The first printed tarot cards

Of the very first printed tarot decks, only a few uncoloured, uncut printed sheets have survived. One is the Rothshield sheet from circa 1500 (right). Sophia is replaced by the god Mercury. The scepter and orb in his hands must tell us that he rules the world, which is here represented by a double circle with a victory wreath and the four elements in it.

These four elements can also be interpretated as the four aspects of man. The element earth then stands for the body with the animal instincts; the element of water for the emotions; the element of air for the mind, and the element of fire for our spiritual core, or soul.

The choice of Mercury for the Rothshield deck was apparently not a one-off whim, as a century later we find the same scene on the Tarot of Bologna (far right). The scepter has now been replaced by Mercury’s standard attribute: the caduceus.

Rothshild sheet, circa 1500.

Tarot of Bologna, 1600.

Click here for the CADUCEUS as a symbol referring to the KUNDALINI PROCESS of JESUS in Christian art

In alchemy, Sophia and Mercury represent respectively the female and male pole of the divine. Together they are responsible for the transforming (kundalini) fire in the process of the Magnum Opus. In the illustration below, on the left, Mercury and Sophia both hold a torch under the alchemist’s flask (which represents the alchemist himself).

MERCURY and SOPHIA represent in alchemy the male and female poles of the divine (in man). We can conclude this from: 1. the TWO COLUMNS OF SMOKE that come together, 2. Mercury stands on the EARTH and Sophia on the WATER, 3. the shell with WATER of Mercury and the FIRE Torch of sophia. 4. the SUN and the MOON (Les Rudiments de la Philosophie Naturelle, Nicolas de Locques, 1665)

De Tarot of Marseille

The Tarot of Marseille is a collective term for tarot decks from a certain area in a certain time period. The cards are made in a recognizable style, but each designer was free to work out the details as they saw fit. It is precisely these differences that can help with understanding the symbolism of the cards.

On the right is depicted the (probably) oldest Tarot de Marseille The World. The printing year is estimated at circa 1600. We see a naked woman (one breast is still visible) wearing a cloak, and an almond-shaped garland surrounding her. In the corners of the card are depicted, clockwise: an angel, an eagle, a lion and a bull. They originate from the vision of the prophet Ezekiel in the Old Testament, in which four living creatures are described with four faces: a man, an eagle, a lion, and an ox. (Ezekiel 1:5-15)

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John sees in his vision the same beings around the throne of God:

And before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within…” (Rev. 4:6-8)

In the Christian tradition, these animals have come to symbolize the four evangelists, and that is how they are usually interpreted on tarot card The World. However, their meaning goes much deeper. Ezekiel gives an important clue: what he sees are creatures with four faces. These four faces represent the four aspects of man: the mind (eagle), the feelings/emotions (lion), the body with animal instincts (ox), and the soul (human face). It is these “layers” of man that are transformed during the process of spiritual awakening. Head (thinking), heart (feelings) and belly (instincts) must be freed from the animal drives that every human being possesses.

Read more about the SYMBOLISM in the BIBLE in my book Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved

On a side note, both prophets see a face of a man and not of an angel. The fact that in the iconography, and also on this tarot card, usually an angel is depicted, next to an eagle, a bull, and a lion, is probably because of the wings that the creatures in the two visions have.

The almond shape of the victory wreath on the Tarot of Marseilles card is a reference to the vesica piscis: a universal symbol for the merger of the opposites/duality. The almond shape has also been used in Christian art to communicate that Jesus had gone through a kundalini awakening.

Click here for examples of the VESICA PISCIS as a symbol referring to the KUNDALINI PROCESS of JESUS in Christian art

In the fresco below, Jesus makes the sign of the sacred marriage (2 fingers together, 2=1). It is exactly placed on the almond-shaped lines. The eight-pointed stars surrounding Jesus are also an ancient symbol for the kundalini energy.

Click here for THE EIGHTPOINTED MORNING STAR as a symbol referring to a kundalini awakening

Vesica Piscis

Jacques Viéville (left) has placed a male figure at the center of his card. The scepter in his hand, which symbolizes the spine with the kundalini energy flowing through it, is appropriately placed at the level of his crotch/pelvis.

Click here for the SCEPTER as a symbol for the awakened SPINE

The colors red and blue of his cloak are the classic colors for the masculine and feminine respectively, and refer to the fusion of opposites. The same applies in alchemy to the colors gold and silver (sun and moon) of the wreath of victory. The aureole represents an open crown chakra: the kundalini process is completed. His nakedness symbolizes devineness.

The animals around him refer to the mastering of his animal drives. This becomes even clearer when we place the card from the Etteilla III deck, from 1870, next to it (below left).

The man on the Etteilla card has a club instead of a scepter in his hand. We can safely assume that he has used it to conquer the four animals on this card, that are part of his inner world. The ouroboros around him is a symbol of inner oneness, just like the vesica piscis.

