ALL SORTS OF PEOPLE, from all manner of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, as well as from various spiritual traditions, practise Tarot card reading in some form or other. It should also be known that while many of these practitioners may be aware of the mystical relationship between the Hebrew alef-beth and the Tarot Major Arcana (as well as other kabbalistic relationships with the Tarot), many others may very well be entirely uninformed regarding this. At least some of those that are aware of the connexion may, in fact, ignore or disregard it as trivial or consider it irrelevant with respect to their understanding and application of the Tarot. This is much the same way as everything else is treated in many (if not most) modern Western mystical circles: if something new (or different) happens along and can be made to ‘fit’ into an existing system, then embrace it, but discard anything considered contradictory (or deemed not relevant) to one’s practice. This editorialistic attitude toward spirituality may be responsible for the many and varied (more or less personalised) mystical schools of thought found throughout the world today. The whole premise of having a spiritual organisation is to foster understanding of those things not seen, but taken on Faith, a sentiment more or less discarded by more empirical hermetic orders, which teach that Knowledge, and not Faith, is the true key to the Kingdom (a decidedly Gnostic sensibility).
Those students of the Tarot who understand and accept the connexion between the Hebrew alef-beth and the Major Arcana are, however, only halfway through the process of correlating the twenty-two Hebrew letters with the twenty-two Major Arcana. As noted in the Introduction, the Lurianic system of Kabbalah addresses the relationship between the twenty-two letters of the alef-beth and the twenty-two interconnecting paths on the Etz haĦayim (and by extension, here also with the twenty-two Major Arcana) from a logical position, almost mathematical in its presentation. Other mystical (non-Hebrew) systems define these kabbalistic relationships differently, with respect to the correlation of these sets of information, and so, to avert confusion on behalf of the reader, they will not be included here.
The Lurianic approach to Kabbalah is based on the Sefer haZohar (translated, The Book of Splendours; a/k/a Zohar, a First or Second Century ce Hebrew mystical text authored by Rabbi Shime’on bar-Yoħai), and the Sefer Yetzirah (translated, Book of Formation), an ancient Hebrew mystical text of unknown origin but commonly attributed in its original, ancient form to the Patriarch Avraham, who is historically upheld by most mekubbalim (Hebrew: kabbalists) as the father of Hebrew mysticism. As mentioned above, one of the most authoritative contemporary resources for commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah, the late Aryeh Kaplan, stated that there are at least four different versions of this work (and quite possibly more). These versions developed independently from one another, largely due to the fact that the various Hebrew mystical schools were generally kept underground, working in secret to teach successive generations about the Divine Mysteries away from the prying eyes of the outside world. It is generally believed that even between schools, certain mystical understandings went unshared. Additionally, because the Sefer Yetzirah itself was never canonised, the body of its text is not nearly so rigidly defended from distortion or the inclusion of later commentary, as has been the case regarding the text of the Hebrew Torah, Prophets, and Writings. The tradition surrounding the Torah forbids both the removal of any existing letters or text and the inclusion of any extraneous letters or text — no additions, no deletions. The texts of the mystical works of the Hebrew tradition, however, were kept hidden away in secret from the eyes (and minds) of the laity, and so the safeguards implemented to prevent distortion or dilution of the text of the Torah were not observed with regard to these mystical literary works.
One focus of the Kabbalistic tradition is the Etz haĦayim (Tree of Life), a mystical construct consisting of ten divine emanations (a/k/a sefiroth), which exist as the ten inexorable attributes of the Creator. Any aspect of the Creator can be aligned with at least one of these ten attributes. In order of their emergence (at the dawn of Creation), these emanations are listed below:
| Sefirah | Transliteration | Translation |
| rtk | Kether | Crown |
| emkh | Ħokhmah | Wisdom |
| enib | Binah | Understanding |
| dxh | Ħesed | Mercy, Greatness |
| erubg | Gevurah | Rigour, Might, Judgement |
| trapt | Tifareth | Beauty, Compassion |
| hcn | Netsaħ | Victory, Endurance |
| due | Hod | Splendour, Glory |
| duxi | Yesod | Foundation |
| tuklm | Malkuth | Kingdom |
Mystics following this system maintain that these ten attributes are arranged in a symmetrical pattern which overlays the major components of the human body and assigns associations between various parts of the body and different elements of the intangible human existence. It is also maintained that the ‘Image of Elohim’ mentioned in God’s decision to create mankind ‘in Our own image, after Our likeness’ is manifest in this mystical arrangement of spiritual characteristics.
