The Tarot of Marseille

The Devil of the Tarot of Marseille has additional elements that refer to duality. First, he has both male (genitals) and female (breasts) features. Note that this is different from androgyny, which is a characteristic of the person who has realized the divine. In that case the inner male and female energies have merged into oneness. In the Devil these polar energies are both present (as in any unenlightened person).

The Devil’s staff also refers to duality. It is a bident on Jean Noblet’s card (above left) and on Payen-Webb’s card (above right) two flames are burning on the staff. The Devil’s two horns are not only a reference to the animal instincts, but also to duality. In addition, Jean Noblet uses the combination of the colors red (male) and blue (female) to express the polarities / duality.

The bat wings of the Marseille Devil symbolize spiritual unconsciousness: a bat lives at night, in the (spiritual) darkness. Jean Noblet’s card has two dots on the left wing and three dots on the right wing. This is probably another reference to duality. In Pythagoras’ teaching about the opposites, the even numbers are female and the odd numbers are male.

The two Devil-like creatures tied to the pedestal represent man “trapped” in matter and guided by his lower nature.

An important theme, visualised on several tarot decks, is dealing with the sexual energies. Lust is a primal force that can keep man imprisoned in the world of the animal urges, and thus keep him away from the divine.

The card on the right from the Swiss 1JJ tarot deck (19th century) addresses this theme with clear symbolism. The Devil’s tail is bent forward, evoking associations with a phallus. The tip of the tail touches the bident, which represents the two energy channels that make us experience duality.

Duality and the animal instincts are part of God’s creation and not necessarily “bad” in this respect. However, if we want to experience the oneness of the divine, we must let go of the world of the senses. The Tarot of Marseille card by Payen-Webb (above) emphasizes this by naming the card L’Antechrist (the antichrist) instead of Le Diable: the Devil is the polar opposite of the divine (Christ) in our dual world.

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

Oswald Wirth’s version of the Devil is heavily influenced by the Baphomet figure of the occultist Eliphas Levi, and this creates confusion. Baphomet is seen by historians as an idol, of which the exact origin and meaning is unknown. The Knights Templar – a Christian knighthood from the 12th and 13th centuries – were said to have worshiped him instead of Christ, and were burned at the stake for this reason.

Eliphas Levi came to the conclusion that Baphomet represents the Gnostic principle of perfect equilibrium between the opposites, and he created an image that reflected this (on the far right). His Baphomet includes alchemical principles (“solve et coagula”), the four elements and the caduceus of the god Hermes.

Levi’s Baphomet hereby represents positive, spiritual principles, worth of pursuing. For example, the flame on the goat’s head represents the human intellect that rules over the animal instincts. Using elements of Baphomet for the Devil, as Oswald Wirth did, could mislead someone as to the meaning of the card.

Baphomet, by Eliphas Levi (1854-1856).

Château des Avenières (1917)

The designer of the mosaics at Château des Avenières (left) even took Levi’s Baphomet in its entirety for the Devil. The man and woman who are trapped in matter (the big circle, earth), could easily free themselves if they wanted to. The mosaic therefore presents their captivity as a choice.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

Artist Pamela Colman-Smith has the card refer unambiguously to the opposite of the divine again. Her Devil is corpulent (gluttony) and sinister. His horns are curved towards the earth. The upside-down torch in his hands refers to the kundalini fire, which flows down instead of up. This is also the meaning of the two tails of the naked man and woman. The grapes (wine) and the fire both refer to the divine kundalini that feeds on this card the lower, rather than the higher, chakras.

The pentagram, which is shown pointing up with Levi’s Baphomet and on the mosaic of Château des Avenières, has been turned downwards on the RWS card. In occult circles, the pentagram pointed upwards refers to God-realization. The fifth point of the star represents the Spirit, which rules the other four points, which represent the four elements (matter). Pointing down, matter (the beast) rules over the Spirit (the divine).

On the upper hand of the Devil is written the sign for Jupiter: of the seven planets of classical astronomy, the planet furthest away from the sun, and (thus) in alchemy symbolizing the first / bottom chakra. The hand gesture itself refers to duality (“split in two”).

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

The naked man and woman evoke associations with Adam and Eve, especially if you place the RWS card The Lovers next to it. Arthur E. Waite and Pamela Colman-Smith were connected to esoteric circles that knew that at the symbolic level the Bible story of Adam and Eve is about man choosing to use the kundalini energy (the serpent) for the lower chakras (sexual activity) and, as a result, losing paradise (connection with the divine). This esoteric knowledge has also been incorporated in countless paintings, see three examples below.

Adam holds Eve’s breast: the forbidden fruit is sexuality (Hans Baldung Grien, 1511)

God tells Adam and Eve not to eat the forbidden fruits. What these forbidden fruits are is symbolized by the branches with leaves, in the form of a phallus, in the left hand of Adam. (Grabower Altar Panel, Bertram van Minden, 1375-1383)

The twig in Adam’s hand evokes associations with a phallus: the forbidden fruit is sexuality. (Lucas van Leyden, 1529, Rijksmuseum)

Conclusion

In the field of the dual forces, the devil is the polar opposite of the divine. Where the divine stands for oneness, the devil represents duality. In man, the devil represents our lower, animal nature, which is the opposite of our higher, divine nature.

In the tarot, the Devil is the counterpart of the Emperor, the Hierophant, and the Chariot. The men on these three cards have conquered matter and the animal instincts (the devil).

Recommended reading: Paul Solomon on our lower and higher nature
(from: “The Wisdom of Solomon“)

The Tarot of Marseille

The most important addition to the card in the 17th century are the wings. This new element underlines that the woman represents the feminine pole of the divine. She has many names, including Isis, Hera, Diana, Venus, Iris, and Shakti (the kundalini). Other elements on the card that refer to her divine status are the DOUBLE CIRCLE (click here) on her head (Tarot of Marseille, by Jean Dodal, below center) and the five-petalled flower, the so-called ‘Rose of Venus’ (Tarot of Marseille, by Pierre Madenié, below left), also on her head. On these two Marseille cards we also see the color combination of blue and red in the clothing of the goddess: the fusion of the masculine and feminine energies.

Click here for the DOUBLE CIRCLE as a symbol for the sacred marriage

Jean Dodal’s card accentuates the woman’s breasts. This refers to the “nourishing” character of “God the Mother”. This nourishing / giving aspect is also expressed in general iconography by depicting goddesses with a large amount of breasts. Sometimes liquid flows from the breasts. See the alchemy emblem below (on the right). This liquid is a reference to the kundalini energy, but also to the transformed brain fluid of man, which under the influence of a kundalini awakening has turned into amrita (drink of immortality), or ambrosia (the “nectar of the gods”).

The deeper meaning of the Temperance card becomes even more clear when we look at Tarot de Marseille cards with deviating elements, such as that of Jacques Viéville, from 1650 (right). On the card of Viéville, the woman has a large staff with wings in her hand. Derived from the caduceus of Hermes, this staff represents the spine, with the pineal gland at the top, and is a wonderful addition to the symbolism of the jug with liquid in her other hand.

The enigmatic Latin text SOL FAMA is also a reference to the divine. Sol means sun and Fama means fame. The words are written in mirror image. I think this is a clue that we need to turn around not only the words, but also the flow of liquid to understand its meaning: the kundalini energy flows from bottom to top!

Also worth mentioning is the Temperance card of the Italian Giovanni Vacchetta (Tarot of the Master, above right), from a somewhat later period. The flying ribbons on the woman’s back and head symbolize the two fusing energy channels. The loop represents the pineal gland (KNOT OF ISIS). The two vases are decorated with a pinecone pattern; this is also a reference to the pineal gland, which is so called because it has the shape of a pinecone. The side seams of the woman’s skirt refer to the caduceus.

Click here for the KNOT OF ISIS as a symbol for the kundalini in christian art

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

Oswald Wirth (1889, below left) has not added any new elements to the Temperance card. On the mosaic of Château des Avenières (below center), which is derived from the tarot of Wirth, the vases have different colors: gold and silver. Just like the colors red and blue in the women’s clothing, gold and silver (representing the sun and the moon) refer to the (melting) polar energies (see emblem from alchemy below right).

Château des Avenières (1917)

The kundalini, here personified by a woman wearing a crown with seven stars (chakras), stands on two FOUNTAINS: one with a GOLDEN and one with a SILVER liquid. From: Alchemical Notebook, Johann Grasshoff, 1620.

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

Right: Ottheinrich-Bibel, Matthias Gerung, Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, 1530. This illustration also includes kundalini symbolism: the color combination RED-BLUE of the angel and THE SIGN OF THE SACRED MARRIAGE (2 = 1 with the fingers).