The victory over the animalistic drives is also incorporated in the remarkable and revealing painting, above right, of Christ. He sits on top of the animals that represent the evangelists in the iconography. An unusual scene. The bull, which of the three animals specifically symbolizes the sexual urges, has been placed by the artist between the legs of Jesus. The color red (passion) of the bull enhances its symbolic significance. An angel holds two fingers of the left hand of Jesus together: the sign of the sacred marriage, which represents the fusion of opposites (2=1).

Francois Chosson opted a woman for his card (right). She has remained the archetype on most decks in the centuries following.

This woman can be interpreted on two levels. You can see her as a personification of the soul (usually seen as feminine) of the person who has conquered the world and him-/herself. She is also Sophia, God the Mother, the kundalini-shakti; the active force that has brought about the transformation process in man.

The woman has a stick in both hands. These are the two opposites from which all creation is built (good/evil, light/dark, male/female, etc). This interpretation is confirmed by the alchemical illustration below (left) in which Sophia is also depicted with two sticks. In line with the sticks we see two trees with dualistic characteristics: the sun and the moon, and the colors red and white, which in alchemy represent the opposites. The gold-colored phoenixes on both trees symbolize spiritual rebirth.

Click here for the colors RED AND WHITE representing the SACRED MARRIAGE

In four different ways, Francois Chosson communicates that the opposites have fused on his tarot card: the vesica piscis shape of the wreath of victory; the infinity sign that fastens the two halves of the wreath together; the colors blue and red of the scarf around the woman’s body, and her posture: she stands on one leg.

Click here for standing on ONE LEG to express the SACRED MARRIAGE

The symbolism of one leg (sitting, standing, or hanging) as a reference to inner oneness we also saw in tarot card nr 4  The Emperor, nr 11 Strength, and nr 12 The Hanged Man. This symbolism has also been used extensively in Christian painting to communicate in a veiled way that Jesus had experienced a kundalini awakening. Below, on the right, an example.

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

Oswald Wirth’s card (right) contains few new elements. The woman now holds the two sticks in one hand, enhancing the image of a fusion. The sticks have a red and a blue button, the classic colors of the masculine and the feminine. This confirms that the sticks represent the polar energies.

The mosaics of Château des Avenières (below) are based on Oswald Wirth’s deck. The designer has placed back the aureole above the animals that Oswald Wirth had left out. You can take the aureoles as a reference to the four evangelists. You could also interpret it as a sublimation/deification of the animal drives.

The woman’s long reddish-brown hair is often seen in depictions of Sophia and refers to the fire of the kundalini energy.

The sun above the wreath of victory has a red core and a yellow/gold border. This is a reference to the double circle (oneness) and the Magnum Opus (the colors gold and red).

Click here for the DOUBLE CIRCEL as a hidden symbol for a kundalini awakening in Christian art

Gaining mastery over our animal instincts is an important theme in many spiritual traditions. A lion represents our emotions, a bull our sexual urges, and a bird (often an eagle) our mind. On the right and below three examples. Right: the carriage of the Greek god Dionysos is drawn by a bull, an eagle and a leopard. Below on the left we see the Hindu goddess Durga, sitting on her mount, a lion, and with her feet on a demon with the appearance of a bull. She is a complete master of both. Below on the right the Egyptian god Horus is depicted sitting on a cow, or bull, and two lions. The ouroboros surrounding him is a symbol of (divine) oneness.

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

Designer Pamela Colman-Smith testifies to Bible knowledge, because in the upper left corner a human head is depicted, instead of an angel. She also understood well what the woman on this card represents. The scarf that is wrapped around her body is very long and evokes associations with a serpent.

A long scarf to refer to the kundalini energy is also used in alchemy. In the emblem below we see Sophia showing an alchemist the road (with serpents) to the inner fire. Her scarf also looks like a rising serpent.

SOPHIA showing an alchemist the road (with SERPENTS) to the INNER FIRE. (Freymaurerische Versammlungsreden der Gold und Rosenkreutzer des alten Systems, 1779)

Conclusion

Mankind sees itself as the crown of creation, but in the eyes of God we are not finished yet. The spiritually unconscious living person is seen as ‘sleeping’ or ‘dead’ in the Bible, and many other sacred scriptures.

In our pelvis dwells a divine potential that enables us to take the next step in evolution. An energy source that, once awakened, initiates a process of purification and healing: the preparatory work for a spiritual rebirth and union with our Creator.

We are called to overcome our animalistic, lower nature, in order to realize our higher nature. This is beautifully depicted on the alchemical emblem on the right. The temptations of the world and our desires (lust) are like a burning fire that can consume us and make us slaves to our senses and lower belly.

Atalanta Fugiens, Michael Maier, embleem 20, 1618.

In the illustration, Sophia urges the warrior (the alchemist) to fight against this fire, which can only make us happy temporarely. She gestures with her hands that we should raise the divine fire, which she personifies, from our sacrum to the crown.

