The Tarot:
Interpreting Magical Images

Much of the material covered in chapter 2 concerning the “ABCs” of magic—the elements, Hebrew letters, Qabalistic Sephiroth, Four Worlds, planets, and zodiacal signs—all correlate with various cards of the tarot (the tarot’s Universe card is shown in Figure 44). Not only is the tarot an important metasystem of magical images, it is a powerful tool for developing the magician’s faculties of intuition and psychic awareness.

The tarot, or “Book T” as it is sometimes called, is a pictorial book of ageless, esoteric wisdom. For centuries, magicians, occultists, and mystics have used it for the purposes of divination and meditation. Like the Qabalah, the tarot is a complete and elaborate system for describing the hidden forces behind the manifest Universe. It is a key to all occult science and a map for uncovering the various parts of the human psyche. The cards of the tarot are the hieroglyphs of the Western Mystery Tradition.

The Golden Dawn considers the tarot primarily as a tool for meditation, for developing a connection with the Divine, and for training the magician’s intuitive abilities. Divination, the principal reason most people buy a tarot deck, is also important, but secondary. Tarot cards express truths about the essence of the Universe and our relationship to it.

The original tarot used by the Golden Dawn was based upon W. Wynn Westcott’s and S. L. MacGregor Mathers’s work and research. Moina Mathers made subsequent drawings of the cards. Advanced students were required to copy all the cards by hand and use them in their personal practice. Many of the most popular tarot decks of today, including the Rider-Waite tarot deck and Aleister Crowley’s Thoth tarot deck, are based upon Mathers’s originals.

Figure 44: The Universe Card

Qabalistic Associations of the Tarot

The two systems of Qabalah and tarot are so strikingly similar that they easily complement each other. The traditional tarot deck consists of seventy-eight cards made up of four suits of fourteen cards each, together with twenty-two Trumps. The Trumps are collectively called the Major Arcana or “greater mysteries” and tell the story of the Soul. The Trumps are each referred to as one of the twenty-two paths that connect the Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. They also correspond to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

The Minor Arcana or “lesser mysteries” has fifty-six cards. Each tarot suit of the Minor Arcana consists of ten numbered (or “pip”) cards, as in modern playing cards, but there are four instead of three royal cards: the King, Queen, Prince, and Princess, resulting in a total of sixteen court cards.

The four suits are:

1. Wands (or Scepters) comparable to clubs

2. Cups (or Chalices) comparable to hearts

3. Swords comparable to spades

4. Pentacles (or Coins) comparable to diamonds

The ten numbered cards of each suit correspond to the ten Sephiroth. The four suits refer to the letters of Tetragrammaton and to the Four Qabalistic Worlds thus: Wands to Yod (Atziluth), Cups to Heh (Briah), Swords to Vav (Yetzirah), Pentacles to Heh Final (Assiah).

The sixteen court cards, or honors as they are sometimes called, are the ambassadors of the great name YHVH in the Qabalistic World to which each suit is referred.

The Minor Arcana cards represent the Sephiroth as objective centers of energy emanating from the Divine. They are static and fixed points of force whose qualities are impartial and immobile. These cards allude to the inherent and unchangeable parts of the human psyche.

The twenty-two paths and their corresponding Trump cards, on the other hand, are active and moving. They are subjective conduits or energy channels that run between the Sephiroth, connecting the spheres. These cards represent our own mutable experiences as we travel the pathways on the Tree of Life, encountering the differences that occur between one Sephirah and the next.

Major Arcana: The Trumps

In addition to their Hebrew letter attributions, the twenty-two Trump cards represent the energies of the planets, the signs of the zodiac, and the elements. These paths, numbered 11 through 32 on the Tree of Life diagram in Figure 9, are dynamic, subjective conduits of karmic energy. They symbolize forces in transit and allude to the powers of consciousness in illustrated form. Their position on the Tree is imaged by the winding path of the Serpent of Wisdom. Unlike the cards of the Minor Arcana, the Trump cards are considered true initiatory forces—having both an esoteric or spiritual meaning as well as an exoteric or mundane meaning used in divination.

Table 25 shows how the Trumps align with the Hebrew letters.