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

Pamela Colman-Smith has chosen yet another way to express the polarities: her goddess has one foot on land and one foot in the water. This symbolism is probably ispirered by a vision of the apostle John, which is described in the Book of Revelation (10: 1-2):

“I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire; and he had in his hand a little book which was open. He placed his right foot on the sea and his left on the land…”

This vision are inner images of a kundalini awakening. The angel personifies the divine kundalini energy.

Read more in my book “KUNDALINI AWAKENING IN THE BIBLE”

The irises are an esoteric symbol for the pineal gland and the kundalini process. In Christian painting, the iris has been used extensively to (secretly) refer to the kundalini awakening that Jesus experienced. See three examples below, and my book “Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

Click here for more examples of the IRIS as a symbol for the kundalini in christian art

The appearance of Christ on Lake Tiberias, Albert Bouts, early 16th century.

The Resurrection of Christ, Pietro Perugino, circa 1495, Cathedral of Sansepolcro, Italy.

The Last Judgment (detail), Ambrosius Benson, 1540, Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco.

The Greek pantheon also has a goddess Iris: the personal messenger of Hera. Iris is the female counterpart of Hermes in terms of tasks. Like Hermes, she is often depicted with a caduceus.

On the right we see Iris pouring a libation: a ritual in which a liquid is poured as a sacrifice for, or by, the gods. In the iconography of the Ancient Greeks, libations were used to refer, in a disguised way, to the kundalini energy. This vase from the 5th century BC is an example.

The vase beautifully combines the various kundalini metaphors that have also been incorporated in the Temperance card. Iris pours liquid into a bowl held by the god Apollo. They represent the male and female energies (polarities). Just below the jug and the bowl is a deer (the kundalini). Iris holds a caduceus in her hand.

The gods Iris and Apollo

Conclusion

Since the first decks in the 15th century, the tarot card of the cardinal virtue temperance has been used to communicate forbidden knowledge about the kundalini energy. Numerous examples show that not only the tarot, and not just the cardinal virtues, were used for this “heresy.” Wherever you look in museums and churches, everywhere you see creative attempts by artists to refer to the source of divine energy in our pelvis. Even on illustrations in old Bibles!

This powerful energy source awakens when we live a “virtuous” life, in which self-control (temperance) with regard to the sensory pleasures is an important factor. If you want to experience the divine, you have to let go of the physical dimensions.

Right: the goddess Venus makes her son Aeneas immortal. We can deduce that this refers to a kundalini awakening from their hands that make the SIGN OF THE SACRED MARRIAGE (2 = 1), click here.

The hanged man has his hands behind his back. They lie on his sacrum, the abode of the kundalini energy. We also find references to the sacrum in Christian painting. For example, by forming a triangle – the shape of the sacrum – with the hands, at the level of the pelvis. Below are two examples.

Right: the SACRUM has the shape of a TRIANGLE

The Estensi (Charles VI) Tarot

A second hand-painted card from the 15th century, that has been preserved, comes from the Estensi Tarot (links), also called the Charles VI Tarot (after Emperor Charles VI). This Hanged Man has two filled bags in his hands. Its content is not entirely clear; is it gold as most tarot researchers assume? What these bags stand for is indicated by two other cards from the same time period, that we only know from uncut printing sheets: the so-called Rothshield Sheet and the Rosenwald Sheet (below). Unfortunately, no colored originals of these very first printed tarot cards have been preserved.

A kundalini awakening involves three energy channels that flow along, and through, the spine (see the illustration of the Tummo yogi above). The outer two energy channels form the energetic blueprint of duality in our inner world. These energy channels are balanced during the process of spiritual awakening, after which they merge at the level of the sixth chakra (the pineal gland).

On the Rosenwald card (below left), the Hanged Man holds the two bags exactly in front of the two vertical wooden posts, left and right of the man. This expresses the balance of the two energy channels that flow along his spine.

On the Rothshield card (below center), these energy channels are also symbolized by the two flying ends of the cord with which his leg is tied. Similar symbolism can also be found on illustrations from alchemy (below right).

The hair of the man on the Estensi card is red-brown in color and shaped like a flame. This is a reference to the kundalini fire that burns within him. The red-yellow bottom of his tunic also resembles fire.

The body posture of the Estensi Hanged Man can be found in alchemical emblems (right and below) from the same time period. On the illustration on the right, the phase of distillation/evaporation is expressed in visual language. At the bottom of the flask we see the alchemist in prayer (focused on God). His efforts are bearing fruit: the ascending figure symbolizes his spiritual ascension.

The position of his arms represents the balance achieved between the inner polarities (duality). One leg up represents the fusion of these polarities. This interpretation is confirmed by the peacock next to it, which stands on one leg. In alchemy, a peacock represents a phase in the Magnum Opus (process of God-realization).

Alchemical illustration
(Wellcome Institute Library, London (ms. 29, Fol. 40))

Left: The alchemist who completed the Magnum Opus. The BALANCE symbolism of the ARM position is reinforced by the SIGN OF THE SACRED MARRIAGE: 2=1 (click here), with both hands. The symbols of the six planets, on the circle, represent the SIX CHAKRAS that have been purified and activated by the kundalini fire. The man’s HAIR refers to this FIRE. A circle with a dot in the middle represents in alchemy the sun / gold / God-realization. (Andreas Libavius, 16th century)

The Tarot of Marseille

The Tarot of Marseille also gives us various indications that the Hanged Man is not just an image of a martyr or traitor who has to undergo a punishment, but that the card represents a phase in the spiritual process of awakening.

The numbers on the cards below of Jacques Viéville (circa 1650), Jean Dodal (circa 1700) and Francois Chosson (1736) are mirrored. This could be a mistake, but it could also be an indication that we need to turn the cards over to understand its symbolism. Turned upside-down, the man on the card becomes someone who is ascending (spiritual ascension). On Nicolas Bodet’s card (1739) both the number and the name are mirrored. This makes intent even more likely.

From each vertical tree trunk, on the three French cards, exactly six branches are cut off. The stumps, which have a different color from the trunks, to make them more noticeable, represent the six chakras of the Hanged Man, which have been purified (“pruned”) by the kundalini energy.

On three of the above four cards, the man’s arms are on his back, his fingertips showing above his shoulders. A curious, unnatural position: how should this be interpreted? I think these fingers are a flaw in the design: they are on the exact same place where we see flames of fire on the Visconti card. The fingers should have been flames.

Dodal and Chosson have left the Hanged Man’s pants white at the crotch area. This is a reference to the purification and sublimation (transformation) of the sexual energies. On all cards, the man’s legs form a cross: a symbol for the fusion of the opposites.

The Hanged Man on Dodal’s card looks cross-eyed. This can be the result of sloppy drawing, but it could also refer to the opening of the “third eye” (the sixth chakra) during a kundalini awakening. Similar symbolism is found in Norse myths.

To obtain Wisdom (Sophia’/the kundalini), the Norse supreme god Odin sacrifices himself by hanging himself from the (kundalini) tree Yggdrasil (left). This symbolizes the death of the ego, or the old man, as a result of a kundalini awakening. For the same purpose, he also sacrifices one of his eyes, leaving him with only one eye. This refers to the opening of his third eye.

Left: the Norse god Odin hanging
on the world tree Yggdrasil.

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

The Hanged Man by Oswald Wirth (below left) has two bags of money clamped under his arms: one with gold and one with silver coins. This is a new element on the card to express the balance between the polarities. Just like gold and silver, the colors red and white also represent the opposites in alchemy. These two colors are united (oneness) in the tunic that the man wears.

The alchemical
symbol for SULFUR

The Magnum Opus (a kundalini awakening) in alchemical symbols, including the symbol for SULFUR. (From: The Hermetic Triumph, 1740)

The tunic also has a crescent and a waning moon. This too symbolizes the duality that has merged in the Hanged Man. As we saw earlier, the two vertical tree trunks represent the two polar energy channels that flow along the spine. The crossbar, which is on top of the vertical trunks, represents the sacred marriage (the union of the opposites), which takes place at the sixth chakra. The Hanged Man hangs from this crossbar: he experiences the oneness of the divine.

Oswald Wirth has placed the arms of his Hanged man more emphatically in the shape of a triangle. Together with the cross that the legs make, this creates the symbol for sulfur (above center), which in alchemy stands for the Magnum Opus. The man’s reddish hair is shaped like flames.

