The Tarot Code

by Carlo Bozzelli

  Fig. 28

  The Path of Awareness

  Let us observe, as if it were a game, the Roman numerals of certain Arcana: they are not written in a regular manner, according to the correct principles. The 4, in Roman numerals, should be written IV and instead is written IIII; the 9 should be IX and instead is VIIII, etc. Why?

  Fig. 29

  The two progressive numbers

  The reply is simple: in this way, avoiding the subtraction (I from V or I from X), we add... (III+I or VIII+I)! The Tarot is a Way of continuous additon, of expansion of the consciouness. This deals with only a small, very simple Code, indicative however of the fact that, to study the Tarot means to seek contact with the deepest part of oneself, with one’s own Soul.

  A Vehicle of Consciousness

  “The Tarot is a book written in symbols.53” This book, made up of thousands of pages, contains precise, authentic wisdom regarding man, his essence, and the laws that govern him. If we marvel at the fact that texts such as the Bible or the Veda are revealed books, then we must marvel in equal measure that the Tarot is a depositary of exceptional wisdom.

  We should stipulate that this parallelism has nothing of the irreverent because in both cases they are Sacred Works, the sole differnce being that the Tarot communicates this Wisdom through images. There exists an ancient work, the Mutus Liber which, as the name itself, Mute Book, says, is a compendium of 15 tables perfectly representing, according to Alchemy, the process of transmutation and interior transformation.

  In one of the illustrations, the penultimate, we find this expression: “Ora, Lege, Lege, Lege, Rilege, Labora et inveniens.54”

  Thus, to those who apply to the Tarot the same principal, to those who knock at its door with Love, Will and Intelligence, will be revealed its deepest mistery.

  Fig. 30

  Mutus Liber

  An Instrument of help

  The Tarot, thanks to the group of symbols of which it is constituted, creates a language. This is not, as we might suppose, an allegory, but a true fact. As we will see, there exist a Grammar and a Lexicon,55 elements which, combined amomg themselves, allow the learning of a new language. This seems an event so stupefying as to be difficult to believe, at least until we see it in practice. When we ask a question, there exists a level totally unknown beyond other planes of interpretation, such as the well-known archetypical56: the Tarot, as a superior Intelligence, through “words” and “rules” composes exact propositions which answer precisely the question asked by the consultant! One who, in this phase, may desire to have an idea of the type of mechanism, might try to imagine the I Ching.57 The difference is in the type of answer which, with the Tarot, is not formulated in a metaphorical manner but created with sentences which perfectly answer the question. These assertions, apart from their objective clarity, are charaterized by a truely disconcerting rigor and intelligence and become a concrete and precious aid for whomever receives them. We see here, then, one of the principal functions of the Arcana, who place themselves, together with the tarologist (translator of their message), at the Service of mankind.

  In conclusion. we would like to share some personal considerations. The significance of the Tarot and its possible applications, go far beyond our current affirmations. However, in order to maintain a scientific attitude, proveable and disciplined, we must first of all verify the hypothses accepted up till now which, after the the indispensable demonstrations, will be recovered and amplified in the last chapters. This choice is tied also to the will to respect the needs of those who access this subject for the first time according to the present system. In fact, we wish to set up our work with the intent of avoiding easy skepticism or incredulity, or on the contrary, an excess of enthuisiasm. Our hope is that the reader, through a fluidity of comprehension, gradual but progressive, may reap the benefits that the first approach to the Coded Structure of the Tarot may offer.

  Footnotes - Chapter 3

  37 With regard to this, suffice it to think of the many decks, Italian as well, characterized by different numbers of cards, such as the Minchiate (97), and the Bolognese Tarocchino (62).

  38 There also exist diametrically opposed theories according to which the Major Arcana are the precursors to the Minor. Even in this case, however, the two groups would not have the same origin.

  39 Further information relative to this sort of degeneration of the Tarot, and to the restoration required, may be found in the Appendix.

  40 Eugenio Polito, Fulgentibus Armis, p 55, L’Erma di Bretschneider Edition, 1998.

  41 We must remember that the deck of Paul Marteau as well, always sold under the name Ancient Marseilles Tarot, has its origin, at least partially, in Conver’s deck.

  42 Jainism is an ancient religion which does not adhere to well-defined divinities but is based on the teachings of Mahavira (559-527 BC), an ascetic of noble extraction, who taught that the way to human perfection is through non-violence and harmlessness.

  43 Although others have claimed the paternity of the division of the Arcana according to the 3x7 Diagram, we invite the reader to consult the text of Joseph Maxwell of 1933, Le Tarot, le symbole, les arcanes, la divination (The Tarot, the symbol, the Arcana, divination) in order to find such a distribution already in that epoch.