Table 25: Tarot Trumps and the Hebrew Letters

Card	Letter	Path	Attribution
0. Fool	Aleph	11	Air
1. Magician	Beth	12	Mercury
2. High Priestess	Gimel	13	Luna
3. Empress	Daleth	14	Venus
4. Emperor	Heh	15	Aries
5. Hierophant	Vav	16	Taurus
6. Lovers	Zayin	17	Gemini
7. Chariot	Cheth	18	Cancer
8. Strength	Teth	19	Leo
9. Hermit	Yod	20	Virgo
10. Wheel of Fortune	Kaph	21	Jupiter
11. Justice	Lamed	22	Libra
12. Hanged Man	Mem	23	Water
13. Death	Nun	24	Scorpio
14. Temperance	Samekh	25	Sagittarius
15. Devil	Ayin	26	Capricorn
16. Tower	Peh	27	Mars
17. Star	Tzaddi	28	Aquarius
18. Moon	Qoph	29	Pisces
19. Sun	Resh	30	Sol
20. Judgment	Shin	31	Fire (and Spirit)
21. Universe	Tau	32	Saturn (and Earth)

Below are brief interpretations of these cards in divination.

0. The Fool

Potentiality, possibility. The beginning point. Unity, idealism, innocence, spirituality. (In material matters: folly.)

1. The Magician

Invocation, skill, adaptation, knowledge, direction of energy, occult power. (Sometimes cunning and deception.)

2. The High Priestess

Consciousness, wisdom, change, alternation, fluctuation. Increase and decrease.

3. The Empress

Unity, Universal Mother. Divine feminine power. Manifestation, form-building, pleasure, success, pure emotion, beauty, happiness.

4. The Emperor

Energy, authority, ambition. Universal Father. Divine masculine power. Realization, development, achievement, conquest, victory. (Sometimes strife and warfare.)

5. The Hierophant

Illumination, teaching, spiritual instruction. Divine wisdom, manifestation, mercy.

6. The Lovers

Inspiration, impulse. Divine love, liberation, integration, bonding. Freedom through unity.

7. The Chariot

Triumph, victory, success. Overcoming obstacles. Movement, journey, spiritual guidance. (Sometimes temporary victory.)

8. Strength

Control, courage, fortitude, might, resolve, harnessed force. (Sometimes obstinacy and abuse of power.)

9. The Hermit

Divine help and intervention. Divine inspiration. Divine wisdom. Vibration. Words of power. Also prudence and deliberation.

10. The Wheel of Fortune

Destiny, karma, time, good fortune, happiness, fluctuation, perpetual motion. Human incarnation. (Sometimes ill-fortune.)

11. Justice

Equilibration, balance, necessary adjustment, equilibrating action, compensation. Forward movement. Law and truth. Court proceedings. (Sometimes severity and bias.)

12. The Hanged Man

Sacrifice, suspension. Crucifixion. Self-sacrifice, self-denial. Suspended animation, trance-state. A period of withdrawal. Reversal. Baptism of Water. Sometimes involuntary sacrifice, punishment, loss. (Suffering generally.)

13. Death

Transformation, change, transmutation, transition. Cycle of death and rebirth. Purification. Time, ages, alteration. Involuntary change.

14. Temperance

Reconciliation, fusion. Tempering of opposites. Combination of forces. Mediation, arbitration, realization. Uniting. Material action (for good or ill).

15. The Devil

Materiality, material force, material temptation. Natural generative force. The powers of nature. Sexual force and natural reproduction. Also illusion and distorted perceptions. Mirth. (Sometimes obsession.)

16. The Tower

Ambition, fighting, strife, war, courage. Restructuring. Sudden involuntary illumination. Dramatic realization. Demolition of obsolete or outdated ideas. (Sometimes ruin.)

17. The Star

Meditation, contemplation. The Inner Voice. Hope, faith, imagination. Unexpected help. Pure consciousness.

18. The Moon

Voluntary change. Subconscious mind, illusion, unconscious impulses. Repressed ideas and desires. Personal demons. Evolution, progression. (Sometimes error, lying, falsity, deception.)

19. The Sun

Glory, gain, riches, happiness, joy. Conscious mind, the intellectual mind. The power of knowledge. Increased perception. (Sometimes vanity, arrogance, and display.)

20. Judgment

Final decision, verdict, sentence, result. Determination of a matter. Initiation. Baptism of Fire. Energy infusion. Awareness of the Divine. (Sometimes postponement.)

21. The Universe

Completion, synthesis, conclusion. The beginning and the end. Reward. The keys to the Universe. The world. Exploration, inquiry into the unconscious. A journey into the Underworld.

Yetziratic Attributions: A Magical Code

Table 25 shows the Yetziratic or formative attributions of the tarot Trumps. Since these cards correspond to the Hebrew letters, they can also be used to write names of power in a magical code or cypher.

