Chapter 26

CHAPTER V.

✦

THE KEY TO THE MINOR ARCANA.

Formation of the Tarot — Study of a Colour — The Four Figures — The
Ten Numbers — Affinity between the Figures and the Numbers —
Study of the Four Colours — General Study of the Minor Arcana.

The Key to the Minor Arcana.

The Tarot is composed of 78 cards, divided as follows —

56 cards called the minor arcana.
22 cards called the major arcana.

The 56 minor arcana are formed of 4 series of 14 cards
each.

The 22 major arcana are formed of 21 numbered cards,
and of one un-numbered.

In order to study the Tarot with success, we must then
arrange the following packets —

4 packets of 14 cards each.

14 + 11 + 14 + 14 = 5Q

1 packet of 21 cards = 21

1 packet of 1 card = 1

Total 78

36 THE TAROT.

We shall presently return to the origin of this marvellous
conception of the human mind, but for the present we
must confine ourselves to the dissection of the machine,
and to displaying its mysterious arrangement.

Starting from a fixed and immovable principle, the
constitution of the sacred tetragrammaton, Yod-he-vau-he,
the Tarot develops the most divers combinations, without
one departure from its basis. We shall now unveil this
wonderful construction, which confirms in its application
the universal law of analogies.

The explanations which follow may appear dry to some
persons; but they must remember that we are now giving
them an almost infallible key to the ancient or occult
science ; and they will understand that they must open
the door of the sacred arch for themselves.

STUDY OF A COLOUR.

Let us now take one of the packets of fourteen cards and
analyze its construction.

This packet, taken as a whole, corresponds to one of the
colours of our pack of cards. The 4 packets respectively
represent the wands or sceptres, corresponding to oui-
clubs ; the cups or goblets, corresponding to our hearts ; the
swords, corresponding to our spades ; and money or Pentacles,
corresponding to our diamonds.

We shall now study one of these packets, for instance
that of Sceptres.

The packet consists of 4 figures : the king, queen,
knight, and knave, and of ten cards which simply bear
numbers.

The ace, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine,
and ten.

THE KEY TO THE MINOR ARCANA.

THE FOUR FIGURES.

We must first consider the four figures —
The king represents the active, the man, or male.
The queen represents the passive, the woman, or female.
The knight represents the neuter, the adolescent.
Lastly, the knave represents the 4th term of this
sequence, which may be figured in this way —

King

Queen

Knave

Knight

This sequence is only an application of the general law
Yod-hc-vaic-he, which we already know, and the analogy is
easily established —

King

Yod

Queen

or
1st He

Knave

or
2nd He

Knight
or

Va u

The knave therefore corresponds with the second He, i. e.
it is only a term of transition ; but transition between
what ?

Between the four figures and the ten numbers following.

THE TAROT.

THE TEN NUMBERS.

Let us now study these numbers. We are acquainted
with the Law of numbers, or law of the sequences, which
we have already stated in these terms —

1 — 2. 3
4 — 5. 6

7 — etc.

The ten cards cannot escape from this law, and we can
at once arrange them in series.

The first series will be formed of the ace, or 1, repre-
senting the active, of the 2 personating the passive, of the
3 for the neuter, and lastly of the 4, which represents the
transition from one series to another.

1, 2, 3, 4 therefore correspond also with the Yod-he-vau-
hc, and are thus formulated —

Ace

or
Yod

Two or 1st He

2nd He Four

Vau

or
Three

The other series follow the same rule exactly, the second
He of the preceding series becoming the Yod of the follow-
ing series : thus 4, the fourth term of the first series,
becomes the first term of the second series ; 7, the fourth
term of the second, becomes the first term of the third, as
follows —

THE KEY TO THE MINOR ARCANA.