This is the theme of the entire Major Arcana of the tarot, already as far back as the 15th century, and this last card The World represents the completion of this process of spiritual rebirth. It is a long, hard road, but you are assisted by God and his angels. In the Bible, Jesus, who himself also experienced a kundalini awakening, says to his disciples:

“You shall have suffering in the world, but take heart,
I have overcome the world.”
(John 16:33)

Read about the SYMBOLISM in the BIBLE in my book Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved

Incidentally, this spiritual unconsciousness is also the ‘death’ from which Jesus awakens various people in the Bible to ‘life’, including Lazarus. About Lazarus, Jesus says clearly in the Gospel of John: He is not dead, he is asleep (John 11:11).

Read more about the symbolism in the story about the RAISING OF LAZARUS in my book Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved.

The fusion of the two polar energy channels is also symbolized on the Visconti-Sforza chart by the crossed trumpets of the angels, and by the cross on the banner attached to the trumpets. The banners also feature a sun, one of the classic symbols for the kundalini energy. The color red of the tomb refers to the completion of the alchemist’s Magnum Opus (the process of God realization).

Also classical is blowing on a trumpet or flute as a metaphor for the working of Gods Holy Spirit in our spine. The Bible also uses this metaphor. In the Old Testament, for example, in the story of the fall of Jericho, we read that God commanded the seven priests of Joshua to blow their seven trumpets of rams’ horns (Joshua 6:4). The swirling air flowing through the horn of the ram mimics the spiraling movement of the kundalini energy. The number seven in this quote refers to the seven chakras that are opened and activated by the kundalini. A ram’s horn, or shofar, is still blown on certain Jewish holidays (illustration below right).

For the deeper meaning of the FALL OF JERICHO, read my book: Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved.

An angel with a trumpet further enhances the image of divine energy flowing into man. Alchemy, which had a lot of influence on the very first tarot cards, also makes use of this metaphor. Below are two examples of alchemical emblems of the Great Work (Magnum Opus) of the alchemist. On both emblems we see the alchemist sowing (one’s own efforts) and an angel blowing a trumpet (God/the kundalini doing His work in us). The staff in the angel’s hand represents the spine.

Click here for the STAFF as a symbol for the awakened SPINE

The first printed tarot cards

Of the very first printed tarot decks, only a few uncoloured, uncut printed sheets have survived. On both the Rothshield deck and the Budapest-Metropolitan deck (right), God has disappeared and only one angel is blowing his trumpet.

The card still refers to a kundalini awakening. We can deduce this from the esoteric sign of the sacred marriage (the fusion of the masculine and feminine energies) that the angel makes on both cards with one hand (two fingers together: 2=1).

Click here for symbolism referring to the SACRED MARRIAGE

Rothshild sheet, circa 1500.

Budapest-Metropolitan sheet, 16th century.

The Tarot of Marseille and family

The card of the Tarot of Marseille (on the right the version by Jean Dodal) contains two new elements that have to make it clear to us that this card is about a kundalini awakening, or in the words of alchemy: the Magnum Opus. The person in the middle, whose resurrection is concerned, is now blue in color and has a bald spot on the back of his head. Both refer to spiritual completion.

Blue is the color of heaven, of the divine. The flesh-colored man and woman, left and right of him, still represent the polar energy channels.

The bald spot on the back of the man’s head gives the image of two concentric circles; a symbol from alchemy (see two examples on the far right) that, like the cross on the angel’s banner, represents the merging of the masculine and the feminine (the polar energy channels). This element was central to the previous card: The Sun.

Click here for symbol the DOUBLE CIRCLE

The influence of alchemy on the tarot can also be found in the card of the Tarot of Paris (left). At the end of the yellow trumpet (spine) on which the angel blows, we see three more colors: black, white and red. Together these are the colors of the four phases of the Magnum Opus: nigredo, albedo, citrinitas and rubedo, which are initiated by the kundalini energy (the angel).

Click here to read more about the MAGNUM OPUS of the alchemist

One bare leg of the angel is visible. This is a reference to the sacred marriage: 2=1.

Click here for ONE LEG as a symbol of SACRED MARRIAGE

Also worth mentioning is the card from the Etteilla deck (right). The angel, as he blows his trumpet, holds two other trumpets crossed in his hands. A confirmation for us that the trumpets on the Visconti-Sforza card (above) are crossed deliberately.

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

Oswald Wirth’s card (right) contains few new elements. The symbol of the double circle has moved from the back of the risen man’s head to the angel’s forehead. On this card, even more clearly than in the Tarot of Marseilles, the man and the woman are not standing in the tomb, but rise from the grass, to make clear that they have a different (symbolic) meaning than the person in the middle.

The fusion of polar energies is also expressed in Wirth’s card in the angel’s clothing: red and blue, the classic colors for the masculine and feminine.

The mosaics of Château des Avenières (below left) are largely based on Oswald Wirth’s deck. For this card the designer was also inspired by Luca Signorelli’s fresco The Last Judgment (below right). The three resurrected persons in the mosaic are exactly copied from the painting.

Château des Avenières (1917)

Resurrection of the Flesh, Last Judgment, fresco cycle by Luca Signorelli, 1499-1502.