The Yetziratic attributions of the Hebrew alphabet make it possible to signify certain Hebrew names and words by employing their elemental, planetary, or zodiacal symbols. This can result in some curious hieroglyphic symbolism. For example, the letters of the name YHVH can be written from left to right (or right to left if you prefer) using the symbolic counterpart of each letter: Virgo Aries Taurus Aries or . The name Eheieh, spelled Aleph Heh Yod Heh (AHIH), can be transliterated as Air Aries Virgo Aries or . Elohim, spelled Aleph Lamed Heh Yod Mem, can be encoded as Air Libra Aries Virgo Water or .

You can use this symbol system to encode any magical name or motto on talismans, magical tools, and other items employed in your personal magical work.

The Minor Arcana

To recap, the Minor Arcana is composed of forty small cards and sixteen court cards. It is divided into four suits that include Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. These four suits refer to the letters of Tetragrammaton (YHVH), which further correspond to the four elements and the Four Worlds of the Qabalah.

The Suit of Wands

The first suit of the tarot represents the force of Yod-Fire-Atziluth. Wands in general indicate great energy and dynamic power. They represent the great masculine power as the first stimulating spark of energy that begins life and sets things in motion.

The Suit of Cups

This suit symbolizes the force of Heh-Water-Briah. As a whole, Cups denote creativity, fecundity, and pleasure. They refer to the form-building capacity of the great feminine power.

The Suit of Swords

This suit is attributed to Vav-Air-Yetzirah. Swords indicate intellect, communication, mental faculties, and sometimes trouble.

The Suit of Pentacles

The fourth and final suit represents Heh Final-Earth-Assiah. For the most part, Pentacles (or Disks) suggest material or worldly affairs, business, or money matters.

The Pips

The cards Aces through Tens are naturally affiliated through number with the ten Sephiroth. All Aces represent Kether, all Twos are assigned to Chokmah, etc. Because the numbered cards are static, occupying fixed centers of energy on the Tree, they represent unvarying forces. This is why some of the small cards seem to be very beneficial and others are somewhat harsh and undesirable. Their functions are predetermined. They often indicate a progression of the human experience, but can also point out specific situations.

The Decanates

Inherent to the pip cards are the decans or decanates of the zodiac. The wheel of the zodiac is divided into twelve signs that also represent the houses. A house is a 30-degree section of the total 360-degree zodiac wheel, while a decanate is a 10-degree section. Thus there are thirty-six decanates in the zodiac. Each house has three decanates. Each decanate is ruled by a different planet and is represented by one of the pip cards—Twos through Tens. The thirty-six small cards depict the operation of the planets moving through the various zodiacal signs. Table 26 lists their attributes and keywords.

Table 26: The Pips and the Decanates

Card	Sephirah	Element	Decanate	Keyword
Ace of Wands	Kether	Fire	–	Energy
Two of Wands	Chokmah	Fire	Mars in Aries	Dominion
Three of Wands	Binah	Fire	Sun in Aries	Established Strength
Four of Wands	Chesed	Fire	Venus in Aries	Perfected Work
Five of Wands	Geburah	Fire	Saturn in Leo	Strife
Six of Wands	Tiphareth	Fire	Jupiter in Leo	Victory
Seven of Wands	Netzach	Fire	Mars in Leo	Valor
Eight of Wands	Hod	Fire	Mercury in Sagittarius	Swiftness
Nine of Wands	Yesod	Fire	Moon in Sagittarius	Great Strength
Ten of Wands	Malkuth	Fire	Saturn in Sagittarius	Oppression
Ace of Cups	Kether	Water	–	Pleasure
Two of Cups	Chokmah	Water	Venus in Cancer	Love
Three of Cups	Binah	Water	Mercury in Cancer	Abundance
Four of Cups	Chesed	Water	Moon in Cancer	Mixed Blessings
Five of Cups	Geburah	Water	Mars in Scorpio	Loss in Pleasure
Six of Cups	Tiphareth	Water	Sun in Scorpio	Pleasure
Seven of Cups	Netzach	Water	Venus in Scorpio	Illusionary Success
Eight of Cups	Hod	Water	Saturn in Pisces	Abandoned Success
Nine of Cups	Yesod	Water	Jupiter in Pisces	Material Happiness
Ten of Cups	Malkuth	Water	Mars in Pisces	Perfect Success
Table 26: The Pips and the Decanates (continued)
Card	Sephirah	Element	Decanate	Keyword
Ace of Swords	Kether	Air	–	Invoked Force
Two of Swords	Chokmah	Air	Moon in Libra	Peace Restored
Three of Swords	Binah	Air	Saturn in Libra	Sorrow
Four of Swords	Chesed	Air	Jupiter in Libra	Rest from Strife
Five of Swords	Geburah	Air	Venus in Aquarius	Defeat
Six of Swords	Tiphareth	Air	Mercury in Aquarius	Earned Success
Seven of Swords	Netzach	Air	Moon in Aquarius	Unstable Effort
Eight of Swords	Hod	Air	Jupiter in Gemini	Shortened Force
Nine of Swords	Yesod	Air	Mars in Gemini	Despair & Cruelty
Ten of Swords	Malkuth	Air	Sun in Gemini	Ruin
Ace of Pentacles	Kether	Earth	–	Materiality
Two of Pentacles	Chokmah	Earth	Jupiter in Capricorn	Harmonious Change
Three of Pentacles	Binah	Earth	Mars in Capricorn	Material Works
Four of Pentacles	Chesed	Earth	Sun in Capricorn	Earthly Power
Five of Pentacles	Geburah	Earth	Mercury in Taurus	Material Trouble
Six of Pentacles	Tiphareth	Earth	Moon in Taurus	Material Success
Seven of Pentacles	Netzach	Earth	Saturn in Taurus	Success Unfulfilled
Eight of Pentacles	Hod	Earth	Sun in Virgo	Prudence
Nine of Pentacles	Yesod	Earth	Venus in Virgo	Material Gain
Ten of Pentacles	Malkuth	Earth	Mercury in Virgo	Wealth

