that there are several sets or sequences of ancient cards which are only in part of our concern4 ,the ,tarot ,of ,the ,bohemians1 by ,papus1 which ,i have recently carried through the press1 revising the imperfect rendering1 has some useful information in this connection1 and1 except for the omission of dates and other evidences of the archological sense1 it will serve the purpose of the general reader4 ,i do not propose to extend it in the present place in any manner that can be called considerable1 but certain additions are desirable and so also is a distinct mode of presentation4 ,among ancient cards which are mentioned in connection with the ,tarot1 there are firstly those of ,baldini1 which are the celebrated set attributed by tradition to ,andrea ,mantegna1 though this view is now generally rejected4 ,their date is supposed to be about #adgj1 and it is thought that there are not more than four collections extant in ,europe4 ,a copy or reproduction referred to #adhe is perhaps equally rare4 ,a complete set contains fifty numbers1 divided into five denaries or sequences of ten cards each4 ,there seems to be no record that they were used for the purposes of a game1 whether of chance or skill2 they could scarcely have lent themselves to divination or any form of fortune-telling2 while it would be more than idle to impute a profound symbolical meaning to their obvious emblematic designs4 ,the first denary embodies ,conditions of ,life1 as follows3 7#a7 ,the ,beggar1 7#b7 the ,knave1 7#c7 the ,artisan1 7#d7 the ,merchant1 7#e7 the ,noble1 7#f7 the ,knight1 7#g7 the ,doge1 7#h7 the ,king1 7#i7 the ,emperor1 7#aj7 the ,pope4 ,the second contains the ,muses and their ,divine ,leader3 7#aa7 ,calliope1 7#ab7 ,urania1 7#ac7 ,terpsichore1 7#ad7 ,erato1 7#ae7 ,polyhymnia1 7#af7 ,thalia1 7#ag7 ,melpomene1 7#ah7 ,euterpe1 7#ai7 ,clio1 7#bj7 ,apollo4 ,the third combines part of the ,liberal ,arts and ,sciences with other departments of human learning1 as follows3 7#ba7 ,grammar1 7#bb7 ,logic1 7#bc7 ,rhetoric1 7#bd7 ,geometry1 7#be7 ,arithmetic1 7#bf7 ,music1 7#bg7 ,poetry1 7#bh7 ,philosophy1 7#bi7 ,astrology1 7#cj7 ,theology4 ,the fourth denary completes the ,liberal ,arts and enumerates the ,virtues3 7#ca7 ,astronomy1 7#cb7 ,chronology1 7#cc7 ,cosmology1 7#cd7 ,temperance1 7#ce7 ,prudence1 7#cf7 ,strength1 7#cg7 ,justice1 7#ch7 ,charity1 7#ci7 ,hope1 7#dj7 ,faith4 ,the fifth and last denary presents the ,system of the ,heavens3 7#da7 ,moon1 7#db7 ,mercury1 7#dc7 ,venus1 7#dd7 ,sun1 7#de7 ,mars1 7#df7 ,jupiter1 7#dg7 ,saturn1 7#dh7 ,eighth ,sphere1 7#di7 ,primum ,mobile1 7#ej7 ,first ,cause4 ,we must set aside the fantastic attempts to extract complete ,tarot sequences out of these denaries2 we must forbear from saying1 for example1 that the ,conditions of ,life correspond to the ,trumps ,major1 the ,muses to ,pentacles1 the ,arts and ,sciences to ,cups1 the ,virtues1 etc41 to ,scepters1 and the conditions of life to ,swords4 ,this kind of thing can be done by a process of mental contortion1 but it has no place in reality4 ,at the same time1 it is hardly possible that individual cards should not exhibit certain1 and even striking1 analogies4 ,the ,baldini ,king1 ,knight and ,knave suggest the corresponding court cards of the ,minor ,arcana4 ,the ,emperor1 ,pope1 ,temperance1 ,strength1 ,justice1 ,moon and ,sun are common to the ,mantegna and ,trumps ,major of any ,tarot pack4 ,predisposition has also connected the ,beggar and ,fool1 ,venus and the ,star1 ,mars and the ,chariot1 ,saturn and the ,hermit1 even ,jupiter1 or alternatively the ,first ,cause1 with the ,tarot card of the world4#a;,but the most salient features of the ,trumps ,major are wanting in the ,mantegna set1 and ,i do not believe that the ordered sequence in the latter case gave birth1 as it has been suggested1 to the others4 ,romain ,merlin maintained this view1 and positively assigned the ,baldini cards to the end of the fourteenth century4 #a ,the beggar is practically naked1 and the analogy is constituted by the presence of two dogs1 one of which seems to be flying at his legs4 ,the ,mars card depicts a sword-bearing warrior in a canopied chariot1 to which1 however1 no horses are attached4 ,of course1 if the ,baldini cards belong to the close of the fifteenth century1 there is no question at issue1 as the ,tarot was known in ,europe long before that period4 ,if it be agreed that1 except accidentally and sporadically1 the ,baldini emblematic or allegorical pictures have only a shadowy and occasional connection with ,tarot cards1 and1 whatever their most probable date1 that they can have supplied no originating motive1 it follows that we are still seeking not only an origin in place and time for the symbols with which we are concerned1 but a specific case of their manifestation on the continent of ,europe to serve as a point of departure1 whether backward or forward4 ,now it is well known that in the year #acic the painter ,charles ,gringonneur--who for no reason that ,i can trace has been termed an occultist and kabalist by one indifferent ,english writer--designed and illuminated some kind of cards for the diversion of ,charles ,,vi of ,france when he was in mental ill-health1 and the question arises whether anything can be ascertained of their nature4 ,the only available answer is that at ,paris1 in the ,bibliothque du ,roi1 there are seventeen cards drawn and illuminated on paper4 ,they are very beautiful1 antique and priceless2 the figures have a background of gold1 and are framed in a silver border2 but they are accompanied by no inscription and no number4 ,it is certain1 however1 that they include ,tarot ,trumps ,major1 the list of which is as follows3 ,fool1 ,emperor1 ,pope1 ,lovers1 ,wheel of ,fortune1 ,temperance1 ,fortitude1 ,justice1 ,moon1 ,sun1 ,chariot1 ,hermit1 ,hanged ,man1 ,death1 ,tower and ,last ,judgment4 ,there are also four ,tarot ,cards at the ,muse ,carrer1 ,venice1 and five others elsewhere1 making nine in all4 ,they include two pages or ,knaves1 three ,kings and two ,queens1 thus illustrating the ,minor ,arcana4 ,these collections have all been identified with the set produced by ,gringonneur1 but the ascription was disputed so far back as the year #ahdh1 and it is not apparently put forward at the present day1 even by those who are anxious to make evident the antiquity of the ,tarot4 ,it is held that they are all of ,italian and some at least certainly of ,venetian origin4 ,we have in this manner our requisite point of departure in respect of place at least4 ,it has further been stated with authority that ,venetian ,tarots are the old and true form1 which is the parent of all others2 but ,i infer that complete sets of the ,major and ,minor ,arcana belong to much later periods4 ,the pack is thought to have consisted of seventy-eight cards4 ,notwithstanding1 however1 the preference shown towards the ,venetian ,tarot1 it is acknowledged that some portions of a ,minchiate or ,florentine set must be allocated to the period between #adac and #adah4 ,these were once in the possession of ,countess ,gonzaga1 at ,milan4 ,a complete ,minchiate pack contained ninety-seven cards1 and in spite of these vestiges it is regarded1 speaking generally1 as a later development4 ,there were forty-one ,trumps ,major1 the additional numbers being borrowed or reflected from the ,baldini emblematic set4 ,in the court cards of the ,minor ,arcana1 the ,knights were monsters of the centaur type1 while the ,knaves were sometimes warriors and sometimes serving-men4 ,another distinction dwelt upon is the prevalence of ,christian medival ideas and the utter absence of any ,oriental suggestion4 ,the question1 however1 remains whether there are ,eastern traces in any ,tarot cards4 ,we come1 in fine1 to the ,bolognese ,tarot1 sometimes referred to as that of ,venice and having the ,trumps ,major complete1 but numbers #bj and #ba are transposed4 ,in the ,minor ,arcana the #b1 #c1 #d and #e of the small cards are omitted1 with the result that there are sixty-two cards in all4 ,the termination of the ,trumps ,major in the representation of the ,last ,judgment is curious1 and a little arresting as a point of symbolism2 but this is all that it seems necessary to remark about the pack of ,bologna1 except that it is said to have been invented--or1 as a ,tarot1 more correctly1 modified--about the beginning of the fifteenth century by an exiled ,prince of ,pisa resident in the city4 ,the purpose for which they were used is made tolerably evident by the fact that1 in #adbc1 ,st4 ,bernardin of ,sienna preached against playing cards and other forms of gambling4 ,forty years later the importation of cards into ,england was forbidden1 the time being that of ,king ,edward ,,iv4 ,this is the first certain record of the subject in our country4 ,it is difficult to consult perfect examples of the sets enumerated above1 but it is not difficult to meet with detailed and illustrated descriptions--,i should add1 provided always that the writer is not an occultist1 for accounts emanating from that source are usually imperfect1 vague and preoccupied by considerations which cloud the critical issues4 ,an instance in point is offered by certain views which have been expressed on the ,mantegna codex--if ,i may continue to dignify card sequences with a title of this kind4 ,it has been ruled--as we have seen--in occult reverie that ,apollo and the ,nine ,muses are in correspondence with ,pentacles1 but the analogy does not obtain in a working state of research2 and reverie must border on nightmare before we can identify ,astronomy1 ,chronology and ,cosmology with the suit of ,cups4 ,the ,baldini figures which represent these subjects are emblems of their period and not symbols1 like the ,tarot4 ,in conclusion as to this part1 ,i observe that there has been a disposition among experts to think that the ,trumps ,major were not originally connected with the numbered suits4 ,i do not wish to offer a personal view2 ,i am not an expert in the history of games of chance1 and ,i hate the profanum vulgus of divinatory devices2 but ,i venture1 under all reserves1 to intimate that if later research should justify such a leaning1 then--except for the good old art of fortune-telling and its tamperings with so-called destiny--it will be so much the better for the ,greater ,arcana4 ,so far as regards what is indispensable as preliminaries to the historical aspects of ,tarot cards1 and ,i will now take up the speculative side of the subject and produce its test of value4 ,in my preface to ,the ,tarot ,of ,the ,bohemians ,i have mentioned that the first writer who made known the fact of the cards was the archologist ,court de ,gebelin1 who1 just prior to the ,french ,revolution1 occupied several years in the publication of his ,monde ,primitif1 which extended to nine quarto volumes4 ,he was a learned man of his epoch1 a high-grade ,mason1 a member of the historical ,lodge of the ,philalethes1 and a virtuoso with a profound and lifelong interest in the debate on universal antiquities before a science of the subject existed4 ,even at this day1 his memorials and dissertations1 collected under the title which ,i have quoted1 are worth possessing4 ,by an accident of things1 he became acquainted with the ,tarot when it was quite unknown in ,paris1 and at once conceived that it was the remnants of an ,egyptian book4 ,he made inquiries concerning it and ascertained that it was in circulation over a considerable part of ,europe--,spain1 ,italy1 ,germany and the ,south of ,france4 ,it was in use as a game of chance or skill1 after the ordinary manner of playing-cards2 and he ascertained further how the game was played4 ,but it was in use also for the higher purpose of divination or fortune-telling1 and with the help of a learned friend he discovered the significance attributed to the cards1 together with the method of arrangement adopted for this purpose4 ,in a word1 he made a distinct contribution to our knowledge1 and he is still a source of reference--but it is on the question of fact only1 and not on the beloved hypothesis that the ,tarot contains pure ,egyptian doctrine4 ,however1 he set the opinion which is prevalent to this day throughout the occult schools that in the mystery and wonder1 the strange night of the gods1 the unknown tongue and the undeciphered hieroglyphics which symbolized ,egypt at the end of the eighteenth century1 the origin of the cards was lost4 ,so dreamed one of the characteristic literati of ,france1 and one can almost understand and sympathize1 for the country about the ,delta and the ,nile was beginning to loom largely in the preoccupation of learned thought1 and omne ignotum pro gyptiaco was the way the delusion to which many minds tended4 ,it was excusable enough then1 but that the madness was continued and1 within the charmed circle of the occult sciences1 still passes from mouth to mouth--there is no excuse for this4 ,let us see1 therefore1 the evidence produced by ,m4 ,court de ,gebelin in support of his thesis1 and1 that ,i may deal justly1 it shall be summarized as far as possible in his own words4 7#a7 ,the figures and arrangement of the game are manifestly allegorical2 7#b7 the allegories are in conformity with the civil1 philosophical and religious doctrine of ancient ,egypt2 7#c7 if the cards were modern1 no ,high ,priestess would be included among the ,greater ,arcana2 7#d7 the figure in question bears the horns of ,isis2 7#e7 the card which is called the ,emperor has a scepter terminating in a triple cross2 7#f7 the card entitled the ,moon1 who is ,isis1 shows drops of rain or dew in the act of being shed by the luminary and these--as we have seen--are the tears of ,isis1 which swelled the waters of the ,nile and fertilized the fields of ,egypt2 7#g7 the seventeenth card1 or ,star1 is the dog-star1 ,sirius which was consecrated to ,isis and symbolized the opening of the year2 7#h7 the game played with the ,tarot is founded on the sacred number seven1 which was of great importance in ,egypt2 7#i7 the word ,tarot is pure ,egyptian1 in which language ,tar way or road1 and ,ro king or royal--it signifies therefore the ,royal ,road of ,life2 7#aj7 alternatively1 it is derived from ,a doctrine2 ,rosh ,mercury ,thoth1 and the article ,t2 in sum1 ,tarosh2 and therefore the ,tarot is the ,book ,of ,thoth1 or the ,table ,of ,the ,doctrine ,of ,mercury4 ,such is the testimony1 it being understood that ,i have set aside several casual statements1 for which no kind of justification is produced4 ,these1 therefore1 are ten pillars which support the edifice of the thesis1 and the same are pillars of sand4 ,the ,tarot is1 of course1 allegorical--that is to say1 it is symbolism--but allegory and symbol are catholic--of all countries1 nations and times2 they are not more ,egyptian than ,mexican2 they are of ,europe and ,cathay1 of ,tibet beyond the ,himalayas and of the ,london gutters4 ,as allegory and symbol1 the cards correspond to many types of ideas and things2 they are universal and not particular2 and the fact that they do not especially and peculiarly respond to ,egyptian doctrine--religious1 philosophical or civil--is clear from the failure of ,court de ,gebelin to go further than the affirmation4 ,the presence of a ,high ,priestess among the ,trumps ,major is more easily explained as the memorial of some popular superstition--that worship of ,diana1 for example1 the persistence of which in modern ,italy has been traced with such striking results by ,leland4 ,we have also to remember the universality of horns in every cultus1 not excepting that of ,tibet4 ,the triple cross is preposterous as an instance of ,egyptian symbolism2 it is the cross of the patriarchal see1 both ,greek and ,latin--of ,venice1 of ,jerusalem1 for example--and it is the form of signing used to this day by the priests and laity of the ,orthodox ,rite4 ,i pass over the idle allusion to the tears of ,isis1 because other occult writers have told us that they are ,hebrew ,jods2 as regards the seventeenth card1 it is the star ,sirius or another1 as predisposition pleases2 the number seven was certainly important in ,egypt and any treatise on numerical mysticism will show that the same statement applies everywhere1 even if we elect to ignore the seven ,christian ,sacraments and the ,gifts of the ,divine ,spirit4 ,finally1 as regards the etymology of the word ,tarot1 it is sufficient to observe that it was offered before the discovery of the ,rosetta ,stone and when there was no knowledge of the ,egyptian language4 ,the thesis of ,court de ,gebelin was not suffered to repose undisturbed in the mind of the age1 appealing to the learned exclusively by means of a quarto volume4 ,it created the opportunity of ,tarot cards in ,paris1 as the center of ,france and all things ,french in the universe4 ,the suggestion that divination by cards had behind it the unexpected warrants of ancient hidden science1 and that the root of the whole subject was in the wonder and mystery of ,egypt1 reflected thereon almost a divine dignity2 out of the purlieus of occult practices cartomancy emerged into fashion and assumed for the moment almost pontifical vestures4 ,the first to undertake the role of bateleur1 magician and juggler1 was the illiterate but zealous adventurer1 ,alliette2 the second1 as a kind of ,high ,priestess1 full of intuitions and revelations1 was ,mlle4 ,lenormand--but she belongs to a later period2 while lastly came ,julia ,orsini1 who is referable to a ,queen of ,cups rather in the tatters of clairvoyance4 ,i am not concerned with these people as tellers of fortune1 when destiny itself was shuffling and cutting cards for the game of universal revolution1 or for such courts and courtiers as were those of ,louis ,,xviii1 ,charles ,,ix and ,louis ,philippe4 ,but under the occult designation of ,etteilla1 the transliteration of his name1 ,alliette1 that perruquier took himself with high seriousness and posed rather as a priest of the occult sciences than as an ordinary adept in l'art de tirer les cartes4 ,even at this day there are people1 like ,dr4 ,papus1 who have sought to save some part of his bizarre system from oblivion4 ,the long and heterogeneous story of ,le ,monde ,primitif had come to the end of its telling in #aghb1 and in #aghc the tracts of ,etteilla had begun pouring from the press1 testifying that already he had spent thirty1 nay1 almost forty years in the study of ,egyptian magic1 and that he had found the final keys4 ,they were1 in fact1 the ,keys of the ,tarot1 which was a book of philosophy and the ,book ,of ,thoth1 but at the same time it was actually written by seventeen ,magi in a ,temple of ,fire1 on the borders of the ,levant1 some three leagues from ,memphis4 ,it contained the science of the universe1 and the cartomancist proceeded to apply it to ,astrology1 ,alchemy1 and fortune-telling1 without the slightest diffidence or reserve as to the fact that he was driving a trade4 ,i have really little doubt that he considered it genuine as a mtier1 and that he himself was the first person whom he convinced concerning his system4 ,but the point which we have to notice is that in this manner was the antiquity of the ,tarot generally trumpeted forth4 ,the little books of ,etteilla are proof positive that he did not know even his own language2 when in the course of time he produced a reformed ,tarot1 even those who think of him tenderly admit that he spoiled its symbolism2 and in respect of antiquities he had only ,court de ,gebelin as his universal authority4 ,the cartomancists succeeded one another in the manner which ,i have mentioned1 and of course there were rival adepts of these less than least mysteries2 but the scholarship of the subject1 if it can be said to have come into existence1 reposed after all in the quarto of ,court de ,gebelin for something more than sixty years4 ,on his authority1 there is very little doubt that every one who became acquainted1 by theory or practice1 by casual or special concern1 with the question of ,tarot cards1 accepted their ,egyptian character4 ,it is said that people are taken commonly at their own valuation1 and--following as it does the line of least resistance--the unsolicitous general mind assuredly accepts archological pretensions in the sense of their own daring and of those who put them forward4 ,the first who appeared to reconsider the subject with some presumptive titles to a hearing was the ,french writer ,duchesne1 but ,i am compelled to pass him over with a mere reference1 and so also some interesting researches on the general subject of playing-cards by ,singer in ,england4 ,the latter believed that the old ,venetian game called ,trappola was the earliest ,european form of card-playing1 that it was of ,arabian origin1 and that the fifty-two cards used for the purpose derived from that region4 ,i do not gather that any importance was ever attached to this view4 ,duchesne and ,singer were followed by another ,english writer1 ,w4 ,a4 ,chatto1 who reviewed the available facts and the cloud of speculations which had already arisen on the subject4 ,this was in #ahdh1 and his work has still a kind of standard authority1 but--after every allowance for a certain righteousness attributable to the independent mind--it remains an indifferent and even a poor performance4 ,it was1 however1 characteristic in its way of the approaching middle night of the nineteenth century4 ,chatto rejected the ,egyptian hypothesis1 but as he was at very little pains concerning it1 he would scarcely be held to displace ,court de ,gebelin if the latter had any firm ground beneath his hypothesis4 ,in #ahed another ,french writer1 ,boiteau1 took up the general question1 maintaining the oriental origin of ,tarot cards1 though without attempting to prove it4 ,i am not certain1 but ,i think that he is the first writer who definitely identified them with the ,gipsies2 for him1 however1 the original ,gipsy home was in ,india1 and ,egypt did not therefore enter into his calculation4 ,in #ahfj there arose ,eliphas ,lvi1 a brilliant and profound illumin whom it is impossible to accept1 and with whom it is even more impossible to dispense4 ,there was never a mouth declaring such great things1 of all the western voices which have proclaimed or interpreted the science called occult and the doctrine called