The Major Arcana

Each of the 22 cards of the Major Arcana correspond to one of the 22 paths on the Tree of Life and to one of the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The 22 letters are made up of 3 Mother Letters, 7 Double Letters, and 12 Simple Letters. These correspond to 3 elements, 7 Planets, and 12 Signs of the Zodiac. Since one will be running into these symbols, numbers, letters and cards often within this study, it is very useful to commit them to memory as best one can. Starting with the first card we move through all of the Major Arcana and find their corresponding number, letter and its meaning, symbol, sign, planet and element.

A Numerological View of the Major Arcana

1st Column of 7 Cards 2nd Column of 7 Cards 3rd Column of 7 Cards Added Across

As you can see, this graph is very similar to the graph on the Modality page which shows the relationship between the Modalities and the "Modalities within the Modalities" as represented by the Minor Arcana, or Decans. As stated, the Minor Arcana and the Decans represent the Four Worlds within each of the 10 Sephiroth of the Tree of Life, whereas the Major Arcana represent the 22 paths between these sphere. All of these numerological relations are what lead to such extraordinary overlapping of meaning between the Signs, Planets and Cards. As you can see in the above graph, if we use numerological reduction by adding double digit numbers together to get single digits, there is a repeating pattern.

In the first column of 7 cards, the repeating pattern is 1-4-7-1-4-7-1. In the second column, the repeating pattern is 2-5-8-2-5-8-2. In the third column the repeating pattern is 3-6-9-3-6-9-3. These same patterns are seen in the Modality Columns chart. All double digit numbers that reduce to the same single digit number through addition are related. For example, 2, 11 and 20 are related, 4 and 13 (and also the Fool card, sometimes given the number 22) are related, 7 and 16 are related, etc., etc. A good example actually is the 2, 11 and 20. Notice that in the Karma/Dharma section of the 'Decanate Cross Meanings' page that when speaking about the two, it is important that they come to trust their own Judgement. The 20th card of the Major Arcana is indeed Judgement, and the 11th card, its "relative," is Justice. Another example is how the 4th card of the Major Arcana, The Emperor-Aries, has the same dynamic involving power and authority that the 13th card has, Death-Scorpio. Both cards and Signs have a lot to do with reputation, authoritativeness, etc., only, again, expressed in different ways. A good counter-balance for the "overly stern" Aries or Scorpio is to look to another card which numerologically relates to them, the Fool, which is sometimes given the number 22. The Fool does not necessarily represent foolishness or folly, but being completely open to new things and new experiences. To empty one's head completely and admit one does not have all the answers, to experience life as freshly as possible, is truly the perfect "antidote" for an overworked Aries or Scorpio temperament.

Tony Bushby discovered these numerological relationships of the Major Arcana in his book Secret in The Bible. Even though esotericists have known about this, it is great to see an independent researcher who possibly may have had no serious prior interest in such things reach these conclusions. He connects a lot of other dots for us in that book as well. With modern methods and inventions, like colorful Tarot Decks for example that anyone can buy, the ability to share on the internet, the ability to calculate an astrological chart in minutes without having to do it by hand, etc., we truly have it easy. This Arcane knowledge is literally at anyone's fingertips if they wish to learn it. As Bushby shows in his book, thousands of years ago people were sworn to secrecy under penalty of death for divulging such things. He and others give strong evidence that this "science of the soul" was also ingeniously built into the proportions of the Giza Pyramids and in other monuments and cities across Egypt and indeed the world. (A great documentary series to watch would be John Anthony West's Magical Egypt.