The Court Cards

The court cards are the final section of the Minor Arcana. Here the four suits of the tarot further are divided into four persons or “faces” of royalty: the King, Queen, Prince, and Princess. In most decks these are called King, Queen, Knight, and Page; however, the Golden Dawn titles stress the balance of gender within the royal “family.” The sixteen court cards again point to the fourfold model of the Universe and the Tetragrammaton, YHVH. These cards symbolize the elemental forces of the divine four-lettered name in each of the Four Qabalistic Worlds: Yod-Fire, Heh-Water, Vav-Air, and Heh Final-Earth. They also symbolize the following:

1. King—Fire, Father, Birth

2. Queen—Water, Mother, Life

3. Prince—Air, Son, Death

4. Princess—Earth, Daughter, Resurrection

The four “royals” of a given suit embody the characteristics of a specific element in all four planes of existence. Each court card thus represents a sub-element, such as Fire of Water, Air of Earth, Water of Air, etc.

For example, the King of Wands represents the sub-element Fire of Fire. This means he personifies the Yod-Fire force in the Atziluthic world of Wands (Fire). The King epitomizes the most active, dynamic element in the highest divine world. In another example, the Princess of Cups alludes to the sub-element Earth of Water. She illustrates the qualities of Heh Final-Earth in the Watery world of Briah (Cups). This Princess symbolizes the creative, archangelic world in the stage of manifestation.

In a divination, the court cards can represent real persons, events, or a human factor influential to the nature of the reading. But they can also represent psychological states.

One way to interpret the court cards is to examine their sub-elemental correspondences. Another is to combine the qualities of their rank or position with that of their elemental suit, while disregarding archaic considerations of gender.

Kings

Kings are aligned with Chokmah on the Tree of Life, but they also display qualities of the Emperor. They are paternal, assertive, in charge, protective, and governing.

Queens

Queens are aligned with Binah, but also show qualities of the Empress. They are maternal, nurturing, emotive, and supportive.

Princes

Princes are assigned to Tiphareth, but also demonstrate traits of the Chariot. These cards display the qualities of a young adult. They are journeying, questing, zealous, enthusiastic, and heroic.

Princesses

Princesses are assigned to Malkuth, but also display traits of the Fool. These cards portray childlike qualities: playful, curious, developing, innocent, naive, and exploring.

In general, Kings and Queens are outgoing and extroverted while Princes and Princesses are more self-centered and introverted. Table 27 provides a breakdown of court card attributions and keywords.