Chateaux des Avenières (1917)

On the mosaic of Châteaux des Avenières (left), which is based on Wirth’s tarot, we see a bird with a human head flying away from the Hanged Man. This is the so-called Ba bird that represented in ancient Egypt someone’s spirit; the part of man that lives on after his death (see below). The mosaic thus wants to express that the Hanged Man, while still alive, has been liberated from matter.

Papyrus of Ani with BA BIRD,
New Kingdom, Dynasty XVIII, Collection of The British Museum.

A small path runs between the two tree trunks. This path symbolizes the kundalini energy flowing from the pelvis to the head. The path begins at the Hanged Man’s left elbow, and is connected to his sacrum – the abode of the kundalini – through his forearm and hand.

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

Pamela Colman-Smith has chosen clothing in the colors red (the masculine) and blue (the feminine) to express the fusion of the opposites. The aureola around the head of the Hanged Man gives even more clarity about his inner world: his crown chakra is fully opened; his consciousness is “enlightened.” The man’s hair is light in color (he is purified) and, like on the 15th century Estensi card (above), has the shape of a flame.

A notable change is the T-cross on which the man hangs. The letter T is called Tav in Hebrew. The Tav‘s original pictograph was a cross with equal arms. The Tav is surrounded with a lot of mysticism. As the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet, it stands for completion, and the ancient pictograph of a cross connects the Tav with the crucifixion of Jesus.

In addition, the vertical tree trunk behind the Hanged Man symbolically refers to his awakened spine. In many traditions, both a tree and a pillar are used as metafors for the spine with the kundalini energy flowing in it. The T-cross on this card is, as it were, a combination of both.

Click here for the PILLAR as a symbol for the awakened spine.

Below are four illustrations on which the pillar refers to a kundalini awakening. The leaves hanging on the RWS T-cross communicate that this is ‘living’ wood. An additional indication that the vertical trunk represents the awakened spine.

The kundalini SERPENT and a PILLAR with pine cone, as a symbol for the spine and pineal gland. (Asclepius relief from the Roman era)

The Hindu god Shiva

A depiction of the CATHAR sacrament the CONSOLAMENTUM (second half of the 13th century, Bibliothèque Nationale de France): baptism with the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. The PILLAR right behind the naked BACK of the baptized man, and the HAND pointing up, are telling us that this ritual involves an awakening of the kundalini energy. On the right, two Franciscan brothers watch the ‘pagan’ ritual in horror.

The kundalini process (obtaining the LIFE ELIXIR) expressed in alchemical images. Recognizable are the THREE PILLARS (energy channels) and their interrelationship. The MAN AND WOMAN represent duality. (From the manuscript Liber de arte distillandi simplicia et composita, by Hieronymus Brunschwig, 1654)

Conclusion

The Hanged Man is rooted in the oneness of the divine. The kundalini fire has purified his head, heart and body. In his inner world, the polarities have been balanced and merged. He may be bound on the physical level, but his soul is free. He experiences life from a state of detachment and serenity.

The Visconti Tarot

The card Strength is usually explained as an allegory of the cardinal virtue Fortitudo. Important thinkers like Plato, Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas have come up with four important virtues that man should pursue:

1. Prudentia (caution – sensibility – wisdom)
2. Iustitia (justice – righteousness)
3. Fortitudo (courage – strength)
4. Temperantia (moderation – temperance – self-control)

That the Visconti Di Modrone card, from the 15th century (right), also represents a spiritual proces, becomes clear when we study the details. The woman’s mantle has a curly pattern, similar to the lion’s hair. This mantle is lined with white (= purified) fur. The woman’s hair has the same color as the lion’s hair. These are three indications that the energies of the lion (the lower nature) and the woman (the divine) have merged.

We can deduce the sublimation (deification) of the animal drives from the following details: the crown, the golden color of the lion, and the dark blue color of the mantle of the woman. Dark blue (indigo) is the color of the sixth chakra, where the SACRED MARRIAGE (click here) takes place. The lion holds one paw up; a reference to the ‘oneness’ of the divine.

Click here for ONE LEG as a symbol of the SACRED MARRIAGE

The woman’s golden hair strangely floats in the air, not hindered by gravity. This symbolizes the kundalini energy that flows from the pelvis to the head. The woman holds the lion’s mouth open and sits on him: she has control over him.

Goddesses standing or riding on a lion is an existing theme in iconography, that has the same deeper meaning as the card Strength (below). With all the goddesses below we also see the theme of (the visibility of/raising) one leg: they are rooted in the oneness of the divine.

The Tarot of Marseille

The Tarot of Marseille (a collective name for tarot decks of different designers, over a certain period of time, in a specific geographical area) emphasizes the mystical experience of oneness even more. The hat on the woman’s head is now a combination of a crown and a lemniscate (below).

The symbol of the lemniscate stands for infinity. Esoterically, it refers to the fusion of the opposites: the sacred marriage. The duality of physical creation merges into divine oneness. Our higher and lower nature are also polarities that merge. The hat of the Magician (tarot card no. 1) also has the shape of a lemniscate.

Click here to read more about the SACRED MARRIAGE

That the woman and the lion form one source of power is communicated on the Jacques Veiville card (below left) by the tail of the lion that is curled around the woman’s foot. On the card by Francois Chosson (below center), the entire lower body of the lion has disappeared under the mantle of the woman. Chosson has also added feathers to the woman’s hat. This is a reference to the kundalini symbol the caduceus.

Click here for the CADUCEUS as a hidden kundalini symbol in Christian painting.

A curious detail on some Marseille cards is the woman’s bare foot. Jacques Viéville’s card even shows a completely bare lower leg. Because the woman is otherwise fully dressed, including a hat, you feel that this must have a specific meaning. Like the raised front leg of the Visconti lion, this refers to the (inner) merging of the polar energies; to divine oneness.

Click here for ONE LEG as a symbol of the SACRED MARRIAGE

On this woodcut from the alchemical manuscript Azoth by Basil Valentinus (1613), the LEMNISCATE is associated with the fusion of the polarities sun and moon, as well as the sublimation of the animal drives: a LION swallowing a bird.

An illustration of the Magnum Opus (completed process of God-Realization) of the alchemist, the symbolism of which has the same meaning as tarot card Strength. The POLAR ENERGIES (king and queen) are fused. This is also the meaning of the two SERPENTS that have become one (in the foreground). Mastery over animal nature (the LION). The tree with suns symbolizes the seven CHAKRAS that have been purified and activated by the kundalini energy. (Johann Daniel Mylius, Philosophia reformata, 1622)

Also in Christian painting, showing only one leg has been used to communicate veiledly that Jesus had experienced a kundalini awakening. Below are three examples.

Read about Jesus’ kundalini awakening in my book ‘John the Baptist Who Became Jesus the Christ’.

The six-pointed star (HEXAGRAM, click here) refers to the sacred marriage (2=1). Jacopino di Francesco (pseudo), 14th century.

Francisco de Zurbaran, 1661.

Francesco Squarcione, 15th century,
National Museum of Art of Romania.

In later tarot decks, such as the Italian Liguria-Piedmont from 1840 (right), the lion is even more one with the woman. The placement of the lion’s head at the height of her belly makes it even clearer what the animal stands for: the energies of the emotions and the libido. These forces are controlled by the woman (with her hands).

The occultists

Oswald Wirth (below left) has not changed the card much. The manes of this lion are fiery red, a reference to the ‘burning’ desires and emotions that the lion represents. The long tongue of the animal also resembles a large flame.

The mosaic of Châteaux des Avenières (below right), that is based on Wirth’s tarot, contains three additional elements to clarify the other symbolism: an active volcano, a pool of water, and a tree with a serpent. These are all classic metaphors for a kundalini awakening. They are interconnected on the mosaic (the volcano is reflected in the pool of water); a confirmation that they represent the same thing.

Chateaux des Avenières (1917)

A subtle change is that on the mosaic of Châteaux des Avenières the woman seems to close the lion’s mouth with gentle hands, while on all cards from previous centuries an opposite action takes place: the lion’s mouth is kept open. Closing the mouth symbolizes calming the inner stirrings. This makes no major difference to the meaning of the card. In both cases the woman controls the animal, and they (the higher and lower nature) are connected.

We also see this calming of the lion on the card of Rider-Waite-Smith (right). Arthur Waite has swapped the Strength and Justice card, making Strength number 8 in his deck.

The woman is wearing a white dress, a reference to the purity of the divine. She is connected to the lion by a long wreath of flowers, which is wrapped around her waist and around the animal’s neck. This connection tell us that together they form one power source. The choice of a floral wreath – and not, for example, a rope – means that the woman exerts her power with meekness and love (the red roses). The placement of the wreath around her waist refers to the control of the emotions and the libido (which the lion represents).

