Tarot and the Kabbalah - The tree of life

Crowley worked in the Kabbalah philosophy in designating the meaning of the Tarot Cards, as have done others. So, in order to understand the connections and meanings of cards, it is helpful to understand the Kabbalistic Tree of Life and how it applies in Tarot.

When you open a book or look up a site on Tarot, they often explain the meaning of the numbers from 1-10 in general, and the general meanings of a suit, and then mingle it and voilà that ought to be the meaning of the 4 of hearts. You could try to learn that by heart, but often it will feel arbitrarily and uncorrelated. But if you look at the Tree of Life of the Kabbalah and see where the cards are positioned on this tree, it creates a visual mind or concept map, which enhances the links, correlations and associations in your brain.

As I am not religious, nor a theologist, let alone an initiate in the Kabbalah and Jewish religion, so I will not elaborate on the Tree of Life in that sense. But I recognize it as a mind mapping system that is helpful to empower ourselves in understanding cause and effect on life situations, and since Tarot is a symbolic image tool it makes sense to mind map them in this way.

 
The geometrical formation of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life is probably derived from the geometrical mystical figure of the Flower of Life. Many geometrical formations within this Flower of Life have been allocated all sorts of steps in "creation" mythology.

SEPHIROT

The Tree of Life is constructed out of 10 points, each point having a number and a meaning applied to the number. These points are called the Sephirot, which means "enumerations".... the 10 numbers. If you look at the above image you will note there are 11 instead of 10. Keter and Da'at are said to be the unconscious and consciouis manifestation of the same principle, and so together make for 1 Sephirah.

Horizontally the Tree of Life can be divided into 7 levels, and in that sense correlating with the idea of the 7 chakras (another of those body maps, handy to allocate our emotional senses and phsyche). Vertically the tree can be divided into 3 columns. The central column headed by Keter is the neutral one, the "pillar of mildness" and balancing out the forces in play from the left and the right column. The right column headed by Chokmah is called the "pillar of mercy", whereas the left column headed by Binah is called the "pillar of severity".

• Higher Conscious

1 - Keter (Crown):

The higher plan, idea, goal... a crown rests above the head, outside of our mind and body. It may be what your higher self has faith in, or delights in, or wants. In Tarot sense Keter implies the as of yet unfulfilled (and perhaps unnoticed) opportunities out there, the Aces in particular.

• Conscious

2 - Chokmah (Wisdom):

It means "the potential of what is/to be", and is associated with intuitive insight, the eureka "flash in the pan" moment without any rational process preceding it. In Tarot sense Chokmah implies the possibilities (stemming out of the Keter opportunities) you consider. This correlates to the twos and Crowley's knights of the suits.

3 -  Binah (Understanding):

Here the understanding comes through deductive reasoning and is accompanied with feelings of joy. This correlates with the threes and queens of the suits.

N - Daat (Knowledge):

All Sephirot become one in Daat. People who are still reigned by their ego cannot see the benefits gained from Daat, only those who are self given see its benefits which are felt on an emotional level. On a higher level it bonds Chokmah and Binah. On a lower level it unifies the emotions with reasoning, making a person act according to the truths they are conscious of. Daat is not truly an enumerical. Sometimes either Keter or Malkuth is left out, and Daat used instead.

• primary emotions

These are experiences or feelings we have without secondary motive.

4 - Chesed (Kindness/Love/Compassion):

It is not just being nice for social reasons. It represents an action that has no cause, a giving action without strings attached for the satisfaction of giving/loving. Either the love, kindness and compassion bestowed upon us by others, or what we bestow freely onto others, comparable to the innocent loving kindness children bestow on people. In the pip cards of Tarot it are the fours of the suits.

5 - Gevurah (Might/Severity):

Gevurah is our power to strain our innate urge of goodness when we consider the recipient of our Chesed capable to abuse it. As a reaction we withhold our giving nature from such people (or ourselves) when we "judge" them as unworthy for it. It signifies what is withheld from us because we either do not need it or do not want it, and inspires us to be fearful of our fate/God/future, to see ourselves as undeserving of Chesed because of our own fault by breaking moral codes, the law or religious dogmas. It is like the punishment from a parent who judges he or she knows what is best for us children, especially when we were naughty. In the pip cards of the Tarot these are the fives of the suits.

6 - Tiferet (Adornment):

Tifaret balances Gevurah and Chesed, kindness given after judgement either as forgiveness or mercy. We forgive those who hurt us, or feel forgiven for our mistakes and healed from the guilt and shame. In Tarot this is represented by the sixes, the princes of the suits.

• Secondary Emotions

The experiences and emotions have a secondary motive, aside from the act/experience or emotion itself.

7 - Netzach (Victory):

These are experiences that are actually a kindness, but precluded by seeming harshness. It is as if things in life get ruined, fall apart around us, plans or dreams end up in nothing, but if we endure, carry forth fortitude and show patience then we will receive or gain something good in life we may otherwise not have gotten, and our confidence will grow. In Tarot this is represented by the sevens of the suits.

8 - Hod (Majesty/Splendour):

These are actions where instead of trying to conquer an obstacle (Netzach) through endurance and confidence, we instead subdue ourselves to the obstacle, do not fight it, nor try to overcome it. We try to live with it. In Tarot this is represented by the eights of the suits.

9 - Yesod (Foundation):

This is how we act when we are committed to know the truth, when we want to grow and learn, become knowledgeable. In Tarot this is represented by the nines of the suits.

• Action

10 - Malkuth (Kingdom):

This is the final result, the outcome in our daily life, and what makes us act ourselves. In Tarot represented by the tens and the princesses (as a new inner opportunity growing inside of us) of the suits.  

NODES

The Sephirot are linked by nodes, identified by the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, and consequently the 22 Major Arcana cards related to those letters. The Major Arcana cards therefore are not insights, not the knowledge, not the experiences, not our attitudes. They are the vehicles of our higher self/soul, the pathways in lives on revealing, experiencing the sephirots and come to understand and complete Daat.