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Hebraic Wisdom in the Major and Minor Arcana
author: Dovid Krafchow
Kabbalistic Tarot was originally published in 2002, by Shadium Press, under the title Listening to the Soul,. I find both titles appropriate, as the Tarot is a gateway to understanding our soul. Krafchow addresses the Tarot, as the subtitle notes, from the Hebraic point of view. How he sees the connection between Kabbalistic matters and the Tarot, and how someone, say, from the Western Hermetic Tradition would see the connection between Tarot and the Kabbalah is at times divergent. In this review, we will stay strictly with the Hebraic version. I want to add here that Krafchow has studied both Kabbalah and the Tarot for over thirty years.
Krafchow begins by defining Cabala (his spelling, different from the title) as "receiving", which also meant drawing down knowledge from the heavens through uniquely personal experiences. His hope in sharing the wisdom from the Cabala through the Tarot is that is will address the confusion and spiritual weakness that abounds in our times.
For two decades Krafchow devoted himself to the study of the four levels of Torah: the written word, the extrapolated idea, the metaphor, and the secret. It was some time after this that he found himself in a book store, staring at a large gilded book that promised to reveal the "Secret Knowledge of the Tarot". The one word that he was truly drawn to throughout the book was Cabala. The deck used for illustrating this book was the Rider-Waite Tarot. Krafchow put the book back, bought the deck, and proceeded to through out the LWB (Little White Book) that came with it. He saw the connection with his Cabalistic studies, and felt that the cards would explain themselves.
Krafchow sees the Tarot as having their roots in Jewish spiritual tradition. He personally feels that the cards were used as a clandestine method for the captive tribes of Israel to study their sacred text. The short section that covers this early history is a very interesting one, not to be set aside lightly.
The foundation of the Tarot mirrors the blueprint found in the Cabala. The twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana are associated with the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The four suits of the Tarot are associated with the four elements and the four worlds. The suit of Staffs is associated with the element of Fire and the world of Atzilut (fire). The suit of Cups is associated with the element Water and the world of Yetzirah (emotions). the suit of Swords is associated with the element of Air and the world of Briah (thought). The suit of Coins is associated with the element of Earth and the world of Asiyah (action).
Krafchow does an excellent job, through text, tables and graphics, of explaining the connection between the Tarot, the four worlds, the Cabala and the Tree of Life (which very interestingly is superimposed over a schematic of the human body). The ten Sefirot reflect the nine numbered pips (Two through Ten), representing the body, and one of five cards (the court cards - Page, Knight, King, Queen, and Ace), representing the soul.
The Major Arcana are presented in an interesting fashion - not 0 (Zero) through XXI, in order, as we see them traditionally, but in pairs, describing the male and female essence of the cards. As an example, the first cards that are presented represent the female and male essences of Pleasure and Will. They are the cards of the Hanged Man and the Tower. The following text is from the book, along with black and white scans.
The Hanged Man card depicts a young man hung upside down by the foot. A yellow crown encircles his head, representing pleasure. The crown, keter, is the Cabalistic symbol for pleasure, the source of all our energy and reason for all action. The all-encompassing motivation of pleasure is seen in Cabala as being beyond logic, and is therefore sometimes also called chaos. In this card image we see that just beyond the intellect, pleasure - the foundation of life - overflows in a fuming state of unbridled energy. The Hanged Man's heart is elevated above his head. In the human body the heart is above logic; when the heart is elevated above the head it is a sign that chaos rules. Cabalistically, chaos is what precedes logic and is considered one of the higher realms. The confine of logic is further from the singularity of the Light Without End; it is the chaos of light and darkness, Pleasure and Will, that connects the infinite with the finite. The line - the essence of male - is represented in the Tarot cards by The Tower, the most phallic of images. Here a bolt of lightening strikes the tower and blows its crown off in a burst of fire as men jump from the window. Will is single-minded: everything else can jump out of the window. Nothing stands before Will. The Court Cards, Aces and Pips are also presented through text and a black and white scan. From the book:
In the Ace of Pentacles, or Earth, the heavenly hand holds the pentacle above a garden. A hedge divides the garden from the world. At the far side of the garden, a path through a bowered gate leads from the garden to the outside. Beginnings are hard, but they are also beautiful. By leaving one's comfortable surroundings and going out into the world, a person begins the journey into life. These ideas apply to any new venture: to the beginning of love, to new thoughts and attitudes. Children often choose this card. The Ace of Pentacles is the profound present. The highest part of the soul partakes in the great joy of a new venture. It is why we feel so exhilarated. Because all beginnings are hard, the Creator made the soul infuse the body with the joy of pleasure at life's changes. Do not be fooled by the card's pleasant evocations: the sun will set, the wind will howl - things will be difficult. All beginnings are difficult. At the end of the book, Krafchow talks about becoming a "reader with intention". The reader is the medium through which the message of the cards is delivered. Krafchow gives an example of a Cabalistic reading, discussing the how's and why's as he goes along. Also included are a table of card associations (card, attribute, anatomy, color and planet), and a glossary. The Kabbalistic world of Tarot is a world of great depth, and one that is easily misunderstood. Krafchow has done an excellent job of getting his ideas across in a concise, fluid manner that is easy to understand and easy to follow. I highly recommend this book to anyone wanting to study the Kabbalistic structure and associations of the Tarot. This is an excellent reference book to have in one's library.
Bonnie Cehovet
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