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

Right: an alchemical emblem with the MAGNUM OPUS in symbols. On the left a man (the alchemist) emerging from the WATERS of spiritual unconsciousness. On the right in a cave (symbol for the inner self of the alchemist) the FUSION of the polar energies (man/woman, sun/moon) takes place. Above, in the clouds, a woman with a moon for her head is given birth to the alchemist’s NEW SELF. She is the universal MOON GODDESS, or the KUNDALINI-shakti. (Atalanta Fugiens, Michael Maier, emblem 34, 1618)

The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot

On Rider-Waite-Smith’s card, the open coffins float in the water. The sea is a symbol for the subconscious. This new element reinforces the symbolism of awakening from a state of spiritual unconsciousness. The people rising from the grave are gray in color, to tell us that it is a spiritual resurrection, not a dead body of flesh and blood coming back to life. The mountains in the background represent the expanded consciousness of the awakened human beings.

Both in the foreground and in the background we see a man and a woman, with a child in their midst. This child symbolizes the new self, and represents the wholeness and egolessness of the ‘risen’ person.

The seven stripes on the angel’s trumpet represent the seven chakras along the spine, that are opened and purified by the kundalini.

Conclusion

Contrary to what the title and images suggest, this tarot card is not about God making a final judgment on how a person has lived. Nor is it about a Biblical resurrection of an already buried body. Tarot card Judgement represents a spiritual awakening; for a ‘resurrection’ from the ‘grave’ of spiritual death/unconsciousness. The end result of a kundalini process.

The angel on this card blowing a trumpet is a metaphor for the flow of divine energy in our spine. Similar symbolism can be seen in alchemy, but also in other spiritual traditions. For example, the Hindu god Krishna, who is recognizable in the iconography by his flute. On the left he is depicted with his wife Radha.

Together they represent the merging of the polarities in man: an important theme of this tarot card. In fact, it is a major theme of the entire Major Arcana. On almost every tarot card an element refers to this so-called ‘sacred marriage‘. The next and final card of the series, The World, is no exception!

The Tarot of Marseille and family

The Tarot of Marseille uses different elements to tell the same thing. Francois Chosson’s card (below left) shows two identical boys holding each other. This symbolizes that they are connected. The two boys represent the duality that merges into divine oneness in the spiritual aspirant. Together they stand for the born again human. The wall around the boys tells us that this is an inner experience.

The red collar around their necks is the red coral necklace from the Visconti-Sforza card (above), which refers to a kundalini awakening. The vertical stripes on the boys’ torso refers to the spine. The boy on the left touches the boy on the right in this place with his hand. This is an indication to us that the working force is the kundalini energy, which is also symbolized by the flames coming from the sun. We also see these flames on the tarot card The Moon, on which they refer to the “descending tongues of fire of the Holy Spirit (the kundalini)”.

On the Italian Piedmontese card (far right), from more than a century later, both boys stand on one leg. This element also refers to the (divine) oneness they form together.

We also find similar elements on the three alchemical emblems below from the same time period, with (phases of) the Magnum Opus.

On the tarot cards above the sun’s energy is manifested as light and heat (straight and curved rays). The number of red and yellow rays on both cards is exactly eight. This is a reference to the Morning Star, which has been a symbol for the kundalini energy since ancient times (see also tarot card The Star). The sun is an apt symbol for the Morning Star since it is a star herself.

Click here for the EIGHT-POINTED MORNING STAR as a symbol for the kundalini energy.

On the Tarot of Marseille card by Jacques Viéville (right), the Filius Philosophorum, or Sun Child, is sitting on a horse. This symbolizes overcoming the emotions and animal drives; an important aspect of the Magnum Opus, that one might regard as part of the purification process.

The banner is an element that expresses victory. The two different colors of the banner refer to the fusion of duality, just like the red cross on the horse’s hindquarters. On Nicolas Bodet’s card (bottom right), a derivative of Jacques Viéville’s card, the banner itself has a cross.

Certainly at that time, a banner with a cross was associated with the resurrection of Christ. On the symbolic level, the Bible story of Jesus rising from the dead is about a spiritual rebirth.

Read more about the symbolism in the Bible in my book “Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

The Filius Philosophorum, or SUN CHILD, is sitting on a HOBBY HORSE; symbol for mastery over the emotions and animal drives. The boy carries the BANNER the resurrected Christ is depicted with in iconografy, which stands for victory over (spiritual) death. The WALL communicates that we get a view into the interior of the alchemist. Around the wall are personifications of the PLANETS. These represent the SEVEN CHAKRAS that have been purified and activated. The angel with Bible refers to DIVINE WISDOM = Sophia = the kundalini energy. (Traité d’Astrologie, Johannes Hartlieb, circa 1540)

Throughout the centuries there has always been a group of people who knew that most Bible stories can also be read as symbolism, that want to tell us how we can realize the ‘Kingdom of God’ in ourselves: through a kundalini awakening, just like Jesus. This knowledge, which went against the teachings of the church, is communicated by artists in a concealed way in their paintings. Below are three examples in which a specific positioning (behind the head) of the banner of resurrection has been used to tell us that a fusion of duality has taken place in the head of Jesus.