THE SERIES OF NUMBERS.
4

We see that the same law, Y'od-he-vcm-he, can be applied
to these series. Since this law is also applicable to the
four figures, we can make a comparison based on the
following proposition —

Two terms (the numbers and the figures) equal to a
same third (the law Yod-he-vcm-lie) are equal between
themselves.

THE SEQUENCE IN ONE COLOUR.

Queen

King

Knight

Knave

If we now group all the numbers of the sequence accord-
ing to the letter of the tetragrammaton, to which they
are analogous, we shall find —

40 THE TAROT.

Eepresenting Yod 1 — 4 — 7

Representing the 1st He 2 — 5 — 8

Eepresenting the Vau 3 — 6 — 9
Eepresenting the 2nd He 10

(1. 4. 7)
Yod

(2. 5. 8) 1st He

2nd He (10)

Vau

(3. 6. 9)

The figure 10 therefore acts for the numbers, as the
knave acts for the figures, that is to say, it serves as a
transition. Between what ?

Between one colour and another.

AFFINITY BETWEEN THE FIGUKES AND THE NUMBERS.

We have already studied both the figures and the
numbers separately, let us now see what connection exists
between the figures and the numbers.

If we group the similar terms according to the identical
Law which rules them, we shall find them as follows —

The King is the Yod

1. 4.

The Queen — ■ He

2. 5.

The Knight — Vau

3. 6.

The Knave — 2nd He

The sequence of the figures is reproduced three times in
the series of numbers, that is to say, that each series of
numbers represents a conception of the figures in each of
the three Kabbalistic worlds.

The series 1, 2, 3, 4 represents the emanation of the
sequence king, queen, knight, knave in the divine world.

THE KEY TO THE MINOR ARCANA. 41

The series 4, 5, 6, 7 represents this evolution in the
human world.

The series 7, 8, 9, 10 represents this evolution in the
material world.

Each colour is a complete whole, formed after the
manner of beings.

Of a material body :

(Knight — 7.8.9)

Of a vital force :

(Queen — 4.5.6)

Of an intellect :

(King — 1.2.3)

Of reproductive organs :

(Knave — 10)

Each of these parts can subdivide itself into three others,
as the numbers indicate.1

Let us, however, return to our deduction, and by
summing up the results obtained, we shall find —

Representations of the Yocl :

The King
The 1 or Ace
The 4
The 7

Representations of the He :

The Queen
The 2
The 5
The 8

1 We wished to make this application of the Tarot in order to
show Initiates what results might be expected from the laws
explained by studying it.

THE TAROT.

Representations of the Van :

The Knight
The 3
The 6
The 9

Representations of the 2nd He :

The Knave
The 10

FIGURATION OF ONE COLOUR.

THE KEY TO THE MINOK ARCANA.

Head — Spirituality

VO N c

Divine World

Ch est— Vitality

OlU EEa/

Human World

Body— Materiality

Y\ 1 Q A/ 7*

Transition from

one being to

another

Material World

Transition from

one world to

another

*aTa^

44 THE TAROT.

STUDY OF THE FOUR COLOURS.

Supplied with these data, let us continue our study
and apply the same principle to the other cards.

The laws which we have denned for the constitution
of one colour, apply in the same way to the other three
colours.

But when we consider the four colours of the Tarot,
new deductions will be called forth. We must remember
that these four colours are : the Sceptre, the Cup, the
Sword, and the Money or Pentacles.

The Sceptre represents the Male or the Active.

The Cup is the image of the Passive or Feminine.

The Sword represents the union of the two by its crucial form.

Lastly, the Pentacles represent the second He.

The authors who have philosophically studied the
Tarot are all unanimous in asserting the analogy that
exists between the tetrasframmaton and the four colours.
Guillaume Postel,1 and above all Eliphas Levi,2 have
developed these studies with great results, and they show
us the four letters of the tetragrammaton applied in the
symbolism of every cultus.

We must pause one moment to notice the analogy
between these letters and the symbols of the Christian
religion.