Table 27: The Court Cards

Card	Sub-Element	Keyword
King of Wands	Fire of Fire	Dynamic Force
Queen of Wands	Water of Fire	Steady Force
Prince of Wands	Air of Fire	Swift Force
Princess of Wands	Earth of Fire	Enduring Force
King of Cups	Fire of Water	Creative Force
Queen of Cups	Water of Water	Reflective Force
Prince of Cups	Air of Water	Intense Force
Princess of Cups	Earth of Water	Imaginative Force
King of Swords	Fire of Air	Unstable Force
Queen of Swords	Water of Air	Severe Force
Prince of Swords	Air of Air	Intellectual Force
Princess of Swords	Earth of Air	Avenging Force
King of Pentacles	Fire of Earth	Stimulating Force
Queen of Pentacles	Water of Earth	Regenerating Force
Prince of Pentacles	Air of Earth	Resolute Force
Princess of Pentacles	Earth of Earth	Manifesting Force

Tarot Consecration Ritual

Once you have memorized the meanings of the cards and have meditated on them, you are ready to begin practical work with the tarot. The first step is to consecrate a newly purchased deck of cards, such as The Golden Dawn Magical Tarot. In addition to focusing your mind and will on the desired results, consecrating the deck helps draw the proper energies to the cards so that they will give true and undistorted readings. The time spent on these introductory procedures is well worth taking, for the prepared magician is many times more likely to get positive results.

For this ritual you will need the Outer Wand of Double Power, a tarot bag or white silk for wrapping the cards, and a new tarot deck that you intend to use for meditation and readings. If the deck has been previously opened and used, you should wipe each card with a clean white cloth that has been charged for that purpose.

1. Begin with your personal Pre-Ritual Meditation Practice.

2. Perform the LIRP.

3. Maintain the vision from the Qabalistic Cross—see the shaft of Divine Light blending Spirit and matter within you. The strongest point of this light is at your Tiphareth center. Will and visualize the light going down your arm and out the white end of your wand as you continue.

4. Place the new tarot deck on a table or Altar. Pointing with the black end of the wand, trace a circle and a Lesser Banishing Pentagram over the unopened deck of cards. This begins the process of cleansing the cards. Pause and imagine the cards as completely cleansed from all mundane influences.

5. Then, pointing with the white end of the wand, strike the deck three times and vibrate: “EHEIEH. YAH. YHVH ELOHIM.” With each stroke of the wand, intone one of these Supernal names. As you intone “Eheieh,” imagine a brilliant sphere of light at the top of your head. As you vibrate “Yah,” picture a sphere of light at your left Temple. As you intone “YHVH Elohim,” imagine a sphere of light at your right Temple. See this Divine Trinity clearly as it causes more light to descend into your Kether center, to your Tiphareth center, and down your arm into the wand.

6. Then say: “Unto the Highest do I, (state your magical name), consecrate these cards of Art, that they may become true reflected images of Thy manifestation and splendor. Not to my name but to Thine be the Power and the Glory.”

7. Trace a cross over the deck and say: “In the Divine Name IAO I invoke the great angel HRU, who art set over the operations of this Secret Wisdom. Lay thine hand invisibly on these cards of Art and give them life. Anoint them with the Divine Science so that through their use I may obtain true knowledge of hidden things, to the glory of the Ineffable Name. Amen.”

8. Visualize the hand of a mighty angel held over the deck, which glows with a bright halo of white light. Take time to visualize this strongly.

9. Strike the card deck again three times with the wand. Above you, feel the white brilliance from the infinite Kether of the Universe as it sends the Sacred Light into your own Kether center. Fill yourself with its divine power that is grounded and balanced by the light of the Qabalistic Cross within you. Then propel this energy directly at the deck using the Projection Sign, three times in succession before giving the Sign of Silence. If properly performed, you should feel a bit drained at this point, so take a moment to catch your breath. Repeat the projections if necessary.

10. Now open the deck and take out the cards.

11. Fan the cards out in a circle on the Altar. Take the wand and trace a white cross in the air above them and say: “By Names and Images are all Powers awakened and re-awakened.” Thrust the wand head through the center of the cross. Visualize the cross clearly.

12. Gather up the cards and wrap them in white silk or a specially provided tarot bag.

13. Say: “I now release any beings that have attended this ceremony. Depart in peace with the blessings of YHVH. But be ready to come when ye are called.”

14. Perform the LBRP.

15. Finally say: “The rite is ended. So mote it be.”

A Simple Tarot Meditation

This exercise is designed to enhance your memory with regard to the important symbolism of the various tarot images. The more these Sacred images become embedded within your psyche, the easier it will be to improve your intuitive card reading skills.

1. Begin with your Pre-Ritual Meditation Practice.

2. Perform the LBRP.

3. Shuffle the cards of the Major Arcana and pick one at random. Put the rest of the cards aside. Pause for a few moments to silence the mind before continuing.

4. Look at the card in front of you. Take time to carefully observe the symbolism and colors of the card. Simply take mental note of every detail in the card itself.