  44 In esoterism, Earth is called “the World of the Cross.”

  45 These three crosses are called the Fixed, the Cardinal, and the Mobile Cross.

  46 In Chapter 7, we will describe the manner in which the Tarot codifies time.

  47 The Sanskrit word yoga means, literally, union.

  48 The Tarologist, a new professional figure, different than the cartomancer, studies and reads the Tarot, knowing its true nature. We will explain in depth the difference between cartomancy and tarology in Chapter 8.

  49 The true tarologist is he who knows the vast Coded Structure within the Tarot, indispensable for its correct use.

  50 “Puédense echar suertes en ellos à quién más ama cada uno, e à quién quiere más et por otras muchas et diversas maneras.” Fernando de la Torre (1416 ca-1475), Juego de naypes en “Cancionero de Stúñiga”, code XVe siècle, p. 273-293.

  51 Jean François Pic de la Mirandole (1469-1533), De Rerum praenotione, Strasbourg 1507, Bk VI chap. VI; Basel, 1601, page 408: “Sortium multa sunt genera ut in talorum iactu in tesseribus proijciendis/ in figuris Chartaceo ludo pictis / & quaecunque prior advenerit expectandis in eruendis longioribus paleis/ in oculorum iactu super paginis.”

  52 Historians distinguish the two terms, considering the first, prototypes of the second. In this regard our position is definitely different.

  53 The first to formulate this definition was Joseph Maxwell, in the already mentioned text Le Tarot, le symbole, les arcanes, la divination, (The Tarot, the symbol, Arcana, divination).

  54 The translation is: “Pray, read, read, read, reread, work and you shall find.”

  55 Cf. Chapter 6.

  56 Ibid.

  57 The I Ching, or Book of Changes, considered the first of the Chinese classics, is divided into two portions, jing or “classic” and zhuan or “commentary”, composed in different moments but handed down as a single book for circa 2000 years. The jing portion is made up of 64 units, each based on a hexagram of six lines, continuous (---) representing the yang principle, or interrupted (- -) representing the yin principle. For every hexagram there is an explanation accompanied by the interpretation of the single lines constituting the trigram. As Confucius himself affirmed, it is a Book of Wisdom.

  Chapter 4

  “Infinitely great will be your happiness: from a simple mortal, you are destined, gradually,

  to become God.”

  (Orphic Tombs)

  4.1 The Coded Structure: the first Codes

  What is the Coded Structure? To what do we refer when we use this term? We have mentioned it various times, affirming that i
t is the basis for the understanding of the meaning of the Arcana, provided that their disposition respects certain criteria. In the preceding chapter, we disclosed that the Major Arcana are divisible, based on comparison with the Minor, by the numbers 3 and 7. In this way, we introduced the concept of the 3x7 Diagram, a scheme of 3 rows with 7 cards each. Although this is not the only order possible, it is however the one which allows for identification of the presence of the coded framework in a clear manner. The Fool is situated outside of the scheme because it is numberless, and therefore has the role of traveller along this path in 7 stages, to traverse 3 times.

  This distribution has already been studied by many authors of the past, without unfortunately their being able to discover the presence of the Codes, which in this manner remained, so to speak, eclipsed. What are, in substance, the Codes of the Tarot? We have already introduced the subject through several examples relative to the symbolism of the 4 suits of the Minor Arcana or to the modalities of representation of Dualism, but we have not made demonstrations that are more complex. Now, in order to proceed, we must enter more into detail, and to begin, it will be well to return to the 3x7 Diagram shown here:

  Fig. 1

  3x7 Diagram

  The Coded Structure has this name for the presence of Codes which, in order to be understood, must be decoded. This is not something obvious. To understand what we mean, as for the “game” of differences described before, we must imagine our attention concentrated on a puzzle like those found in so many puzzle magazines. The purpose is to discover, from the illustrations, the hidden, coded content, uncovering the meaning of the puzzle itself. Every Code of the Tarot is a puzzle that must be unmasked and understood.

  The Coded Structure, in its entirety, contains thousands; and their purpose, differently than the pastimes we cited, goes far beyond that of simple entertainment. In fact, deciphering the Codes means to allow our consciousness access to fragments of principles of wisdom, which, all together, create an extraordinary teaching that may open the door to a superior consciousness. Therefore, these brainteasers are not simple pastimes must be considered true sacred enigmas. We are perfectly aware that all this may seem as improbable as the plot of a novel; it is real, however, and we will attempt to guide the reader in experimentation in the first person, of the truth of these affirmations. We must clarify one point: that that which we have said must all be verifiable. In describing the occult model, we said that its greatest drawback was its inability to prove its own hypotheses. This impossibility has always been determined by a lack of rational objectivity attributed by the esoterists to the particular nature of the Tarot. In the case of the demonstration of the Coded Structure, instead, its strong point is, exactly, objectivity. In fact, thanks to the simple observation of the illustrations - the symbols - the codes and messages transmitted by these may be understood in an evident and provable manner. Having to do with images, concrete and examinable by all in the same manner and with analogous results, it is possible to see that the puzzles are not a product of fantasy, or of the personal ideas of one who invents them, but are irrefutably real. The Codes are divided into two large categories:

  1. Graphic-Codes: based on the images, the illustrations.

  2. Text-Codes, based on the cartouches, the names of the cards.

  We must now proceed with some examples; we will begin with the description of a particularly interesting graphic-Code, remembering that the cornerstone of Tarot teaching is based on the doctrine of Dualism introduced before.