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

The wreath of flowers symbolizes an open crown chakra.

The orange color of the lion could be a reference to the second chakra, which is connected to the sexual urges. The floral wreath around the woman’s head is a universal symbol of an open crown chakra. We also see this in, for example, Christian saint iconography (above right). The RWS card shows that the animal energies have been purified and have been brought to the crown. The RWS card Cups Two (right) uses different symbols to convey the same.

Conclusion

Tarot card Strength gives a glimpse into the inner world of the spiritually awakened person. We are born in a body with animal instincts, but in us also burns a divine flame. Throughout our lives, our higher and lower nature compete with each other. Sometimes we are selfish (the animal in us), and other times we are more altruistic (divine).

Our spiritual mission is to overcome our animal impulses (symbolized by the lion on this tarot card) and realize our divine potential. We cannot achieve the required purification and sublimation alone. The kundalini energy is the CEO in this process. She is personified by the woman on the card. Our task is to support her work with the right way of living: purity in thinking and doing, and using our WILLPOWER (the STRENGTH of our will: the theme of this card) to choose the divine, again and again.

This tarot card shows how this opens the way for the merging of the energies of our higher and lower nature, and their combined power transforms us and (re)connects us with the divine.

RWS Cups Two

Right: this illustration communicates the same as tarot card Strength, with different symbolism. The yogi has conquered his animal instincts (he is sitting on a TIGER skin) and has transported these energies from the lower to the higher chakras (the color ORANGE of the tiger can also be seen on his forehead). His inner world is quiet and peaceful (he is in meditation). His BLUE color refers to deification. The ascend of the awakened KUNDALINI energy, through the chakras, is shown schematically. The yogi’s CROWN CHAKRA is fully opened. His heart is awakened (the heart chakra behind him).

Left: an alchemical illustration. The raised tail and crown refer to a successful SUBLIMATION of the animal energies. The polar energies (sun and moon, the eyes of the lion) are fused (HEXAGRAM) in the forehead.

The Visconti-Sforza Chariot

On a second card that has been preserved from the 15th century, the Visconti-Sforza Chariot (right), the two white horses have golden wings. Because of this you can no longer ignore a spiritual meaning. Wings represent the ability to ascend to the divine dimensions. The designer of this card was probably inspired by images of the god Apollo in his solar chariot (below left).

There are also similarities with the way in which the Assumption of the prophet Eliah is depicted. The Bible says that Eliah was taken to heaven by a fiery chariot with fiery horses (2 Kings 2:11). This is a metaphor for the final stage of a kundalini process. Read more about this in my book ‘John the Baptist who became Jesus the Christ’.

Below right an icon of the Assumption of Eliah. The eight-spoked chariot wheels here also refer to the kundalini symbol the eight-pointed MORNING STAR (click here). The flames around Eliah have the (pinecone) shape of the PINEAL GLAND (click here), which plays a major role in the kundalini process and the God-experience.

The Visconti-Sforza Chariot, 15th century.

Apollo on his chariot, by Pinturicchio, circa 1509.

Ancient icon of the ascension of the prophet Eliah in a ‘fiery chariot with fiery horses’.

The woman on the Visconti-Sforza card sits on a throne, between two spiral shaped pillars, that are a reference to the two polar energy channels that flow on both sides of the spine and that keep us connected to duality (the ida nadi and pingala nadi).

Spiraling pillars were also used in Christian art of the time to communicate (veiled) that Jesus had gone through a kundalini awakening. The paintings below are two examples. Read about the kundalini process of Jesus in my book ‘John the Baptist who became Jesus the Christ’. 

Jesus discussing with the scribes. He points up to the SPIRAL PILLAR (click here) and with his other hand to his PELVIS, the abode of the kundalini. (Garofalo Benvenuto Tisi, 1520)

Jesus stands between two SPIRALING PILLARS (click here). With both his hands he makes the sign of the SACRED MARRIAGE (click here): two fingers together, 2=1. (Bernardino Passeri, 1593, Bowyer Bible)

The platform on which the Visconti-Sforza woman sits is hexagonal: the hexagram is the universal symbol for the fusion of polarities. Her dress also has hexagons on it.

A globus cruciger (circa 1879)

The woman is wearing a crown and she is holding a scepter and a globus cruciger (a globe with a cross on it). As we saw when discussing the The Emperor, a globus cruciger stands for the victory of spirit (the cross) over matter (the globe). The wings of the horses are an additional element to express that the animal drives have been sublimated (transformed).

Remarkably, on both Visconti cards a woman is depicted, while in the centuries that follow we only see victorious men, which corresponds to a triumphal procession traditionally being for army commanders.

An explanation for this could be that the cards are a tribute to certain women from the Visconti family. Another reason could be that it is a reference to God’s (Holy) Spirit, or the kundalini energy, which is considered feminine in most spiritual traditions, and which is the active divine power in a spiritual awakening. Comparable to the tarot cards The High Priestess and The Empress .

Hermes/Mercury

That a kundalini awakening is the underlying theme of the tarot card The Chariot can also be deduced from two of the very first printed copies: the Rothshield deck and the Tarot of Bologna (on the right). Only uncoloured, uncut printed sheets of the Rothschild deck have been preserved.

Both decks have replaced the woman on the Chariot with a man with wings on his helmet; a reference to the Greek god Hermes (Mercury to the Romans), whose serpent staff the caduceus is the classical symbol for a kundalini awakening (below).

Rothschild deck (circa 1500)

Tarot of Bologna
(circa 1600)

The Tarot of Marseille

On The Chariot from the Tarot of Marseille we see a man in military clothing, with a scepter and a crown, standing in a wagon that has the shape of a cube. The roof above his head rests on four pillars. Both the cube shape and the four pillars refer to matter / the physical dimensions: in numerology four is the number of the earth (four elements, four cardinal directions, four seasons, etc.).

Tarot of Marseille by Jacques Viéville (1650)

Tarot of Marseille by Jean Noblet (1659)

Tarot of Marseille by Nicolas Conver (1760)

In symbolism, the moon, with its ever-changing shape, stands for duality and the impermanence of creation. This meaning is confirmed by the faces of the moons on the shoulders of the driver: one looks happy and the other one looks sad.

There are also differences between the various Marseille cards. The two horses on Jacques Viéville’s card (above left) have a man’s head with a crown. The meaning of this is that the human will is controlling the animal drives. The horses on the Jean Noblet (above center) card have different colors: blue and red – the colors of the feminine and masculine. The horses of Nicolas Conver (above right) are both blue in color; a reference to the “deification” of the animal drives.

On two cards (Viéville and Conver) the horses have no hind legs, but are attached to the chariot with their bodies. This symbolizes that the horses and the chariot cannot be viewed separately. The chariot represents the body of man (vehicle of the soul) and the horses represent the animal instincts, which we experience through the body – a consequence of our animal origin. The man on the Viéville card has two suns on his chest; a reference to the divine (kundalini) energies that flow through him.

The scepter on the card of Nicolas Conver is enriched with the symbols for the sun, the moon and (probably) the earth. The symbols are partly overlapping: the polar energies (sun and moon) are fused. The scepter partly coincides with one of the spiral shaped pillars: a reference to the kundalini energy.

The SCEPTER (click here) and the PILLAR (click here) are both a symbol for the awakened spine.

The philosophies of Plato have probably served as a source of inspiration for the Chariot of the Marseille decks. In his work Phaedrus Plato uses the metaphor of a wagon with two horses, for the forces at work in man. One of the two horses is white in color, noble, obedient and immortal; the other horse is black, deformed, stubborn and mortal.

Nicolas Conver, detail.

Sun symbol

According to Plato, two forces (horses) are active in us.

Plato describes the dichotomy in man: we all have a higher, divine nature, and also a lower, animal nature. The white horse wants to ascend to heaven. The black horse pulls the other way, towards the earth. The mind of man (the charioteer) must get these contradictory forces in the right direction.

This DICHOTOMY in man can also be found in the Bible. Read more in my book ‘John the baptist who became Jezus the Christ’.

The bodies of the horses on the Marseille Chariot are in opposite directions. However, their heads look the same way: the charioteer has managed to keep a course on the divine. Oswald Wirth and Arthur E. Waite incorporated this theme into their decks, as we will now see.

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

Oswald Wirth’s Chariot stays close to the Tarot of Marseille. The two horses have become two sphinxes, in a dark and a light color, to emphasize the duality they represent. A sphinx – a lion’s body with a woman’s head – represents control over the animal drives. Just like the two moons on the man’s shoulders, the sphinxes also have different facial expressions.