Artist Bernardo Bitti (below left) has even dared to deviate from the traditional white flag with a red cross, opting for a flag with two colors: red and white. In alchemy, these colors represent the duality (red king and white queen), which merges during the Magnum Opus.

Click here for the colors RED and WHITE for the SACRED MARRIAGE (2 = 1)

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

Oswald Wirth (below left) has chosen a boy and a girl instead of two identical boys to express duality. The color of their loincloths confirms that they represent duality: red and blue are the classic colors of the masculine and feminine respectively.

Rosenwald Tarot (circa 1500), with a double circle and a reference to the eight-pointed Morning star.

Château des Avenières (1917)

The two concentric circles in the grass are an element from the Rosenwald Tarot, one of the earliest printed decks of which only unfinished sheets have been preserved (above center). The symbol of the double circle comes from alchemy and refers to the fusion of duality (two circles). Below you find three examples of alchemical illustrations with a double circle.

Click here for the DOUBLE CIRCLE as a symbol for the SACRED MARRIAGE (2 = 1)

Our interpretation is confirmed by the way in which the feet of the boy and the girl are placed. Both stand with one foot in the large circle and one foot in the smaller circle.

The divine oneness is thus symbolized on this card by both the boy and the girl holding each other, as well as the two overlapping circles.

The boy and girl in the mosaic of Château des Avenières (above, right) are naked. This emphasizes their (sexual) innocence and evokes associations with Adam and Eve before they were expelled from paradise by God. Part of the kundalini awakening process is the sublimation (transformation) of the sexual energies.

The girl in the mosaic of Château des Avenières has reddish hair with a length up to her pelvis. This refers to the kundalini fire, which flows from the pelvis to the crown.

The mythical figure Hermes Trismegistus shows the making of the ‘Philosopher’s Stone’, the final product of the Magnum Opus. On the right page TWO SUNS (duality) merge into ONE. (De Chemia Seniores, 1566)

The Philosophers’ Stone. The DOUBLE CIRCLE represents the ‘Egg of the Philosophers’: one of the many alchemical metaphors for God-realization. (The Tenth Key, Basilius Valentinus, 1599)

The Magnum Opus of the Alchemist. The COMPASS, which is placed on the LARGE and the SMALL CIRCLE, indicates the fusion of both. (Atalanta Fugiens, 1617)

Below and right: hidden symbolism from alchemy, among which the DOUBLE CIRCLE, in two paintings of Mary Magdalene.

Read more about Mary’s spiritual process in my book “Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

Both women make THE SIGN OF THE SACRED MARRIAGE with their hands (2 = 1). The hand of Mary Magdalene rests on a MIRROR that has the shape of a DOUBLE CIRCLE. The square shaped LIGHT REFLECTION on the mirror refers to “SQUARING THE CIRCLE” (click here), a metaphor for the accomplishment of the Magnum Opus. The colors BLACK, WHITE, YELLOW AND RED of Mary’s clothing refer to the FOUR PHASES OF THE MAGNUM OPUS (click here). (Caravaggio, 1598)

Click here for more examples of the DOUBLE CIRCLE as a (hidden) symbol for a kundalini awakening in Christian art

The LID of the ointment jar is in the shape of a DOUBLE CIRCLE. With the hand with which Mary Magdalene holds it, she makes THE SIGN OF THE SACRED MARRIAGE (2=1). The red flower refers to the HEXAGRAM (click here), also a symbol for the sacred marriage. The colors BLACK, WHITE, YELLOW AND RED of Mary’s clothing refer to the FOUR PHASES OF THE MAGNUM OPUS (click here). (School of Antwerp,1532)

The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot

Pamela Colman-Smith’s card was inspired by Jacques Viéville (Tarot of Marseille, see above). Her Sun-child sits without saddle and reins on a large white horse: the forces of the lower nature are fully at the disposal of the higher nature. The color white refers to the purification of the animal energies/instincts.

Read more about the symbolic meaning of a WHITE HORSE in the article: “The unicorn can be found in you!“

The red feather on the Sun Child’s head, and the large red-orange flag, are both a symbol of the kundalini energy that has reached the crown chakra. The red feather is also an element (with the same meaning) of RWS card number 0 The Fool and card number 13 Death. The wreath on the child’s head is a universal symbol for an open crown chakra.

The wreath is made from pomegranates. These fruits, full of seed, are also depicted on the Fool’s tunic and on the veil behind the High Priestess (card number 2), and are also a classic symbol for the kundalini energy. A wreath of pomegranates around the head means that the kundalini has been successfully raised to the seventh chakra.

Click here for the POMEGRANATE as a symbol for the kundalini energy

The sunflowers are a new element and represent a completed process of God-realization. See the illustration below, on the left, from Hermetism (a spiritual tradition related to alchemy).