magical4 ,i suppose that1 fundamentally speaking1 he cared as much and as little as ,i do for the phenomenal part1 but he explained the phenomena with the assurance of one who openly regarded charlatanry as a great means to an end1 if used in a right cause4 ,he came unto his own and his own received him1 also at his proper valuation1 as a man of great learning--which he never was--and as a revealer of all mysteries without having been received into any4 ,i do not think that there was ever an instance of a writer with greater gifts1 after their particular kind1 who put them to such indifferent uses4 ,after all1 he was only ,etteilla a second time in the flesh1 endowed in his transmutation with a mouth of gold and a wider casual knowledge4 ,this notwithstanding1 he has written the most comprehensive1 brilliant1 enchanting ,history ,of ,magic which has ever been drawn into writing in any language4 ,the ,tarot and the de ,gebelin hypothesis he took into his heart of hearts1 and all occult ,france and all esoteric ,britain1 ,martinists1 half-instructed ,kabalists1 schools of soi disant theosophy--there1 here and everywhere--have accepted his judgment about it with the same confidence as his interpretations of those great classics of ,kabalism which he had skimmed rather than read4 ,the ,tarot for him was not only the most perfect instrument of divination and the keystone of occult science1 but it was the primitive book1 the sole book of the ancient ,magi1 the miraculous volume which inspired all the sacred writings of antiquity4 ,in his first work ,lvi was content1 however1 with accepting the construction of ,court de ,gebelin and reproducing the seventh ,trump ,major with a few ,egyptian characteristics4 ,the question of ,tarot transmission through the ,gipsies did not occupy him1 till ,j4 ,a4 ,vaillant1 a bizarre writer with great knowledge of the ,romany people1 suggested it in his work on those wandering tribes4 ,the two authors were almost coincident and reflected one another thereafter4 ,it remained for ,romain ,merlin1 in #ahfi1 to point out what should have been obvious1 namely1 that cards of some kind were known in ,europe prior to the arrival of the ,gipsies in or about #adag4 ,but as this was their arrival at ,lneburg1 and as their presence can be traced antecedently1 the correction loses a considerable part of its force2 it is safer1 therefore1 to say that the evidence for the use of the ,tarot by ,romany tribes was not suggested till after the year #ahdj2 the fact that some ,gipsies before this period were found using cards is quite explicable on the hypothesis not that they brought them into ,europe but found them there already and added them to their stock in trade4 ,we have now seen that there is no particle of evidence for the ,egyptian origin of ,tarot cards4 ,looking in other directions1 it was once advanced on native authority that cards of some kind were invented in ,china about the year ,a4 ,d4 #aabj4 ,court de ,gebelin believed in his zeal that he had traced them to a ,chinese inscription of great imputed antiquity which was said to refer to the subsidence of the waters of the ,deluge4 ,the characters of this inscription were contained in seventy-seven compartments1 and this constitutes the analogy4 ,india had also its tablets1 whether cards or otherwise1 and these have suggested similar slender similitudes4 ,but the existence1 for example1 of ten suits or styles1 of twelve numbers each1 and representing the avatars of ,vishnu1 as a fish1 tortoise1 boar1 lion1 monkey1 hatchet1 umbrella1 or bow1 as a goat1 a boodh and as a horse in fine1 are not going to help us towards the origin of our own ,trumps ,major1 nor do crowns and harps--nor even the presence of possible coins as a synonym of deniers and perhaps as an equivalent of pentacles--do much to elucidate the ,lesser ,arcana4 ,if every tongue and people and clime and period possessed their cards--if with these also they philosophized1 divined and gambled--the fact would be interesting enough1 but unless they were ,tarot cards1 they would illustrate only the universal tendency of man to be pursuing the same things in more or less the same way4 ,i end1 therefore1 the history of this subject by repeating that it has no history prior to the fourteenth century1 when the first rumors were heard concerning cards4 ,they may have existed for centuries1 but this period would be early enough1 if they were only intended for people to try their luck at gambling or their luck at seeing the future2 on the other hand1 if they contain the deep intimations of ,secret ,doctrine1 then the fourteenth century is again early enough1 or at least in this respect we are getting as much as we can4 ,part ,two ,,the ,,doctrine ,,behind ,,the ,,veil ,,section ,i4 ,,the ,,tarot ,,and ,,secret ,,tradition ,the ,tarot embodies symbolical presentations of universal ideas1 behind which lie all the implicits of the human mind1 and it is in this sense that they contain secret doctrine1 which is the realization by the few of truths imbedded in the consciousness of all1 though they have not passed into express recognition by ordinary men4 ,the theory is that this doctrine has always existed--that is to say1 has been excogitated in the consciousness of an elect minority2 that it has been perpetuated in secrecy from one to another and has been recorded in secret literatures1 like those of ,alchemy and ,kabalism2 that it is contained also in those ,instituted ,mysteries of which ,rosicrucianism offers an example near to our hand in the past1 and ,craft ,masonry a living summary1 or general memorial1 for those who can interpret its real meaning4 ,behind the ,secret ,doctrine it is held that there is an experience or practice by which the ,doctrine is justified4 ,it is obvious that in a handbook like the present ,i can do little more than state the claims1 which1 however1 have been discussed at length in several of my other writings1 while it is designed to treat two of its more important phases in books devoted to the ,secret ,tradition in ,freemasonry and in ,hermetic literature4 ,as regards ,tarot claims1 it should be remembered that some considerable part of the imputed ,secret ,doctrine has been presented in the pictorial emblems of ,alchemy1 so that the imputed ,book ,of ,thoth is in no sense a solitary device of this emblematic kind4 ,now1 ,alchemy had two branches1 as ,i have explained fully elsewhere1 and the pictorial emblems which ,i have mentioned are common to both divisions4 ,its material side is represented in the strange symbolism of the ,mutus ,liber1 printed in the great folios of ,mangetus4 ,there the process for the performance of the great work of transmutation is depicted in fourteen copper-plate engravings1 which exhibit the different stages of the matter in the various chemical vessels4 ,above these vessels there are mythological1 planetary1 solar and lunar symbols1 as if the powers and virtues which--according to ,hermetic teaching--preside over the development and perfection of the metallic kingdom were intervening actively to assist the two operators who are toiling below4 ,the operators--curiously enough--are male and female4 ,the spiritual side of ,alchemy is set forth in the much stranger emblems of the ,book ,of ,lambspring1 and of this ,i have already given a preliminary interpretation1 to which the reader may be referred4#b ,the tract contains the mystery of what is called the mystical or arch-natural elixir1 being the marriage of the soul and the spirit in the body of the adept philosopher and the transmutation of the body as the physical result of this marriage4 ,i have never met with more curious intimations than in this one little work4 ,it may be mentioned as a point of fact that both tracts are very much later in time than the latest date that could be assigned to the general distribution of ,tarot cards in ,europe by the most drastic form of criticism4 ,they belong respectively to the end of the seventeenth and sixteenth centuries4 ,as ,i am not drawing here on the font of imagination to refresh that of fact and experience1 ,i do not suggest that the ,tarot set the example of expressing ,secret ,doctrine in pictures and that it was followed by ,hermetic writers2 but it is noticeable that it is perhaps the earliest example of this art4 ,it is also the most catholic1 because it is not1 by attribution or otherwise1 a derivative of any one school or literature of occultism2 it is not of ,alchemy or ,kabalism or ,astrology or ,ceremonial ,magic2 but1 as ,i have said1 it is the presentation of universal ideas by means of universal types1 and it is in the combination of these types--if anywhere--that it presents ,secret ,doctrine4 #b ,see the ,occult ,review1 vol4 viii1 #aijh4 ,that combination may1 ex hypothesi1 reside in the numbered sequence of its series or in their fortuitous assemblage by shuffling1 cutting and dealing1 as in ordinary games of chance played with cards4 ,two writers have adopted the first view without prejudice to the second1 and ,i shall do well1 perhaps1 to dispose at once of what they have said4 ,mr4 ,mac,gregor ,mathers1 who once published a pamphlet on the ,tarot1 which was in the main devoted to fortune-telling1 suggested that the twenty-two ,trumps ,major could be constructed1 following their numerical order1 into what he called a connected sentence4 ,it was1 in fact1 the heads of a moral thesis on the human will1 its enlightenment by science1 represented by the ,magician1 its manifestation by action--a significance attributed to the ,high ,priestess--its realization 7the ,empress7 in deeds of mercy and beneficence1 which qualities were allocated to the ,emperor4 ,he spoke also in the familiar conventional manner of prudence1 fortitude1 sacrifice1 hope and ultimate happiness4 ,but if this were the message of the cards1 it is certain that there would be no excuse for publishing them at this day or taking the pains to elucidate them at some length4 ,in his ,tarot ,of ,the ,bohemians1 a work written with zeal and enthusiasm1 sparing no pains of thought or research within its particular lines--but unfortunately without real insight--,dr4 ,papus has given a singularly elaborate scheme of the ,trumps ,major4 ,it depends1 like that of ,mr4 ,mathers1 from their numerical sequence1 but exhibits their interrelation in the ,divine ,world1 the ,macrocosm and ,microcosm4 ,in this manner we get1 as it were1 a spiritual history of man1 or of the soul coming out from the ,eternal1 passing into the darkness of the material body1 and returning to the height4 ,i think that the author is here within a measurable distance of the right track1 and his views are to this extent informing1 but his method--in some respects--confuses the issues and the modes and planes of being4 ,the ,trumps ,major have also been treated in the alternative method which ,i have mentioned1 and ,grand ,orient1 in his ,manual ,of ,cartomancy1 under the guise of a mode of transcendental divination1 has really offered the result of certain illustrative readings of the cards when arranged as the result of a fortuitous combination by means of shuffling and dealing4 ,the use of divinatory methods1 with whatsoever intention and for whatever purpose1 carries with it two suggestions4 ,it may be thought that the deeper meanings are imputed rather than real1 but this is disposed of by the fact of certain cards1 like the ,magician1 the ,high ,priestess1 the ,wheel of ,fortune1 the ,hanged ,man1 the ,tower or ,maison ,dieu1 and several others1 which do not correspond to ,conditions of ,life1 ,arts1 ,sciences1 ,virtues1 or the other subjects contained in the denaries of the ,baldini emblematic figures4 ,they are also proof positive that obvious and natural moralities cannot explain the sequence4 ,such cards testify concerning themselves after another manner2 and although the state in which ,i have left the ,tarot in respect of its historical side is so much the more difficult as it is so much the more open1 they indicate the real subject matter with which we are concerned4 ,the methods show also that the ,trumps ,major at least have been adapted to fortune-telling rather than belong thereto4 ,the common divinatory meanings which will be given in the third part are largely arbitrary attributions1 or the product of secondary and uninstructed intuition2 or1 at the very most1 they belong to the subject on a lower plane1 apart from the original intention4 ,if the ,tarot were of fortune-telling in the root-matter thereof1 we should have to look in very strange places for the motive which devised it--to ,witchcraft and the ,black ,sabbath1 rather than any ,secret ,doctrine4 ,the two classes of significance which are attached to the ,tarot in the superior and inferior worlds1 and the fact that no occult or other writer has attempted to assign anything but a divinatory meaning to the ,minor ,arcana1 justify in yet another manner the hypothesis that the two series do not belong to one another4 ,it is possible that their marriage was effected first in the ,tarot of ,bologna by that ,prince of ,pisa whom ,i have mentioned in the first part4 ,it is said that his device obtained for him public recognition and reward from the city of his adoption1 which would scarcely have been possible1 even in those fantastic days1 for the production of a ,tarot which only omitted a few of the small cards2 but as we are dealing with a question of fact which has to be accounted for somehow1 it is conceivable that a sensation might have been created by a combination of the minor and gambling cards with the philosophical set1 and by the adaptation of both to a game of chance4 ,afterwards it would have been further adapted to that other game of chance which is called fortune-telling4 ,it should be understood here that ,i am not denying the possibility of divination1 but ,i take exception as a mystic to the dedications which bring people into these paths1 as if they had any relation to the ,mystic ,quest4 ,the ,tarot cards which are issued with the small edition of the present work1 that is to say1 with the ,key ,to ,the ,tarot1 have been drawn and colored by ,miss ,pamela ,colman ,smith1 and will1 ,i think1 be regarded as very striking and beautiful1 in their design alike and execution4 ,they are reproduced in the present enlarged edition of the ,key as a means of reference to the text4 ,they differ in many important respects from the conventional archaisms of the past and from the wretched products of colportage which now reach us from ,italy1 and it remains for me to justify their variations so far as the symbolism is concerned4 ,that for once in modern times ,i present a pack which is the work of an artist does not1 ,i presume1 call for apology1 even to the people--if any remain among us--who used to be described and to call themselves very occult4 ,if any one will look at the gorgeous ,tarot valet or knave who is emblazoned on one of the page plates of ,chatto's ,facts ,and ,speculations ,concerning ,the ,history ,of ,playing ,cards1 he will know that ,italy in the old days produced some splendid packs4 ,i could only wish that it had been possible to issue the restored and rectified cards in the same style and size2 such a course would have done fuller justice to the designs1 but the result would have proved unmanageable for those practical purposes which are connected with cards1 and for which allowance must be made1 whatever my views thereon4 ,for the variations in the symbolism by which the designs have been affected1 ,i alone am responsible4 ,in respect of the ,major ,arcana1 they are sure to occasion criticism among students1 actual and imputed4 ,i wish therefore to say1 within the reserves of courtesy and la haute convenance belonging to the fellowship of research1 that ,i care nothing utterly for any view that may find expression4 ,there is a ,secret ,tradition concerning the ,tarot1 as well as a ,secret ,doctrine contained therein2 ,i have followed some part of it without exceeding the limits which are drawn about matters of this kind and belong to the laws of honor4 ,this tradition has two parts1 and as one of them has passed into writing it seems to follow that it may be betrayed at any moment1 which will not signify1 because the second1 as ,i have intimated1 has not so passed at present and is held by very few indeed4 ,the purveyors of spurious copy and the traffickers in stolen goods may take note of this point1 if they please4 ,i ask1 moreover1 to be distinguished from two or three writers in recent times who have thought fit to hint that they could say a good deal more if they liked1 for we do not speak the same language2 but1 also from any one who1 now or hereafter1 may say that she or he will tell all1 because they have only the accidents and not the essentials necessary for such disclosure4 ,if ,i have followed on my part the counsel of ,robert ,burns1 by keeping something to myself which ,i scarcely tell to any1 ,i have still said as much as ,i can2 it is the truth after its own manner1 and as much as may be expected or required in those outer circles where the qualifications of special research cannot be expected4 ,in regard to the ,minor ,arcana1 they are the first in modern but not in all times to be accompanied by pictures1 in addition to what is called the pips--that is to say1 the devices belonging to the numbers of the various suits4 ,these pictures respond to the divinatory meanings1 which have been drawn from many sources4 ,to sum up1 therefore1 the present division of this key is devoted to the ,trumps ,major2 it elucidates their symbols in respect of the higher intention and with reference to the designs in the pack4 ,the third division will give the divinatory significance in respect of the seventy-eight ,tarot cards1 and with particular reference to the designs of the ,minor ,arcana4 ,it will give1 in fine1 some modes of use for those who require them1 and in the sense of the reason which ,i have already explained in the preface4 ,that which hereinafter follows should be taken1 for the purposes of comparison1 in connection with the general description of the old ,tarot ,trumps in the first part4 ,there it will be seen that the zero card of the ,fool is allocated1 as it always is1 to the place which makes it equivalent to the number twenty-one4 ,the arrangement is ridiculous on the surface1 which does not much signify1 but it is also wrong on the symbolism1 nor does this fare better when it is made to replace the twenty-second point of the sequence4 ,etteilla recognized the difficulties of both attributions1 but he only made bad worse by allocating the ,fool to the place which is usually occupied by the ,ace of ,pentacles as the last of the whole ,tarot series4 ,this rearrangement has been followed by ,papus recently in ,le ,tarot ,divinatoire1 where the confusion is of no consequence1 as the findings of fortune-telling depend upon fortuitous positions and not upon essential place in the general sequence of cards4 ,i have seen yet another allocation of the zero symbol1 which no doubt obtains in certain cases1 but it fails on the highest planes and for our present requirements it would be idle to carry the examination further4 ,,section #b ,,the ,,trumps ,,major ,,and ,,their ,,inner ,,symbolism ,,one4 ,,the ,,magician ,a youthful figure in the robe of a magician1 having the countenance of divine ,apollo1 with smile of confidence and shining eyes4 ,above his head is the mysterious sign of the ,holy ,spirit1 the sign of life1 like an endless cord1 forming the figure #h in a horizontal position ,symbol3 ,infinity4 ,about his waist is a serpent-cincture1 the serpent appearing to devour its own tail4 ,this is familiar to most as a conventional symbol of eternity1 but here it indicates more especially the eternity of attainment in the spirit4 ,in the ,magician's right hand is a wand raised towards heaven1 while the left hand is pointing to the earth4 ,this dual sign is known in very high grades of the ,instituted ,mysteries2 it shows the descent of grace1 virtue and light1 drawn from things above and derived to things below4 ,the suggestion throughout is therefore the possession and communication of the ,powers and ,gifts of the ,spirit4 ,on the table in front of the ,magician are the symbols of the four ,tarot suits1 signifying the elements of natural life1 which lie like counters before the adept1 and he adapts them as he wills4 ,beneath are roses and lilies1 the flos campi and lilium convallium1 changed into garden flowers1 to show the culture of aspiration4 ,this card signifies the divine motive in man1 reflecting ,god1 the will in the liberation of its union with that which is above4 ,it is also the unity of individual being on all planes1 and in a very high sense it is thought1 in the fixation thereof4 ,with further reference to what ,i have called the sign of life and its connection with the number #h1 it may be remembered that ,christian ,gnosticism speaks of rebirth in ,christ as a change unto the ,ogdoad4 ,the mystic number is termed ,jerusalem above1 the ,land flowing with ,milk and ,honey1 the ,holy ,spirit and the ,land of the ,lord4 ,according to ,martinism1 #h is the number of ,christ4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,magician4 ,,two4 ,,the ,,high ,,priestess ,she has the lunar crescent at her feet1 a horned diadem on her head1 with a globe in the middle place1 and a large solar cross on her breast4 ,the scroll in her hands is inscribed with the word ,tora1 signifying the ,greater ,law1 the ,secret ,law and the second sense of the ,word4 ,it is partly covered by her mantle1 to show that some things are implied and some spoken4 ,she is seated between the white and black pillars--,j4 and ,b4--of the mystic ,temple and the veil of the ,temple is behind her3 it is embroidered with palms and pomegranates4 ,the vestments are flowing and gauzy1 and the mantle suggests light--a shimmering radiance4 ,she has been called ,occult ,science on the threshhold of the ,sanctuary of ,isis1 but she is really the ,secret ,church1 the ,house which is of ,god 7,nature7 and man4 ,she represents also the ,second ,marriage of the ,prince who is no longer of this world2 she is the spiritual ,bride and ,mother1 the daughter of the stars and the ,higher ,garden of ,eden4 ,she is1 in fine1 the ,queen of the borrowed light1 but this is the light of all4 ,she is the ,moon nourished by the milk of the ,supernal ,mother4 ,in a manner1 she is also the ,supernal ,mother herself--that is to say1 she is the bright reflection4 ,it is in this sense of reflection that her truest and highest name in bolism is ,shekinah--the co-habiting glory4 ,according to ,kabalism1 there is a ,shekinah both above and below4 ,in the superior world it is called ,binah1 the ,supernal ,understanding which reflects to the emanations that are beneath4 ,in the lower world it is ,malkuth--that world being1 for this purpose1 understood as a blessed ,kingdom--that with which it is made blessed being the ,indwelling ,glory4 ,mystically speaking1 the ,shekinah is the ,spiritual ,bride of the just man1 and when he reads the ,law she gives the ,divine meaning4 ,there are some respects in which this card is the highest and holiest of the ,greater ,arcana4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,high ,,priestess ,,three4 ,,the ,,empress ,a stately figure1 seated1 having rich vestments and royal aspect1 as of a daughter of heaven and earth4 ,her diadem is of twelve stars1 gathered in a cluster4 ,the symbol of ,venus is on the shield which rests near her4 ,a field of corn is ripening in front of her1 and beyond there is a fall of water4 ,the scepter which she bears is surmounted by the globe of this world4 ,she is the inferior ,garden of ,eden1 the ,earthly ,paradise1 all that is symbolized by the visible house of man4 ,she is not ,regina coeli1 but she is still refugium peccatorum1 the fruitful mother of thousands4 ,there are also certain aspects in which she has been correctly described as desire and the wings thereof1 as the woman clothed with the sun1 as ,gloria ,mundi and the veil of the ,sanctum ,sanctorum2 but she is not1 ,i may add1 the soul that has attained wings1 unless all the symbolism is counted up another and unusual way4 ,she is above all things universal fecundity and the outer sense of the ,word4 ,this is obvious1 because there is no direct message which has been given to man like that which is borne by woman2 but she does not herself carry its interpretation4 ,in another order of ideas1 the card of the ,empress signifies the door or gate by which an entrance is obtained into this life1 as into the ,garden of ,venus2 and then the way which leads out therefrom1 into that which is beyond1 is the secret known to the ,high ,priestess3 it is communicated by her to the elect4 ,most old attributions of this card are completely wrong on the symbolism--as1 for example1 its identification with the ,word1 ,divine ,nature1 the ,triad1 and so forth4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,empress4 ,,four4 ,,the ,,emperor ,he has a form of the ,crux ansata for his scepter and a globe in his left hand4 ,he is crowned monarch--commanding1 stately1 seated on a throne1 the arms of which are fronted by rams' heads4 ,he is executive and realization1 the power of this world1 here clothed with the highest of its natural attributes4 ,he is occasionally represented as seated on a cubic stone1 which1 however1 confuses some of the issues4 ,he is the virile power1 to which the ,empress responds1 and in this sense is he who seeks to remove the ,veil of ,isis2 yet she remains virgo intacta4 ,it should be understood that this card and that of the ,empress do not precisely represent the condition of married life1 though this state is implied4 ,on the surface1 as ,i have indicated1 they stand for mundane royalty1 uplifted on the seats of the mighty2 but above this there is the suggestion of another presence4 ,they signify1 also--and the male figure especially--the higher kingship1 occupying the intellectual throne4 ,hereof is the lordship of thought rather than of the animal world4 ,both personalities1 after their own manner1 are full of strange experience1 but theirs is not consciously the wisdom which draws from a higher world4 ,the ,emperor has been described as 7a7 will in its embodied form1 but this is only one of its applications1 and 7b7 as an expression of virtualities contained in the ,absolute ,being--but this is fantasy4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,emperor4 ,,five4 ,,the ,,hierophant ,he wears the triple crown and is seated between two pillars1 but they are not those of the ,temple which is guarded by the ,high ,priestess4 ,in his left hand he holds a scepter terminating in the triple cross1 and with his right hand he gives the well-known ecclesiastical sign which is called that of esotericism1 distinguishing between the manifest and concealed part of doctrine4 ,it is noticeable in this connection that the ,high ,priestess makes no sign4 ,at his feet are the crossed keys1 and two priestly ministers in albs kneel before him4 ,he has been usually called the ,pope1 which is a particular application of the more general office that he symbolizes4 ,he is the ruling power of external religion1 as the ,high ,priestess is the prevailing genius of the esoteric1 withdrawn power4 ,the proper meanings of this card have suffered woeful admixture from nearly all hands4 ,grand ,orient says truly that the ,hierophant is the power of the keys1 exoteric orthodox doctrine1 and the outer side of the life which leads to the doctrine2 but he is certainly not the prince of occult doctrine1 as another commentator has suggested4 ,he is rather the summa totius theologi1 when it has passed into the utmost rigidity of expression2 but he symbolizes also all things that are righteous and sacred on the manifest side4 ,as such1 he is the channel of grace belonging to the world of institution as distinct from that of ,nature1 and he is the leader of salvation for the human race at large4 ,he is the order and the head of the recognized hierarchy1 which is the reflection of another and greater hierarchic order2 but it may so happen that the pontiff forgets the significance of this his symbolic state and acts as if he contained within his proper measures all that his sign signifies or his symbol seeks to show forth4 ,he is not1 as it has been thought1 philosophy--except on the theological side2 he is not inspiration2 and he is not religion1 although he is a mode of its expression4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,hierophant ,,six4 ,,the ,,lovers ,the sun shines in the zenith1 and beneath is a great winged figure with arms extended1 pouring down influences4 ,in the foreground are two human figures1 male and female1 unveiled before each other1 as if ,adam and ,eve when they first occupied the paradise of the earthly body4 ,behind the man is the ,tree of ,life1 bearing twelve fruits1 and the ,tree of the ,knowledge of ,good and ,evil is behind the woman2 the serpent is twining round it4 ,the figures suggest youth1 virginity1 innocence and love before it is contaminated by gross material desire4 ,this is in all simplicity the card of human love1 here exhibited as part of the way1 the truth and the life4 ,it replaces1 by recourse to first principles1 the old card of marriage1 which ,i have described previously1 and the later follies which depicted man between vice and virtue4 ,in a very high sense1 the card is a mystery of the ,covenant and ,sabbath4 ,the suggestion in respect of the woman is that she signifies that attraction towards the sensitive life which carries within it the idea of the ,fall of ,man1 but she is rather the working of a ,secret ,law of ,providence than a willing and conscious temptress4 ,it is through her imputed lapse that man shall arise ultimately1 and only by her can he complete himself4 ,the card is therefore in its way another intimation concerning the great mystery of womanhood4 ,the old meanings fall to pieces of necessity with the old pictures1 but even as interpretations of the latter1 some of them were of the order of commonplace and others were false in symbolism4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,lovers4 ,,seven4 ,,the ,,chariot ,an erect and princely figure carrying a drawn sword and corresponding1 broadly speaking1 to the traditional description which ,i have given in the first part4 ,on the shoulders of the victorious hero are supposed to be the ,urim and ,thummim4 ,he has led captivity captive2 he is conquest on all planes--in the mind1 in science1 in progress1 in certain trials of initiation4 ,he has thus replied to the ,sphinx1 and it is on this account that ,i have accepted the variation of ,eliphas ,lvi2 two sphinxes thus draw his chariot4 ,he is above all things triumph in the mind4 ,it is to be understood for this reason 7a7 that the question of the sphinx is concerned with a ,mystery of ,nature and not of the world of ,grace1 to which the charioteer could offer no answer2 7b7 that the planes of his conquest are manifest or external and not within himself2 7c7 that the liberation which he effects may leave himself in the bondage of the logical understanding2 7d7 that the tests of initiation through which he has passed in triumph are to be understood physically or rationally and 7e7 that if he came to the pillars of that ,temple between which the ,high ,priestess is seated1 he could not open the scroll called ,tora1 nor if she questioned him could he answer4 ,he is not hereditary royalty and he is not priesthood4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,chariot4 ,,eight4 ,,strength1 ,,or ,,fortitude ,a woman1 over whose head there broods the same symbol of life which we have seen in the card of the ,hierophant1 is closing the jaws of a lion4 ,the only point in which this design differs from the conventional presentations is that her beneficent fortitude has already subdued the lion1 which is being led by a chain of flowers4 ,for reasons which satisfy myself1 this card has been interchanged with that of ,justice1 which is usually numbered eight4 ,as the variation carries nothing with it which will signify to the reader1 there is no cause for explanation4 ,fortitude1 in one of its most exalted aspects1 is connected with the ,divine ,mystery of ,union2 the virtue1 of course1 operates in all planes1 and hence draws on all in its symbolism4 ,it connects also with innocentia inviolata1 and with the strength which resides in contemplation4 ,these higher meanings are1 however1 matters of inference1 and ,i do not suggest that they are transparent on the surface of the card4 ,they are intimated in a concealed manner by the chain of flowers1 which signifies1 among many other things1 the sweet yoke and the light burden of ,divine ,law1 when it has been taken into the heart of hearts4 ,the card has nothing to do with self-confidence in the ordinary sense1 though this has been suggested--but it concerns the confidence of those whose strength is ,god 7,nature71 who have found their refuge in ,him4 ,there is one aspect in which the lion signifies the passions1 and she who is called ,strength is the higher nature in its liberation4 ,it has walked upon the asp and the basilisk and has trodden down the lion and the dragon4 ,illustration3 ,,strength4 ,,nine4 ,,the ,,hermit ,the variation from the conventional models in this card is only that the lamp is not enveloped partially in the mantle of its bearer1 who blends the idea of the ,ancient of ,days with the ,light of the ,world4 ,it is a star which shines in the lantern4 ,i have said that this is a card of attainment1 and to extend this conception the figure is seen holding up his beacon on an eminence4 ,therefore the ,hermit is not1 as ,court de ,gebelin explained1 a wise man in search of truth and justice2 nor is he1 as a later explanation proposes1 an especial example of experience4 ,his beacon intimates that where ,i am1 you also may be4 ,it is further a card which is understood quite incorrectly when it is connected with the idea of occult isolation1 as the protection of personal magnetism against admixture4 ,this is one of the frivolous renderings which we owe to ,eliphas ,lvi4 ,it has been adopted by the ,french ,order of ,martinism and some of us have heard a great deal of the ,silent and ,unknown ,philosophy enveloped by his mantle from the knowledge of the profane4 ,in true ,martinism1 the significance of the term ,philosophe inconnu was of another order4 ,it did not refer to the intended concealment of the ,instituted ,mysteries1 much less of their substitutes1 but--like the card itself--to the truth that the ,divine ,mysteries secure their own protection from those who are unprepared4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,hermit4 ,,ten4 ,,wheel ,,of ,,fortune ,in this symbol ,i have again followed the reconstruction of ,eliphas ,lvi1 who has furnished several variants4 ,it is legitimate--as ,i have intimated--to use ,egyptian symbolism when this serves our purpose1 provided that no theory of origin is implied therein4 ,i have1 however1 presented ,typhon in his serpent form4 ,the symbolism is1 of course1 not exclusively ,egyptian1 as the four ,living ,creatures of ,ezekiel occupy the angles of the card1 and the wheel itself follows other indications of ,lvi in respect of ,ezekiel's vision1 as illustrative of the particular ,tarot ,key4 ,with the ,french occultist1 and in the design itself1 the symbolic picture stands for the perpetual motion of a fluidic universe and for the flux of human life4 ,the ,sphinx is the equilibrium therein4 ,the transliteration of ,taro as ,rota is inscribed on the wheel1 counterchanged with the letters of the ,divine ,name--to show that ,providence is implied through all4 ,but this is the ,divine intention within1 and the similar intention without is exemplified by the four ,living ,creatures4 ,sometimes the sphinx is represented couchant on a pedestal above1 which defrauds the symbolism by stultifying the essential idea of stability amidst movement4 ,behind the general notion expressed in the symbol there lies the denial of chance and the fatality which is implied therein4 ,it may be added that1 from the days of ,lvi onward1 the occult explanations of this card are--even for occultism itself--of a singularly fatuous kind4 ,it has been said to mean principle1 fecundity1 virile honor1 ruling authority1 etc4 ,the findings of common fortune-telling are better than this on their own plane4 ,illustration3 ,,wheel of ,,fortune4 ,,eleven4 ,,justice ,as this card follows the traditional symbolism and carries above all its obvious meanings1 there is little to say regarding it outside the few considerations collected in the first part1 to which the reader is referred4 ,it will be seen1 however1 that the figure is seated between pillars1 like the ,high ,priestess1 and on this account it seems desirable to indicate that the moral principle which deals unto every man according to his works--while1 of course1 it is in strict analogy with higher things--differs in its essence from the spiritual justice which is involved in the idea of election4 ,the latter belongs to a mysterious order of ,providence1 in virtue of which it is possible for certain men to conceive the idea of dedication to the highest things4 ,the operation of this is like the breathing of the ,spirit where it wills1 and we have no canon of criticism or ground of explanation concerning it4 ,it is analogous to the possession of the fairy gifts and the high gifts and the gracious gifts of the poet3 we have them or have not1 and their presence is as much a mystery as their absence4 ,the law of ,justice is not1 however1 involved by either alternative4 ,in conclusion1 the pillars of ,justice open into one world and the pillars of the ,high ,priestess into another4 ,illustration3 ,,justice4 ,,twelve4 ,,the ,,hanged ,,man ,the gallows from which he is suspended forms a ,tau cross1 while the figure--from the position of the legs--forms a fylfot cross4 ,there is a nimbus about the head of the seeming martyr4 ,it should be noted 7#a7 that the tree of sacrifice is living wood1 with leaves thereon2 7#b7 that the face expresses deep entrancement1 not suffering2 7#c7 that the figure1 as a whole1 suggests life in suspension1 but life and not death4 ,it is a card of profound significance1 but all the significance is veiled4 ,one of his editors suggests that ,eliphas ,lvi did not know the meaning1 which is unquestionable--nor did the editor himself4 ,it has been called falsely a card of martyrdom1 a card of prudence1 a card of the ,great ,work1 a card of duty2 but we may exhaust all published interpretations and find only vanity4 ,i will say very simply on my own part that it expresses the relation1 in one of its aspects1 between the ,divine and the ,universe4 ,he who can understand that the story of his higher nature is imbedded in this symbolism will receive intimations concerning a great awakening that is possible1 and will know that after the sacred ,mystery ,of ,death there is a glorious ,mystery ,of ,resurrection4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,hanged ,,man4 ,,thirteen4 ,,death ,the veil or mask of life is perpetuated in change1 transformation and passage from lower to higher1 and this is more fitly represented in the rectified ,tarot by one of the apocalyptic visions than by the crude notion of the reaping skeleton4 ,behind it lies the whole world of ascent in the spirit4 ,the mysterious horseman moves slowly1 bearing a black banner emblazoned with the ,mystic ,rose1 which signifies life4 ,between two pillars on the verge of the horizon there shines the sun of immortality4 ,the horseman carries no visible weapon1 but king and child and maiden fall before him1 while a prelate with clasped hands awaits his end4 ,there should be no need to point out that the suggestion of death which ,i have made in connection with the previous card is1 of course1 to be understood mystically1 but this is not the case in the present instance4 ,the natural transit of man to the next stage of his being either is or may be one form of his progress1 but the exotic and almost unknown entrance1 while still in this life1 into the state of mystical death is a change in the form of consciousness and the passage into a state to which ordinary death is neither the path nor gate4 ,the existing occult explanations of the #acth card are1 on the whole1 better than usual1 rebirth1 creation1 destination1 renewal1 and the rest4 ,illustration3 ,,death4 ,,fourteen4 ,,temperance ,a winged angel1 with the sign of the sun upon his forehead and on his breast the square and triangle of the septenary4 ,i speak of him in the masculine sense1 but the figure is neither male nor female4 ,it is held to be pouring the essences of life from chalice to chalice4 ,it has one foot upon the earth and one upon waters1 thus illustrating the nature of the essences4 ,a direct path goes up to certain heights on the verge of the horizon1 and above there is a great light1 through which a crown is seen vaguely4 ,hereof is some part of the ,secret of ,eternal ,life1 as it is possible to man in his incarnation4 ,all the conventional emblems are renounced herein4 ,so also are the conventional meanings1 which refer to changes in the seasons1 perpetual movement of life1 and even the combination of ideas4 ,it is1 moreover1 untrue to say that the figure symbolizes the genius of the sun1 though it is the analogy of solar light1 realized in the third part of our human triplicity4 ,it is called ,temperance1 fantastically1 because1 when the rule of it obtains in our consciousness1 it tempers1 combines and harmonizes the psychic and material natures4 ,under that rule we know in our rational part something of whence we came and whither we are going4 ,illustration3 ,,temperance4 ,,fifteen4 ,,the ,,devil ,the design is an accommodation1 mean or harmony1 between several motives mentioned in the first part4 ,the ,horned ,goat of ,mendes1 with wings like those of a bat1 is standing on an altar4 ,at the pit of the stomach there is the sign of ,mercury4 ,the right hand is upraised and extended1 being the reverse of that benediction which is given by the ,hierophant in the fifth card4 ,in the left hand there is a great flaming torch1 inverted towards the earth4 ,a reversed pentagram is on the forehead4 ,there is a ring in front of the altar1 from which two chains are carried to the necks of two figures1 male and female4 ,these are analogous with those of the fifth card1 as if ,adam and ,eve after the ,fall4 ,hereof is the chain and fatality of the material life4 ,the figures are tailed1 to signify the animal nature1 but there is human intelligence in the faces1 and he who is exalted above them is not to be their master for ever4 ,even now1 he is also a bondsman1 sustained by the evil that is in him and blind to the liberty of service4 ,with more than his usual derision for the arts which he pretended to respect and interpret as a master therein1 ,eliphas ,lvi affirms that the ,baphometic figure is occult science and magic4 ,another commentator says that in the ,divine world it signifies predestination1 but there is no correspondence in that world with the things which below are of the brute4 ,what it does signify is the ,dweller on the ,threshold without the ,mystical ,garden when those are driven forth therefrom who have eaten the forbidden fruit4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,devil4 ,,sixteen4 ,,the ,,tower ,occult explanations attached to this card are meager and mostly disconcerting4 ,it is idle to indicate that it depicts ruin in all its aspects1 because it bears this evidence on the surface4 ,it is said further that it contains the first allusion to a material building1 but ,i do not conceive that the ,tower is more or less material than the pillars which we have met with in three previous cases4 ,i see nothing to warrant ,papus in supposing that it is literally the fall of ,adam1 but there is more in favor of his alternative--that it signifies the materialization of the spiritual word4 ,the bibliographer ,christian imagines that it is the downfall of the mind1 seeking to penetrate the mystery of ,god 7,nature74 ,i agree rather with ,grand ,orient that it is the ruin of the ,house of ,life1 when evil has prevailed therein1 and above all that it is the rending of a ,house of ,doctrine4 ,i understand that the reference is1 however1 to a ,house of ,falsehood4 ,it illustrates also in the most comprehensive way the old truth that except the ,lord build the house1 they labor