On Wirth’s card the wheels have six spokes; a reference to the hexagram. He brings back the roof with the stars from the Visconti di Modrone Tarot. The stars are all five-pointed: a pentagram stands in the tarot for the perfected human (see tarot card The Magician). At the top of the scepter we see a triangle on a circle; this symbolizes the victory of spirit (the triangle) over matter (the circle).

On the front of the car a winged sun disk is depicted; a symbol from Ancient Egypt that refers to deification. The figure under the winged sun disk is a variant invented by Wirth on the yoni-lingam symbol from the Tantra tradition, which stands for the fusion of masculine and feminine (energies). The small yellow DOUBLE CIRCLE (click here) on the front of the car’s roof is a symbol from alchemy, which also symbolizes the merging of the polar energies. We also see this double circle along the roof of the chariot on Jean Noblet’s Tarot of Marseille card (above).

Oswald Wirth Tarot (1889)

Illustration by Oswald Wirth,
from ‘La Clef de La Magie Noir’, circa 1920.

Above right, the charioteer is depicted in a different way, but with the same symbolic meaning as the tarot card The Chariot. It is an illustration by Oscar Wirth from the occult book ‘La Clef de La Magie Noir’. The charioteer sits atop (mastery) a tilted square (the earth) consisting of a white triangle with the Hebrew letters YHWH (God), and a black triangle with an image of the devil. The two triangles represent respectively the higher and lower nature in man. They also represent the polar energies (duality) in general. They are the two triangles of the hexagram. These are fused into a square in this image. At the bottom lies the Fool from tarot card number 0. The Fool represents the person who does not know about God, or who rejects Him. The Fool too has been conquered by the charioteer: he has realized the divine.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

Artist Pamela Colman-Smith added a number of new elements to the Chariot. It is no longer the two sphinxes / horses that are part of the chariot, but the charioteer himself. The chariot, which also has the shape of a cube, seems to rest on the ground. The charioteer rises up, as it were, from the cube. This is symbolism that traces back to Ancient Egypt (see below center) and refers to victory over matter (the cube).

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

Amun priest Hor (Ancient Egypt)

From: The Magus, or Celestial Intelligencer (Francis Barrett, 1801)
Source: www.fromoldbooks.org

The laurel wreath that the man wears stands for his achieved spiritual victory. The eight-pointed star on his crown is the MORNING STAR (click here) and refers to a kundalini awakening (see also tarot card The Star). On the belt, around his waist, are (probably) the signs of the zodiac. Below the belt, on his clothing, are geomantic symbols (see illustration below right). These were used for magic rituals by members of the occult group The Golden Dawn, of which Arthur E. Waite and Pamela Colman-Smith were members.

The two sphinxes – not visibly attached to the cube – hold the tip of their tail between their front legs. This is a reference to the ouroboros, the serpent that bites its own tail: a symbol from alchemy that refers to the oneness of everything. The alchemical illustration below on the left, makes a connection between a square (cube) and the ouroboros. Similar symbolism can be seen in a rare depiction of Al-Buraq, the divine mount of the prophet Mohammed (below right). 

From the alchemical manuscript
“The Crowning of Nature”

Al-Buraq (in this illustration from circa 1775) is the ‘animal with the female head’ on which the prophet Mohammed made his famous Night Journey through the seven heavens (read: chakras), an event that we may take as a metaphor for a kundalini awakening.

With the hand with which he holds his scepter (symbol for his awakened spine), the RWS charioteer makes the sign of SACRED MARRIAGE (click here): two fingers together, 2=1.

Behind the chariot is a river: the charioteer has made a successful (spiritual) crossing. He has left the city, in the background, a symbol for ‘the world’. Leaving a city is also in the Bible a metaphor for a departure from a materialistic lifestyle. Read more about this in my book ‘John the Baptist who became Jesus the Christ’.

Château des Avenières

The charioteer on the mosaic of Château des Avenières (below left) wears the atef crown of Osiris; the Egyptian god who stands for resurrection and renewal (below center). A uraeus cobra is placed at the front of the crown; the Egyptian symbol for the kundalini energy. The two red feathers on the side of the crown symbolize, just like the wings of the caduceus, the completion of a kundalini process.

Château des Avenières (1917)

The Egyptian god Osiris
with atef crown, heka and nekhakha.

The Egyptian god Ptah
with was-scepter
(Hermitage Museum)

The shepherd’s staff (heka) in the hand of Osiris symbolizes the spine with the kundalini energy in it, and refers to “herding” the inner animal. The flail (nekhakha) refers to the suffering that accompanies a kundalini awakening. Dismantling and discarding the ego (the old man) is rarely painless. The three ribbons on the flail represent the three energy channels involved in a kundalini awakening. The charioteer has in his left hand both a heka and the nekhakha. They are placed on the serpentine belt that the man wears. We may see this as a confirmation of our interpretation that both represent the kundalini.

Click here for the FLAIL as a symbol for the purifying effect of the kundalini.

On the roof of the car we see gold- and silver-colored pentagrams: the colors that are connected to the polar energies (sun and moon). The chariot rests on a globe: the charioteer has gained mastery over matter.

The corners of the chariot (left) refer to the was-scepter with which rulers (gods, kings, priests) in Ancient Egypt were depicted (see Ptah, above right). It is not clear which animal it is on a was-scepter (and on the chariot), and this ambiguity is intended. This so-called “Seth-beast” represents the animal in man. The was-scepter stands for power over the animal drives. The bottom of the scepter is often forked (two-pointed); this referes to duality that, together with the animal drives, has been mastered.

Conclusion

The Chariot stands for victory: the spiritual aspirant has mastered the temptations of the world (money, status, power, fame, etc.) and the animal impulses of the body. The image of a chariot indicates that a battle had to be fought.

This is the subject of the Bhagavad Gita, the holy book of the yogis. The Gita is a dialogue between prince Arjuna and Krishna, who are sitting in a chariot together. Arjuna is about to fight against his own family (read: himself), with his army, to get his rightful place on the king’s throne (the Kingdom of God).

The Bhagavad Gita is about the fight in man between his higher and lower nature. Arjuna is advised by Krishna (God), who also controls the horses of the chariot. In the ultimate battle with our demons and animal drives we are helped by God.

Though thousand times a thousand
in battle one may conquer,
yet should one conquer just oneself
one is the greatest conqueror.

– The Buddha (Dhammapada, verse 103) –

Arjuna and Krishna go to battle (Bhagavad Gita)

Traditional meaning

Traditionally, the wheel of fortune stands for the instability of prosperity and social success; everything you have achieved in life you can lose again. The oldest images of a wheel of fortune date from the early Middle Ages. In most cases we see the Roman goddess Fortuna (Tyche with the Ancient Greeks) who turns a large wheel (Rota Fortunae), with several people clinging unto it. Because of the rotation there is a constant dynamic of changing positions: some are on their way up, others are on their way down. At the top of the wheel is – temporarily! – the lucky person: the king or another ruler. Sometimes Fortuna is blindfolded. This is a reference to her arbitrariness: she seems to be distributing prosperity and setbacks without personal regards.

The Visconti Tarot

On the very first Wheel of Fortune card, that of the 15th century Visconti tarot (below left), both the person moving up on the wheel, and the one at the top, have a pair of large donkey ears. The designers of this card want to make it clear to us that those who are concerned with status, power and money, are donkeys. These worldly things are fleeting, and you are at the mercy of Lady Fortuna, as the image of the wheel of fortune shows. Of lasting value is inner wealth, obtained through a God-centered life.

The Tarot of Marsseille and family

From the 16th century on, the rotating wheel on tarot card The Wheel of Fortune, represents the circular (spiraling) movement of the kundalini energy. The upward movement represents spiritual ascension: growing in consciousness from the material / animal to the divine. The downward movement stands for spiritual descend: the way back to an unconscious, “animal-like” life.

Tarot of Bologna (Giacomo Zoni, 1780)

Liguria-Piedmont Tarot (1860)

The designer of the Marseille Payen-Webb card (above left) has placed the wheel on a body of water (the “kundalini well” in the pelvis). On the right side we see a dog, wearing a collar and a skirt, on the way to the top of the wheel. This dog in human clothing symbolizes the spiritually unconscious person living an animal-like life. The collar refers to controlling the animal drives, a prerequisite for the process of God-realization. The choice of a dog has to do with the tamed nature of this animal. It is a pet that no longer lives fully according to its instincts, but has learned to obey man.

On top of the wheel of the Tarot de Marseille card is a sphinx-like creature – a human head on an animal body – that symbolizes the person who has mastered his animal nature. We can deduce this from the crown on the head of the sphinx and from the wings (symbol of sublimation) on the animal body. The red sword represents the driving force behind this spiritual process: the kundalini energy.