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

Conclusion

Tarot card The Sun represents spiritual rebirth. The “Sun Child” on this card represents the wholeness and egolessness of the new, or “risen”, human being. The purification and healing that is required for this process of rebirth, takes place through the action of God’s Holy Spirit (the kundalini energy), symbolized on this card by the sun.

Jesus refers to this process with his enigmatic statement in the Bible that only those who become “as a child” will receive the Kingdom of God:

“Permit the children to come to Me; do not hinder them; for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.” (Mark 10:14-15)

A second measuring instrument, with the same esoteric meaning as the compass, is the square. We find it on The Moon of the Rothschild Tarot (below left), of which only uncoloured, uncut sheets have been preserved.

The symbolic meaning of the armillary (a three-dimensional representation of our universe), in the hand of the man on the Rothshild card, becomes clearer when we place the card from the Ercole I d’Este Tarot deck (far right) next to it.

The armillary on the d’Este card is placed on an unusually long stand. It symbolizes the spine. The man is holding a compass in line with the stand: the two polar energy channels are fused and the kundalini energy flows from the pelvis (the moon on the table) to the head, giving an experience of God / oneness (the armillary => being one with the universe).

The small, eight-pointed Morning Star, at the bottom left of the table (circled), confirms this interpretation: the Morning Star is also a symbol for the kundalini energy (see tarot card The Star). The colors of the clothing the man wears – red and blue – represent the polar energies.

An androgyn ‘REBIS’: the final stage of the alchemist’s Magnum Opus.

A depiction of a kundalini awakening. Symbolism referring to a FUSION of the SUN AND MOON is also used in eastern traditions.

The Tarot of Marseille

The Tarot of Marseilles seems to take a completely different course with regard to the Moon theme, but this is only an illusion. The symbolism on this card also refers to a kundalini awakening and the associated fusion of the polarities. The compass and square have been replaced by two dogs and two towers. The moon goddess has been replaced by a crayfish.

The “Cary Sheet” (right) is an uncut, uncoloured printing sheet from circa 1500. This is the earliest copy of The Moon in the Tarot of Marseille style.

On the bottom half of the card we see a pond with a huge crayfish in it. Water is a universal metaphor for the divine energy in our pelvis: the kundalini. A crayfish emerging from the water refers to an awakening of this energy.

There are a number of reasons for choosing a lobster. The lower part of a lobster resembles a human spine. Red is the color of (kundalini) fire, and of the first chakra, where the kundalini resides while she is still “sleeping”.

Furthermore, in order to grow, the lobster must ‘scale’ (shed its armor), similar to the molting of a serpent, the classic symbol for the kundalini. This ‘renewal’ is also an aspect of the kundalini energy.

Jean Noblet’s Tarot of Marseille card (below) includes some new elements. Flames have been added around the eclipse of the sun and moon. This is a reference to the “tongues of fire” that descended on the disciples of Jesus at Pentecost. This story is a metaphor for the awakening of the kundalini – which is called the Holy Spirit in the Bible – in the apostles.

When Pentecost arrived, they were all together. Suddenly there was a sound from heaven as if a strong wind were blowing, it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then they saw what looked like tongues of fire: it divided and descended upon each one of them. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues, as the Spirit gave them to speak. (Acts 2: 1-4)

Read more about the symbolism in the Bible in my book “Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

The tongues of the dogs confirm this interpretation. They resemble the flames / “tongues of fire” around the eclipse.

The three small hills at the bottom of the card represent the three energy channels involved in a kundalini awakening. The hill in the middle is the sushumna nadi, located in the spine, with the kundalini (the lobster) flowing in it.

The outer two hills represent the ida-nadi and pingala-nadi, which flow on both sides of the spine. The two dogs and two towers also symbolize the energetic polarity. This is confirmed by the colors of the dogs: red (the masculin) and blue (the feminine).

The dogs also represent the animal / lower nature of humans: on an energetic level our belly (the first three chakras). When the kundalini (the crayfish) awakens in the pelvis, it must first pass the lower chakras (the dogs) to get to its final destination: the crown chakra.

Probably dogs were chosen – and not, for example, lions or pigs – because the moon goddesses Diana (Romans) and Artemis (Greeks) are often depicted with dogs. Below are two examples. These illustrations also contain kundalini symbolism.

Right: The ‘dead’ king (the alchemist) is eaten by the WOLF (he is ‘consumed’ by his ANIMAL INSTINCTS, located in the BELLY, and as a result he is spiritually ‘dead’). When the wolf is burned (the animal energies are PURIFIED by the kundalini fire), the king is brought back to life. (Atalanta Fugiens, 1617)

Jacques Viéville’s Moon (left) is completely different from his Tarot of Marseille colleagues. No crayfish for him, but a woman spinning yarn. This, too, is a metaphor for a kundalini awakening.

The stick with a tuft of flax at the top represents the spine and the pineal gland. The thread running from the pelvis to the woman’s head represents the kundalini.

