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The Qabalistic Tarot: A Textbook of Mystical Philosophy
By Robert Wang
Published by Samuel Weiser, Inc., Maine
Few philosophical subjects are as abstract and complex as the Hermetic Qabalah, but Robert Wang, in his Qabalistic Tarot, does an excellent job of explaining the relationship of the Tarot to the Qabalah. At the same time, he explains the symbolism of three of the most important Tarot decks--the Thoth, the Waite, and the Golden Dawn-- as well as that of the Marseilles, one of the original decks that have survived from the Renaissance.
Few books explain the Qabalah as clearly and as briefly or make the esoteric meanings of the Tarot as accessible as the Qabalistic Tarot. Wang summarizes the key tenets of the cards succinctly, but with incredible depth. Wang is a writer and an artist who, in collaboration with the late Israel Regardie, one of the most respected of Hermetic scholars, created the Golden Dawn Tarot.
Contents and Positive Attributes
Wang opens his book with the history of Hermetic tradition and the Tarot. His history is clear and concise and answers many of the questions for the beginning Tarot student.
The Qabalistic Tarot then proceeds to describe the Qabalah from its origins in Judaism to the present. Then the key tenets are described: The Tree of Life, basic symbolism, the paths, the limitless light, the four worlds, the sephiroth, the minor cards, and the court cards.
The organization of the book itself clarifies the meanings of the cards. Since Qabalah is a numerical system, Wang groups the court cards and the minor arcana by number rather than suit, which makes the relationship between the sephiroth and the cards easier to comprehend.
Wang begins his explanation of the Major Arcana with descriptions of some of the obscure symbolism upon which the cards are based: the tradition of the Sepher Yetrzirah, the maternals, the double letters, the zodiac signs, the cube of space, numerology, the sets of paths, and the philosophical structure of the Tarot. All these systems are clearly illustrated and diagrammed, which gives the student a foundation upon which to understand the discussion of the cards of the Major Arcana, which follow.
Each of the twenty-two Major Arcana are explained, beginning with the Universe and ending with the Fool. The Qabalistic Tarot lists the attributes of each card, then describes its path on the Tree of Life and the significance of that path. The Hebrew letter is listed and defined. Wang describes the major images of each card in great detail, along with the card’s attributed astrological planet. Next, the symbols on each of the cards of the four major decks are explained and put in historical context if that information is clarifying.
Wang demonstrates the intricacies of the cards, the patterning in the deck and on the Tree of Life, and the multiple levels of meanings. For example, he shows that the astrological glyph of Venus, when placed on the Tree, covers all of the sephiroth.
Each Tarot card is illustrated by a black and white copy of the Golden Dawn, Crowley, Waite and Marseilles images. A Tree of Life diagram accompanies each Major Arcana card and other cards as appropriate. Besides the small Trees of Life and the cards themselves, the book has 32 diagrams plus two beautiful color plates of the three-dimensional and the traditional Tree of Life. The book is worthwhile for the diagrams alone. They are extremely well presented and wonderfully clarifying.
There is a brief but good section on divination, followed by tables of the colors and sounds of the Tree of Life, the Angels of the Decans, the Divine Names of the Sephiroth, and the 32 paths of Wisdom. A list of references and an index complete the book.
Drawbacks and Limitations
Because of the focus on the Qabalah, and Wang’s desire to show how the symbols on the cards and their major meanings tie into the paths and the sephiroth and the Hebrew names of the Qabalah, some of the other key meanings of the cards are omitted. For example, in his description of the High Priestess, he does not mention the concepts of Motherhood, receptivity, association or nurturance. He barely mentions the unconscious. Some of these meanings could be extrapolated from his information-- but not easily.
The Qabalistic Tarot lists only one basic spread. Its divinatory meanings are brief, particularly those of the Major Arcana. For example, Wang’s divinatory meaning of the High Priestess is “fluctuating.” In my experience, that meaning does not often come up in readings; it certainly would not be the single most important word one would choose. The minor arcana meanings are more complete, but the meanings are not always standard. However, each definition contains ideas not published elsewhere that are useful for seeing the logic in the strings of words that conventionally are ascribed to a specific card.
Wang studied with Paul Case and Israel Regardie, prominent occultists who wrote in the thirties. It was typical of the original books written by the Golden Dawn to describe the suit of swords in negative terms, and Wang follows this tradition. Modern sword interpretations are more positive and often more applicable.
Summary
Although weak in divinatory meanings and methods, divination is not the focus of The Qabalistic Tarot. Overall, this book is perhaps the best basic text for the Tarot in print. Wang ties together so many of the philosophical underpinnings of the Tarot and clarifies so many areas of complexity that he makes almost any other author’s approach seem incomplete. A notable exception to this comparison is Meditations on the Tarot: A Journey into Christian Hermeticism, also reviewed on this site.
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