On the way down, back to a spiritually unconscious life, there is a figure with a tail of fire. The awakened kundalini energy in this person has not ascended to the crown, but is dwelling in the abdomen and feeds the lower chakras (sensory pleasure and ego aspects). This is the central theme of tarot card 15 The Devil.

Also on the Tarot of Bologna card (above center) a dog in human clothing is on the way up, and there is a sphinx-like figure, with crown, scepter and wing, on top of the wheel. That the rotating wheel represents the spiral movement of the kundalini, is made clear by the pillar with the large flame attached to the wheel.

On the Liguria-Piedmont card (above right) it is even clearer that the body of water, under the wheel, represents the kundalini in the pelvis: water also flows around the wheel – poorly colored, yet clearly visible.

The “kundalini goddess” Shakti as a female figure in a bowl (the pelvis, the Holy Grail) with divine fire, and as a coiled serpent (gouache from Rajasthan, India, 19th century).

Man as a hybrid being: partly human and partly dog ​​/ wolf. These two halves want to go in opposite directions, which gives us continuously inner struggles. Illustration from: The Chronicle of Nuremberg, Hartmann Schedel, 1493.

On the left a drawing of “the serpent pillar” from Delphi, on the right the current state of the pillar, erected in 447 BC.

Below three illustrations from the spiritual tradition of alchemy with references to the circular movement (spiraling of a serpent) of the ascending kundalini.

The four birds represent phases in the alchemical process of the Magnum Opus. (The Ninth Key, Basil Valentine, 1625)

The ears of the hares form a TRIANGLE: the symbol for (kundalini) fire. The goddess VENUS is a personification of the kundalini shakti. (Basilius Valentinus, Chymische Schrifften, Hamburg, 1717)

The man looks blissful and makes the sign of the sacred marriage (2=1) with his right hand. (Buch der heiligen Dreifaltigkeit, Munich, early 15th-century)

In Christian art the circular/spiraling movement was also used to refer to the kundalini awakening of both Jesus and Mary Magdalene. Below two examples. Read more in my book ‘John the Baptist who became Jesus the Christ.’

Christ Disputing with the Doctors, Bernardino Butinone, circa 1490.

The Ascension of Mary Magdalene, Madeleine church, Paris.

Oswald Wirth Tarot

Both the tarot deck of Oswald Wirth and the Rider-Waite-Smith deck are influenced by the ideas of the French occultist Éliphas Lévi. Lévi has never designed a complete tarot deck himself, but in his book “La Clef des Grands Mystères” (The Key to the Great Mysteries, 1861) a number of cards are depicted, including The Wheel of Fortune (below center).

Oswald Wirth Tarot (1889)

Wheel of Fortune, “La Clef des Grands Mystères”, Eliphas Levi, 1861.

Hermanubis (Vatican Museum)

The sphinx at the top of the wheel of Lévi wears an Egyptian nemis: a striped headscarf that only Pharaohs were allowed to wear and which underlined their divine status. The nemis gave the head of the pharaoh the contours of a standing cobra with a spreaded hood: the serpent that is a symbol of the kundalini energy in several spiritual traditions. The false beard that Pharaohs wore represented the body of the snake. The sphinx’s lifted tail, on Lévi’s card, stands for the same as the sword. As we have seen with tarot card No. 8 Justice, the sword is an esoteric symbol for the kundalini energy.

Click here for the SWORD as a symbol for the kundalini.

The death mask of Tutankhamun

A standing cobra

Instead of a dog in human clothing, Lévi chose Hermanubis: the god who is a combination of the Egyptian god Anubis and the Greek god Hermes (above right). The human body with a head of a jackal / dog and a nemis is derived from Anubis, the god of mummification and guide of the deceased (below left). The staff in the hands of Hermanubis is the caduceus of the Greek god Hermes, that stands for a kundalini awakening.

Living on after death was associated in ancient Egypt with a KUNDALINI awakening. On this image we see the god Anubis with the mummy of Pharaoh Seti I. The bench on which the mummy is lying is decorated with a lion’s head and TAIL. The curled tail touches Anubis at his PELVIS, the dwelling place of the kundalini. (Tomb of Sennedjem, Deir el-Medina, Egypt)

The Greek supreme god ZEUS shoots his lightning at TYPHON. The lightning symbolizes the KUNDALINI energy. Depiction on an old Chalcidian amphora (water pitcher) from about 540 BC.

On the way down, at the wheel of Lévi, there is a devilish figure, called Typhon by Lévi himself: the serpentine monster from Greek mythology who is defeated by the supreme god Zeus after a major battle (above right). Typhon represents everything that stands between us and the divine, in particular our animal instincts. The trident on Wirth’s card symbolizes the three energy channels involved in a kundalini awakening. In the hands of Typhon this energy flows down to the lower chakras.

Lévi placed the words Azoth, Archée, and Hyle next to the three figures on the wheel. Azoth is a term from alchemy for the kundalini, or God’s (Holy) Spirit. Hyle is Greek for matter. Archée refers to the soul. In alchemy, the element sulfur stands for the soul. On the Oswald Wirth tarot card we see the symbol for sulfur – a triangle with a cross underneath – above the head of the sphinx, instead of Lévi’s Archée.

The double wheel, according to Wirth, stands for the dual energies in humans, which constantly move in opposite directions (“the good and the bad”, Hermanubis and Typhon). The two serpents under the wheel also represent these dual energies. The yoga tradition speaks of the ida and pingala nadi. According to Wirth, the seven spokes on the wheel represent the seven (classical) planets. These planets, in turn, correspond to the seven chakras, in the tradition of alchemy .

Right: on the mosaic of Château des Avenières (1917), that is based on the tarot of Oswald Wirth, Typhon has been replaced by a CROCODILE: the animal that represented in Ancient Egypt our most primitive (animal) drives. The six spokes of the wheel form a HEXAGRAM; just like the double wheel of Wirth, a reference to the (fusion of the) polar energies.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

On the RWS card we also see the influences of a second diagram from the books of Éliphas Lévi: his interpretation of the Wheel of Ezekiel (below). In the Old Testament we read about the vision that the prophet Ezekiel has of four living beings with four faces (a man, an eagle, a lion and an ox), and four wheels on the ground next to it (Ezekiel 1:5-15).

In the Catholic Church, these four faces have come to represent the four evangelists of the New Testament. They symbolize, however, the four aspects of man: the mind (eagle), feelings / emotions (lion), the body with the animal instincts (ox) and the soul (face of man / angel). Pamela Colman-Smith, the designer of the RWS deck, has placed these four aspects in the four corners of this card. We will also see the same four images on the last card of the major arcana: 21. The World. It is these four aspects of man that are transformed during the process of spiritual awakening.

Read more about the symbolism in the Bible in my book ‘John the Baptist who became Jesus the Christ’.

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

The second chakra, the abode of the kundalini

The Wheel of Ezekiël from: Dogme et rituel de la haute magie, by Éliphas Lévi (1854)

Instead of Typhon, Colman-Smith has opted for more straight forward symbolism: a (kundalini) serpent, on its way down. Hermanubis has a more stylized appearance on this card and is orange in color, just like the wheel itself: the color of the second (svadhisthana) chakra where the kundalini resides when she is still ‘sleeping’ (above right). Unlike the cards of Lévi and Wirth, Hermanubis on the RWS card covers both the position at the bottom of the wheel and the rising position. This confirms our interpretation of the orange Hermanubis: the kundalini rises from the bottom of the spine – from the second chakra – up to the crown (top of the wheel).

The RWS Wheel contains the symbols of the three primary building blocks of the alchemist: salt (left), mercury (top) and sulfur (right). The esoteric meaning of these chemical elements is: the body with the animal drives (salt), the Spirit / kundalini (mercury) and the soul (sulfur). Just like Lévi, Colman-Smith added a fourth element at the bottom of the wheel: the symbol for water. How this fourth sign relates to the other three elements, and to the Wheel, is not clear. Different interpretations are possible. Written on the outer edge of the RWS Wheel is the name YHWH in Hebrew, and the letters TARO, which can also be read as ROTA (Latin for wheel), TAROT, and TORA(H).

Conclusion

Traditionally, the Wheel of Fortune stands for the impermanence of wealth and power. The image of a blindfolded goddess spinning a wheel, with people clinging to it, stems from a pessimistic and fatalistic philosophy: prosperity in life depends to a large extent on being lucky, and you may lose it any time.