Her red and blue dress refers to the fusion of the polarities, just like the eclipse, above her head. With her right hand the woman confirms her inner oneness. The tree next to her is a classic symbol of the awakened kundalini.

The symbolism of tarot card The Moon can also be found in Christian art of the same era. In many paintings spiritual knowledge that went against the teachings of the Church was communicated in a veiled way. For example, there are depictins of the Last Supper with crayfish on the table, in addition to the usual fish, lamb and bread (see below). A remarkable deviation from the traditional iconografie.

In paintings of the crucifixion we often see an eclipse, which makes sense because in the Bible it says that a solar eclipse takes place at the moment Jesus dies:

And it was about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the earth until the ninth hour. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the middle. And Jesus cried with a loud voice and said, Father, into Your hands I commend my spirit. And when He said that, He gave up the ghost. (Luke 23: 44-46)

The detail of the eclipse in this quote is intended to tell us that the death of Jesus, on the symbolic level, represents a spiritual transformation process. A complete solar eclipse can only occur at New Moon. However, it was Full Moon (Pesach) when Jesus was crucified. The sixth hour is a reference to the sixth chakra, the place where the fusion of the polarities (sun and moon) takes place.

We can deduce from the hand of Jesus who makes the sign of the sacred marriage (2 = 1), that the eclipse in the paintings below has an esoteric meaning.

Read more about the symbolism in the Bible in my book “Mary Magdalene, the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

Oswald Wirth’s card (below left) is almost identical to the Tarot of Marseille. His dogs have the colors white and gray, which, like red and blue, refers to the polar energies: light / dark, yin / yang.

The mosaic at Château des Avenières (below right), which is based on Oswald Wirth’s tarot, has double pillars on both the left and right. This reinforces the theme of the card: the fusion of duality into divine oneness.

Château des Avenières (1917)

The Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) Tarot

Artist Pamela Colman-Smith has chosen a dog and a wolf (the tamed and untamed animal) to express the polarities (below left). A choice inspired by alchemy. On the alchemy emblem next to the RWS card (below center) we see a dog and a wolf fighting each other. They represent the inner duality of the alchemist. The animals, according to the accompanying text, will be “turned into one.”

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

The colors yellow and orange of the dogs probably refer to the abdominal chakras, the abode in man of the animal energies. The second (lower abdomen) chakra is orange and the third (navel) chakra is yellow.

Another subtle, but significant difference from all predecessors is that on the RWS card the caryfish crawls out of the water. This emphasizes the awakening of the kundalini.

Around the moon / eclipse, the RWS card has Yod’s (the Hebrew letter Y) instead of flames. The meaning is the same. As we saw with tarot card The Tower, the letter Yod – which resembles a flame – refers to the divine in mystical Judaism.

Conclusion

In most traditions, the kundalini energy in our pelvis is personified by a goddess (Shakti, Isis, Artemis, Sophia, etc.). Images from nature are also common. The yogi sees the source of divine energy as a coiled serpent, which can be awakened and then spirales up the spine. To the alchemist, the same source of energy resembles a caryfish emerging from the water. In the Bible we find the metaphor of a (whale) fish, that swallows human beings alive.

In the case of this tarot card, it is not difficult to understand the choice of the moon, with its influence on the rise and fall of the sea level, as a symbol for the kundalini.

In the major arcana of the tarot we also find, amongst others, a deer, a tree, a sword and an hourglass. The list of symbols and metaphors for the kundalini energy is almost endless; just as long as man’s imagination.

Tarot card The Moon is a beautiful example of a road map in images to the Kingdom of God.

Veiled references to the kundalini energy can also be found in other art from that era. Artists became aware of this knowledge forbidden by the church through esoteric groups such as the Rosicrucians and the Freemasons. Click here for the MORNING STAR as a symbol for the kundalini process of Jesus in Christian art.

Right: early Christian inscription with the Greek letters ΙΧΘΥΣ (Ichtus), for Jesus, and the MORNING STAR, in the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Ephesus in Turkey.

The Tarot of Marseille

The woman on the Tarot of Marseille cards (below) stands not only between two hills, but also between two trees. The woman personifies the kundalini energy; the two trees and the two hills represent the ida nadi and pingala nadi. The nakedness of the woman communicates her divine nature.

The union of the masculine and feminine energies is symbolized on the Tarot of Marseille Star by the two vases from which water (energy) flows. One vase flows out onto the land, the other into the pool of water, as a confirmation to us that these are the polar energies.

So both the trees, the hills and the vases represent the polar energies. The woman and the eight-pointed star both represent the divine kundalini energy. We can also deduce this from the woman’s navel. On Jean Noblet’s card (above left) it is a six-pointed star (hexagram) and on Jean Dodal’s card (above center) a circle with a upward pointing triangle: the symbol of fire.

Click here for the HEXAGRAM as a symbol for the fusion of the polar energies.

Another classic metaphor for the awakened kundalini is a tree. Jean Dodal’s card shows a bird on one of the trees. The bird refers to the completion of the kundalini process.

