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The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 23 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton

Chapter VII (part 3)

Arcana 21-22 Ten of Sceptres ---- of Swords ---- of Cups ---- of Pentacles GENERAL FIGURE OF THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE TAROT, SHOWING ALL THE AFFINITIES. The absolute law. Yod He Vau He is in the centre of the figure. Each of the letters of the tetragrammaton governs one quarter of the circle which contains its affinities. The different colours indicate the especial dominion of each arcanum. GRAND GENERAL FIGURE OF THE TAROT.-- Arrangement of Series .
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Themes
Correspondencecosmology

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 explicitly describes a 'GENERAL FIGURE... SHOWING ALL THE AFFINITIES' where letters govern quarters and colors indicate dominion, reflecting the Hermetic axiom of structured cosmic reflection.

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Cosmic Sympathycosmology

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 mention of 'affinities' and the arrangement showing how letters govern quarters implies hidden connections between different parts of the system.

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Letters Of Creationcosmology

The twenty-two Hebrew letters as the building blocks through which God creates and sustains all existence.

The passage highlights the Hebrew letters of the Tetragrammaton as governing quarters and affinities within the Tarot construction, aligning with the concept of letters as building blocks.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality.

The text references specific Arcana numbers (21-22) and the four letters of the Tetragrammaton governing quarters, indicating a reliance on numerical structure.

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Sacred Namestheology

Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice.

The text centers on the Tetragrammaton (Yod He Vau He) as the governing force in the center of the figure, attributing dominion to these divine letters.

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Related passages · 7 parallels
jewish_mysticism|Sefer Yetzirah (The Book of Formation)|Section 1d
“Resh, predominant in peace, crowned, combined, and formed Saturn in the Universe, the sixth day of the week, and the left nostril in man. Tau, predominant in beauty, crowned, combined and formed Jupiter in the Universe, the seventh day in…”
Shared concept: Letters Of Creation — The twenty-two Hebrew letters as the building blocks through which God creates and sustains all existence. (derived)
egyptian|The Egyptian Heaven and Hell|Chapter 6 (part 5)
“The Rubric had, in fact, so far back as B.C. 2600, become a traditional magical formula of a most powerful character, and it must have been composed at the time when the abode of the blessed was supposed to resemble the "great field" in wh…”
Shared concept: Sacred Names — Divine names or formulas that carry ontological power, used in prayer, liturgy, or magical practice. (derived)
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter XVIII-b
“A certain thing of this kind also may take 71 place in the harmony and crasis of the universe: for the same things may be the salvation of the whole, through the perfection of the things inherent and the recipients; but may be noxious to th…”
Shared concept: Cosmic Sympathy — 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. (derived)
neoplatonism|Select Works of Plotinus|Select Works, Section 365 (part 1)
“Section 45 45. From this discussion it becomes perfectly clear that the individual member of the All contributes to that All in the degree of its kind and condition; thus it acts and is acted upon. In any particular animal each of the lim…”
Shared concept: Cosmic Sympathy — 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. (derived)
neoplatonism|Iamblichus: On the Mysteries|Chapter III
“Since, however, every part of the heavens, every sign of the zodiac, all the motion of the heavens, every period of time according to which the world is moved, and all things contained in the wholes of the universe, receive the powers which…”
Shared concept: Cosmic Sympathy — 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. (derived)
renaissance_hermeticism|The Heroic Enthusiasts, Part II (Gli Eroici Furori)|First Dialogue-j
“So that the continual movement of one part supposes and carries with it the movement of the whole, in such a way that the attraction of the posterior parts is consequent upon the repulsion of the anterior parts; thus the movement of the sup…”
Shared concept: Cosmic Sympathy — 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. (derived)
christian_mysticism|Pseudo-Dionysius: The Divine Names|Chapter 4, Section 1d
“Nay, even the foundation and the boundaries of the heavens (as we forgot to say while 91 thinking of other matters) owe their origin to the Good. Such is this universe, which lessens not nor grows, and such the noiseless movements (if nois…”
Shared concept: Numerical Mysticism — Numbers, proportions, and mathematical relationships as the underlying structure of divine reality. (derived)