Qabalistic Tarot: The Astral Paths

Near the end of the 19th century, a burgeoning magical society called the Order of the Golden Dawn began connecting the dots between the tarot and the centuries-old spiritual philosophy known as Hermetic Qabalah. The results projected the 78 cards into a pictorial map of cosmology, the human soul, ceremonial magic and many other applications beyond divination.

In this 11-month series (in conjunction with Denver Tarot Geeks), we will be taking a look at the tarot behind the tarot via a comprehensive and integrated approach to the cards’ correspondences with the Qabala’s primary glyph, the Tree of Life. Exploring its concepts, how the cards reflect these concepts, and the interconnected network they create, each session will focus on a particular subsection of the Tree and the cards associated with them.

This month we will be discussing the paths comprising the Astral Triad: Peh, Resh & Tzaddi, corresponding with the Tower, Justice and the Hermit.

The material is of an intermediate to advanced level, so participants would be expected to already have a basic knowledge of tarot. We recommend using a deck that follows a Golden Dawn, Thelemic or similar tradition for the most relevant symbolism. Some good examples include:

Golden Dawn Magical Tarot
Builders of the Adytum
Thoth Tarot
Golden Dawn Tarot
Rider-Waite-Smith

We also recommend some reading material to get the most out of the discussion:

The Qabalistic Tarot: A Textbook of Mystical Philosophy by Robert Wang
Paths of Wisdom: A Guide to the Magical Cabala by John Michael Greer
The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages by Paul Foster Case
A Practical Guide to Qabalistic Symbolism by Gareth Knight
The Chicken Qabalah of Rabbi Lamed Ben Clifford by Lon Milo DuQuette
The Mystical Qabalah by Dion Fortune

This series is donation based, which supports Tarot Geeks and allows us to continue providing informative and inspiring events throughout the year. $3-5 donations can either be made in cash or via PayPal to johanalleen@q.com . Be sure to select the “Send to a Friend” option to avoid service fees.