The seven smaller stars (hexagrams) on the card represent the seven chakras, which are purified and activated (‘shining’ like stars) by the kundalini energy. All elements on this card can also be found in the symbolism used in alchemy to depict a kundalini awakening, see the three examples below.

GOLD AND SILVER represent the polar energies in alchemy. (Ritter-Krieg, Johann Sternhals, 1580)

The theme of a god with two vases of water, to express the fusion of the polar energies, can also be found in Ancient Egypt. In the image on the right we see the androgynous god Hapi depicted in an identical way.

The meaning that Egyptologists give to this image is that the two vases of water represent the White and the Blue Nile, which flow together and form the, for the Egyptians, very important river Nile (see map on right). The god Hapi is a personification of the Nile.

Major rivers are often used in spiritual traditions as a metaphor for kundalini energy; for example, the Ganges in Hinduism, the Jordan in Judaism, and in Ancient Egypt it was the Nile.

The serpent around Hapi confirms us that this relief on a deeper level is also a representation of the three energy channels involved in a kundalini awakening, similar to the meaning of tarot card The Star.

Some Tarot de Marseille decks have opted for completely different imagery to express the same thing. On the cards of Jacques Vieville and the Tarot of Paris (left) we see a man with a compass in his hand. The compass is a symbol from Freemasonry and refers to the fusion of the polarities (see illustrations below). The same meaning as the two vases on the other Tarot de Marseille decks.

The man on Jacques Viéville’s card points with the compass to a tower. This tower is a metaphor for the spine with the awakened kundalini flowing in it (see also tarot card The Tower). Instead of a clock, we see a (kundalini) star in the top of the tower. We may take this as a confirmation of our interpretation.

The hourglass, which the man is holding in his other hand, is also a symbol for the kundalini energy (see tarot card The Hermit).

The man on the Tarot of Paris card points with the compass at his hat, which is shaped like a pyramid. A pyramid has square base (the number four represents the physical dimensions / earth), with vertical lines that run to one point, the top (symbol for the divine). This symbolic meaning of the pyramid is comparable to that of the compass: the process of God-realization.

The Oswald Wirth Tarot

The golden hair of the woman on Oswald Wirth’s card covers her whole back. This, too, is a classic metaphor for the kundalini energy, which flows from the pelvis to the crown.

Instead of a tree with a bird as a transformation symbol, Wirth has opted for a flower with a butterfly. The flower has five petals, which refers to the “Rose of Venus”. The orbit of Venus around the earth, during an eight-year cycle, has the pattern of a five-petaled flower (see illustration on right). This pattern is called the Rose (or Pentagram) of Venus. The five-petaled rose has been used as a symbol for the divine since ancient times. The butterfly on the flower is a classic symbol of transformation.

Château des Avenières (1917)

On this wooden panel (British Museum) we see a goddess in a (kundalini) tree who gives nourishment (energy) to a woman and her BA (the bird).

The mosaic at Château des Avenières (above left) is derived from the Oswald Wirth Tarot. An Egyptian Ba bird sits on the tree next to the goddess. In Ancient Egypt, the Ba bird represented the essence / soul of man (see panel above right).

The two vases on the mosaic have different colors: gold and silver. These are colors associated with the sun and the moon and refer to polarity / duality.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot

The RWS Star is rather similar to the Tarot of Marseille and the Oswald Wirth Tarot. Artist Pamela Colman Smith has placed the goddess even more explicitly in the center of the two vases with outflowing water, which gives us even more clearly the image of the three energy channels involved in a kundalini awakening: the kundalini energy is located between the polar energy channels ida nadi and pingala nadi.

One leg of the goddess rests on water and one leg on land: a reinforcement of the symbolism of the two vases. The goddess represents the unity of the divine.

Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot (1909)

The EIGHT-POINTED STAR has also been used in Christian art to communicate “heretical” spiritual knowledge. Here we see Saint Dominic with an eight-pointed star above his head. With his left hand he makes the SIGN OF THE SACRED MARRIAGE: 2 = 1 (click here), and with the other hand he points to his HEAD, the place where this sacred marriage takes place. (Fra Angelico, circa 1440)

Click here for more examples of the MORNING STAR as a symbol for the kundalini in Christian art.

Wonder Woman with the eight-pointed Morning star on her forehead.

Conclusion

The eight-pointed star on this tarot card has been a symbol of the kundalini energy since ancient times. The woman on the card is a personification of this divine energy in the human pelvis. She is a goddess with many names and faces, including Ishtar, Inanna, Sophia, Isis, Hera and Shakti.

In the Bible, Jesus promises us the Morning Star – as the eight-pointed star is also called – if we overcome our ego and animal instincts:

And to the one who overcomes and continues in My work until the end … I will give him the morning star.
(Revelation 2:26,28)

The Knights Templar

The legendary Knights Templars also knew the deeper meaning of the eight-pointed star and used this symbol to communicate their esoteric knowledge. Read about this in my article: The Knights Templars and the Holy Grail.