The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 15 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton
Chapter V (part 2)
The first series will be formed of the ace, or 1, representing 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-he , and are thins 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 following, 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-- We see that the same law, Yod-he-vau-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-vau-he ) are equal between themselves.
THE SEQUENCE IN ONE COLOR King Queen Knave Knight 1 4 7 2 4 5 7 8 10 3 6 9 If we now group all the numbers of the sequence according to the letter of the tetragrammaton, to which they are analogous, we shall find-- Representing Yod 1--4--7 Representing the 1 st He 2--5--8 Representing the Vau 3--6--9 Representing the 2 nd 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 FIGURES 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 of 1.
4.
7 The Queen --- He of 2.
5.
8 The Knight --- Vau of 3.
6.
9 The Knave--- 2 nd He of 10 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 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.
The Hermetic axiom that the structure of the cosmos is reflected at every scale — 'as above, so below; as within, so without' — making each level a legible map of the others.
The passage is fundamentally structured around the Hermetic principle of correspondence, mapping numbers to figures and both to Kabbalistic letters across different worlds.
The Stoic and Plotinian doctrine that all parts of the cosmos are bound by hidden affinities, so that a movement in one part resonates through the whole; the metaphysical basis for astrology, magic, and divination.
The text discusses 'affinity between the figures and the numbers' based on an identical law ruling them.
A chain of divine beings or principles flowing downward from a single transcendent source (the One or the Father), each level less perfect than the one above.
The text explicitly describes series representing emanation from the divine world through the human world to the material world.
The Hermetic doctrine that a masculine-feminine generative principle operates on every plane of being, not only the biological — present at all times as a structural feature of creation itself. Distinct from divine_marriage (a specific reunification event or symbol) and aeons (paired divine beings arranged in syzygies, not a universal structural claim).
The passage assigns active (masculine), passive (feminine), and neuter qualities to the numbers 1, 2, and 3 respectively.
The human being as a small-scale image of the entire cosmos; the body, soul, and intellect mirroring the structure of the heavens and the divine — distinct from correspondence in that it makes the human the privileged mirror.
The text suggests that each series of numbers represents a conception of figures in different worlds, implying a structural reflection across levels of being.