Esoteric Tarot Part 3
Discover Rosicrucianism and the Kabbalah in this third part exploring esoteric ideologies and their links to the evolution of Tarot
The Tarot began life as a card game for which European aristocrats commissioned artists to create personalised decks. Over the centuries, it has grown into a widespread and popular tool for divination and exploration of the self.
The Rosicrucians
This was a movement that was essentially Christian in its beliefs. The Rosicrucians were also influenced by Hermetic writings, ancient philosophy and Jewish mysticism. The central feature of Rosicrucianism is the idea that the members possess secret wisdom that was handed down to them from ancient times.
The name comes from the order's symbol, a cross with a white rose in the centre. This symbol contains many meanings including spiritual growth, life and death. The cross itself represents the division of the world into four elements: Earth, Aire, Fire and Water. To alchemists, mystics and spiritualists, this is the secret symbol of immortality.
The origins and teachings of the Rosicrucians are described in three books anonymously published between 1614 and 1616. The books recount the life of Christian Rosenkreuz, the supposed founder of the movement. However, he is regarded as a fictional character invented by Johann Valentin Andreae (1568-1654), a Lutheran theologian and teacher who penned the books after hatching a plan to invent an organisation that would reform social life through new learning.
Ficticious Life of Christian Rosenkreuz
According to the books written by Johann Valentin Andreae, Christian Rosenkruez, the fictitious founder of Rosicrucianism, was born in 378 and lived for 106 years.
He was raised in a monastery until he travelled to the Middle East and North Africa in search of spiritual and mystical knowledge. There, he studied with masters of the occult arts.
He returned to Europe in 1403 and formed the Rosicrucian order. The group began meeting to assemble their knowledge of the world into a universal message in preparation for the 'Final Judgement of God'. Rosenkruez erected a sanctuary in 1409, where he was entombed after his death in 1484.
Revealing Secrets
Andreae wanted to provoke a search for the secrets of life, nature and the universe. His books outlined a worldwide organisation of Rosicrucian societies - practitioners of the occult who had supposedly survived the centuries by hiding out. In truth, there was no such organisation. Despite this, the Rosicrucian societies popped up all over Europe in response to Andreae's books.
The teachings of the Enlightnment - otherwise known as the Age of Reason - insisted on scientific answers to religious questions. Rosicrucianism was balanced perfectly between superstition and science. It combined science, religion alchemy, magic, Egyptian mysticism, Jewish mysticism and CHristianity.
However, as scientific methods improved, the allure of Rosicrucianism wwaned, with a few exceptions in France.
In the mid 19th century, Eliphas Levi revived interest in the movement, including it in his writings. Levi was a French pet and author o more than twenty books on magic, Kaggalah, alchemical studies and occultism, who incorporated Tarot into his magical system.
Rosicrucianism was said to have spawned the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and influenced Freemasonry - two movements that can be explored in our fourth part.
Quick Kabbalah
Central to Rosicrucian lore, the Kabbalah is a branch of Jewish study that describes in mystic terms the origins and operations of the universe.
For centuries, Kabbalah was passed down orally, with only male students over the age of 40 allowed to receive its wisdom. A 13th-century Rabbi, Nahya ben Asher, is credited with the first written examination of Kabbalah.
Traditionally, it is thought that one cannot truly understand Kabbalah without knowing the Hebrew language. To a Kabbalist, Hebrew is holy. When God communicated the first five books of the Old Testament, he did so in a certain code. To crack this is to discover the mysterious secrets of life and the universe.
Kabbalah and Tarot
The central image of Kabbalah is the 'Tree of Life', which has ten branches connected by 22 paths. The numbers and images of Tarot and Kabbalah merged effortlessly when esoterists began exploring the connection between them.
For example, Tarot's Minor Arcana have 10 numbered cards and there are 10 branches on the Tree of Life.
The 22 paths on the tree connect the Major Arcana's 22 cards. In Kabbalah, the 22 paths are typically connected to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. This can provide extra meaning to the cards.
The idea of an esoteric connection between Kabbalah and Tarot dates back to the 1850s, when Eliphas Levi published the first book to associate the 22 cards of the Major Arcana with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
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In that same year, Oswald Wirth published a deck of Major Arcana incorporating the 22 designs and Hebrew letters together. By the early 20th century, theories of ancient esoteric links between Tarot and the Kabbalah had reached their peak of influence. But enthusiasts have continued to explore their connection.
While some still think the relationship has ancient origins, others see it as a matter of shared symbolism.
The Waite-Smith Death Card
The mystic rose on the banner of the Wiate-Smith Death card is an emblem that derives from Rosicrucian symbolism. A rose appears on the Rosicrucian cross, which has been interpreted in many different ways. For some, the cross represents the human body and the rose is a symbol of the individual's unfolding consciousness.
It has also been suggested that the rose represents silence while the cross signifies salvation.
For others, the Rosicrucian cross is a symbol of the human process of reproduction elevated to the spiritual - the rose female and the cross male.