in vain that build it4 ,there is a sense in which the catastrophe is a reflection from the previous card1 but not on the side of the symbolism which ,i have tried to indicate therein4 ,it is more correctly a question of analogy2 one is concerned with the fall into the material and animal state1 while the other signifies destruction on the intellectual side4 ,the ,tower has been spoken of as the chastisement of pride and the intellect overwhelmed in the attempt to penetrate the ,mystery of ,god 7,nature72 but in neither case do these explanations account for the two persons who are the living sufferers4 ,the one is the literal word made void and the other its false interpretation4 ,in yet a deeper sense1 it may signify also the end of a dispensation1 but there is no possibility here for the consideration of this involved question4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,tower4 ,,seventeen4 ,,the ,,star ,a great1 radiant star of eight rays1 surrounded by seven lesser stars--also of eight rays4 ,the female figure in the foreground is entirely naked4 ,her left knee is on the land and her right foot upon the water4 ,she pours ,water of ,life from two great ewers1 irrigating sea and land4 ,behind her is rising ground and on the right a shrub or tree1 whereon a bird alights4 ,the figure expresses eternal youth and beauty4 ,the star is l'toile flamboyante1 which appears in ,masonic symbolism1 but has been confused therein4 ,that which the figure communicates to the living scene is the substance of the heavens and the elements4 ,it has been said truly that the mottoes of this card are ,waters of ,life freely and ,gifts of the ,spirit4 ,the summary of several tawdry explanations says that it is a card of hope4 ,on other planes it has been certified as immortality and interior light4 ,for the majority of prepared minds1 the figure will appear as the type of ,truth unveiled1 glorious in undying beauty1 pouring on the waters of the soul some part and measure of her priceless possession4 ,but she is in reality the ,great ,mother in the ,kabalistic ,sephira ,binah1 which is supernal ,understanding1 who communicates to the ,sephiroth that are below in the measure that they can receive her influx4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,star4 ,,eighteen4 ,,the ,,moon ,the distinction between this card and some of the conventional types is that the moon is increasing on what is called the side of mercy1 to the right of the observer4 ,it has sixteen chief and sixteen secondary rays4 ,the card represents life of the imagination apart from life of the spirit4 ,the path between the towers is the issue into the unknown4 ,the dog and the wolf are the fears of the natural mind in the presence of that place of exit1 when there is only reflected light to guide it4 ,the last reference is a key to another form of symbolism4 ,the intellectual light is a reflection and beyond it is the unknown mystery which it cannot show forth4 ,it illuminates our animal nature1 types of which are represented below--the dog1 the wolf and that which comes up out of the deeps1 the nameless and hideous tendency which is lower than the savage beast4 ,it strives to attain manifestation1 symbolized by crawling from the abyss of water to the land1 but as a rule it sinks back whence it came4 ,the face of the mind directs a calm gaze upon the unrest below2 the dew of thought falls2 the message is3 ,peace1 be still2 and it may be that there shall come a calm upon the animal nature1 while the abyss beneath shall cease from giving up a form4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,moon4 ,,nineteen4 ,,the ,,sun ,the naked child mounted on a white horse and displaying a red standard has been mentioned already as the better symbolism connected with this card4 ,it is the destiny of the ,supernatural ,east and the great and holy light which goes before the endless procession of humanity1 coming out from the walled garden of the sensitive life and passing on the journey home4 ,the card signifies1 therefore1 the transit from the manifest light of this world1 represented by the glorious sun of earth1 to the light of the world to come1 which goes before aspiration and is typified by the heart of a child4 ,but the last allusion is again the key to a different form or aspect of the symbolism4 ,the sun is that of consciousness in the spirit--the direct as the antithesis of the reflected light4 ,the characteristic type of humanity has become a little child therein--a child in the sense of simplicity and innocence in the sense of wisdom4 ,in that simplicity1 he bears the seal of ,nature and of ,art2 in that innocence1 he signifies the restored world4 ,when the self-knowing spirit has dawned in the consciousness above the natural mind1 that mind in its renewal leads forth the animal nature in a state of perfect conformity4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,sun4 ,,twenty4 ,,the ,,last ,,judgment ,i have said that this symbol is essentially invariable in all ,tarot sets1 or at least the variations do not alter its character4 ,the great angel is here encompassed by clouds1 but he blows his bannered trumpet1 and the cross as usual is displayed on the banner4 ,the dead are rising from their tombs--a woman on the right1 a man on the left hand1 and between them their child1 whose back is turned4 ,but in this card there are more than three who are restored1 and it has been thought worth while to make this variation as illustrating the insufficiency of current explanations4 ,it should be noted that all the figures are as one in the wonder1 adoration and ecstasy expressed by their attitudes4 ,it is the card which registers the accomplishment of the great work of transformation in answer to the summons of the ,supernal--which summons is heard and answered from within4 ,herein is the intimation of a significance which cannot well be carried further in the present place4 ,what is that within us which does sound a trumpet and all that is lower in our nature rises in response--almost in a moment1 almost in the twinkling of an eye8 ,let the card continue to depict1 for those who can see no further1 the ,last ,judgment and the resurrection in the natural body2 but let those who have inward eyes look and discover therewith4 ,they will understand that it has been called truly in the past a card of eternal life1 and for this reason it may be compared with that which passes under the name of ,temperance4 ,illustration3 ,,judgement4 ,,zero4 ,,the ,,fool ,with light step1 as if earth and its trammels had little power to restrain him1 a young man in gorgeous vestments pauses at the brink of a precipice among the great heights of the world2 he surveys the blue distance before him--its expanse of sky rather than the prospect below4 ,his act of eager walking is still indicated1 though he is stationary at the given moment2 his dog is still bounding4 ,the edge which opens on the depth has no terror2 it is as if angels were waiting to uphold him1 if it came about that he leaped from the height4 ,his countenance is full of intelligence and expectant dream4 ,he has a rose in one hand and in the other a costly wand1 from which depends over his right shoulder a wallet curiously embroidered4 ,he is a prince of the other world on his travels through this one--all amidst the morning glory1 in the keen air4 ,the sun1 which shines behind him1 knows whence he came1 whither he is going1 and how he will return by another path after many days4 ,he is the spirit in search of experience4 ,many symbols of the ,instituted ,mysteries are summarized in this card1 which reverses1 under high warrants1 all the confusions that have preceded it4 ,in his ,manual ,of ,cartomancy1 ,grand ,orient has a curious suggestion of the office of ,mystic ,fool1 as a part of his process in higher divination2 but it might call for more than ordinary gifts to put it into operation4 ,we shall see how the card fares according to the common arts of fortune-telling1 and it will be an example1 to those who can discern1 of the fact1 otherwise so evident1 that the ,trumps ,major had no place originally in the arts of psychic gambling1 when cards are used as the counters and pretexts4 ,of the circumstances under which this art arose we know1 however1 very little4 ,the conventional explanations say that the ,fool signifies the flesh1 the sensitive life1 and by a peculiar satire its subsidiary name was at one time the alchemist1 as depicting folly at the most insensate stage4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,fool4 ,,twenty-,,one4 ,,the ,,world ,as this final message of the ,major ,trumps is unchanged--and indeed unchangeable--in respect of its design1 it has been partly described already regarding its deeper sense4 ,it represents also the perfection and end of the ,cosmos1 the secret which is within it1 the rapture of the universe when it understands itself in ,god 7,nature74 ,it is further the state of the soul in the consciousness of ,divine ,vision1 reflected from the self-knowing spirit4 ,but these meanings are without prejudice to that which ,i have said concerning it on the material side4 ,it has more than one message on the macrocosmic side and is1 for example1 the state of the restored world when the law of manifestation shall have been carried to the highest degree of natural perfection4 ,but it is perhaps more especially a story of the past1 referring to that day when all was declared to be good1 when the morning stars sang together and all the ,sons of ,god 7,nature7 shouted for joy4 ,one of the worst explanations concerning it is that the figure symbolizes the ,magus when he has reached the highest degree of initiation2 another account says that it represents the absolute1 which is ridiculous4 ,the figure has been said to stand for ,truth1 which is1 however1 more properly allocated to the seventeenth card4 ,lastly1 it has been called the ,crown of the ,magi4 ,illustration3 ,,the ,,world4 ,,section #c ,,conclusion ,,as ,,to ,,the ,,greater ,,keys ,there has been no attempt in the previous tabulation to present the symbolism in what is called the three worlds--that of ,divinity1 of the ,macrocosm and the ,microcosm4 ,a large volume would be required for developments of this kind4 ,i have taken the cards on the high plane of their more direct significance to man1 who--in material life--is on the quest of eternal things4 ,the compiler of the ,manual ,of ,cartomancy has treated them under three headings3 the ,world of ,human ,prudence1 which does not differ from divination on its more serious side2 the ,world of ,conformity1 being the life of religious devotion2 and the ,world of ,attainment1 which is that of the soul's progress towards the term of its research4 ,he gives also a triple process of consultation1 according to these divisions1 to which the reader is referred4 ,i have no such process to offer1 as ,i think that more may be gained by individual reflection on each of the ,trumps ,major4 ,i have also not adopted the prevailing attribution of the cards of the ,hebrew alphabet--firstly1 because it would serve no purpose in an elementary handbook2 secondly1 because nearly every attribution is wrong4 ,finally1 ,i have not attempted to rectify the position of the cards in their relation to one another2 the ,zero therefore appears after ,no4 #bj1 but ,i have taken care not to number the ,world or ,universe otherwise than as #ba4 ,wherever it ought to be put1 the ,zero is an unnumbered card4 ,in conclusion as to this part1 ,i will give these further indications regarding the ,fool1 which is the most speaking of all the symbols4 ,he signifies the journey outward1 the state of the first emanation1 the graces and passivity of the spirit4 ,his wallet is inscribed with dim signs1 to show that many sub-conscious memories are stored up in the soul4 ,part ,three ,,the ,,outer ,,method ,,of ,,the ,,oracles ,,section #a ,,distinction ,,between ,,the ,,greater ,,and ,,lesser ,,arcana ,in respect of their usual presentation1 the bridge between the ,greater and ,lesser ,arcana is supplied by the court cards--,king1 ,queen1 ,knight and ,squire or ,page2 but their utter distinction from the ,trumps ,major is shown by their conventional character4 ,let the reader compare them with symbols like the ,fool1 the ,high ,priestess1 the ,hierophant1 or--almost without exception--with any in the previous sequence1 and he will discern my meaning4 ,there is no especial idea connected on the surface with the ordinary court cards2 they are a bridge of conventions1 which form a transition to the simple pretexts of the counters and denaries of the numbers following4 ,we seem to have passed away utterly from the region of higher meanings illustrated by living pictures4 ,there was a period1 however1 when the numbered cards were also pictures1 but such devices were sporadic inventions of particular artists and were either conventional designs of the typical or allegorical kind1 distinct from what is understood by symbolism1 or they were illustrations--shall we say8--of manners1 customs and periods4 ,they were1 in a word1 adornments1 and as such they did nothing to raise the significance of the ,lesser ,arcana to the plane of the ,trumps ,major2 moreover1 such variations are exceedingly few4 ,this notwithstanding1 there are vague rumors concerning a higher meaning in the minor cards1 but nothing has so far transpired1 even within the sphere of prudence which belongs to the most occult circles2 these1 it is true1 have certain variants in respect of divinatory values1 but ,i have not heard that in practice they offer better results4 ,efforts like those of ,papus in ,the ,tarot ,of ,the ,bohemians are strenuous and deserving after their own kind2 he1 in particular1 recognizes the elements of the ,divine ,immanence in the ,trumps ,major1 and he seeks to follow them through the long series of the lesser cards1 as if these represented filtrations of the ,world of ,grace through the ,world of ,fortune2 but he only produces an arbitrary scheme of division which he can carry no further1 and he has recourse1 of necessity1 in the end to a common scheme of divination as the substitute for a title to existence on the part of the ,lesser ,arcana4 ,now1 ,i am practically in the same position2 but ,i shall make no attempt here to save the situation by drawing on the mystical properties of numbers1 as he and others have attempted4 ,i shall recognize at once that the ,trumps ,major belong to the divine dealings of philosophy1 but all that follows to fortune-telling1 since it has never yet been translated into another language2 the course thus adopted will render to divination1 and at need even to gambling1 the things that belong to this particular world of skill1 and it will set apart for their proper business those matters that are of another order4 ,in this free introduction to the subject in hand1 it is only necessary to add that the difference between the fifty-six ,lesser ,arcana and the ordinary playing-cards is not only essentially slight1 because the substitution of ,cups for ,hearts1 and so forth1 constitutes an accidental variation1 but because the presence of a ,knight in each of the four suits was characteristic at one time of many ordinary packs1 when this personage usually replaced the ,queen4 ,in the rectified ,tarot which illustrates the present handbook1 all numbered cards of the ,lesser ,arcana--the ,aces only excepted--are furnished with figures or pictures to illustrate--but without exhausting--the divinatory meanings attached thereto4 ,some who are gifted with reflective and discerning faculties in more than the ordinary sense--and ,i am not speaking of clairvoyance--may observe that in many of the ,lesser ,arcana there are vague intimations conveyed by the designs which seem to exceed the stated divinatory values4 ,it is desirable to avoid misconception by specifying definitely that1 except in rare instances--and then only by accident--the variations are not to be regarded as suggestions of higher and extra-divinatory symbolism4 ,i have said that these ,lesser ,arcana have not been translated into a language which transcends that of fortune-telling4 ,i should not indeed be disposed to regard them as belonging in their existing forms to another realm than this2 but the field of divinatory possibilities is inexhaustible1 by the hypothesis of the art1 and the combined systems of cartomancy have indicated only the bare heads of significance attaching to the emblems in use4 ,when the pictures in the present case go beyond the conventional meanings they should be taken as hints of possible developments along the same lines2 and this is one of the reasons why the pictorial devices here attached to the four denaries will prove a great help to intuition4 ,the mere numerical powers and bare words of the meanings are insufficient by themselves2 but the pictures are like doors which open into unexpected chambers or like a turn in the open road with a wide prospect beyond4 ,,section #b ,,the ,,lesser ,,arcana ,otherwise1 the ,four ,suits of ,tarot ,cards1 will now be described according to their respective classes by the pictures to each belonging1 and a harmony of their meanings will be provided from all sources4 ,such are the intimations of the ,lesser ,arcana in respect of divinatory art1 the veridic nature of which seems to depend on an alternative that it may be serviceable to express briefly4 ,the records of the art are ex hypothesi the records of findings in the past based upon experience2 as such1 they are a guide to memory1 and those who can master the elements may--still ex hypothesi--give interpretations on their basis4 ,it is an official and automatic working4 ,on the other hand1 those who have gifts of intuition1 of second sight1 of clairvoyance--call it as we choose and may--will supplement the experience of the past by the findings of their own faculty1 and will speak of that which they have seen in the pretexts of the oracles4 ,it remains to give1 also briefly1 the divinatory significance allocated by the same art to the ,trumps ,major4 ,illustration3 ,,king of ,,wands ,,the ,,suit ,,of ,,wands4 ,,king4 ,the physical and emotional nature to which this card is attributed is dark1 ardent1 lithe1 animated1 impassioned1 noble4 ,the ,king uplifts a flowering wand1 and wears1 like his three correspondences in the remaining suits1 what is called a cap of maintenance beneath his crown4 ,he connects with the symbol of the lion1 which is emblazoned on the back of his throne4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,dark man1 friendly1 countryman1 generally married1 honest and conscientious4 ,the card always signifies honesty1 and may mean news concerning an unexpected heritage to fall in before very long4 ,reversed3 ,good1 but severe2 austere1 yet tolerant4 ,illustration3 ,,queen of ,,wands ,,wands4 ,,queen4 ,the ,wands throughout this suit are always in leaf1 as it is a suit of life and animation4 ,emotionally and otherwise1 the ,queen's personality corresponds to that of the ,king1 but is more magnetic4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,a dark woman1 country-woman1 friendly1 chaste1 loving1 honorable4 ,if the card beside her signifies a man1 she is well disposed towards him2 if a woman1 she is interested in the ,querent4 ,also1 love of money1 or a certain success in business4 ,reversed3 ,good1 economical1 obliging1 serviceable4 ,signifies also--but in certain positions and in the neighborhood of other cards tending in such directions--opposition1 jealousy1 even deceit and infidelity4 ,illustration3 ,,knight of ,,wands4 ,,wands4 ,,knight4 ,he is shown as if upon a journey1 armed with a short wand1 and although mailed is not on a warlike errand4 ,he is passing mounds or pyramids4 ,the motion of the horse is a key to the character of its rider1 and suggests the precipitate mood1 or things connected therewith4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,departure1 absence1 flight1 emigration4 ,a dark young man1 friendly4 ,change of residence4 ,reversed3 ,rupture1 division1 interruption1 discord4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,page4 ,in a scene similar to the former1 a young man stands in the act of proclamation4 ,he is unknown but faithful1 and his tidings are strange4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,dark young man1 faithful1 a lover1 an envoy1 a postman4 ,beside a man1 he will bear favorable testimony concerning him4 ,a dangerous rival1 if followed by the ,page of ,cups4 ,has the chief qualities of his suit4 ,he may signify family intelligence4 ,reversed3 ,anecdotes1 announcements1 evil news4 ,also indecision and the instability which accompanies it4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,ten4 ,a man oppressed by the weight of the ten staves which he is carrying4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,a card of many significances1 and some of the readings cannot be harmonized4 ,i set aside that which connects it with honor and good faith4 ,the chief meaning is oppression simply1 but it is also fortune1 gain1 any kind of success1 and then it is the oppression of these things4 ,it is also a card of false-seeming1 disguise1 perfidy4 ,the place which the figure is approaching may suffer from the rods that he carries4 ,success is stultified if the ,nine of ,swords follows1 and if it is a question of a lawsuit1 there will be certain loss4 ,reversed3 ,contrarieties1 difficulties1 intrigues1 and their analogies4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,nine4 ,the figure leans upon his staff and has an expectant look1 as if awaiting an enemy4 ,behind are eight other staves--erect1 in orderly disposition1 like a palisade4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,the card signifies strength in opposition4 ,if attacked1 the person will meet an onslaught boldly2 and his build shows that he may prove a formidable antagonist4 ,with this main significance there are all its possible adjuncts--delay1 suspension1 adjournment4 ,reversed3 ,obstacles1 adversity1 calamity4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,eight4 ,the card represents motion through the immovable--a flight of wands through an open country2 but they draw to the term of their course4 ,that which they signify is at hand2 it may be