5. Now close your eyes and try to reproduce the card in your mind’s eye. Try to recall every detail to the best of your ability. Take your time with the visualization.

6. After about five minutes of building the card’s image in your imagination, begin to dismantle it, piece by piece like a jigsaw puzzle, until nothing of it remains in your mind.

7. After you have dissolved the image, try to hold on to this state of mental silence for as long as you can. If your mental chatter has really been silenced, some important spiritual information may now be transmitted to you.

8. Take your time to come out of the meditation. Don’t get up abruptly.

Tarot Divination

Divination is a spiritual process through which we try to uncover what specific unseen forces are active in our lives. Properly done, a divination can determine which underlying energies are at work in our personal Universe, but this information is to be used as a guidance, not as a script for a drama that we are forced by fate to act out. A divination is like a map that we are given in order to choose what road we would like to take to arrive at a certain destination. Nothing compels us to take any one road over another, but certain routes are better than others. We are the ones with our hands on the steering wheel.

There are many forms of divination. One form depends entirely upon psychic information, using a mirror, crystal, or bowl of Water to aid vision. Other forms use a pendulum or the figures of geomancy. But the tarot is far and away the best and most comprehensive method of divination. It utilizes all the practitioner’s Qabalistic knowledge, together with his or her own psychic abilities and creative powers. In addition, shuffling the deck ensures that the powers of chance and synchronicity also play a part in the divination.

It takes more than book knowledge alone to perform a proper tarot reading. It is also pointless to coerce a divination. The symbolism of the tarot is gradually built up as a related system of ideas in the reader’s mind. But all the symbolism in the Universe will not avail one who is under strain or too tired to activate their psychic strengths. If a reading is forced, it will probably contain more untruth than truth.

The first step in learning to read the cards is to familiarize yourself with the principles of the Qabalah and the symbolism of all the tarot cards. This information is regularly contemplated and absorbed until there is a gradual alignment between the operation of the higher consciousness and the normal consciousness. The powers of perception regarding inner truths eventually become more acute.

The next step is to memorize the various interpretations of the cards and study the relationships that can occur between certain cards in an actual reading.

Finally, chose one or two specific card reading methods or tarot spreads for regular and consistent use in divination.

A card is often described as well-dignified or ill-dignified (strong or weak), according to the cards that are next to it. A card of the same suit placed next to the card in question strengthens it greatly either for good or ill, according to its nature. Cards of a suit that oppose the elemental nature of the card in question weaken it for good or ill. Air and Earth are contraries, as are Fire and Water. Therefore, an Air card placed next to an Earth card will weaken it, just as a Water card will weaken a Fire card. Air is friendly with Water and Fire, and Fire is friendly with Air and Earth.

The General Meanings of Several Similar Cards

After laying out the cards, the reader should look for a grouping of cards.

• A Majority of Trumps: Higher forces at work and spiritual matters

• A Majority of Court Cards: Influence of many people, meetings, society

• A Majority of Wands: Energy and vitality, possible opposition

• A Majority of Cups: Love, pleasure, merriment, and creativity

• A Majority of Swords: Intellectual matters or trouble and sickness

• A Majority of Pentacles: Money, business, or material success

• A Majority of Aces: Tremendous energy and new beginnings, strength

• Four Aces: Great power and force

• Three Aces: Riches and success

• Four Kings: Swiftness and rapidity

• Three Kings: Surprise meetings, news

• Four Queens: Authority, influence

• Three Queens: Powerful, influential friends

• Four Princes: Meetings with the great

• Three Princes: Honor, rank

• Four Princesses: New ideas, plans

• Three Princesses: Young society

• Four Tens: General anxiety, responsibility

• Three Tens: Generally, buying, selling, commercial transactions

• Four Nines: Added responsibility

• Three Nines: Much correspondence

• Four Eights: Much news

• Three Eights: Much journeying

• Four Sevens: Disappointments

• Three Sevens: Treaties and contracts

• Four Sixes: Pleasure

• Three Sixes: Gain and success

• Four Fives: Order, regularity

• Three Fives: Quarrels, fights

• Four Fours: Rest and peace

• Three Fours: Industry

• Four Threes: Resolution

• Three Threes: Deceit

• Four Twos: Conference and conversations

• Three Twos: Reorganization, restructuring, recommencement

When Two Suits Rule the Spread (Possible Influences)

• Swords and Cups: Strong opposing feelings are key to the problem. Friends and enemies will both take part. Health matters.

• Wands and Pentacles: Money and business issues must be resolved.

