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The Tarot & Kabbalah: Tools For Explaining the Spiritual Mysteries
The Tarot, like the Kabbalah, is a very complex system of patterns within patterns and it would be a mistake to think that any of these patterns are accidental. Remember, the Tarot was designed by learned Kabbalists, who well understood numbers and their patterns. Every aspect of the Tarot has been carefully thought-out, which can been seen very clearly by looking at the basic pattern of the deck.

For example, there are 78 cards in the Tarot deck. Since seven is a number of fertility and eight is a number of thought or logic, we see that the Tarot is an instrument for growing thought or expanding consciousness. By adding seven and eight together we get fifteen, a number associated with the over identification with matter which the Gnostics associated with the demiurge or evil god. This indicates that another aspect of the Tarot is that its study will help free one from being trapped on the physical plane. If we reduce further, by adding the one and five of the fifteen, we get six, a number associated with harmony, the heart and divine consciousness. In other words, we can free ourselves from the chains of matter by bringing ourselves into harmony with the divine consciousness of the universe.

This is only one example of the many patterns that are embedded into the design of the Tarot deck. The deck is divided into two major sections, the Minor and Major Arcana, representing the dual nature of existence. Since the word arcana means "mystery," we can say that this division also represents the "greater and lesser mysteries" of the ancient spiritual schools. The 56 card minor arcana is further divided into 40 pip (or numbered) cards and 16 court cards.

Again, these numbers are meaningful. Using kabbalistic numerology, 56 reduces by addition (5+6) to 11, a number representing the individual operating within the physical world. As we will discover, the Minor Arcana actually represents the physical forces in our environment, making this number an appropriate description of this division of the deck. We will also see that 40, the number of pip cards, is a number of very solid manifestation and that the number 16 sheds much light on the nature of the court cards, which represent people. The four suits represent the elements of Fire, Water, Air and Earth, the same elements used by modern astrologers, which can be seen as gross natural forces. The pip cards use number to divide these elements down to definable limits, so that each card represents a well-defined "natural force" at work in our environment.

This last is an important point, for the meanings of these cards is not arbitrary, as many people who don't understand the Tarot think. I've found that many ill-informed people think that a card like the Two of Cups is called "Love" merely because the deck needed a "love card" and that this card would do as well as any other. However, as we learn to combine number and element (with a smidgin of astrology), we will see that the Two of Cups has to be connected with the idea of "Love." Likewise, we will see that "Material Trouble" or "Worry" also aptly describes the energy of the Five combined with the Disc suit.

Thus, our journey into understanding the world of the Tarot begins!
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