even on the threshold4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,activity in undertakings1 the path of such activity1 swiftness1 as that of an express messenger2 great haste1 great hope1 speed towards an end which promises assured felicity2 generally1 that which is on the move2 also the arrows of love4 ,reversed3 ,arrows of jealousy1 internal dispute1 stingings of conscience1 quarrels2 and domestic disputes for persons who are married4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,seven4 ,a young man on a craggy eminence brandishing a staff2 six other staves are raised towards him from below4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,it is a card of valor1 for1 on the surface1 six are attacking one1 who has1 however1 the vantage position4 ,on the intellectual plane1 it signifies discussion1 wordy strife2 in business--negotiations1 war of trade1 barter1 competition4 ,it is further a card of success1 for the combatant is on the top and his enemies may be unable to reach him4 ,reversed3 ,perplexity1 embarrassments1 anxiety4 ,it is also a caution against indecision4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,six4 ,a laurelled horseman bears one staff adorned with a laurel crown2 footmen with staves are at his side4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,the card has been so designed that it can cover several significations2 on the surface1 it is a victor triumphing1 but it is also great news1 such as might be carried in state by the ,king's courier2 it is expectation crowned with its own desire1 the crown of hope1 and so forth4 ,reversed3 ,apprehension1 fear1 as of a victorious enemy at the gate2 treachery1 disloyalty1 as of gates being opened to the enemy2 also indefinite delay4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,five4 ,a posse of youths1 who are brandishing staves1 as if in sport or strife4 ,it is mimic warfare1 and hereto correspond the ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,imitation1 as1 for example1 sham fight1 but also the strenuous competition and struggle of the search after riches and fortune4 ,in this sense it connects with the battle of life4 ,hence some attributions say that it is a card of gold1 gain1 opulence4 ,reversed3 ,litigation1 disputes1 trickery1 contradiction4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,four4 ,from the four great staves planted in the foreground there is a great garland suspended2 two female figures uplift nosegays2 at their side is a bridge over a moat1 leading to an old manorial house4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,they are for once almost on the surface--country life1 haven of refuge1 a species of domestic harvest-home1 repose1 concord1 harmony1 prosperity1 peace1 and the perfected work of these4 ,reversed3 ,the meaning remains unaltered2 it is prosperity1 increase1 felicity1 beauty1 embellishment4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,three4 ,a calm1 stately personage1 with his back turned1 looking from a cliff's edge at ships passing over the sea4 ,three staves are planted in the ground1 and he leans slightly on one of them4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,he symbolizes established strength1 enterprise1 effort1 trade1 commerce1 discovery2 those are his ships1 bearing his merchandise1 which are sailing over the sea4 ,the card also signifies able co-operation in business1 as if the successful merchant prince were looking from his side towards yours with a view to help you4 ,reversed3 ,the end of troubles1 suspension or cessation of adversity1 toil and disappointment4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,two4 ,a tall man looks from a battlemented roof over sea and shore2 he holds a globe in his right hand1 while a staff in his left rests on the battlement2 another is fixed in a ring4 ,the ,rose and ,cross and ,lily should be noticed on the left side4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,between the alternative readings there is no marriage possible2 on the one hand1 riches1 fortune1 magnificence2 on the other1 physical suffering1 disease1 chagrin1 sadness1 mortification4 ,the design gives one suggestion2 here is a lord overlooking his dominion and alternately contemplating a globe2 it looks like the malady1 the mortification1 the sadness of ,alexander amidst the grandeur of this world's wealth4 ,reversed3 ,surprise1 wonder1 enchantment1 emotion1 trouble1 fear4 ,illustration ,,wands4 ,,ace4 ,a hand issuing from a cloud grasps a stout wand or club4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,creation1 invention1 enterprise1 the powers which result in these2 principle1 beginning1 source2 birth1 family1 origin1 and in a sense the virility which is behind them2 the starting point of enterprises2 according to another account1 money1 fortune1 inheritance4 ,reversed3 ,fall1 decadence1 ruin1 perdition1 to perish2 also a certain clouded joy4 ,illustration ,,the ,,suit ,,of ,,cups4 ,,king4 ,he holds a short scepter in his left hand and a great cup in his right2 his throne is set upon the sea2 on one side a ship is riding and on the other a dolphin is leaping4 ,the implicit is that the ,sign of the ,cup naturally refers to water1 which appears in all the court cards4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,fair man1 man of business1 law1 or divinity2 responsible1 disposed to oblige the ,querent2 also equity1 art and science1 including those who profess science1 law and art2 creative intelligence4 ,reversed3 ,dishonest1 double-dealing man2 roguery1 exaction1 injustice1 vice1 scandal1 pillage1 considerable loss4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,queen4 ,beautiful1 fair1 dreamy--as one who sees visions in a cup4 ,this is1 however1 only one of her aspects2 she sees1 but she also acts1 and her activity feeds her dream4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,good1 fair woman2 honest1 devoted woman1 who will do service to the ,querent2 loving intelligence1 and hence the gift of vision2 success1 happiness1 pleasure2 also wisdom1 virtue2 a perfect spouse and a good mother4 ,reversed3 ,the accounts vary2 good woman2 otherwise1 distinguished woman but one not to be trusted2 perverse woman2 vice1 dishonor1 depravity4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,knight4 ,graceful1 but not warlike2 riding quietly1 wearing a winged helmet1 referring to those higher graces of the imagination which sometimes characterize this card4 ,he too is a dreamer1 but the images of the side of sense haunt him in his vision4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,arrival1 approach--sometimes that of a messenger2 advances1 proposition1 demeanor1 invitation1 incitement4 ,reversed3 ,trickery1 artifice1 subtlety1 swindling1 duplicity1 fraud4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,page4 ,a fair1 pleasing1 somewhat effeminate page1 of studious and intent aspect1 contemplates a fish rising from a cup to look at him4 ,it is the pictures of the mind taking form4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,fair young man1 one impelled to render service and with whom the ,querent will be connected2 a studious youth2 news1 message2 application1 reflection1 meditation2 also these things directed to business4 ,reversed3 ,taste1 inclination1 attachment1 seduction1 deception1 artifice4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,ten4 ,appearance of ,cups in a rainbow2 it is contemplated in wonder and ecstasy by a man and woman below1 evidently husband and wife4 ,his right arm is about her2 his left is raised upward2 she raises her right arm4 ,the two children dancing near them have not observed the prodigy but are happy after their own manner4 ,there is a home-scene beyond4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,contentment1 repose of the entire heart2 the perfection of that state2 also perfection of human love and friendship2 if with several picture-cards1 a person who is taking charge of the ,querent's interests2 also the town1 village or country inhabited by the ,querent4 ,reversed3 ,repose of the false heart1 indignation1 violence4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,nine4 ,a goodly personage has feasted to his heart's content1 and abundant refreshment of wine is on the arched counter behind him1 seeming to indicate that the future is also assured4 ,the picture offers the material side only1 but there are other aspects4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,concord1 contentment1 physical bien-tre2 also victory1 success1 advantage2 satisfaction for the ,querent or person for whom the consultation is made4 ,reversed3 ,truth1 loyalty1 liberty2 but the readings vary and include mistakes1 imperfections1 etc4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,eight4 ,a man of dejected aspect is deserting the cups of his felicity1 enterprise1 undertaking or previous concern4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,the card speaks for itself on the surface1 but other readings are entirely antithetical--giving joy1 mildness1 timidity1 honor1 modesty4 ,in practice1 it is usually found that the card shows the decline of a matter1 or that a matter which has been thought to be important is really of slight consequence--either for good or evil4 ,reversed3 ,great joy1 happiness1 feasting4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,seven4 ,strange chalices of vision1 but the images are more especially those of the fantastic spirit4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,fairy favors1 images of reflection1 sentiment1 imagination1 things seen in the glass of contemplation2 some attainment in these degrees1 but nothing permanent or substantial is suggested4 ,reversed3 ,desire1 will1 determination1 project4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,six4 ,children in an old garden1 their cups filled with flowers4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,a card of the past and of memories1 looking back1 as--for example--on childhood2 happiness1 enjoyment1 but coming rather from the past2 things that have vanished4 ,another reading reverses this1 giving new relations1 new knowledge1 new environment1 and then the children are disporting in an unfamiliar precinct4 ,reversed3 ,the future1 renewal1 that which will come to pass presently4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,five4 ,a dark1 cloaked figure1 looking sideways at three prone cups2 two others stand upright behind him2 a bridge is in the background1 leading to a small keep or holding4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,it is a card of loss1 but something remains over2 three have been taken1 but two are left2 it is a card of inheritance1 patrimony1 transmission1 but not corresponding to expectations2 with some interpreters it is a card of marriage1 but not without bitterness or frustration4 ,reversed3 ,news1 alliances1 affinity1 consanguinity1 ancestry1 return1 false projects4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,four4 ,a young man is seated under a tree and contemplates three cups set on the grass before him2 an arm issuing from a cloud offers him another cup4 ,his expression notwithstanding is one of discontent with his environment4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,weariness1 disgust1 aversion1 imaginary vexations1 as if the wine of this world had caused satiety only2 another wine1 as if a fairy gift1 is now offered the wastrel1 but he sees no consolation therein4 ,this is also a card of blended pleasure4 ,reversed3 ,novelty1 presage1 new instruction1 new relations4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,three4 ,maidens in a garden-ground with cups uplifted1 as if pledging one another4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,the conclusion of any matter in plenty1 perfection and merriment2 happy issue1 victory1 fulfilment1 solace1 healing4 ,reversed3 ,expedition1 dispatch1 achievement1 end4 ,it signifies also the side of excess in physical enjoyment1 and the pleasures of the senses4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,two4 ,a youth and maiden are pledging one another1 and above their cups rises the ,caduceus of ,hermes1 between the great wings of which there appears a lion's head4 ,it is a variant of a sign which is found in a few old examples of this card4 ,some curious emblematical meanings are attached to it1 but they do not concern us in this place4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,love1 passion1 friendship1 affinity1 union1 concord1 sympathy1 the inter-relation of the sexes1 and--as a suggestion apart from all offices of divination--that desire which is not in ,nature1 but by which ,nature is sanctified4 ,illustration ,,cups4 ,,ace4 ,the waters are beneath1 and thereon are water-lilies2 the hand issues from the cloud1 holding in its palm the cup1 from which four streams are pouring2 a dove1 bearing in its bill a cross-marked ,host1 descends to place the ,wafer in the ,cup2 the dew of water is falling on all sides4 ,it is an intimation of that which may lie behind the ,lesser ,arcana4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,house of the true heart1 joy1 content1 abode1 nourishment1 abundance1 fertility2 ,holy ,table1 felicity hereof4 ,reversed3 ,house of the false heart1 mutation1 instability1 revolution4 ,illustration ,,the ,,suit ,,of ,,swords4 ,,king4 ,he sits in judgment1 holding the unsheathed sign of his suit4 ,he recalls1 of course1 the conventional ,symbol of ,justice in the ,trumps ,major1 and he may represent this virtue1 but he is rather the power of life and death1 in virtue of his office4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,whatsoever arises out of the idea of judgment and all its connections--power1 command1 authority1 militant intelligence1 law1 offices of the crown1 and so forth4 ,reversed3 ,cruelty1 perversity1 barbarity1 perfidy1 evil intention4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,queen4 ,her right hand raises the weapon vertically and the hilt rests on an arm of her royal chair2 the left hand is extended1 the arm raised2 her countenance is severe but chastened2 it suggests familiarity with sorrow4 ,it does not represent mercy1 and1 her sword notwithstanding1 she is scarcely a symbol of power4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,widowhood1 female sadness and embarrassment1 absence1 sterility1 mourning1 privation1 separation4 ,reversed3 ,malice1 bigotry1 artifice1 prudery1 bale1 deceit4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,knight4 ,he is riding in full course1 as if scattering his enemies4 ,in the design he is really a proto-typical hero of romantic chivalry4 ,he might almost be ,galahad1 whose sword is swift and sure because he is clean of heart4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,skill1 bravery1 capacity1 defense1 address1 enmity1 wrath1 war1 destruction1 opposition1 resistance1 ruin4 ,there is therefore a sense in which the card signifies death1 but it carries this meaning only in its proximity to other cards of fatality4 ,reversed3 ,imprudence1 incapacity1 extravagance4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,page4 ,a lithe1 active figure holds a sword upright in both hands1 while in the act of swift walking4 ,he is passing over rugged land1 and about his way the clouds are collocated wildly4 ,he is alert and lithe1 looking this way and that1 as if an expected enemy might appear at any moment4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,authority1 overseeing1 secret service1 vigilance1 spying1 examination1 and the qualities thereto belonging4 ,reversed3 ,more evil side of these qualities2 what is unforeseen1 unprepared state2 sickness is also intimated4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,ten4 ,a prostrate figure1 pierced by all the swords belonging to the card4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,whatsoever is intimated by the design2 also pain1 affliction1 tears1 sadness1 desolation4 ,it is not especially a card of violent death4 ,reversed3 ,advantage1 profit1 success1 favor1 but none of these are permanent2 also power and authority4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,nine4 ,one seated on her couch in lamentation1 with the swords over her4 ,she is as one who knows no sorrow which is like unto hers4 ,it is a card of utter desolation4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,death1 failure1 miscarriage1 delay1 deception1 disappointment1 despair4 ,reversed3 ,imprisonment1 suspicion1 doubt1 reasonable fear1 shame4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,eight4 ,a woman1 bound and hoodwinked1 with the swords of the card about her4 ,yet it is rather a card of temporary durance than of irretrievable bondage4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,bad news1 violent chagrin1 crisis1 censure1 power in trammels1 conflict1 calumny2 also sickness4 ,reversed3 ,disquiet1 difficulty1 opposition1 accident1 treachery2 what is unforeseen2 fatality4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,seven4 ,a man in the act of carrying away five swords rapidly2 the two others of the card remain stuck in the ground4 ,a camp1 is close at hand4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,design1 attempt1 wish1 hope1 confidence2 also quarrelling1 a plan that may fail1 annoyance4 ,the design is uncertain in its import1 because the significations are widely at variance with each other4 ,reversed3 ,good advice1 counsel1 instruction1 slander1 babbling4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,six4 ,a ferryman carrying passengers in his punt to the further shore4 ,the course is smooth1 and seeing that the freight is light1 it may be noted that the work is not beyond his strength4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,journey by water1 route1 way1 envoy1 commissionary1 expedient4 ,reversed3 ,declaration1 confession1 publicity2 one account says that it is a proposal of love4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,five4 ,a disdainful man looks after two retreating and dejected figures4 ,their swords lie upon the ground4 ,he carries two others on his left shoulder1 and a third sword is in his right hand1 point to earth4 ,he is the master in possession of the field4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,degradation1 destruction1 revocation1 infamy1 dishonor1 loss1 with the variants and analogues of these4 ,reversed3 ,the same2 burial and obsequies4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,four4 ,the effigy of a knight in the attitude of prayer1 at full length upon his tomb4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,vigilance1 retreat1 solitude1 hermit's repose1 exile1 tomb and coffin4 ,it is these last that have suggested the design4 ,reversed3 ,wise administration1 circumspection1 economy1 avarice1 precaution1 testament4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,three4 ,three swords piercing a heart2 cloud and rain behind4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,removal1 absence1 delay1 division1 rupture1 dispersion1 and all that the design signifies naturally1 being too simple and obvious to call for specific enumeration4 ,reversed3 ,mental alienation1 error1 loss1 distraction1 disorder1 confusion4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,two4 ,a hoodwinked female figure balances two swords upon her shoulders4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,conformity and the equipoise which it suggests1 courage1 friendship1 concord in a state of arms2 another reading gives tenderness1 affection1 intimacy4 ,the suggestion of harmony and other favorable readings must be considered in a qualified manner1 as ,swords generally are not symbolical of beneficent forces in human affairs4 ,reversed3 ,imposture1 falsehood1 duplicity1 disloyalty4 ,illustration ,,swords4 ,,ace4 ,a hand issues from a cloud1 grasping a sword1 the point of which is encircled by a crown4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,triumph1 the excessive degree in everything1 conquest1 triumph of force4 ,it is a card of great force1 in love as well as in hatred4 ,the crown may carry a much higher significance than comes usually within the sphere of fortune-telling4 ,reversed3 ,the same1 but the results are disastrous2 another account says--conception--childbirth1 augmentation1 multiplicity4 ,illustration ,,the ,,suit ,,of ,,pentacles4 ,,king4 ,the face of this figure is dark1 suggesting courage1 and the bull's head should be noted as a recurrent symbol on the throne4 ,the sign of this suit is represented throughout as engraved with the pentigram1 typifying the correspondence of the four elements in human nature and that by which they may be governed4 ,in old ,tarot packs this suit represented money4 ,the consensus of divinatory meanings is on the side of change1 as the cards do not deal especially with questions of money4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,valor1 intelligence1 business1 mathematical gifts1 and success in these paths4 ,reversed3 ,vice1 weakness1 perversity1 peril4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,queen4 ,the face suggests that of a dark woman1 whose qualities might be summed up in the idea of greatness of soul2 she has also the serious cast of intelligence2 she contemplates her symbol and may see worlds therein4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,opulence1 generosity1 magnificence1 security1 liberty4 ,reversed3 ,evil1 suspicion1 suspense1 fear1 mistrust4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,knight4 ,he rides a slow1 enduring1 heavy horse1 to which his own aspect corresponds4 ,he exhibits his symbol1 but does not look therein4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,utility1 serviceableness1 interest1 responsibility1 rectitude--all on the normal and external plane4 ,reversed3 ,inertia1 idleness1 repose of that kind1 stagnation2 also placidity1 discouragement1 carelessness4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,page4 ,a youthful figure1 looking intently at the pentacle which hovers over his raised hands4 ,he moves slowly1 insensible of that which is about him4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,application1 study1 scholarship1 reflection2 