• Wands and Swords: Strong masculine influence. Father. Opposition to business.

• Wands and Cups: Balance of masculine and feminine energies. Dynamic energy plus intuition and creativity.

• Cups and Pentacles: Strong feminine influence. Mother. Strong emotional need for financial and material security. Home issues.

• Swords and Pentacles: Opposition to business. Financial disputes. Constant worry about money and finances.

In learning to read the cards, it is helpful to begin with your personal Pre-Ritual Meditation Practice. Formulate your question clearly and state it out loud. Keep your mind as clear and still as possible when shuffling the cards. Try to put any personal bias out of your mind. (In this respect, it is easier to read for someone you don’t know since you can be more objective about the matter.)

We recommend that you invoke the great Angel HRU as in step 7 from the Tarot Consecration Ritual given earlier. This will help connect you with the Divine during the course of the reading.

In any reading, always look for relationships between the cards to aid in unveiling the story that the cards are pointing to.

The Celtic Cross Spread

Traditionally, beginning students were taught simple card spreads such as the Celtic Cross. This spread was made popular by Golden Dawn adept A. E. Waite in his book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. The deck designed by Waite and painted by artist Pamela Colman Smith, commonly known as the Rider-Waite tarot deck or the Waite-Smith tarot deck, is the single most popular tarot deck in the world, while the Celtic Cross Spread (Figure 45) is probably the most widely used card spread.

Figure 45: The Celtic Cross Spread

1. The Significator. This card represents the present, the matter at hand, or the questioner’s state of mind. It is the situation that the querent, the person asking a question, currently finds him- or herself in.

2. The Crossing Card. An immediate conflict, challenge, or obstacle to the querent. A beneficial card may still represent a challenge.

3. Above. The querent’s goal or aspiration. The best possible outcome.

4. Below. Subconscious motivations of the querent. The hidden core or driving force of the situation. Underlying feelings. Surprise messages.

5. Past. Events that have led up to the current situation. Something that is passing out of the querent’s life. Something that the querent must let go of.

6. Future. Not the long term or final outcome, but what is likely to happen in the next few weeks or months.

7. Guidance. The Significator’s power or attitude in the present situation. What needs to be developed. Advice and a recommendation for how to address the present situation.

8. Outside Influences. External influences, people, or events that the querent has no control over.

9. Hopes and Fears. What the querent hopes will happen and fears will not.

10. Outcome. How the situation may be resolved. It represents where the situation is headed based on current circumstances. If this outcome is not wanted, the querent will have to make necessary changes.

Be sure to consider various card relationships in your reading:

• Cards 1 and 2 represent the heart of the matter.

• Cards 3 and 4 represent the conscious and unconscious mind.

• Cards 5 and 6 represent the movement of time.

• Cards 3 to 6 represent immediate influences on the matter.

• Cards 7 to 10 represent the broader influences.

Pay attention to the relationships between:

• Cards 3 and 4

• Cards 3 and 10

• Cards 6 and 10

• Cards 4 and 9

• Cards 7 and 10

The YHVH Spread

The YHVH Spread (Figure 46) is the first part of a much longer Golden Dawn tarot reading method known as the Opening of the Key. But the YHVH Spread by itself is an excellent technique for learning the basics of interpretation in a uniquely Golden Dawn tarot reading.

Figure 46: The YHVH Spread

At first you should simply concentrate on learning the tarot spread without a lot of ritual preparation. That can come later. At this point, it is more important that you commit the basic symbolism, attributions, and keywords of the cards to memory and allow the mechanics of the procedure to become second nature to your practice.

1. Choose the Significator. Before you begin, choose one of the cards to represent yourself or the querent. This card is the Significator. Traditionally, magicians choose one of the court cards for this purpose, but you could also choose a card that you identify with, be it a Trump card or a pip card that carries a meaningful astrological correspondence.

2. Formulate the question. Shuffle the entire deck of seventy-eight cards while thinking about the question you want answered.

3. Cut the deck. Cut the deck in half. Place the top half to the right.

4. Cut the two piles. Cut each of the two piles in half to the right, so that you end up with four roughly even piles corresponding to the name YHVH and the four elements. The far right pile refers to Yod-Fire, while the far left pile is that of Heh Final-Earth.

5. Interpret. Turn the four piles faceup and interpret the bottom (now the top) card of each pile. This will give a general indication of the matter at hand. Take note of the basic interpretations of these four cards as they relate to each other in order from right to left (Table 28).

a. If a card is on its elemental pile (such as: Ace of Wands in the Yod pile), its strength is increased.

b. If a card is on a pile that is unfriendly to its elemental suit (example: Ace of Wands in the Heh-Water pile), its strength is decreased.