  1) Graphic-Codes

  Hanged Man-World Code

  Let us compare the two cards, attempting to discover if there are particular connections between them. Wishing to fully experience the comparison, a special sort of observation is necessary; this means to simply look, without “thinking of seeing”...two conditions between which exists a great difference. To decode the Tarot in a more precise and articulate manner, we must observe it with the eyes of a child, or as the Bible says, with a child’s spontaneity and simplicity:

  Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-3).

  As excessive conceptualization has already led far too many researchers into blind alleys, it is necessary to reflect on the possibility of the initial difficulty in the observation of the two cards, attempting to observe them without superimposing on the pure objective gaze, any objective knowledge of the subject. With the Tarot, in fact, especially if we possess prior knowledge, we often tend to not see with our eyes but to think with our brain, projecting and binding together an entire series of symbolic meanings (even potentially correct), there where it would be enough, for the sort of research proposed, to simply look, and say what we see. Where is the difficulty, for example, in saying that the Hanged Man is male and the World, female? The danger is that a fact such as this is not mentioned because judged too simple, too trivial, to be taken into consideration.

  Fig. 2

  Hanged Man - World

  In any case, the secret of the Tarot lies precisely in this approach, characterized by a child’s spontaneity without those cultural and mental superstructures that usually condition our evaluations. In this case, to conduct the analysis in this way not only reveals the sudden/unexpected abovementioned male-female contrast, but an entire series of contrapositions: dressed-nude, head down-head up, hands hidden-hands visible, tied-free, alone-in company, right leg bent-left leg bent, and so forth:

  Although this attitude requires a capacity of simplification, which for adults is, paradoxically, quite complicated, at the same time it stimulates minds that are used to other forms of reasoning. In this parallelism, everything seems to lead towards a hidden message, a Code, referring to an antithesis. This last, a form of expression of Dualism, leads back to a teaching. We may note that this duality does not manifest in only one way but in various: through the contrast of right-side up-reversed, man-woman, dressed-nude, etc. Describing the Code, which we have baptized Hanged Man-World, we may point out that:

  • The applied methodology regards an objective observation of the illustrations.

  • Its identification has brought to light a precise teaching (Dualism).

  Wishing to verify the presence of other clues, let us continue the examination of the two cards. In the Hanged Man, for example, the tree trunks make a great square/rectangle form, while in the World is present a round-oval wreath of leaves. These are two forms in opposition, as the first, having 4 sides, is the geometrical figure by which may be represented the terrestrial world based on the 4 elements of nature, while the second expresses with naturalness the celestial vault and therefore the Heavens.

  Fig. 3

  Square - Circle

  Doubt

  We know by experience that at the beginning of the study of the Coded Structure, one of the first difficulties to arise comes from doubt. Acquiring comprehension, in fact, we ask ourselves continuously if that which we are observing (and already it seems so much even to be able to objectify it), may not be fruit of some singular, if improbable, coincidences. Despite the fact that statistics might already have been proved wrong, such a high frequency of simultaneous casual combinations being improbable, the attitude of humans, in general Cartesian and rational, tends continuously to seek verification. Codes are fundamental because they are logical, coherent, verifiable and comparable. Their study allows consistent reference to objectivity even in an area apparently as distant as that of the Tarot. Let us then investigate further, seeking still more elements, that any eventual perplexities may be dismissed from our minds.

  The Hanged Man, upside down, gazes upwards while the woman in the World, on the contrary, looks downwards: here as well is an inversion that confirms the connection between Earth and the Heavens. Observing then the numbers of the cards XII and
XXI, we notice a curious inversion, in the Arabic numerals as in the Roman:

  1 2 ←→ 2 1 or X I I ←→ X X I

  If we skim through all the cards in the 3x7 Diagram we see that this is the only numerical couple with which this is possible, because none other can be reversed. of the Major Arcana that can be reversed.58 This discovery reveals a very interesting fact: the only numbers which can be inverted are those of the two cards in which all the symbolism is, likewise, in antithesis, as if there were an actual will to transmit a teaching through messages expressed in a coded modality.

  Levels

  That which we will now illustrate will be the subject of deep study and meditation, as every particular of the Tarot bears a meaning. Let us observe the two cards again: in the Hanged Man, is there something that leads us to his number? On the yellow trunks at the sides of the figure, there are 6 cut branches on each side, for a total of 12. Should we seek a similar message in the World card?

  Fig. 4

  The 12 Branches and the 12 Constellations