another reading says news1 messages and the bringer thereof2 also rule1 management4 ,reversed3 ,prodigality1 dissipation1 liberality1 luxury1 unfavorable news4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,ten4 ,a man and woman beneath an archway which gives entrance to a house and domain4 ,they are accompanied by a child1 who looks curiously at two dogs accosting an ancient personage seated in the foreground4 ,the child's hand is on one of them4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,gain1 riches2 family matters1 archives1 extraction1 the abode of a family4 ,reversed3 ,chance1 fatality1 loss1 robbery1 games of hazard2 sometimes gift1 dowry1 pension4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,nine4 ,a woman1 with a bird upon her wrist1 stands amidst a great abundance of grape-vines in the garden of a manorial house4 ,it is a wide domain1 suggesting plenty in all things4 ,possibly it is her own possession and testifies to material well-being4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,prudence1 safety1 success1 accomplishment1 certitude1 discernment4 ,reversed3 ,roguery1 deception1 voided project1 bad faith4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,eight4 ,an artist in stone at his work1 which he exhibits in the form of trophies4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,work1 employment1 commission1 craftsmanship1 skill in craft and business1 perhaps in the preparatory stage4 ,reversed3 ,voided ambition1 vanity1 cupidity1 exaction1 usury4 ,it may also signify the possession of skill1 in the sense of the ingenious mind turned to cunning and intrigue4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,seven4 ,a young man1 leaning on his staff1 looks intently at seven pentacles attached to a clump of greenery on his right2 one would say that these were his treasures and that his heart was there4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,these are exceedingly contradictory2 in the main1 it is a card of money1 business1 barter2 but one reading gives altercation1 quarrel--and another innocence1 ingenuity1 purgation4 ,reversed3 ,cause for anxiety regarding money which it may be proposed to lend4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,six4 ,a person in the guise of a merchant weighs money in a pair of scales and distributes it to the needy and distressed4 ,it is a testimony to his own success in life1 as well as his goodness of heart4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,presents1 gifts1 gratification2 another account says attention1 vigilance2 now is the accepted time1 present prosperity1 etc4 ,reversed3 ,desire1 cupidity1 envy1 jealousy1 illusion4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,five4 ,two mendicants in a snowstorm pass a lighted casement4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,the card foretells material trouble above all1 whether in the form illustrated--that is1 destitution--or otherwise4 ,for some cartomancists1 it is a card of love and lovers--wife1 husband1 friend1 mistress2 also concordance1 affinities4 ,these alternatives cannot be harmonized4 ,reversed3 ,disorder1 chaos1 ruin1 discord1 profligacy4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,four4 ,a crowned figure1 having a pentacle over his crown1 clasps another with hands and arms2 two pentacles are under his feet4 ,he holds to that which he has4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,the surety of possessions1 cleaving to that which one has1 gift1 legacy1 inheritance4 ,reversed3 ,suspense1 delay1 opposition ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,three4 ,a sculptor at his work in a monastery4 ,compare the design which illustrates the ,eight of ,pentacles4 ,the apprentice or amateur therein has received his reward and is now at work in earnest4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,mtier1 trade1 skilled labor2 usually1 however1 regarded as a card of nobility1 aristocracy1 renown1 glory4 ,reversed3 ,mediocrity1 in work and otherwise1 puerility1 pettiness1 weakness4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,two4 ,a young man1 in the act of dancing1 has a pentacle in either hand1 and they are joined by that endless cord which is like the number #h reversed4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,on the one hand it is represented as a card of gaiety1 recreation and its connections1 which is the subject of the design2 but it is read also as news and messages in writing1 as obstacles1 agitation1 trouble1 embroilment4 ,reversed3 ,enforced gaiety1 simulated enjoyment1 literal sense1 handwriting1 composition1 letters of exchange4 ,illustration ,,pentacles4 ,,ace4 ,a hand--issuing1 as usual1 from a cloud--holds up a pentacle4 ,divinatory ,meanings3 ,perfect contentment1 felicity1 ecstasy2 also speedy intelligence2 gold4 ,reversed3 ,the evil side of wealth1 bad intelligence2 also great riches4 ,in any case it shows prosperity1 comfortable material conditions1 but whether these are of advantage to the possessor will depend on whether the card is reversed or not4 ,,section #c ,,the ,,greater ,,arcana ,,and ,,their ,,divinatory ,,meanings #a4 ,the ,magician4--,skill1 diplomacy1 address1 subtlety2 sickness1 pain1 loss1 disaster1 snares of enemies2 self-confidence1 will2 the ,querent1 if male4 ,reversed3 ,physician1 ,magus1 mental disease1 disgrace1 disquiet4 #b4 ,the ,high ,priestess4--,secrets1 mystery1 the future as yet unrevealed2 the woman who interests the ,querent1 if male2 the ,querent herself1 if female2 silence1 tenacity2 mystery1 wisdom1 science4 ,reversed3 ,passion1 moral or physical ardor1 conceit1 surface knowledge4 #c4 ,the ,empress4--,fruitfulness1 action1 initiative1 length of days2 the unknown1 clandestine2 also difficulty1 doubt1 ignorance4 ,reversed3 ,light1 truth1 the unravelling of involved matters1 public rejoicings2 according to another reading1 vacillation4 #d4 ,the ,emperor4--,stability1 power1 protection1 realization2 a great person2 aid1 reason1 conviction2 also authority and will4 ,reversed3 ,benevolence1 compassion1 credit2 also confusion to enemies1 obstruction1 immaturity4 #e4 ,the ,hierophant4--,marriage1 alliance1 captivity1 servitude2 by another account1 mercy and goodness2 inspiration2 the man to whom the ,querent has recourse4 ,reversed3 ,society1 good understanding1 concord1 over-kindness1 weakness4 #f4 ,the ,lovers4--,attraction1 love1 beauty1 trials overcome4 ,reversed3 ,failure1 foolish designs4 ,another account speaks of marriage frustrated and contrarieties of all kinds4 #g4 ,the ,chariot4--,succor1 providence2 also war1 triumph1 presumption1 vengeance1 trouble4 ,reversed3 ,riot1 quarrel1 dispute1 litigation1 defeat4 #h4 ,fortitude4--,power1 energy1 action1 courage1 magnanimity2 also complete success and honors4 ,reversed3 ,despotism1 abuse of power1 weakness1 discord1 sometimes even disgrace4 #i4 ,the ,hermit4--,prudence1 circumspection2 also and especially treason1 dissimulation1 roguery1 corruption4 ,reversed3 ,concealment1 disguise1 policy1 fear1 unreasoned caution4 #aj4 ,wheel of ,fortune4--,destiny1 fortune1 success1 elevation1 luck1 felicity4 ,reversed3 ,increase1 abundance1 superfluity4 #aa4 ,justice4--,equity1 rightness1 probity1 executive2 triumph of the deserving side in law4 ,reversed3 ,law in all its departments1 legal complications1 bigotry1 bias1 excessive severity4 #ab4 ,the ,hanged ,man4--,wisdom1 circumspection1 discernment1 trials1 sacrifice1 intuition1 divination1 prophecy4 ,reversed3 ,selfishness1 the crowd1 body politic4 #ac4 ,death4--,end1 mortality1 destruction1 corruption2 also1 for a man1 the loss of a benefactor2 for a woman1 many contrarieties2 for a maid1 failure of marriage projects4 ,reversed3 ,inertia1 sleep1 lethargy1 petrifaction1 somnambulism2 hope destroyed4 #ad4 ,temperance4--,economy1 moderation1 frugality1 management1 accommodation4 ,reversed3 ,things connected with churches1 religions1 sects1 the priesthood1 sometimes even the priest who will marry the ,querent2 also disunion1 unfortunate combinations1 competing interests4 #ae4 ,the ,devil4--,ravage1 violence1 vehemence1 extraordinary efforts1 force1 fatality2 that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil4 ,reversed3 ,evil fatality1 weakness1 pettiness1 blindness4 #af4 ,the ,tower4--,misery1 distress1 indigence1 adversity1 calamity1 disgrace1 deception1 ruin4 ,it is a card in particular of unforeseen catastrophe4 ,reversed3 ,according to one account1 the same in a lesser degree2 also oppression1 imprisonment1 tyranny4 #ag4 ,the ,star4--,loss1 theft1 privation1 abandonment2 another reading says--hope and bright prospects4 ,reversed3 ,arrogance1 haughtiness1 impotence4 #ah4 ,the ,moon4--,hidden enemies1 danger1 calumny1 darkness1 terror1 deception1 occult forces1 error4 ,reversed3 ,instability1 inconstancy1 silence1 lesser degrees of deception and error4 #ai4 ,the ,sun4--,material happiness1 fortunate marriage1 contentment4 ,reversed3 ,the same in a lesser sense4 #bj4 ,the ,last ,judgment4--,change of position1 renewal1 outcome4 ,another account specifies total loss through lawsuit4 ,reversed3 ,weakness1 pusillanimity1 simplicity2 also deliberation1 decision1 sentence4 ,zero4 ,the ,fool4--,folly1 mania1 extravagance1 intoxication1 delirium1 frenzy1 bewrayment4 ,reversed3 ,negligence1 absence1 distribution1 carelessness1 apathy1 nullity1 vanity4 #ba4 ,the ,world4--,assured success1 recompense1 voyage1 route1 emigration1 flight1 change of place4 ,reversed3 ,inertia1 fixity1 stagnation1 permanence4 ,it will be seen that1 except where there is an irresistible suggestion conveyed by the surface meaning1 that which is extracted from the ,trumps ,major by the divinatory art is at once artificial and arbitrary1 as it seems to me1 in the highest degree4 ,but of one order are the mysteries of light and of another are those of fantasy4 ,the allocation of a fortune-telling aspect to these cards is the story of a prolonged impertinence4 ,,section #d ,,some ,,additional ,,meanings ,,of ,,the ,,lesser ,,arcana ,,wands4 ,king4--,generally favorable2 may signify a good marriage4 ,reversed3 ,advice that should be followed4 ,queen4--,a good harvest1 which may be taken in several senses4 ,reversed3 ,good-will towards the ,querent1 but without the opportunity to exercise it4 ,knight4--,a bad card2 according to some readings1 alienation4 ,reversed3 ,for a woman1 marriage1 but probably frustrated4 ,page4--,young man of family in search of young lady4 ,reversed3 ,bad news4 ,ten4--,difficulties and contradictions1 if near a good card4 ,nine4--,generally speaking1 a bad card4 ,eight4--,domestic disputes for a married person4 ,seven4--,a dark child4 ,six4--,servants may lose the confidence of their masters2 a young lady may be betrayed by a friend4 ,reversed3 ,fulfilment of deferred hope4 ,five4--,success in financial speculation4 ,reversed3 ,quarrels may be turned to advantage4 ,four4--,unexpected good fortune4 ,reversed3 ,a married woman will have beautiful children4 ,three4--,a very good card2 collaboration will favor enterprise4 ,two4--,a young lady may expect trivial disappointments4 ,ace4--,calamities of all kinds4 ,reversed3 ,a sign of birth4 ,,cups4 ,king4--,beware of ill-will on the part of a man of position1 and of hypocrisy pretending to help4 ,reversed3 ,loss4 ,queen4--,sometimes denotes a woman of equivocal character4 ,reversed3 ,a rich marriage for a man and a distinguished one for a woman4 ,knight4--,a visit from a friend1 who will bring unexpected money to the ,querent4 ,reversed3 ,irregularity4 ,page4--,good augury2 also a young man who is unfortunate in love4 ,reversed3 ,obstacles of all kinds4 ,ten4--,for a male ,querent1 a good marriage and one beyond his expectations4 ,reversed3 ,sorrow2 also a serious quarrel4 ,nine4--,of good augury for military men4 ,reversed3 ,good business4 ,eight4--,marriage with a fair woman4 ,reversed3 ,perfect satisfaction4 ,seven4--,fair child2 idea1 design1 resolve1 movement4 ,reversed3 ,success1 if accompanied by the ,three of ,cups4 ,six4--,pleasant memories4 ,reversed3 ,inheritance to fall in quickly4 ,five4--,generally favorable2 a happy marriage2 also patrimony1 legacies1 gifts1 success in enterprise4 ,reversed3 ,return of some relative who has not been seen for long4 ,four4--,contrarieties4 ,reversed3 ,presentiment4 ,three4--,unexpected advancement for a military man4 ,reversed3 ,consolation1 cure1 end of the business4 ,two4--,favorable in things of pleasure and business1 as well as in love2 also wealth and honor4 ,reversed3 ,passion4 ,ace4--,inflexible will1 unalterable law4 ,reversed3 ,unexpected change of position4 ,,swords4 ,king4--,a lawyer1 senator1 doctor4 ,reversed3 ,a bad man2 also a caution to put an end to a ruinous lawsuit4 ,queen4--,a widow4 ,reversed3 ,a bad woman1 with ill-will towards the ,querent4 ,knight4--,a soldier1 man of arms1 satellite1 stipendiary2 heroic action predicted for soldier4 ,reversed3 ,dispute with an imbecile person2 for a woman1 struggle with a rival1 who will be conquered4 ,page4--,an indiscreet person will pry into the ,querent's secrets4 ,reversed3 ,astonishing news4 ,ten4--,followed by ,ace and ,king1 imprisonment2 for girl or wife1 treason on the part of friends4 ,reversed3 ,victory and consequent fortune for a soldier in war4 ,nine4--,an ecclesiastic1 a priest2 generally1 a card of bad omen4 ,reversed3 ,good ground for suspicion against a doubtful person4 ,eight4--,for a woman1 scandal spread in her respect4 ,reversed3 ,departure of a relative4 ,seven4--,dark girl2 a good card2 it promises a country life after a competence has been secured4 ,reversed3 ,good advice1 probably neglected4 ,six4--,the voyage will be pleasant4 ,reversed3 ,unfavorable issue of lawsuit4 ,five4--,an attack on the fortune of the ,querent4 ,reversed3 ,a sign of sorrow and mourning4 ,four4--,a bad card1 but if reversed a qualified success may be expected by wise administration of affairs4 ,reversed3 ,a certain success following wise administration4 ,three4--,for a woman1 the flight of her lover4 ,reversed3 ,a meeting with one whom the ,querent has compromised2 also a nun4 ,two4--,gifts for a lady1 influential protection for a man in search of help4 ,reversed3 ,dealings with rogues4 ,ace4--,great prosperity or great misery4 ,reversed3 ,marriage broken off1 for a woman1 through her own imprudence4 ,,pentacles4 ,king4--,a rather dark man1 a merchant1 master1 professor4 ,reversed3 ,an old and vicious man4 ,queen4--,dark woman2 presents from a rich relative2 rich and happy marriage for a young man4 ,reversed3 ,an illness4 ,knight4--,a useful man2 useful discoveries4 ,reversed3 ,a brave man out of employment4 ,page4--,a dark youth2 a young officer or soldier2 a child4 ,reversed3 ,sometimes degradation and sometimes pillage4 ,ten4--,represents house or dwelling1 and derives its value from other cards4 ,reversed3 ,an occasion which may be fortunate or otherwise4 ,nine4--,prompt fulfilment of what is presaged by neighboring cards4 ,reversed3 ,vain hopes4 ,eight4--,a young man in business who has relations with the ,querent2 a dark girl4 ,reversed3 ,the ,querent will be compromised in a matter of money-lending4 ,seven4--,improved position for a lady's future husband4 ,reversed3 ,impatience1 apprehension1 suspicion4 ,six4--,the present must not be relied on4 ,reversed3 ,a check on the ,querent's ambition4 ,five4--,conquest of fortune by reason4 ,reversed3 ,troubles in love4 ,four4--,for a bachelor1 pleasant news from a lady4 ,reversed3 ,observation1 hindrances4 ,three4--,if for a man1 celebrity for his eldest son4 ,reversed3 ,depends on neighboring cards4 ,two4--,troubles are more imaginary than real4 ,reversed3 ,bad omen1 ignorance1 injustice4 ,ace4--,the most favorable of all cards4 ,reversed3 ,a share in the finding of treasure4 ,it will be observed 7#a7 that these additamenta have little connection with the pictorial designs of the cards to which they refer1 as these correspond with the more important speculative values2 7#b7 and further that the additional meanings are very often in disagreement with those previously given4 ,all meanings are largely independent of one another and all are reduced1 accentuated or subject to modification and sometimes almost reversal by their place in a sequence4 ,there is scarcely any canon of criticism in matters of this kind4 ,i suppose that in proportion as any system descends from generalities to details it becomes naturally the more precarious2 and in the records of professional fortune-telling1 it offers more of the dregs and lees of the subject4 ,at the same time1 divinations based on intuition and second sight are of little practical value unless they come down from the region of universals to that of particulars2 but in proportion as this gift is present in a particular case1 the specific meanings recorded by past cartomancists will be disregarded in favor of the personal appreciation of card values4 ,this has been intimated already4 ,it seems necessary to add the following speculative readings4 ,,section #e ,,the ,,recurrence ,,of ,,cards ,,in ,,dealing ,,in ,,the ,,natural ,,position #d ,kings great honor2 #c ,kings consultation2 #b ,kings minor counsel4 #d ,queens great debate2 #c ,queens deception by women2 #b ,queens sincere friends4 #d ,knights serious matters2 #c ,knights lively debate2 #b ,knights intimacy4 #d ,pages dangerous illness2 #c ,pages dispute2 #b ,pages disquiet4 #d ,tens condemnation2 #c ,tens new condition2 #b ,tens change4 #d ,nines a good friend2 #c ,nines success2 #b ,nines receipt4 #d ,eights reverse2 #c ,eights marriage2 #b ,eights new knowledge4 #d ,sevens intrigue2 #c ,sevens infirmity2 #b ,sevens news4 #d ,sixes abundance2 #c ,sixes success2 #b ,sixes irritability4 #d ,fives regularity2 #c ,fives determination2 #b ,fives vigils4 #d ,fours journey near at hand2 #c ,fours a subject of reflection2 #b ,fours insomnia4 #d ,threes progress2 #c ,threes unity2 #b ,threes calm4 #d ,twos contention2 #c twos security2 #b ,twos accord4 #d ,aces favorable chance2 #c ,aces small success2 #b ,aces trickery4 ,,reversed #d ,kings celerity2 #c ,kings commerce2 #b ,kings projects4 #d ,queens bad company2 #c ,queens gluttony2 #b ,queens work4 #d ,knights alliance2 #c ,knights a duel1 or personal encounter2 #b ,knights susceptibility4 #d ,pages privation2 #c ,pages idleness2 #b ,pages society4 #d ,tens event1 happening2 #c ,tens disappointment2 #b ,tens expectation justified4 #d ,nines usury2 #c ,nines imprudence2 #b ,nines small profit4 #d ,eights error2 #c ,eights a spectacle2 #b ,eights misfortune4 #d ,sevens quarrellers2 #c ,sevens joy2 #b ,sevens women of no repute4 #d ,sixes care2 #c ,sixes satisfaction2 #b ,sixes downfall4 #d ,fives order2 #c ,fives hesitation2 #b ,fives reverse4 #d ,fours walks abroad2 #c ,fours disquiet2 #b ,fours dispute4 #d ,threes great success2 #c ,threes serenity2 #b ,threes safety4 #d ,twos reconciliation2 #c ,twos apprehension2 #b ,twos mistrust4 #d ,aces dishonor2 #c ,aces debauchery2 #b ,aces enemies4 ,,section #f ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,tarot ,,divination ,we come now to the final and practical part of this division of our subject1 being the way to consult and obtain oracles by means of ,tarot cards4 ,the modes of operation are rather numerous1 and some of them are exceedingly involved4 ,i set aside those last mentioned1 because persons who are versed in such questions believe that the way of simplicity is the way of truth4 ,i set aside also the operations which have been republished recently in that section of ,the ,tarot ,of ,the ,bohemians which is entitled ,the ,divining ,tarot2 it may be recommended at its proper value to readers who wish to go further than the limits of this handbook4 ,i offer in the first place a short process which has been used privately for many years past in ,england1 ,scotland and ,ireland4 ,i do not think that it has been published--certainly not in connection with ,tarot cards2 ,i believe that it will serve all purposes1 but ,i will add--by way of variation--in the second place what used to be known in ,france as the ,oracles of ,julia ,orsini4 ,,section #g ,,an ,,ancient ,,celtic ,,method ,,of ,,divination ,this mode of divination is the most suitable for obtaining an answer to a definite question4 ,the ,diviner first selects a card to represent the person or matter about which inquiry is made4 ,this card is called the ,significator4 ,should he wish to ascertain something in connection with himself he takes the one which corresponds to his personal description4 ,a ,knight should be chosen as the ,significator if the subject of inquiry is a man of forty years old and upward2 ,a ,king should be chosen for any male who is under that age2 a ,queen for a woman over forty years2 and a ,page for any female of less age4 ,the four ,court ,cards in ,wands represent very fair people1 with yellow or auburn hair1 fair complexion and blue eyes4 ,the ,court ,cards in ,cups signify people with light brown or dull fair hair and grey or blue eyes4 ,those in ,swords stand for people having hazel or grey eyes1 dark brown hair and dull complexion4 ,lastly1 the ,court ,cards in ,pentacles are referred to persons with very dark brown or black hair1 dark eyes and sallow or swarthy complexions4 ,these allocations are subject1 however1 to the following reserve1 which will prevent them being taken too conventionally4 ,you can be guided on occasion by the known temperament of a person2 one who is exceedingly dark may be very energetic1 and would be better represented by a ,sword card than a ,pentacle4 ,on the other hand1 a very fair subject who is indolent and lethargic should be referred to ,cups rather than to ,wands4 ,if it is more convenient for the purpose of a divination to take as the ,significator the matter about which inquiry is to be made1 that ,trump or small card should be selected which has a meaning corresponding to the matter4 ,let it be supposed that the question is3 ,will a lawsuit be necessary8 ,in this case1 take the ,trump ,no4 #aa1 or ,justice1 as the ,significator4 ,this has reference to legal affairs4 ,but if the question is3 ,shall ,i be successful in my lawsuit8 one of the ,court ,cards must be chosen as the ,significator4 ,subsequently1 consecutive divinations may be performed to ascertain the course of the process itself and its result to each of