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The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 33 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton

Chapter X

CHAPTER X. THE SYMBOLICAL TAROT. THE FIRST SEPTENARY, 1ST TO 7TH ARCANA. THEOGONY. Scheme of Work--Key to the 1st Septenary--The 1st Card of the Tarot the Origin of all the others--The three Principles of the Absolute--The Trinity--Figure of the first Card and its Affinities--The High Priestess and the Beth--The Gimel and the Empress--The Daleth and the Emperor--The He and the Pope--The Van, the Lovers--Summary of the 1st Septenary--Constitution of God. STUDY OF EACH OF THE 22 MAJOR ARCANA. Scheme of Work . WE shall now apply this general law of symbolism to each of the twenty-two major arcana. We must here beg for the reader's careful attention in spite of the length of the subject under consideration. We shall make every effort to be as clear as possible, and therefore we shall first explain the scheme which we have adopted in the study of each of the cards of the Tarot. (1st) We shall always start from the hieroglyphic sign which has given birth to the Hebrew letter. Court de Gébelin is the author whom we shall consult chiefly upon this subject. (2nd) We shall explain from the hieroglyphic character all the ideas that can be progressively deduced from it, and which characterize the Hebrew letter considered as a sign . Kircher and Fabre d'Olivet are our authorities in this work. (3rd) When we have once defined the ideas signified by the Hebrew letter, we shall search for the application of these ideas in the symbolic figure of the Tarot. Eliphas Levi, Christian and Barrois will aid us in our inquiries. (4th) Lastly, we shall determine the meaning which must be attributed to the card of the Tarot, according to its numerical and symbolical affinities with all the others, in applying to it the general law of symbolism. This portion of our work is strictly personal. (5th) We shall end the study upon each of the cards by a figure showing all that we have said. We must warn the reader that the perusal of the recapitulations only will be of no use as a means of understanding the card of the Tarot, and that the best way will be to carefully follow the successive explanations of each card, with the Tarot before him. We cannot end this opening chapter without alluding to the basis upon which we have established the astronomical relations of each card of the Tarot. One of the most ancient books of the Kabbalah which we possess, the Sepher Yetzirah , says that the three mother letters of the Hebrew alphabet correspond with the three worlds, the seven doubles with the seven planets, and the twelve simple with the twelve signs of the zodiac. Now in studying the astrological manuscript published by Christian, we have discovered that the numbers attributed to the planets by the author of this manuscript exactly correspond with the double Hebrew letters. The numbers attributed to the twelve signs of the zodiac exactly correspond with the simple letters. We considered that this absolute agreement between two documents of such different origin deserved our serious attention, and we have therefore given with each letter its astronomical correspondence. KEY OF THE FIRST SEPTENARY. ARRANGEMENT OF THE FIGURES FOR STUDY. CHARACTER OF THE FIGURES.
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Themes
Active Contemplationpraxis

A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness.

The methodology requires the reader to 'carefully follow the successive explanations of each card, with the Tarot before him,' engaging with symbols actively.

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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 text emphasizes 'astronomical relations of each card,' linking letters to planets and zodiac signs, embodying the principle of cosmic correspondence.

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Cosmogonycosmology

Narratives or doctrines of cosmic origin — how heaven, earth, and the primordial deities first came into being. The Kojiki's deities born alone on the Plain of High Heaven, Voluspo's Ginnungagap, Genesis's tohu wa-bohu, the Timaeus's Demiurge fashioning the Receptacle, the Hesiodic Theogony, the Kalevala's egg-cosmogony, Egyptian Nun-and-Atum. Distinct from emanation_hierarchy (structural-ontological cascade), letters_of_creation (mechanism of creation), and apocatastasis/frashokereti (end-state restoration); cosmogony is temporally-narrative beginning.

The chapter title includes 'THEOGONY' and discusses the 'Constitution of God' and the origin of the cards from the first principle.

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Emanation Hierarchycosmology

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 passage outlines a 'Theogony' and describes the first card as the 'Origin of all the others,' implying a structured flow from a primary source.

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Esoteric Lineagesoteriology

A historical or mythical chain of transmission for secret wisdom from master to disciple across time and cultures — the credential of the teaching, not merely its content. Distinct from oral_tradition (the spoken-not-written modality of transmission, which a lineage may or may not use) and hidden_sayings (the concealment-for-readiness of a teaching's meaning, independent of who transmitted it or in what unbroken chain).

The author cites specific authorities (Court de Gébelin, Kircher, Fabre d'Olivet, Eliphas Levi) to establish the chain of interpretative tradition.

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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 explicitly details a methodology starting from 'the hieroglyphic sign which has given birth to the Hebrew letter' and references the Sepher Yetzirah regarding letters corresponding to worlds and planets.

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Monadcosmology

The absolutely simple, undivided first principle from which all multiplicity and existence flows.

The text identifies the '1st Card of the Tarot' as the 'Origin of all the others,' functioning as a singular source principle.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

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

The passage discusses the 'First Septenary,' numerical affinities of cards, and the correspondence of numbers to planets and letters.

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Related passages · 6 parallels
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Shared concept: Esoteric Lineage — A historical or mythical chain of transmission for secret wisdom from master to disciple across time and cultures — the credential of the teaching, not merely its content. (derived)
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Shared concept: Active Contemplation — A form of meditation that uses imagery, imagination, or symbolic thought rather than purely empty stillness. (derived)