The Secret of the Tarot

No one really knows the origin of the Tarot. The first known, recorded deck emerged in Europe during the middle ages. There are some that believe that the cards originated in Egypt, while others believe that the Major Arcana is a record of the secret teachings of underground religious groups. For example, in the 19th century Eliphas Levi was convinced that the tarot had origins of far earlier than the 14th century. He saw a correlation of the tarot with the Hebrew system of mysticism, the Kabbalah. He saw the tarot as an essential tool to be used to develop a closer relationship with the Divine. ^[1]

Both groups may, in essence, be correct. The origin of the Kabbalah has its sources in the theosophical currents that existed among the Jews of Egypt and Palestine in the early centuries of the Common Era. ^[2] The wisdom of early Jewish mysticism was embodied in two major branches. The account of Ezekiel’s chariot (Ma’aseh Merkavah) formed one major branch; the other was Ma’aseh BeReishit (the account of creation.) These secret teachings were passed down orally through the centuries from master to disciple. ^[3]

The height of the Middle Ages, the end of the twelfth century, saw a resurgence of interest and a renewal of Jewish Mysticism in the form of the Kabbalah, beginning with Sefer Ha Bahir, which was published around 1176 and followed by the Zohar, which was published at the end of the thirteenth century.^[4] This renewed interest was thought to be related to the belief that revelation of a sort would return in 1216.^[5]

The purpose of Jewish Mysticism is the quest for the secret path that leads to Divine Reality, which is the primordial unity of all things.^[6] It is comprised of the immediate contact with God through the fundamental experience of the inner self. Jewish Mysticism is concerned with the exploration of the hidden divine life and the world of human kind and creation.^[7]

At Sinai, God revealed to Moses the Divine Will, which was set down for generations in the form of the Torah. The study and analysis of the Torah as a means to internalize the Divine Will manifested itself in the Talmud. The means to come closer to the Divine manifested itself in the Kabbalah.

Cards similar to those we have today first appeared in Italy and France in the late 14^th century. ^[8] The French word for the cards was Tarot. Examine the word closely and it will be noted that TAROT spelled in reverse is TORAT. Torat is the plural form of Torah, meaning that the cards could be a collection of mystical stories rooted in the Torah that contain the keys to the path that leads to a closer relationship with the Divine.

The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana of the Tarot is comprised of twenty-two cards beginning with the Initiate, sometimes called the Fool, at Key 0 and culminating in the World, Key 21. The sequence of keys represents a spiritual journey of enlightenment that begins with a novice and culminates with a deep, universal understanding (in the World).

There are twenty-two cards in the major arcana and twenty-two letters in the AlefBeit. Each key is associated with a letter and each letter reveals the deeper meaning of the card. For example, Key 0, the Initiate is associated with Hebrew Letter Nun.

God Faithful Ruler is El Melech Nehehman in Hebrew. The initials, Alef, Mem, and Nun when taken together form the acronym, Amen. In Aramaic, Nun means fish. Nun is also closely related to N’Nun, which means to sprout or to blossom. The Hebrew letter Nun stands for Nehehman, faithful. Taken together – the secret of Nun – is that sprouting faith should be as abundant as fish in the oceans.

The lesson of Nun is to have faith. Faith, in this instance, is not a simple proclamation of belief, but a knowingness that comes from a holistic grasping of things that are beyond rational analysis. By developing this type of faith, we get in touch with our own intuition and a deeper wisdom that can guide our lives.

When taken together, Key 0, the Initiate represents a new adventure; a journey into unknown, that requires the querant to have faith.

The Medi Arcana

The Medi Arcana, also known as the court cards, contains 12 archetypes and four messengers (also called the pages in some decks.) The twelve archetypes: King, Queen and Knight of the four suits, each correspond to a distinct astrological sign, such that the King of Wands is Ares, The Queen is Leo and so on.

The remaining four cards are messengers, representing the four directions on a plane.

The Minor Arcana


The minor arcana are comprised of the forty remaining cards, numbered from one to ten in each suit. Forty is the mystical number of water and of transformation.

· And the flood was forty days upon the earth. [9]

· And the children of Israel did eat the manna forty years. [10]

· And Moses entered into the midst of the cloud, and went up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights. [11]

So, traveling through the cards of the minor arcana is akin to walking the path of self-transformation.

Taken altogether, the 78 cards (twenty-two major keys, twelve astrological archetypes, four messengers and forty lessons) lead the querant on a journey toward their own enlightenment and place their feet upon the path that leads to a deeper understanding of the Universe.

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[1] http://roswell.fortunecity.com/leehigh/340/shadow/shadow5.htm - source: Cynthia Giles' book: The Tarot, History, Mystery and Lore

[2] Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah,

[3] Daniel C. Matt, The Essential Kabbalah,

[4] Joseph Dan, The Ancient Jewish Mysticism,

[5] Aryeh Kaplan, Translation and Commentary of The Bahir: Illumination,

[6] Gershom Scholem, Major trends in Jewish Mysticism,

[7] Peter Schafer, The Hidden and Manifest God, Translated by Aubrey Pomerance

[8] http://www.byzant.com/tarot/history.asp

[9] Genesis 7:17

[10] Exodus 16:35

[11] Exodus 24:18