the parties concerned4 ,having selected the ,significator1 place it on the table1 face upwards4 ,then shuffle and cut the rest of the pack three times1 keeping the faces of the cards downwards4 ,turn up the top or ,,first ,,card of the pack2 cover the ,significator with it1 and say3 ,this covers him4 ,this card gives the influence which is affecting the person or matter of inquiry generally1 the atmosphere of it in which the other currents work4 ,turn up the ,,second ,,card and lay it across the ,,first1 saying3 ,this crosses him4 ,it shows the nature of the obstacles in the matter4 ,if it is a favorable card1 the opposing forces will not be serious1 or it may indicate that something good in itself will not be productive of good in the particular connection4 ,turn up the ,,third ,,card2 place it above the ,significator1 and say3 ,this crowns him4 ,it represents 7a7 the ,querent's aim or ideal in the matter2 7b7 the best that can be achieved under the circumstances1 but that which has not yet been made actual4 ,turn up the ,,fourth ,,card2 place it below the ,significator1 and say3 ,this is beneath him4 ,it shows the foundation or basis of the matter1 that which has already passed into actuality and which the ,significator has made his own4 ,turn up the ,,fifth ,,card2 place it on the side of the ,significator from which he is looking1 and say3 ,this is behind him4 ,it gives the influence that is just passed1 or is now passing away4 ,n4 ,b4--,if the ,significator is a ,trump or any small card that cannot be said to face either way1 the ,diviner must decide before beginning the operation which side he will take it as facing4 ,turn up the ,,sixth ,,card2 place it on the side that the ,significator is facing1 and say3 ,this is before him4 ,it shows the influence that is coming into action and will operate in the near future4 ,the cards are now disposed in the form of a cross1 the ,significator--covered by the ,first ,card--being in the center4 ,the next four cards are turned up in succession and placed one above the other in a line1 on the right hand side of the cross4 ,the first of these1 or the ,,seventh ,,card of the operation1 signifies himself--that is1 the ,significator--whether person or thing--and shows its position or attitude in the circumstances4 ,the ,,eighth ,,card signifies his house1 that is1 his environment and the tendencies at work therein which have an effect on the matter--for instance1 his position in life1 the influence of immediate friends1 and so forth4 ,the ,,ninth ,,card gives his hopes or fears in the matter4 ,the ,,tenth is what will come1 the final result1 the culmination which is brought about by the influences shown by the other cards that have been turned up in the divination4 ,it is on this card that the ,diviner should especially concentrate his intuitive faculties and his memory in respect of the official divinatory meanings attached thereto4 ,it should embody whatsoever you may have divined from the other cards on the table1 including the ,significator itself and concerning him or it1 not excepting such lights upon higher significance as might fall like sparks from heaven if the card which serves for the oracle1 the card for reading1 should happen to be a ,trump ,major4 ,the operation is now completed2 but should it happen that the last card is of a dubious nature1 from which no final decision can be drawn1 or which does not appear to indicate the ultimate conclusion of the affair1 it may be well to repeat the operation1 taking in this case the ,tenth ,card as the ,significator1 instead of the one previously used4 ,the pack must be again shuffled and cut three times and the first ten cards laid out as before4 ,by this a more detailed account of ,what will come may be obtained4 ,if in any divination the ,tenth ,card should be a ,court ,card1 it shows that the subject of the divination falls ultimately into the hands of a person represented by that card1 and its end depends mainly on him4 ,in this event also it is useful to take the ,court ,card in question as the ,significator in a fresh operation1 and discover what is the nature of his influence in the matter and to what issue he will bring it4 ,great facility may be obtained by this method in a comparatively short time1 allowance being always made for the gifts of the operator--that is to say1 his faculty of insight1 latent or developed--and it has the special advantage of being free from all complications4 ,,diagram ,i here append a diagram of the cards as laid out in this mode of divination4 ,the ,significator is here facing to the left4 --- --- #c #aj --- --- --- #i ,significator --- ---- --- --- ------ #f #b #e ------ --- --- ---- and ,no4 #a4 --- #h --- --- --- #d #g --- --- ,the ,significator4 #a4 ,what covers him4 #b4 ,what crosses him4 #c4 ,what crowns him4 #d4 ,what is beneath him4 #e4 ,what is behind him4 #f4 ,what is before him4 #g4 ,himself4 #h4 ,his house4 #i4 ,his hopes or fears4 #aj4 ,what will come4 ,,section #h ,,an ,,alternative ,,method ,,of ,,reading ,,the ,,tarot ,,cards ,shuffle the entire pack and turn some of the cards round1 so as to invert their tops4 ,let them be cut by the ,querent with his left hand4 ,deal out the first forty-two cards in six packets of seven cards each1 face upwards1 so that the first seven cards form the first packet1 the following seven the second1 so on--as in the following diagram3-- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ #fth #eth #dth #crd #bnd #ast packet packet packet packet packet packet ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ,take up the first packet2 lay out the cards on the table in a row1 from right to left2 place the cards of the second packet upon them and then the packets which remain4 ,you will thus have seven new packets of six cards each1 arranged as follows-- ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ #gth #fth #eth #dth #crd #bnd #ast packet packet packet packet packet packet packet ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ------ ,take the top card of each packet1 shuffle them and lay out from right to left1 making a line of seven cards4 ,then take up the two next cards from each packet1 shuffle and lay them out in two lines under the first line4 ,take up the remaining twenty-one cards of the packets1 shuffle and lay them out in three lines below the others4 ,you will thus have six horizontal lines of seven cards each1 arranged after the following manner4 #ast line4 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #g #f #e #d #c #b #a --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #bnd line4 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #g #f #e #d #c #b #a --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #crd line4 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #g #f #e #d #c #b #a --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #dth line4 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #g #f #e #d #c #b #a --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #eth line4 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #g #f #e #d #c #b #a --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #fth line4 --- --- --- --- --- --- --- #g #f #e #d #c #b #a --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ,in this method1 the ,querent--if of the male sex--is represented by the ,magician1 and if female by the ,high ,priestess2 but the card1 in either case1 is not taken from the pack until the forty-two cards have been laid out1 as above directed4 ,if the required card is not found among those placed upon the table1 it must be sought among the remaining thirty-six cards1 which have not been dealt1 and should be placed a little distance to the right of the first horizontal line4 ,on the other hand1 if it is among them1 it is also taken out1 placed as stated1 and a card is drawn haphazard from the thirty-six cards undealt to fill the vacant position1 so that there are still forty-two cards laid out on the table4 ,the cards are then read in succession1 from right to left throughout1 beginning at card ,no4 #a of the topline1 the last to be read being that on the extreme left1 or ,no4 #g1 of the bottom line4 ,this method is recommended when no definite question is asked--that is1 when the ,querent wishes to learn generally concerning the course of his life and destiny4 ,if he wishes to know what may befall within a certain time1 this time should be clearly specified before the cards are shuffled4 ,with further reference to the reading1 it should be remembered that the cards must be interpreted relatively to the subject1 which means that all official and conventional meanings of the cards may and should be adapted to harmonize with the conditions of this particular case in question--the position1 time of life and sex of the ,querent1 or person for whom the consultation is made4 ,thus1 the ,fool may indicate the whole range of mental phases between mere excitement and madness1 but the particular phase in each divination must be judged by considering the general trend of the cards1 and in this naturally the intuitive faculty plays an important part4 ,it is well at the beginning of a reading1 to run through the cards quickly1 so that the mind may receive a general impression of the subject--the trend of the destiny--and afterwards to start again--reading them one by one and interpreting in detail4 ,it should be remembered that the ,trumps represent more powerful and compelling forces--by the ,tarot hypothesis--than are referable to the small cards4 ,the value of intuitive and clairvoyant faculties is of course assumed in divination4 ,where these are naturally present or have been developed by the ,diviner1 the fortuitous arrangement of cards forms a link between his mind and the atmosphere of the subject of divination1 and then the rest is simple4 ,where intuition fails1 or is absent1 concentration1 intellectual observation and deduction must be used to the fullest extent to obtain a satisfactory result4 ,but intuition1 even if apparently dormant1 may be cultivated by practice in these divinatory processes4 ,if in doubt as to the exact meaning of a card in a particular connection1 the ,diviner is recommended1 by those who are versed in the matter1 to place his hand on it1 try to refrain from thinking of what it ought to be1 and note the impressions that arise in his mind4 ,at the beginning this will probably resolve itself into mere guessing and may prove incorrect1 but it becomes possible with practice to distinguish between a guess of the conscious mind and an impression arising from the mind which is sub-conscious4 ,it is not within my province to offer either theoretical or practical suggestions on this subject1 in which ,i have no part1 but the following additamenta have been contributed by one who has more titles to speak than all the cartomancists of ,europe1 if they could shuffle with a single pair of hands and divine with one tongue4 ,,notes ,,on ,,the ,,practice ,,of ,,divination #a4 ,before beginning the operation1 formulate your question definitely1 and repeat it aloud4 #b4 ,make your mind as blank as possible while shuffling the cards4 #c4 ,put out of the mind personal bias and preconceived ideas as far as possible1 or your judgment will be tinctured thereby4 #d4 ,on this account it is more easy to divine correctly for a stranger than for yourself or a friend4 ,,section #i ,,the ,,method ,,of ,,reading ,,by ,,means ,,of ,,thirty-,,five ,,cards ,when the reading is over1 according to the scheme set forth in the last method1 it may happen--as in the previous case--that something remains doubtful1 or it may be desired to carry the question further1 which is done as follows3 ,take up the undealt cards which remain over1 not having been used in the first operation with #db cards4 ,the latter are set aside in a heap1 with the ,querent1 face upwards1 on the top4 ,the thirty-five cards1 being shuffled and cut as before1 are divided by dealing into six packets thus3-- ,packet ,i consists of the first ,,seven ,,cards2 ,packet ,,ii consists of the ,,six ,,cards next following in order2 ,packet ,,iii consists of the ,,five ,,cards following2 ,packet ,,iv contains the next ,,four ,,cards2 ,packet ,v contains ,,two ,,cards2 and ,packet ,,vi contains the last ,,eleven ,,cards4 ,the arrangement will then be as follows3-- ,packet ,packet ,packet ,packet ,packet ,packet ,,vi4 ,v4 ,,iv4 ,,iii4 ,,ii4 ,i4 ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- #aa #b #d #e #f #g cards cards cards cards cards cards ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ----- ,take up these packets successively2 deal out the cards which they contain in six lines1 which will be necessarily of unequal length4 ,,the ,,first ,,line stands for the house1 the environment and so forth4 ,,the ,,second ,,line stands for the person or subject of the divination4 ,,the ,,third ,,line stands for what is passing outside1 events1 persons1 etc4 ,,the ,,fourth ,,line stands for a surprise1 the unexpected1 etc4 ,,the ,,fifth ,,line stands for consolation1 and may moderate all that is unfavorable in the preceding lines4 ,,the ,,sixth ,,line is that which must be consulted to elucidate the enigmatic oracles of the others2 apart from them it has no importance4 ,these cards should all be read from left to right1 beginning with the uppermost line4 ,it should be stated in conclusion as to this divinatory part that there is no method of interpreting ,tarot cards which is not applicable to ordinary playing-cards1 but the additional court cards1 and above all the ,trumps ,major1 are held to increase the elements and values of the oracles4 ,and now in conclusion as to the whole matter1 ,i have left for these last words--as if by way of epilogue--one further and final point4 ,it is the sense in which ,i regard the ,trumps ,major as containing ,secret ,doctrine4 ,i do not here mean that ,i am acquainted with orders and fraternities in which such doctrine reposes and is there found to be part of higher ,tarot knowledge4 ,i do not mean that such doctrine1 being so preserved and transmitted1 can be constructed as imbedded independently in the ,trumps ,major4 ,i do not mean that it is something apart from the ,tarot4 ,associations exist which have special knowledge of both kinds2 some of it is deduced from the ,tarot and some of it is apart therefrom2 in either case1 it is the same in the root-matter4 ,but there are also things in reserve which are not in orders or societies1 but are transmitted after another manner4 ,apart from all inheritance of this kind1 let any one who is a mystic consider separately and in combination the ,magician1 the ,fool1 the ,high ,priestess1 the ,hierophant1 the ,empress1 the ,emperor1 the ,hanged ,man and the ,tower4 ,let him then consider the card called the ,last ,judgment4 ,they contain the legend of the soul4 ,the other ,trumps ,major are the details and--as one might say--the accidents4 ,perhaps such a person will begin to understand what lies far behind these symbols1 by whomsoever first invented and however preserved4 ,if he does1 he will see also why ,i have concerned myself with the subject1 even at the risk of writing about divination by cards4 ,,bibliography ,a ,concise ,bibliography ,of ,the ,chief ,works ,dealing ,with ,the ,tarot ,and ,its ,connections ,as in spite of its modest pretensions1 this monograph is1 so far as ,i am aware1 the first attempt to provide in ,english a complete synoptic account of the ,tarot1 with its archological position defined1 its available symbolism developed1 and--as a matter of curiosity in occultism--with its divinatory meanings and modes of operation sufficiently exhibited1 it is my wish1 from the literate standpoint1 to enumerate those text-books of the subject1 and the most important incidental references thereto1 which have come under my notice4 ,the bibliographical particulars that follow lay no claim to completeness1 as ,i have cited nothing that ,i have not seen with my own eyes2 but ,i can understand that most of my readers will be surprised at the extent of the literature--if ,i may so term it conventionally--which has grown up in the course of the last #abj years4 ,those who desire to pursue their inquiries further will find ample materials herein1 though it is not a course which ,i am seeking to commend especially1 as ,i deem that enough has been said upon the ,tarot in this place to stand for all that has preceded it4 ,the bibliography itself is representative after a similar manner4 ,i should add that there is a considerable catalogue of cards and works on card-playing in the ,british ,museum1 but ,i have not had occasion to consult it to any extent for the purposes of the present list4 ,i ,monde ,primitif1 analys et compar avec le ,monde ,moderne4 ,par ,m4 ,court de ,gebelin4 ,vol4 #h1 #dto1 ,paris1 #agha4 ,the articles on the ,jeu des ,tarots will be found at pp4 #cfe to #daj4 ,the plates at the end show the ,trumps ,major and the ,aces of each suit4 ,these are valuable as indications of the cards at the close of the eighteenth century4 ,they were presumably then in circulation in the ,south of ,france1 as it is said that at the period in question they were practically unknown at ,paris4 ,i have dealt with the claims of the papers in the body of the present work4 ,their speculations were tolerable enough for their mazy period2 but that they are suffered still1 and accepted indeed without question1 by ,french occult writers is the most convincing testimony that one can need to the qualifications of the latter for dealing with any question of historical research4 ,,ii ,the ,works of ,etteilla4 ,les ,septs ,nuances de l'oeuvre philosophique ,hermtique2 ,manire de se rcrer avec le ,jeu de ,cartes1 nommes ,tarots2 ,fragments sur les ,hautes ,sciences2 ,philosophie des ,hautes ,sciences2 ,jeu des ,tarots1 ou le ,livre de ,thoth2 ,leons ,thoriques et ,pratiques du ,livre de ,thoth--all published between #aghc and #aghg4 ,these are exceedingly rare and were frankly among the works of colportage of their particular period4 ,they contain the most curious fragments on matters within and without the main issue1 lucubrations on genii1 magic1 astrology1 talismans1 dreams1 etc4 ,i have spoken sufficiently in the text on the author's views on the ,tarot and his place in its modern history4 ,he regarded it as a work of speaking hieroglyphics1 but to translate it was not easy4 ,he1 however1 accomplished the task--that is to say1 in his own opinion4 ,,iii ,an ,inquiry into the ,ancient ,greek ,game1 supposed to have been invented by ,palamedes4 7,by ,james ,christie47 ,london3 #dto1 #ahja4 ,i mention this collection of curious dissertations because it has been cited by writers on the ,tarot4 ,it seeks to establish a close connection between early games of antiquity and modern chess4 ,it is suggested that the invention attributed to ,palamedes1 prior to the ,siege of ,troy1 was known in ,china from a more remote period of antiquity4 ,the work has no reference to cards of any kind whatsoever4 ,,iv ,researches into the ,history of ,playing ,cards4 ,by ,samuel ,weller ,singer4 #dto1 ,london1 #ahaf4 ,the ,tarot is probably of ,eastern origin and high antiquity1 but the rest of ,court de ,gebelin's theory is vague and unfounded4 ,cards were known in ,europe prior to the appearance of the ,egyptians4 ,the work has a good deal of curious information and the appendices are valuable1 but the ,tarot occupies comparatively little of the text and the period is too early for a tangible criticism of its claims4 ,there are excellent reproductions of early specimen designs4 ,those of ,court de ,gebelin are also given in extenso4 ,v ,facts and ,speculations on ,playing ,cards4 ,by ,w4 ,a4 ,chatto4 #hvo1 ,london1 #ahdh4 ,the author suggested that the ,trumps ,major and the numeral cards were once separate1 but were afterwards combined4 ,the oldest specimens of ,tarot cards are not later than #addj4 ,but the claims and value of the volume have been sufficiently described in the text4 ,,vi ,les ,cartes ,jouer et la ,cartomancie4 ,par ,d4 ,r4 ,p4 ,boiteau d',ambly4 #dto1 ,paris1 #ahed4 ,there are some interesting illustrations of early ,tarot cards1 which are said to be of ,oriental origin2 but they are not referred to ,egypt4 ,the early gipsy connection is affirmed1 but there is no evidence produced4 ,the cards came with the gipsies from ,india1 where they were designed to show forth the intentions of the unknown divinity rather than to be the servants of profane amusement4 ,,vii ,dogme et ,rituel de la ,haute ,magie4 ,par ,eliphas ,lvi1 #b vols41 demy #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahed4 ,this is the first publication of ,alphonse ,louis ,constant on occult philosophy1 and it is also his magnum opus4 ,it is constructed in both volumes on the major ,keys of the ,tarot and has been therefore understood as a kind of development of their implicits1 in the way that these were presented to the mind of the author4 ,to supplement what has been said of this work in the text of the present monograph1 ,i need only add that the section on transmutations in the second volume contains what is termed the ,key of ,thoth4 ,the inner circle depicts a triple ,tau1 with a hexagram where the bases join1 and beneath is the ,ace of ,cups4 ,within the external circle are the letters ,,taro1 and about this figure as a whole are grouped the symbols of the ,four ,living ,creatures1 the ,ace of ,wands1 ,ace of ,swords1 the letter ,shin1 and a magician's candle1 which is identical1 according to ,lvi1 with the lights used in the ,goetic ,circle of ,black ,evocations and ,pacts4 ,the triple ,tau may be taken to represent the ,ace of ,pentacles4 ,the only ,tarot card given in the volumes is the ,chariot1 which is drawn by two sphinxes2 the fashion thus set has been followed in later days4 ,those who interpret the work as a kind of commentary on the ,trumps ,major are the conventional occult students and those who follow them will have only the pains of fools4 ,,viii ,les ,rmes4 ,par ,j4 ,a4 ,vaillant4 ,demy #hvo1 ,paris1 #aheg4 ,the author tells us how he met with the cards1 but the account is in a chapter of anecdotes4 ,the ,tarot is the sidereal book of ,enoch1 modelled on the astral wheel of ,athor4 ,there is a description of the ,trumps ,major1 which are evidently regarded as an