Within the construct of the Etz haĦayim, there are twenty-two interconnecting paths which each connect a specific pair of sefiroth. These interconnecting paths are arranged according to a symmetrical mathematical arrangement of ten sefiroth into three columns, with three horizontal paths, seven vertical paths, and twelve diagonal paths, similar in many ways to the ‘natural’ geometrical arrangement of ten elements into three columns. Each of these twenty-two interconnecting paths relates to a specific Hebrew letter and represents an order of consciousness (Path of Wisdom) which expresses the relationship between the energies of the two sefiroth joined by the path in question. A table detailing each of these twenty-two interconnecting paths (along with the associated Hebrew letter, Path of Wisdom, and associated Lurianic Tarot Major Arcanum) is given below (descriptions of the Paths of Wisdom below are quoted directly from Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan’s commentary on the Sefer Yetzirah):
| a – Alef [Ħesed/Gevurah] | fool | שכל סוד הפעולות הרוחניות כולם |
| Sekhel Sod haPauloth haRuaħnioth Kulam: Consciousness of the Mystery of all Spiritual Activities. It is called this because of the influx that permeates it from the highest blessing and the supreme Glory. | ||
| b – Beth [Ħokhmah/Ħesed] | cosmos | שכל נצחי |
| Sekhel Nitzħi: Enduring Consciousness. It is called this because it is the Delight (Eden) of the Glory. As it is, there is no Glory lower than it. It is called the Garden of Eden, which is prepared for the [reward of the] saints. | ||
| g – Gimmel [Binah/Gevurah] | fortune | שכל בית השפע |
| Sekhel Beit haShefa: Consciousness of the House of Influx. By probing with it, a secret mystery (raz) and an allusion are transmitted to those who ‘dwell in its shadow’ and bind themselves to probing its substance from the Cause of Causes. | ||
| d – Daleth [Kether/Tifareth] | tower | שכל מנהיג האחדות |
| Sekhel Manhig haAħduth: Unity Directing Consciousness. It is called this because it is the essence of the Glory. It represents the completion of the true essence of the unified spiritual beings. | ||
| e – Heh [Kether/Ħokhmah] | emperor | שכל מצוחצח |
| Sekhel Metsuħtsaħ: Glaring Consciousness. It is called this because it is the essence of the Veil which is ordered in the arrangement of the system. It indicates the relationship of the Paths (netivoth) whereby one can stand before the Cause of Causes. | ||
| u – Waw [Kether/Binah] | hierophant | שכל בהיר |
| Sekhel Bahir: Glowing Consciousness. It is called this because it is the essence of the Ofan-Wheel of Greatness. It is called the Visualizer (Ħazħazit), the place which gives rise to the vision that the Seers perceive in an apparition. | ||
| z – Zayin [Ħokhmah/Gevurah] | lovers | שכל מגשם |
| Sekhel Mugsham: Physical Consciousness. It is called this because it depicts the growth of everything that becomes physical under the system of all the spheres. | ||
| h – Ħeth [Ħesed/Tifareth] | chariot | שכל הרצון |
| Sekhel haRatson: Consciousness of Will. It is called this because it is the structure of all that is formed. Through this state of consciousness one can know the essence of the Original Wisdom. | ||
| j – Teth [Ħokhmah/Tifareth] | strength | שכל מעמיד |
| Sekhel Ma’amid: Stabilizing Consciousness. It is called this because it stabilizes the essence of creation in the ‘Glooms of Purity.’ The masters of theory said that this is the Gloom [at Sinai]. This is the meaning of, ‘Gloom is its cocoon’ (Iyov/Job 35:9). | ||
| i – Yodh [Tifareth/Netsaħ] | hermit | שכל דמיוני |
| Sekhel Dimyoni: Apparitive Consciousness. It is called this because it provides an appearance for all created apparitions, in a form fitting their stature. | ||
| k – Kaf [Ħesed/Netsaħ] | sun | שכל החפץ והמבוקש |
| Sekhel haĦafuts w’haMevukash: Desired and Sought Consciousness. It is called this because it receives the divine Influx so as to bestow its blessing to all things that exist. | ||
| l – Lamed [Hod/Yesod] | justice | שכל כללי |
| Sekhel Kelali: General Consciousness. It is called this because it is the means through which the ‘generalisers of the heavens’ collect their rules regarding the stars and constellations, forming the theory that comprises their knowledge of the Ofan-wheels of the spheres. | ||
| m – Mem [Netsaħ/Hod] | pendulant | שכל מורגש |
| Sekhel Murgash: Palpable Consciousness. It is called this because the consciousness of all things created under the entire upper sphere, as well as all their sensations, were created through it. | ||
| n – Nun [Netsaħ/Yesod] | death | שכל מוטבע |
| Sekhel Mutba: Natural Consciousness. It is called this because the nature of all that exist under the sphere of the sun was completed through it. | ||
| x – Samekh [Tifareth/Hod] | temperance | שכל מחודש |
| Sekhel Meħudash: Renewing Consciousness. It is called this because it is the means through which the Blessèd Holy One brings about all new things which are brought into being in His creation. | ||
| o – Ayin [Binah/Tifareth] | devil | שכל ההרגש |
| Sekhel haHergesh: Consciousness of the Senses. This is prepared for the faithful saints so that they should be able to clothe themselves in the spirit of holiness. In the arrangement of the supernal Entities, it is called the Foundation of Beauty (Yesod HaTifareth). | ||
| p – Peh [Gevurah/Hod] | empress | שכל קיים |
| Sekhel Kayyam: Sustaining Consciousness. It is called this because it is the sustaining power for all the sefiroth. | ||
| c – Tsaddi [Gevurah/Tifareth] | star | שכל נאמן |
| Sekhel Ne’eman: Faithful Consciousness. It is called this because spiritual powers are increased through it, so that they can be close to all who ‘dwell in their shadow.’ | ||
| q – Quf [Binah/Ħesed] | moon | שכל תמידי |
| Sekhel Tamidi: Continuous Consciousness. Why is it called this? Because it directs the path of the sun and moon according to their laws of nature, each one in its proper orbit. | ||
| r – Resh [Tifareth/Yesod] | prophet | שכל נסיוני |
| Sekhel Nisyoni: Testing Consciousness. It is called this because it is the original temptation through which God tests all of His saints. | ||
| s – Shin [Ħokhmah/Binah] | angel | שכל מאיש |
| Sekhel Me’ir: Illuminating Consciousness. It is called this because it is the essence of the Speaking Silence (Ħashmal). It gives instruction regarding the mysteries of the Holy Secrets and their structure. | ||
| t – Taw [Yesod/Malkuth] | torah | שכל נעבד |
| Sekhel Ne’evad: Worshipped Consciousness. It is called this because it is prepared so as to destroy all who engage in the worship of the seven planets. | ||