The Tod or Sceptre of the Tarot is represented by the episcopal
crosier.

The 1st He or Cup is represented by the Chalice.

The Van or Sword by the Cross, bearing the same form.

The 2nd He or Pentacles by the Host, the transition from the
natural to the Supernatural world.

1 Clavis abscunditarum rerum.

2 Eliphas Levi, Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie.

THE KEY TO THE MINOR ARCANA. 45

The series which we have studied in one colour is
defined equally strictly in the four colours regarded as a
whole, thus —

Sceptre
or

Yod

Cup or He 2nd He or Money

Van

Sword

A COMPREHENSIVE GLANCE OVER THE MINOR ARCANA.

If we look back a little, we can easily judge the road
we have traversed.

The four colours considered in globo have shown us the
application of the law Yod-he-vau-he.

But the same law is reproduced in each of the colours
taken separately.

The four figures represent Yod-he-vau-he ;

The four series of numbers also.

Let us then arrange all the cards according to their
affinities, and we shall obtain the following results —

The 4 Kings v

)

The 4 Aces

The 4 Fours
The 4 Sevens

= Yod

The 4 Queens

The 4 Twos

The 4 Fives

The 4 Eights

46 THE TAROT.

The 4 Cavaliers
The 4 Threes
The 4 Sixes
The 4 Nines

Van

The 4 Knaves X = He

The 4 Tens J

If we wished to represent this arrangement by a
synthetic diagram, we should place the sacred name in
the centre of a circle divided into four parts, which re-
spectively correspond with each of the letters Yod-he-xan-
he. In each of the quarters, the cards that are analogous
to the letters of the tetragrammaton will radiate from the
centre. See the diagram on page opposite.

The figures have the same connection with the colours
as the numbers have with the figures.

The sequence of the figures is reproduced in the three
worlds by the numbers ; the same thing takes place in
the sequence of colours : Sceptre, Cup, Sword, Pentacles
are reproduced in the figures.

The Sceptre is the Yod of the 4 Kings.
The Cup is the He of the 4 Queens.
The Sword is the Van of the 4 Knights.
The Pentacles is the He of the 4 Knaves.

And just as each colour has a complete whole, formed
of a body, of a soul, and of a mind or vital force, so the four
colours form a complete whole thus composed : —

The material body of the minor arcana :

The 4 Knights

The 4 Sevens
The 4 Eights
The 4 Nines

THE KEY TO THE MINOR ARCANA.

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general figure of the minor arcana. — Disposition of Series.

The vital body of the minor arcana :

The 4 Queens
The 4 Fours
The 4 Fives
The 4 Sixes

SCEPTRES

Head, Spirituality

Chest, Vitality

Body, Materiality

Divine World

Human World

Material World

Transition from
one being to
the other.
Generation

Transition from

one world to

the other

Knave 10
PENTACLE

THE KEY TO THE MINOR ARCANA. 49

The intellectual body :

The 4 Kings
The 4 Aces
The 4 Twos
The 4 Threes

Reproductive organs :

The 4 Knaves
The 4 Tens

We can only point out the very instructive affinities
shown in these figures ; they can be carried to a great
length.

We give these indications in order to demonstrate the
management of analogy, the method of the occult science,
to which we have so frequently alluded in our preceding
works.

We need only compare this last diagram, which repre-
sents the four colours, with the first, which depicted one
only, to see at once that the law upon which these two
diagrams are constructed is the same, only that the
applications of it are varied.

It is the same law by which the cells that form the
human being group themselves to constitute organs, the
organs group themselves to form members, and the grouping
of the latter produces the individual.1

We have drawn the following conclusion from all that
we have already stated — ■

The Pentaeles, responding to the second He, indicates
a transition.

Between what ?

Between the minor and major arcana.

1 See the Traité Élémentaire de Science Occulte, chap. iii.

THE TAROT.

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GENERAL KEY TO MTNOR ARCAXA.