heirloom1 brought by the gipsies from ,indo-,tartary4 ,the publication of ,lvi's ,dogme et ,rituel must1 ,i think1 have impressed ,vaillant very much1 and although in this1 which was the writer's most important work1 the anecdote that ,i have mentioned is practically his only ,tarot reference1 he seems to have gone much further in a later publication--,clef ,magique de la ,fiction et du ,fait1 but ,i have not been able to see it1 nor do ,i think1 from the reports concerning it1 that ,i have sustained a loss4 ,,ix ,historie de la ,magie4 ,par ,eliphas ,lvi4 #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahfj4 ,the references to the ,tarot are few in this brilliant work1 which will be available shortly in ,english4 ,it gives the #bast ,trump ,major1 commonly called the ,universe1 or ,world1 under the title of ,yinx ,pantomorphe--a seated figure wearing the crown of ,isis4 ,this has been reproduced by ,papus in ,le ,tarot ,divinatoire4 ,the author explains that the extant ,tarot has come down to us through the ,jews1 but it passed somehow into the hands of the gipsies1 who brought it with them when they first entered ,france in the early part of the fifteenth century4 ,the authority here is ,vaillant4 ,x ,la ,clef des ,grands ,mystres4 ,par ,eliphas ,lvi1 #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahfa4 ,the frontispiece to this work represents the absolute ,key of the occult sciences1 given by ,william ,postel and completed by the writer4 ,it is reproduced in ,the ,tarot ,of ,the ,bohemians1 and in the preface which ,i have prefixed thereto1 as indeed elsewhere1 ,i have explained that ,postel never constructed a hieroglyphical key4 ,eliphas ,lvi identifies the ,tarot as that sacred alphabet which has been variously referred to ,enoch1 ,thoth1 ,cadmus and ,palamedes4 ,it consists of absolute ideas attached to signs and numbers4 ,in respect of the latter1 there is an extended commentary on these as far as the number #ai1 the series being interpreted as the ,keys of ,occult ,theology4 ,the remaining three numerals which complete the ,hebrew alphabet are called the ,keys of ,nature4 ,the ,tarot is said to be the original of ,chess1 as it is also of the ,royal ,game of ,goose4 ,this volume contains the author's hypothetical reconstruction of the tenth ,trump ,major1 showing ,egyptian figures on the ,wheel of ,fortune4 ,,xi ,l',homme ,rouge des ,tuileries4 ,par ,p4 ,christian4 ,fcap4 #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahfc4 ,the work is exceedingly rare1 is much sought and was once highly prized in ,france2 but ,dr4 ,papus has awakened to the fact that it is really of slender value1 and the statement might be extended4 ,it is interesting1 however1 as containing the writer's first reveries on the ,tarot4 ,he was a follower and imitator of ,lvi4 ,in the present work1 he provides a commentary on the ,trumps ,major and thereafter the designs and meanings of all the ,minor ,arcana4 ,there are many and curious astrological attributions4 ,the work does not seem to mention the ,tarot by name4 ,a later ,histoire de la ,magie does little more than reproduce and extend the account of the ,trumps ,major given herein4 ,,xii ,the ,history of ,playing ,cards4 ,by ,e4 ,s4 ,taylor4 ,cr4 #hvo4 ,london1 #ahfe4 ,this was published posthumously and is practically a translation of ,boiteau4 ,it therefore calls for little remark on my part4 ,the opinion is that cards were imported by the gipsies from ,india4 ,there are also references to the so-called ,chinese ,tarot1 which was mentioned by ,court de ,gebelin4 ,,xiii ,origine des ,cartes ,jouer4 ,par ,romain ,merlin4 #dto1 ,paris1 #ahfi4 ,there is no basis for the ,egyptian origin of the ,tarot1 except in the imagination of ,court de ,gebelin4 ,i have mentioned otherwise that the writer disposes to his personal satisfaction1 of the gipsy hypothesis1 and he does the same in respect of the imputed connection with ,india2 he says that cards were known in ,europe before communication was opened generally with that world about #adid4 ,but if the gipsies were a ,pariah tribe already dwelling in the ,west1 and if the cards were a part of their baggage1 there is nothing in this contention4 ,the whole question is essentially one of speculation4 ,,xiv ,the ,platonist4 ,vol4 ,,ii1 pp4 #abf-h4 ,published at ,st4 ,louis1 ,mo41 ,u4,s4,a41 #ahhd-e4 ,royal #dto4 ,this periodical1 the suspension of which must have been regretted by many admirers of an unselfish and laborious effort1 contained one anonymous article on the ,tarot by a writer with theosophical tendencies1 and considerable pretensions to knowledge4 ,it has1 however1 by its own evidence1 strong titles to negligence1 and is indeed a ridiculous performance4 ,the word ,tarot is the ,latin ,rota wheel1 transposed4 ,the system was invented at a remote period in ,india1 presumably--for the writer is vague--about ,b4 ,c4 #cjj4 ,the ,fool represents the primordial chaos4 ,the ,tarot is now used by ,rosicrucian adepts1 but in spite of the inference that it may have come down to them from their ,german progenitors in the early seventeenth century1 and notwithstanding the source in ,india1 the twenty-two keys were pictured on the walls of ,egyptian temples dedicated to the mysteries of initiation4 ,some of this rubbish is derived from ,p4 ,christian1 but the following statement is peculiar1 ,i think1 to the writer3 ,it is known to adepts that there should be twenty-two esoteric keys1 which would make the total number up to #ajj4 ,persons who reach a certain stage of lucidity have only to provide blank pasteboards of the required number and the missing designs will be furnished by superior intelligences4 ,meanwhile1 ,america is still awaiting the fulfilment of the concluding forecast1 that some few will ere long have so far developed in that country as to be able to read perfectly 444 in that perfect and divine sybilline work1 the ,taro4 ,perhaps the cards which accompany the present volume will give the opportunity and the impulse6 ,,xv ,lo ,joch de ,naips4 ,per ,joseph ,brunet y ,bellet4 ,cr4 #hvo1 ,barcelona1 #ahhf4 ,with reference to the dream of ,egyptian origin1 the author quotes ,e4 ,garth ,wilkinson's ,manners and ,customs of the ,egyptians as negative evidence at least that cards were unknown in the old cities of the ,delta4 ,the history of the subject is sketched1 following the chief authorities1 but without reference to exponents of the occult schools4 ,the mainstay throughout is ,chatto4 ,there are some interesting particulars about the prohibition of cards in ,spain1 and the appendices include a few valuable documents1 by one of which it appears1 as already mentioned1 that ,st4 ,bernardin of ,sienna preached against games in general1 and cards in particular1 so far back as #adbc4 ,there are illustrations of rude ,tarots1 including a curious example of an ,ace of ,cups1 with a phoenix rising therefrom1 and a ,queen of ,cups1 from whose vessel issues a flower4 ,,xvi ,the ,tarot3 ,its ,occult ,significance1 ,use in ,fortune-,telling1 and ,method of ,play4 ,by ,s4 ,l4 ,mac,gregor ,mathers4 ,sq4 #afmo1 ,london1 #ahhh4 ,this booklet was designed to accompany a set of ,tarot cards1 and the current packs of the period were imported from abroad for the purpose4 ,there is no pretense of original research1 and the only personal opinion expressed by the writer or calling for notice here states that the ,trumps ,major are hieroglyphic symbols corresponding to the occult meanings of the ,hebrew alphabet4 ,here the authority is ,lvi1 from whom is also derived the brief symbolism allocated to the twenty-two ,keys4 ,the divinatory meanings follow1 and then the modes of operation4 ,it is a mere sketch written in a pretentious manner and is negligible in all respects4 ,,xvii ,trait ,mthodique de ,science ,occulte4 ,par ,papus4 #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahia4 ,the rectified ,tarot published by ,oswald ,wirth after the indications of ,eliphas ,lvi is reproduced in this work1 which--it may be mentioned--extends to nearly #a1ajj pages4 ,there is a section on the gipsies1 considered as the importers of esoteric tradition into ,europe by means of the cards4 ,the ,tarot is a combination of numbers and ideas1 whence its correspondence with the ,hebrew alphabet4 ,unfortunately1 the ,hebrew citations are rendered almost unintelligible by innumerable typographical errors4 ,,xviii ,eliphas ,lvi3 ,le ,livre des ,splendeurs4 ,demy #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahid4 ,a section on the ,elements of the ,kabalah affirms 7a7 ,that the ,tarot contains in the several cards of the four suits a fourfold explanation of the numbers #a to #aj2 7b7 that the symbols which we now have only in the form of cards were at first medals and then afterwards became talismans2 7c7 that the ,tarot is the hieroglyphical book of the ,thirty-two ,paths of ,kabalistic theosophy1 and that its summary explanation is in the ,sepher ,yetzirah2 7d7 that it is the inspiration of all religious theories and symbols2 7e7 that its emblems are found on the ancient monuments of ,egypt4 ,with the historical value of these pretensions ,i have dealt in the text4 ,,xix ,clefs ,magiques et ,clavicules de ,salomon4 ,par ,eliphas ,lvi4 ,sq4 #abmo1 ,paris1 #ahie4 ,the ,keys in question are said to have been restored in #ahfj1 in their primitive purity1 by means of hieroglyphical signs and numbers1 without any admixture of ,samaritan or ,egyptian images4 ,there are rude designs of the ,hebrew letters attributed to the ,trumps ,major1 with meanings--most of which are to be found in other works by the same writer4 ,there are also combinations of the letters which enter into the ,divine ,name2 these combinations are attributed to the court cards of the ,lesser ,arcana4 ,certain talismans of spirits are in fine furnished with ,tarot attributions2 the ,ace of ,clubs corresponds to the ,deus ,absconditus1 the ,first ,principle4 ,the little book was issued at a high price and as something that should be reserved to adepts1 or those on the path of adeptship1 but it is really without value--symbolical or otherwise4 ,,xx ,les xxii ,lames ,hermtiques du ,tarot ,divinatoire4 ,par ,r4 ,falconnier4 ,demy #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahif4 ,the word ,tarot comes from the ,sanskrit and means fixed star1 which in its turn signifies immutable tradition1 theosophical synthesis1 symbolism of primitive dogma1 etc4 ,graven on golden plates1 the designs were used by ,hermes ,trismegistus and their mysteries were only revealed to the highest grades of the priesthood of ,isis4 ,it is unnecessary therefore to say that the ,tarot is of ,egyptian origin and the work of ,m4 ,falconnier has been to reconstruct its primitive form1 which he does by reference to the monuments--that is to say1 after the fashion of ,eliphas ,lvi1 he draws the designs of the ,trumps ,major in imitation of ,egyptian art4 ,this production has been hailed by ,french occultists as presenting the ,tarot in its perfection1 but the same has been said of the designs of ,oswald ,wirth1 which are quite unlike and not ,egyptian at all4 ,to be frank1 these kinds of foolery may be as much as can be expected from the ,sanctuary of the ,comdie-,franaise1 to which the author belongs1 and it should be reserved thereto4 ,,xxi ,the ,magical ,ritual of the ,sanctum ,regnum1 interpreted by the ,tarot ,trumps4 ,translated from the ,,mss4 of ,eliphas ,lvi and edited by ,w4 ,wynn ,westcott1 ,m4,b4 ,fcap1 #hvo1 ,london1 #ahif4 ,it is necessary to say that the interest of this memorial rests rather in the fact of its existence than in its intrinsic importance4 ,there is a kind of informal commentary on the ,trumps ,major1 or rather there are considerations which presumably had arisen therefrom in the mind of the ,french author4 ,for example1 the card called ,fortitude is an opportunity for expatiation on will as the secret of strength4 ,the ,hanged ,man is said to represent the completion of the ,great ,work4 ,death suggests a diatribe against ,necromancy and ,gotia2 but such phantoms have no existence in the ,sanctum ,regnum of life4 ,temperance produces only a few vapid commonplaces1 and the ,devil1 which is blind force1 is the occasion for repetition of much that has been said already in the earlier works of ,lvi4 ,the ,tower represents the betrayal of the ,great ,arcanum1 and this it was which caused the sword of ,samael to be stretched over the ,garden of ,delight4 ,amongst the plates there is a monogram of the ,gnosis1 which is also that of the ,tarot4 ,the editor has thoughtfully appended some information on the ,trump ,cards taken from the early works of ,lvi and from the commentaries of ,p4 ,christian4 ,,xxii ,comment on devient ,alchimiste4 ,par ,f4 ,jolivet de ,castellot4 ,sq4 #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahig4 ,herein is a summary of the ,alchemical ,tarot1 which--with all my respect for innovations and inventions--seems to be high fantasy2 but ,etteilla had reveries of this kind1 and if it should ever be warrantable to produce a ,key ,major in place of the present ,key ,minor1 it might be worth while to tabulate the analogies of these strange dreams4 ,at the moment it will be sufficient to say that there is given a schedule of the alchemical correspondences to the ,trumps ,major1 by which it appears that the ,juggler or ,magician symbolizes attractive force2 the ,high ,priestess is inert matter1 than which nothing is more false2 the ,pope is the ,quintessence1 which--if he were only acquainted with ,shakespeare--might tempt the present successor of ,st4 ,peter to repeat that there are more things in heaven and earth1 ,horatio4 ,the ,devil1 on the other hand1 is the matter of philosophy at the black stage2 the ,last ,judgment is the red stage of the ,stone2 the ,fool is its fermentation2 and1 in fine1 the last card1 or the ,world1 is the ,alchemical ,absolute--the ,stone itself4 ,if this should encourage my readers1 they may note further that the particulars of various chemical combinations can be developed by means of the ,lesser ,arcana1 if these are laid out for the purpose4 ,specifically1 the ,king of ,wands ,gold2 the ,pages or ,knaves represent animal substances2 the ,king of ,cups ,silver2 and so forth4 ,,xxiii ,le ,grand ,arcane1 ou l'occultisme dvoil4 ,par ,eliphas ,lvi4 ,demy #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahih4 ,after many years and the long experience of all his concerns in occultism1 the author at length reduces his message to one formula in this work4 ,i speak1 of course1 only in respect of the ,tarot3 he says that the cards of ,etteilla produce a kind of hypnotism in the seer or seeress who divines thereby4 ,the folly of the psychic reads in the folly of the querent4 ,did he counsel honesty1 it is suggested that he would lose his clients4 ,i have written severe criticisms on occult arts and sciences1 but this is astonishing from one of their past professors and1 moreover1 ,i think that the psychic occasionally is a psychic and sees in a manner as such4 ,,xxiv ,le ,serpent de la ,gense--,livre ,,ii2 ,la ,clef de la ,magie ,noire4 ,par ,stanislas de ,guaita4 #hvo1 ,paris1 #aijb4 ,it is a vast commentary on the second septenary of the ,trumps ,major4 ,justice signifies equilibrium and its agent2 the ,hermit typifies the mysteries of solitude2 the ,wheel of ,fortune is the circulus of becoming or attaining2 ,fortitude signifies the power resident in will2 the ,hanged ,man is magical bondage1 which speaks volumes for the clouded and inverted insight of this fantasiast in occultism2 ,death is1 of course1 that which its name signifies1 but with reversion to the second death2 ,temperance means the magic of transformations1 and therefore suggests excess rather than abstinence4 ,there is more of the same kind of thing--,i believe--in the first book1 but this will serve as a specimen4 ,the demise of ,stanislas de ,guaita put an end to his scheme of interpreting the ,tarot ,trumps1 but it should be understood that the connection is shadowy and that actual references could be reduced to a very few pages4 ,,xxv ,le ,tarot3 ,aperu historique4 ,par4 ,j4 ,j4 ,bourgeat4 ,sq4 #abmo1 ,paris1 #aijf4 ,the author has illustrated his work by purely fantastic designs of certain ,trumps ,major1 as1 for example1 the ,wheel of ,fortune1 ,death and the ,devil4 ,they have no connection with symbolism4 ,the ,tarot is said to have originated in ,india1 whence it passed to ,egypt4 ,eliphas ,lvi1 ,p4 ,christian1 and ,j4 ,a4 ,vaillant are cited in support of statements and points of view4 ,the mode of divination adopted is fully and carefully set out4 ,,xxvi ,l',art de tirer les ,cartes4 ,par ,antonio ,magus4 ,cr4 #hvo1 ,paris1 n4d4 7about #aijh74 ,this is not a work of any especial pretension1 nor has it any title to consideration on account of its modesty4 ,frankly1 it is little--if any--better than a bookseller's experiment4 ,there is a summary account of the chief methods of divination1 derived from familiar sources2 there is a history of cartomancy in ,france2 and there are indifferent reproductions of ,etteilla ,tarot cards1 with his meanings and the well-known mode of operation4 ,finally1 there is a section on common fortune-telling by a piquet set of ordinary cards3 this seems to lack the only merit that it might have possessed1 namely1 perspicuity2 but ,i speak with reserve1 as ,i am not perhaps a judge possessing ideal qualifications in matters of this kind4 ,in any case1 the question signifies nothing4 ,it is just to add that the concealed author maintains what he terms the ,egyptian tradition of the ,tarot1 which is the ,great ,book of ,thoth4 ,but there is a light accent throughout his thesis1 and it does not follow that he took the claim seriously4 ,,xxvii ,le ,tarot ,divinatoire3 ,clef du tirage des cartes et des sorts4 ,par le ,dr4 ,papus4 ,demy4 #hvo1 ,paris1 #aiji4 ,the text is accompanied by what is termed a complete reconstitution of all the symbols1 which means that in this manner we have yet another ,tarot4 ,the ,trumps ,major follow the traditional lines1 with various explanations and attributions on the margins1 and this plan obtains throughout the series4 ,from the draughtsman's point of view1 it must be said that the designs are indifferently done1 and the reproductions seem worse than the designs4 ,this is probably of no especial importance to the class of readers addressed4 ,dr4 ,papus also presents1 by way of curious memorials1 the evidential value of which he seems to accept implicitly1 certain unpublished designs of ,eliphas ,lvi2 they are certainly interesting as examples of the manner in which the great occultist manufactured the archology of the ,tarot to bear out his personal views4 ,we have 7a7 ,trump ,major1 ,no4 #e1 being ,horus as the ,grand ,hierophant2 drawn after the monuments2 7b7 ,trump ,major ,no4 #b1 being the ,high ,priestess as ,isis1 also after the monuments2 and 7c7 five imaginary specimens of an ,indian ,tarot4 ,this is how la haute science in ,france contributes to the illustration of that work which ,dr4 ,papus terms livre de la science ternelle2 it would be called by rougher names in ,english criticism4 ,the editor himself takes his usual pains and believes that he has discovered the time attributed to each card by ancient ,egypt4 ,he applies it to the purpose of divination1 so that the skilful fortune-teller can now predict the hour and the day when the dark young man will meet with the fair widow1 and so forth4 ,,xxviii ,le ,tarot des ,bohmiens4 ,par ,papus4 #hvo1 ,paris1 #ahhi4 ,english ,translation1 second edition1 #aiaj4 ,an exceedingly complex work1 which claims to present an absolute key to occult science4 ,it was translated into ,english by ,mr4 ,a4 ,p4 ,morton in #ahif1 and this version has been re-issued recently under my own supervision4 ,the preface which ,i have prefixed thereto contains all that it is necessary to say regarding its claims1 and it should be certainly consulted by readers of the present ,pictorial ,key to the ,tarot4 ,the fact that ,papus regards the great sheaf of hieroglyphics as the most ancient book in the world1 as the ,bible of ,bibles1 and therefore as the primitive revelation1 does not detract from the claim of his general study1 which--it should be added--is accompanied by numerous valuable plates1 exhibiting ,tarot codices1 old and new1 and diagrams summarizing the personal thesis of the writer and of some others who preceded him4 ,the ,tarot of the ,bohemians is published at #fs4 by ,william ,rider ,son1 ,ltd4 ,,xxix ,manuel ,synthtique et ,pratique du ,tarot4 ,par ,eudes ,picard4 #hvo1 ,paris1 #aiji4 ,here is yet one more handbook of the subject presenting in a series of rough plates a complete sequence of the cards4 ,the ,trumps ,major are those of ,court de ,gebelin and for the ,lesser ,arcana the writer has had recourse to his imagination2 it can be said that some of them are curious1 a very few thinly suggestive and the rest bad4 ,the explanations embody neither research nor thought at first hand2 they are bald summaries of the occult authorities in ,france1 followed by a brief general sense drawn out as a harmony of the whole4 ,the method of use is confined to four pages and recommends that divination should be performed in a fasting state4 ,on the history of the ,tarot1 ,m4 ,picard says 7a7 that it is confused2 7b7 that we do not know precisely whence it comes2 7c7 that1 this notwithstanding1 its introduction is due to the ,gipsies4 ,he says finally that its interpretation is an art4 ,transcriber's ,notes3 ,variations in spelling1 punctuation and hyphenation have been retained except in obvious cases of typographical error3 444suggestion to the lineal 7decendants --7 descendants in the444 444the moon at night in her 7plentitude --7 plenitude444 444theory is that this 7dectrine --7 doctrine444 444and in this sense is he who 7seeeks --7 seeks444 444can master the elements may--still ex 7hyphothesi --7 hypothesi444 ,that which they 7signifiy --7 signify is at hand2 ,the 7biliographical --7 bibliographical particulars that follow lay no claim to completeness1444 444,lvi 7indentifies --7 identifies the ,tarot as444 444,trumps ,major are 7hierogylphic --7 hieroglyphic symbols444 liphas1 liphas and ,eliphas were used interchangeably and have been standardized to ,eliphas4