The Wheel of Fortune has a completely different meaning in the tarot. A better name for this card would be: the Wheel of Spiritual Evolution. The evolution from ‘ape-man’ to ‘god-man’. The goddess that spins the wheel is not Lady Fortuna, but Sophia/the kundalini shakti. She is the driving force behind the process of spiritual awakening. The way up on the wheel represents the rising of the kundalini energy. The position at the top of the wheel represents God-realization: the inner animal has been conquered and integrated. The way down is a “fall into matter” (the “fall of man” of Adam and Eve).

Right: An alchemical emblem that associates Lady Fortuna’s cornucopia with a kundalini awakening. (George Withers, A Collection Of Emblems Ancient And Modern, 1635)

Almost all spiritual traditions know the wheel as a symbol for the kundalini. In BUDDHISM the WHEEL is explained as representing the dharma (the teachings of the Buddha). However, if you dig deeper into the writings and iconography of Buddhism, you will come to the conclusion that this official reading is not the only meaning of the wheel. The FLAME on the Buddha’s head is one of the pointers. (photo: M. Lang via Pixabay)

Krishna (God/the kundalini) is about to kill Bhishma, the (inner) opponent of his protégé Arjuna, with a chariot WHEEL. (Scene from the Mahabharata, a religious and philosophical epic from India)

Visconti-Sforza Tarot (15th century)

Caduceus

Velum

This interpretation is in line with the way the Magician holds his staff. Both the staff and and the outstretched middle finger represent the spine with the awakened kundalini flowing through it.

Click here to learn more about the STAFF as a symbol for a kundalini awakening.

The symbol of the extended middle finger is also frequently seen in Christian art from that time, as a veiled reference to the kundalini process that Jesus went through. Below are three examples (click on the images to enlarge).

Click here for more examples of the extended MIDDLE FINGER as a symbol for a kundalini awakening in Christian art.

Giovanni di Francesco del Cervelliera, 1460.

Domenico Feti (after), begin 17e eeuw.

Bartholomäus Spranger, 1580.

The Tarot of Marseille

To express the merging of the two polar energy channels (the two serpents of the caduceus), i.e. the inner realization of the oneness of the divine, the Magician’s hat in the Tarot of Marseille (right) is in the form of a lemniscate (infinity sign). Tarot card 11. Strength uses the same symbolism.

The Magician’s right hand is on his lower abdomen where the kundalini energy is located when it is not yet awakened. With his left hand he holds up his staff – symbol for the spine: we are urged by him to raise our own kundalini energy to the head.

The six buttons on his tunic represent the six chakras that the kundalini passes on its way to the crown, where man is (re)connected to God.

Tarot of Marseille,
by Stefano Vergnano Tarot (1830)

Italian Tarot, Carlo Della Rocca, 19th century.

Instead of his staff, Carlo Della Rocca’s Magician (above right) – who has the appearance and tools of a shoemaker – raises a glass of wine to his head. Wine is a metaphor for the kundalini in the Bible. An alchemist of the time would have associated the glass of wine with the coveted red ‘Elixir of Life’, which is also a metaphor for the kundalini energy.

Read more about the symbolism in the Bible in my book ‘Mary Magdalene, the discipel whom Jesus loved’. 

The Etteilla Tarot

The Magician of the Etteilla Tarot (1890) is dressed as a Jewish priest, a reference to the high priest Aaron, the brother of the prophet Moses, from the Old Testament. Moses and Aaron both had a special staff that could turn into a serpent; a biblical metaphor for a kundalini awakening.

When a priest is to be chosen from twelve tribal chiefs, God instructs all candidates to give a stick to Moses. “And the staff of the man whom I choose will blossom,” says God (Numbers 17: 5).

The next day Moses entered the tent of the testimony and saw that Aaron’s staff, representing the house of Levi, had sprouted, formed buds, blossomed, and produced almonds!
(Numbers 17: 8)

The blossoming and bearing fruit of the staff is a apt metaphor for a spine in which the awakened kundalini energy is flowing. This “sprouting” of Aaron’s staff is a theme that has found its way into the tarot. In many decks we find staffs with buts and leaves attached to them, something that is not common for a staff that is used for walking or sheep herding.

Click here for the STAFF as a symbol for the kundalini in Christian painting.

Grand Etteilla tarot (1890)

“Moses and Aaron before the Pharaoh”
(16th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art)

Aäron’s staff blossoms

The ten coins, or tokens, on the table of the Magician of the Etteilla deck, are organised in the pattern 1-2-3-4, a reference to the tetraktys of Pythagoras (right). The philosopher Pythagoras, who lived around 500 BC, saw the tetraktys as the foundation of the cosmos and as an expression of the divine. Ten, the sum of the numbers one, two, three, and four, is a sacred number for the Pythagoreans; symbol for harmony and perfection.

The title Maladie (illness) does not refer to the Magician, but to the meaning that, according to Etteilla, the card has in a tarot reading.

Oswald Wirth Tarot (1889)

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

Oswald Wirth’s Magician has three symbols of the minor arcana on his table: a sword, a cup and coins. In his hand he has the fourth symbol: a staff.

The coins have a double edge. The double circle is an alchemical symbol that stands for the merging of the opposites / polar energy channels.

All coins have a symbol that also stands for the fusion of the opposites / polar energy channels: a hexagram, an equal-armed (Greek) cross, and an eight-pointed ‘Morning Star’.

The Magician’s staff has a blue and a red knob. Blue and red are the classic colors for the feminine and masculine respectively. Another reference to the merging of the polar energy channels.

Château des Avenières

On the table of the Magician in mosaic in Château des Avenièreswe see a saucer and two coins with hexagrams, consisting of a white and a red triangle. In alchemy RED and WHITE (click here) are the colors of the polar energy channels/sacred marriage. The sword on the table is decorated with a gold and a silver crescent moon. Gold and silver also refer to polarities in alchemy. The kundalini is associated with moon goddesses in many traditions.

Click here for the SWORD as a symbol for a kundalini awakening.

The staff of the Magician  is placed on his hip/pelvis; the abode of the kundalini. An intriguing detail is the small stream of water that meanders between the feet of the Magician. This is a metaphor for the kundalini-energy, derived from the Old Testament. As the people of Moses roam the wilderness looking for the Promised Land, they get thirsty and start to complain. Moses then hits a rock with his staff – the one that can also turn into a serpent – and water starts pouring out (Exodus 17: 6). Jesus calls this “living water” in the New Testament. Water that will quench your (spiritual) thirst forever:

But whosoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:14)

Detail

Moses hits a rock with his staff and water pours out.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

The Rider-Waite-Smith Magician

The RWS Tarot makes a link between the Magician and an alchemist. Red and white – the Magician’s clothing – are the colors that represent in alchemy the two poles of duality, which must be fused into a (divine) unity. On an energetic level, these colors refer to the two energy channels, running along the spine, which in the yoga tradition are called ida-nadi (the feminine, white) and pingala-nadi (the masculine, red). They are also the two serpents that spiral upwards on the staff of the god Hermes.

Alchemy often uses images from nature, such as flowers. On the illustration from the manuscript of Basilius Valentinus (below left) we see a king – symbol for the alchemist who has realized the divine – standing wide-legged between a rose (red) and a lily (white). These are the same flowers that we also see on the RWS card of the Magician.

Click here for the LILY as a symbol for a kundalini awakening.

He is holding a sun and a moon in his hands. These are also symbols that express duality. The alchemical emblem with the mythical figure Hermes Trismegistus (below right) illustrates that the fusion of these poles takes place through the action of (the kundalini) fire.

The lemniscate, above the head of the RWS Magician, is a universal symbol that expresses this fusion. Around the Magician’s waist we see a so-called ouroboros; a serpent that eats its own tail. The ouroboros is an ancient symbol, also from alchemy, that with its circular shape stands for the cyclical nature of creation, and its underlying divine unity. This ouroboros as a belt symbolizes that the animal drives (the lower abdomen) must be mastered in order to experience the divine. The serpent is also a universal symbol of the kundalini-energy.

With his arms, one pointing up and one pointing down, the Magician expresses the connection of heaven and earth. His raised staff tells us how this connection can be established: by raising the kundalini. The staff has two small knobs, a subtle reference to the fusion of the polarities that must be achieved.

The king in this image symbolizes the alchemist who has realized the divine. The ROSE and LILY, like the sun and the moon, symbolize the polar energy channels that merge during the kundalini process. (Basilius Valentinus, 1613)

The fusion of the opposites, symbolized by the sun and moon, takes place through the action of the KUNDALINI FIRE. (Viridarium Chymicum, D. Stolz von Stolzenberg, 1624)

Colman-Smith has added an additional clue for tarot researchers to clarify the deeper meaning of this card (right). On the rim of the table, on the right, we see a rising bird. This is the dove of the Holy Spirit. However, we read in the Bible that the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descends on Jesus:

Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus was also baptized, and while He was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, (Luke 3:21-22)

Bartolomeo Passarotti, 16th century.