You should also look to see if there is a predominance or deficit of any particular element and interpret accordingly.

Table 28: The YHVH Spread Interpretation

HEH Final: Earth	VAV: Air	HEH: Water	YOD: Fire
Business	Health	Pleasure	Energy
Money	Trouble	Creativity	Leadership
Stability	Communication	Fertility	Beginnings
Environment	Reconciliation	Emotional life	Transformation

6. Find the Significator. Find which pile has the Significator in it. Is it in the pile that relates to the question? This should give you a general direction for the reading.

7. Horseshoe. Work with the pile containing the Significator. Put the other piles aside. Without altering the cards’ order at all, spread them out to form a horseshoe (Figure 47). Starting with and moving in the direction the Significator is looking, use the counting method described below.

Figure 47: The Horseshoe

Note: In the Golden Dawn Magical Tarot, the directions that the court cards are facing are not always apparent. So as a general rule, Kings turn left, Queens face right, Princes turn left, and Princesses face right. (These directions are from the perspective of the reader who is looking at the card.) The reason for this is because the masculine (White Pillar) cards face their feminine (Black Pillar) counterparts and vice versa.

If you use a deck that shows the court cards looking to the left or right, count cards in the direction that the Significator is facing.

8. Similar cards. First, check to see if there is a majority of several similar cards and interpret your findings.

9. Card counting. Proceed by counting over certain cards in the directions described above, from and including the Significator, which is the first card of the count:

• From every Ace: count five cards (for Spirit and the four elements)

• From every Princess: count seven cards (for seven palaces of Malkuth)

• From Kings, Queens, Princes: count four cards (for YHVH)

• From Twos through Tens: count its own number (the Sephirah number)

• From Trumps 0, 12, and 20: count three cards (for the Mother Letters)

• From planetary Trumps: count nine cards (planets plus lunar nodes)

• From zodiacal sign Trumps: count twelve cards

For every instance that you count and land on a new card, interpret that triad of cards—the card you land on and the two cards on either side of it. You can refer to these as the central card and the side cards. Count from one central card to the next, creating a narrative as you progress. If you land on a card at either end of the horseshoe, consider that the line of cards is actually circular and includes the card on the other end as one of the side cards. Keep counting until you land on the same card twice, which ends the counting.

Card counting and reading in triads allows the reader to weave a sequential story together like threads in a tapestry, uncovering layer upon layer of subtlety that allows for rich detail. Each triad of cards is woven together into a chronology that indicates the matter’s development over time, providing mini stories within a larger framework.

Some threads are simple and uncomplicated while others can become intricate and winding. It is often helpful to record the reading. The nature of the weaving often mirrors the simplicity or complexity of the matter. A short thread can indicate the essential information of the reading, or that one’s options are limited. A long thread can sometimes become convoluted and confusing, so concentrate on the cards that draw your attention the most. A thread that seems to go round and round in an endless or meaningless circle may indicate a negative behavior pattern that is difficult to break. In this case, the cards may signify an important lesson that the querent continues to miss.

Take time to get acquainted with this method. Practice is the key to proficiency here.

10. Card pairing. Starting at the bottom ends of the horseshoe, pair the cards from opposite sides and interpret them together. When interpreting card pairs, it is often helpful to focus on one or two key words that encapsulate the meaning of each card, then combine them to make a meaningful narrative.

11. The tarot journal. Keep a journal of all your tarot readings. Having a written record will help you enormously. Being able to review and compare readings at various stages of your practice is an invaluable learning tool.

Review Questions

1. How many different sections of the tarot can you assign to the name YHVH?

2. How many cards are in the Minor Arcana?

3. How are the cards of the Major Arcana attributed to the Tree of Life?

4. What tarot Trump corresponds to Sagittarius?

5. What tarot Trump corresponds to Cancer?

6. What tarot Trump corresponds to Venus?

7. What tarot Trumps correspond to the three Mother Letters?

8. What method uses the elemental and astrological symbols of Hebrew letters to write in code?

9. The Minor Arcana is divided into what two subgroups?

10. What is a decanate?

11. Which court card is aligned with Binah?

12. Which court card is aligned with Tiphareth?

13. A majority of which card indicates new beginnings?

14. What does a majority of Trumps indicate?
15. What do four Eights indicate?

16. What do three Fives indicate?

17. What do Wands and Pentacles indicate?

18. What do Wands and Cups indicate?

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