The Tarot of the Bohemians (Papus) · 120 of 134 · tr. A.P. Morton

Page 54

FOURTH LESSON. BASIS OF THE APPLICATION OF THESE DATA. ARRANGEMENT OF THE CARDS. WE are now in a position to handle the Tarot as a means of divination. But before we attempt to read it, we must settle how to arrange the cards upon the table. To know the meaning of the earls is only the first step in the art of cartomancy; to know how to arrange them is still more important. As a fact, the astronomical data should not be lost sight of, and the Tarot ought only to be used to represent the revolutions of the stars, the source of future events; but that is the realm of Astrology, and we must confine ourselves to that of telling fortunes by the Tarot cards, and their combinations depend a little upon chance. We shall, however, give as many reliable elements in this study as possible. We need only look back to the commencement of the third part (Key to the Applications of the Tarot), to see that the human life passes through the four great periods of-- Childhood. Youth. Maturity. Old Age. If the student is not interested in Human Life, and simply wishes to see the evolution of an event, it will also pass through four great evolutions-- Commencement. Apogee. Decline. Fall. We must then first determine, in our arrangement of the cards, four points facing each other in pairs, upon which we can afterwards place the cards which are to reveal the future to us. This, therefore, is our first point: the determination of the four places which the cards will occupy . 4 Apogee Youth 1 Commencement Childhood 3 Decline Maturity 2 Fall Old Age We must notice that the disposition of the points goes from left to right . This is seen by the order of the numbers, whilst the symbols are read from right to left . The Human Life or the Event moves in three very distinct periods-- The Past. The Present. The Future. Which gives us a new figure as follows-- The Inquirer is found in the Centre. The arrangement of the triangle follows that of the figures and not of the symbols. However, since four points are not enough to reproduce the movement of the sun exactly, we take, for important readings of the Tarot, twelve points which correspond with the twelve months of the year. The figure already obtained will, at any rate, serve as a means of consulting the Tarot upon small events. But we can also get the following figure, which we must remember for the arrangement of our cards when we wish to inquire about great events or the course of a lifetime. This figure, which is very important and should be carefully studied, is composed of three circles. 1. An outside circle, formed of twelve houses , filled by the minor arcana. The houses are arranged from left to right ; this is shown by the numbers. 2. A second intermediate circle, composed of four houses, arranged from right to left . 3. A central circle, formed by the triangle, and containing a house at each point, giving three houses in the circle. The last three houses and the four preceding ones will he filled by the major arcana . The Inquirer will be in the centre of the figure.

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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 links the arrangement of cards to astronomical data and the revolutions of the stars, reflecting the Hermetic principle that terrestrial events mirror celestial movements.

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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 passage states that the Tarot ought to represent the revolutions of the stars as the source of future events, implying a sympathetic connection between celestial movements and human fortune.

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Divinationpraxis

The ritual practice of discerning hidden knowledge — future events, concealed causes, or the will of higher powers — through a structured technique applied to cards, lots, astrological configuration, entrails, oracle, or other sortilege, rather than through direct unmediated insight. Distinct from gnosis_direct_knowledge (unmediated inner apprehension of ultimate truth, not a technique applied to an external medium) and cosmic_sympathy (the underlying doctrine of hidden affinity that many divinatory techniques presuppose, rather than the practice of consulting it).

The entire passage is instructional text on how to arrange Tarot cards for the purpose of telling fortunes and revealing the future.

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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 draws a parallel between the four periods of human life (Childhood, Youth, Maturity, Old Age) and the evolution of an event, suggesting a structural similarity between human existence and cosmic or temporal processes.

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Numerical Mysticismtheology

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

The arrangement relies heavily on specific numbers (four points, twelve houses/months, three circles) to structure the divination, indicating a belief in the significance of numerical structures.

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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 text describes life and events passing through distinct periods (Commencement, Apogee, Decline, Fall), reflecting a cyclical or pendulum-like rhythm of existence.

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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 acknowledges that the Tarot represents the revolutions of the stars which are the source of future events, aligning with astrological determinism.

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