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The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 81 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton

Chapter XV (part 2)

The twenty-first card of the Tarot is a figure-principle of the same nature as the prism which we have just studied, and a few examples of the various methods in which it can be applied will fully enlighten us upon this point. We have seen that the four figures in the corners of the twenty-first card represent the four animals of the Evangelist. In the centre stands a woman, the image of Humanity, and between the two symbols is a crown of elliptic form. This shows us that there will always be four fixed principles in every application of this card (since the symbols placed at the four corners of the square do not move), and a certain number of mobile principles represented by the wheel, rota , which occupies the centre of the symbols. This figure can never change, since it is a figure-principle : the words alone that may be applied to it can vary. Thus we have seen the four following symbols-- become We see that none of the symbols have changed, but the words only. The same rule applies to every application of the Tarot. Thus if we take astronomy, the four figures will be the four seasons, the crown is the zodiac, and the nude figure (Eve) the animating system of the zodiac, the planets; thus-- This shows us the progress of the sun , as it gives birth to the year . If we wish to know that of the moon as it produces the month, the four seasons would become the four lunar phases, the zodiac would be the twenty-eight houses of the moon, and the centre the sun, which animates the moon; thus-- If we wish for the horoscope of a single day we find it in the following figure-- Here the earth occupies the position of the moon in the month and of the sun in the year. If these astronomical data weary us, we can study the figure will assume a circle of the Human Life , and the figure will assume new aspect. A profound symbol, which indicates that the Human Will creates the fatality in which man moves, under the influence of the providential cycle of the four ages of the human life. If we know that Providence (the outer circle): acts upon the Future , Fatality (the intermediate circle) upon the Past , and the Human Will (centre circle) upon the Present , we shall see the basis of the divining Tarot . We think that these examples are sufficiently clear to enable us to proceed, and we shall now study some applications of the Tarot, leaving to the student the work of discovering a larger number.
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Themes
Active Contemplationpraxis

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

The text encourages the student to study the figure and discover applications, implying a meditative engagement with symbolic imagery.

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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 passage explicitly demonstrates the Hermetic axiom of correspondence by mapping the same symbolic structure (four corners, center wheel) across astronomy (seasons/zodiac), lunar cycles, daily horoscopes, and human life stages.

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Divine Providencetheology

Pronoia — the doctrine that the divine actively orders the unfolding of the cosmos and human affairs toward intelligible ends, against pure chance or blind necessity.

The passage explicitly defines Providence as the outer circle acting upon the Future within the context of the Tarot's divining basis.

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Magical Willpraxis

The doctrine that human volition, cultivated by discipline and emancipated from passion and servitude, is the primary instrument of magical operation — will confirmed by persistent acts acquires causal power over self, others, and nature; distinct from faith and from mere desire.

The text states that 'Human Will creates the fatality in which man moves,' positioning will as a central active force within the present moment of the symbolic structure.

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Microcosm Macrocosmcosmology

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 illustrates the human being (nude figure/Eve) as an animating system within cosmic cycles (zodiac, seasons), reflecting the macrocosmic structure in the microcosm of human life.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

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

The text relies heavily on specific numbers (four fixed principles, twenty-eight houses of the moon, four ages) as structural elements of reality and divination.

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Rhythmcosmology

The Hermetic doctrine of a measured swing or pendulum motion between poles — action and reaction, flow and outflow, rise and fall — operating in mental, physical, and cosmic-historical registers alike. Distinct from apocatastasis (cosmic-scale eschatological restoration after vast cycles) in naming a constant, ever-present oscillation rather than a singular restorative event.

The passage describes cyclical movements (year, month, day, ages of human life) and the 'providential cycle,' indicating a doctrine of measured swing or periodic motion.

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Stellar Determinismcosmology

The rule of the stars and planetary powers over mortal destiny — the astrological governors whose spheres bind souls to birth, error, and death; in Sethian gnosis the 'error of the stars' that the savior exposes, and from which the incorruptible generation alone is free. Distinct from cosmic_sympathy (a doctrine of universal affinity) in being a bondage-to-powers claim, and from archons (the rulers as personal beings) in concerning the astral machinery itself.

The text references horoscopes, the sun giving birth to the year, and fatality acting upon the past under planetary influence, suggesting astrological governance.

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