In Christianity the kundalini energy is called The Holy Spirit. The Bible is written in the language of symbolism (see my book). Inner processes are explained by using images that the masses could understand. A dove that descends represents the kundalini energy that rises. Colman-Smith knew this and hid this esoteric knowledge in the card of the Magician.

We can also find this deeper meaning of Bible stories in paintings. Always subtle, because esoteric knowledge could not be dispayed, or spoken about, openly. The painting of Bartolomeo Passarotti (left), from the 16th century, creativily connects the dove of the Holy Spirit, the rising kundalini serpent, the resurrection of Jesus, and the Holy Grail. An in-depth analysis of this subject can be found in my book: John the baptist who became Jesus the Christ.

The pentagram

The pentagram, on the RWS card the Magician, is a symbol that is almost as old as humanity itself. In many traditions it is a highly valued esoteric sign. Among other things because of its special mathematical properties, the five-pointed star stands for the perfect human being; for the person who has realized the divine (see illustration below left).

Over time, the inverted pentagram, pointing downwards, acquired the meaning of satanism. Nowadays, with one point up, the star stands for the divine dominating over matter (the four elements). With two points up it is the lower, animal drives (satan) that rule.

From: ‘The Alchemy of the Freemason’, by François-Nicolas Noël, early 19th century.

From: “Le Barbier Medecin ou les Fleurs d’Hyppocrate”, by Jean Michault, 1672.

The Greek goddess Hygieia with pentagram, staff and serpent.

On the illustration from Jean Michault’s book the letters YGEIA are added to the pentram (above center). This refers to the Greek hugieia which means wholeness / health, and to Hygieia, the goddess of health and purity (hygiene). As an attribute, Hygieia, like her father Asclepius, the god of medicine, has a staff with a serpent (above right). The deeper meaning of this is that a kundalini awakening leads to (spiritual) wholeness and purity.

The dragon depicted on Michault’s illustration represents the animal drives that pose a threat to God-realization (‘hugieia‘).

The symbols of the minor arcana

With his tarot deck, in 1909, Arthur E. Waite is the first to illustrate all the cards of the minor arcana. The cards of pentacles (or coins), cups, rods and swords, were already associated with the four elements – earth, water, fire and air – before this time. Now this connection is made visible in the illustrations of the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) deck.

The symbolism, however, does not stop with the classical four elements. The four symbols of the minor arcana, on the table in front of the magician, also refer to the divine and various aspects of a kundalini awakening. The four aces of the deck, with the Hand of God holding the symbols, are an example of this (below).

The aces of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

Colman-Smith was inspired by the Tarot of Marseille (below) for these illustrations. The sword, the staff, and the cup are ancient symbols that are used in many traditions to refer to a kundalini awakening. Surprisingly enough, even in the 17th century Tarot of Marseille. We see a divine hand and divine (kundalini) fire on the Aces of Swords and Rods.

The aces of the Tarot of Marseille (17th century)

The castle-like top of the chalice on the Ace of Cups (above left) refers to the Kingdom of God. The mysterious liquid that flows over the rim of the chalice in three small waves represents the divine energy that flows to body, heart (feeling) and head (thinking); a classical tripartite division of man, which we also see in Biblical symbolism (read more in my book: Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved)

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows.
(Psalm 23:4-5)

Cups Seven from the RWS deck (right) is also very interesting in terms of symbolism. Each cup on this card shows a characteristic of the kundalini energy:

• A serpent => a classic symbol of the kundalini energy
• A dragon => if the kundalini energy is used to feed the animal instincts, it is a dragon that must be conquered
• The head of an angel => an angel is a metaphor for the (divine) kundalini energy
• A castle on a mountain => the Kingdom of God
• Jewels => the inner wealth / abundance that the divine brings
• Someone hidden under a cloth => the purifying effect of the kundalini energy makes one invisible (ego-less)
• A laurel wreath with a skull (on the chalice itself) => victory over death

Click here for a CUP/HOLY GRAIL as a hidden symbol for the kundalini in Christian painting.

Like the staff, the sword is also a metaphor for the spine with the kundalini energy flowing in it (see illustration on right). The image of a sword refers to the inner battle and the cleansing – the “cutting away” of everything that prevents a connection with God – that is part of the process of awakening.

Click here for the SWORD as a hidden symbol for the kundalini in Christian painting.

The staff of Hermes

Tarot decks that originate from, or are inspired by, the 19th century occult grouping The Golden Dawn (below) relate the Magician to the Greek god Hermes (Mercury to the Romans). By touching them with his serpent staff, the caduceus, Hermes could put people to sleep and wake them up. In other words: he could awaken spiritually unconscious people.

Classic Golden Dawn Tarot (2004)

Knapp-Hall Tarot by Manley Hall (1929)

Hermetic Tarot by Godfrey Dowson (1980)

Thoth Tarot by Aleister Crowley (1969)

On the Classic Golden Dawn card (above left), the Magician has a caduceus on his chest. With his hands he makes the figure of a triangle with one point upwards – the symbol for the element fire – at the height of his pelvis. This is a reference to the “kundalini fire” at the sacrum. This card is without color. Traditionally, members of the Golden Dawn were supposed to color their own tarot cards.

Click here for the TRIANGLE a symbol for the kundalini

The spear on the table is a reference to the ‘Lance of Longinus’, with which Jesus was pierced on the cross (a kundalini metaphor). The cube stands in alchemy for matter/man. The four objects on the table are placed in the shape of a pentagram.

On the Knapp-Hall Tarot card (above, second from left), the Magician’s staff is a caduceus. Geoffrey Dowson (Hermetic Tarot, above, third from left) has chosen to depict the entire figure of Hermes / Mercury. The Magus of the Thoth Tarot (above, right) is, as it were, a caduceus himself. Behind him a long staff is placed and at the height of his head spiral two serpents. The wings of the god Hermes are connected to his feet. At the top of the card we see a small, descending dove.

Click here for the CADUCEUS as a (hidden) symbol for the kundalini in Christian painting.

The three energy channels involved in a kundalini awakening. They are symbolized by the two serpents and the staff of the caduceus.

Conclusion

Tarot card The Magician stands for spiritual transformation and self-realization. The Magician is an alchemist. His Magnum Opus is creating the inner gold (the divine). His staff, with which he works magic, is the staff of Hermes/Mercury: his spine, with the Holy Spirit of God flowing in it.

This article was published in Paravisie Magazine (March ’19). Copyright Anne-Marie Wegh 2019

Anne-Marie Wegh is the author of the book: Kundalini Awakening in the Bible

© of images belong to Lo Scarabeo.
Foto’s Châteaux de Avenières: http://hermetism.free.fr/Avenieres

Visconti di Modrone deck (15th century)

Energy channels involved in a kundalini awakening.

Rosarium Philosophorum (ca. 1550)

The Visconti di Modrone Lovers

The man and woman on the Visconti di Modrone card are standing in a tent. This too is an indication that the scene is about an inner process. A tent – a temporary housing – is a common metaphor for the body.

The tent pole with a woman and a man on either side is a second metaphor on the card for the three energy channels. The woman and man shake hands; this stands for a unification of the polar energies. The man’s clothing shows – barely visible – a hexagonally shaped fountain. The same fountain can also be found on the Ace of Cups card of the Visconti-Sforza deck (below left).

A fountain is a universal metaphor for a kundalini awakening. A hexagram is the symbol for the unification of the opposites (male and female energies). The man’s tights – one leg white and one leg red – fit beautifully with the fountain on his clothing: red and white are the colors of the polar energies in alchemy.

Click here to learn more about the colors RED AND WHITE representing the SACRED MARRIAGE.

A hexagram

Visconti-Sforza Tarot, Ace of Cups,
with hexagonal fountain.

A symbolic representation of the THREE ENERGY CHANNELS, with a FOUNTAIN as a metaphor for the awakened KUNDALINI. The healing and trans- forming, divine energies flow in three streams to body, heart (feeling) and head (thinking). Rosarium philosophorum (1550).

The tent is covered with five-petalled flowers. These refer to the ‘Rose of Venus’, an ancient symbol for the kundalini energy. On the illustration on the right an alchemist is covered with the same five-petalled roses: the kundalini energy has completely purified and transformed his body and mind.

Read more about the goddess VENUS/Aphrodite as a personification of the KUNDALINI energy.