XII. (*)), the Sacrifiée, descends the neuter series of the

Knight, 3, 6, 9 of Sceptres and Cups, crosses the 10 of
Swords and the 10 of Pentacles, and remounts by the
dual Swords and Pentacles to the intelligible world.

His journey across the material world is completed ; he
has travelled over the Zodiac ; he will now die ; the
arcanum XIII. is ready for him, and will give him access
to the spiritual world, to the Redemption.

We will now explain some other features of this
distribution.

It divides the external circle of the Equator into 3 arcs,
subdivided into 4 portions; in all 12 divisions of different
characters. These are the 12 signs of the Zodiac. The
first is naturally ranked with the first card of the minor
arcana in the spiritual sector, i. e. the King of Sceptres
(Spades) ; the second corresponds with the King of Cups,
and so on to the twelfth.

One observation will suffice to justify the connection
between the zodiac and our cards. We must note the 12
divisions of the circle into the triple repetition of the 4
letters of the Sacred Name; an operation legitimized by
the remark already made, that these 4 colours correspond
with these letters (see Fig. 2, in the intermediate
circle, where the signs of the Zodiac are written). We at
once recognize the 4 trigons of the Zodiac, corresponding

THE INITIATIVE TAROT. 283

with the elements which the 4 colours also represent, and
these trigons are characterized as well as designated.

The fiery trigon (T, £>, £)> corresponding with the
Sceptre and the letters ^\ is swayed by the spiritual element.

The earthy trigon (8,^,^, corresponding to the
Gup and to the letters Finn, namely, two E's of the name
of 3 letters, and the final E of the name of 4 letters —
an essentially feminine character, substantial, but of
superior order.

The airy trigon (II, JX ï£), corresponding to the Sivœ^d
and the letters TÏÏ1, swayed by the masculine element of
the second order.

The watery trigon (23, TTL, )-(), corresponding to the
Pentacle and to the letters T\r\T\, comprising, this time, the
final E of the name of 4 letters twice repeated, and the E
of the name of 3 letters — the dominant character, the
inferior feminine.

But we must leave the minor arcana to the investi-
gations of the reader — they would lead us too far — and
return to some further notice of the great arcana.

Let us first notice how the three chief sectors preserve
and reoroduce their innate characters in all their divisions.

L

We find, in the first, that of the letter Yod Q), the Spirit,
the members of the unity, I., IV., VIL, X. (repeated in the
minor arcana) ; as figure, the Kings ; as colour, the
Sceptre ; in the Zodiac, the lines of the ascension of the
sun above the Equator from the spring to the solstice.

In the second sector (n) the substantial principle is the
feminine numbers IL, V., VIIL, XL (repeated in the minor
arcana) ; as figure, the Queens ; as colour, the Cup ; in
the Zodiac, the four signs of the descent of the sun
towards the Equator ; the season of harvests and vintages,
fecundity in all its forms.

>

\

<t>

rV/

A

0

-— b

v\ïr

.^

.S)

4r*

'Ci

* T

K

n
10 0

T

Fig. 2.

THE INITIATIVE TAROT. 285

In the third sector (1), the Son, the Element, are the
sacred numbers which participate in the two preceding
orders, III., VI., IX. ; as figure, the Knight ; as colour, the
Pentacle of the practical world, and the Sword also, which
close the preceding sector; in the Zodiac, the signs through
which the sun passes in the southern hemisphere ; our
winter, the season for the consumption of the produce of
the earth, of renovation for the cycle which follows :
Christmas is in the centre ; the new birth in the winter of
death ; the time when the Son was born into an inferior
world to reanimate it.

The divine Name mrO is not only written in the series of
concentric circles, it is also found upon the lines belonging
to those circles, either in descending or in remounting.

The first sector gives it without transposition, as we see
in Fig. 2.

In the second sector the divine Name is preceded by
the feminine letter E, the Mother, and finally pauses at it :
E, IEVE, IE. (See the figure.)

In the third, it commences by the letter of the Son and
ends by that of the Father, to which he returns : VE,
IEVE, I.

We shall now inquire from the symbols of the cards the
different ways of pronouncing the divine Name, and also the
variotts manifestations in the Kosmos of each of these four
letters. Let us question even the spirit of these symbols,
instead of their number, colour, or form, which have
chiefly occupied us at present.

By first following the regular order of our arrangement
we shall find —

In the divine world : the arcana I., II., III., IV., the
divine Tetractys, comprising: (1) the Absolute Being; (2)
the Consciousness of the Absolute ; (3) Love or the power

286 THE TAROT.

of fecundity ; (4) the realization of the virtualities of the
Absolute.

In the world of laws : arcanum V., the laws of the
l elation of the Created with the Uncreate (the Initiator,
Fear also).1 VI. (Liberty, Beauty) ; knowledge of good
and evil ; knowledge of the Law. VII. (Glory) ; rule of
the Spirit over Matter, the fertile power of the Law ; and