We will deepen the discussion on the kabbalistic
sources of tarot by examining the significance of the number fifty. It is
precisely in this number, as well as in the way the concepts are presented,
that a parallel can be drawn between the Mantegna tarocchi and the kabbalistic scheme of the Fifty Gates of
Binah (Understanding) as recorded by Athanasius Kircher. This list of gates
represents a classification of knowledge derived from the sefirah Binah, which
a kabbalistic initiate must pass through to reach the thirty-two Paths of
Wisdom (the ten sephiroth and the twenty-two paths connecting them). According
to legend, Moses himself passed through forty-nine of these gates but never
entered the fiftieth. This is reminiscent of the biblical fact that Moses never
set foot in the Promised Land but died and was buried outside of it, with his
grave remaining hidden until the end of time. Additionally, the number
forty-nine hints at the abstract nature of the number fifty. Similarly, in the
Mantegna tarocchi, the card numbered fifty and the Fool in the
classical tarot reflect this concept. In systems with fifty components, the
last number represents the culmination or exit from the 7 x 7 scheme. The
scheme of the Gates of Binah also consists of five decades, which are the
elements, development, humanity, spheres, and the angelic world.
Kircher's classification is essentially a
variation of the Kabbalistic understanding of the macrocosm and microcosm. As
Manly Palmer Hall explains, secret Kabbalistic teachings mention that the human
body is surrounded by an egg-shaped, iridescent aura in rainbow colors, known
as the Auric Egg. This is the causal sphere of the human being. It has the same
relationship to the physical body as Ain Sof has to its created universes. Just
as universes are composed of latent powers within the Cosmic Egg, Hall explains,
everything a person has used in all their incarnations throughout the kingdom
of Nature has emerged from latent powers within their Auric Egg. A person never
exits this egg, as it remains even after death. Hall's description can
conveniently help in understanding the Kabbalistic schema of the fourfold
world. Imagine that the human being, as a microcosm, consists of an – invisible
to the eye – sphere, within which its existence takes place, mirroring the
macrocosm. Within this sphere, like the layers of an onion or rings, there are
subspheres or rings surrounding the inner spheres, extending all the way to the
material level. As one moves toward the center of these interpenetrating
spheres, the density of matter increases. There are forty such spheres in
total, surrounded by three outer spheres which are depicted in the Tree of Life
diagram above the first sephira. The three outer spheres are Ain Sof Aur
(Infinite Light), Ain Sof (Infinity), and Ain (void, pure spirit). The inner
spheres actually comprise four decades of sephirot divided into basic levels (4
x 10), representing the existence of the Tree of Life structure, which has ten
sephirot emanated across four planes of existence:
Atziluth – the boundless world of divine names
where God's powers manifest in their purest form, and therefore this decade
contains ten divine names indicating specific attributes of the supreme being.
Menli P. Hall states that these ten pure and perfect radiations do not descend
into the lower worlds and do not assume form but are reflected onto the
substances of inferior spheres. From the first world, or Atziluth, light is reflected in Briah, the second world.
Since reflection always loses some of the brilliance of the original image, so
in Briah, the ten radiations lose part of their power. The reflection is always
like the reflected original, but smaller and dimmer.
Briah
– the archangelic world of creation. Here, according to Hall, there are ten
great Spirits, divine beings that assist in establishing order and intelligence
in the universe. The ten spheres of Briah, though reflections themselves, are
mirrored downward into Yetzirah, where they are even more limited in their
expression and become a spiritual and invisible zodiac that exists behind the
visible constellations.
Yetzirah
– the hierarchical world of formation – also known as the choirs of Yetzirah,
the angelic hierarchies.
Assiah
– the elemental world of substances. The ten spheres of the primordial Atziluth take on the forms of physical matter here, resulting in the star
system. The world of Assiah, or the elemental world of matter, is the one into
which humanity descended at the time of Adam's fall.
To recap, the higher worlds are located towards
the periphery of the imagined cosmic sphere, while the lower worlds are
positioned at its center. This creates a perspective in which the spiritual and
divine are depicted as infinite, while the material (and klipotic) is
infinitesimal. In this sense, to express it scholastically, all of hell could
fit in the palm of one hand. Kabbalists assigned a letter from the Divine Name
(Tetragrammaton) to each basic level. These letters are yod – for Atziluth, he – for Briah, vav – for Yetzirah, and again
he – for Assiah. The world of Assiah is mixed with
the so-called klipot or kelipot, which represent shells or fragmented parts of
failed or unfulfilled rings. If we imagine the sefirot as vessels, then the
klipot would represent broken vessels. Klipot are, in a way, expressions of
cosmogonical abortions and are often considered areas of demonic presence.
There are ten hierarchies of klipot, corresponding to each of the ten light
hierarchies that make up the world of Yetzirah. Hall, in his book The Secret Teachings of All Ages,
explains that the klipot have two functions: to conceal the light and to allow
the development of the material world, until it is completely transformed,
corrected, and reunited with the higher authority. Klipot are forces that
prevent the spiritual essence of our world from merging with its root causes.
Now
we can outline the basic principles of the Tree of Life and their klipot
counterparts:
1.
Keter is the first emanation, the expression of unity, the Divine Crown /
Klipot of Keter is duplicity;
2. Chokhmah, or Divine Wisdom, is the second emanation / Klipot is ignorance;
3.
Binah, as the third emanation, is the Divine Mind or understanding / Klipot is
confusion;
4. Chesed is Divine Grace / Klipot is cruelty;
5.
Geburah is Divine Power or severity / Klipot is violence;
6.
Tipheret is Divine Compassion or beauty / Klipot is discord;
7.
Netzach is Divine Eternity or victory / Klipot is hatred;
8.
Hod is Divine Majesty or glory / Klipot is madness;
9.
Yesod is Divine Strength, foundation, or base / Klipot is impotence;
10.
Malkhut is Divine Kingdom / Klipot is obsession.
The arrangement of the sefirot forms the diagram
of the Tree of Life, which actually consists of three triads and one separate sefirah
(Malkhut) at the bottom. Also, the diagram has three columns, or three pillars:
the right pillar represents mercy, the active and masculine principle, and is
usually depicted in black; the left pillar is silver or gray, feminine,
passive, and represents power. The middle pillar is the expression of the
balance between the left and the right and in some way expresses God's will.
Besides the three vertical pillars, there are also three horizontal groupings
of the sefirot. Thus, the three highest sefirot: Keter, Chokhmah, and Binah
represent the Divine Spirit, the three central sefirot: Chesed, Geburah, and
Tiferet signify the Divine Soul, while the three lower sefirot: Netzach, Hod,
and Yesod represent the Divine Will. This three-tiered structure manifests in
the four phases I previously mentioned as the four Kabbalistic dimensions or
worlds.
To conclude this section, let's consider some details regarding the origin of the teachings on the four Kabbalistic dimensions. In "Isaiah" 43:7, we read the following: " Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him." Here we have four key words. The first underlined word: name, refers to Atziluth (shin-mem, shem). The second underlined word: created, refers to Briah (bet-resh-alef, bara). The third underlined word, formed, refers to Yetzirah (yod-tzadi-resh, yatzar). The fourth underlined word, made, refers to Assiah (ayin-shin-he, ashah). And finally, for those who think creatively, it is hard not to notice the potential of the fifth word which is not underlined but is very indicative of magical action, and that is glory (kaf-bet-vav-dalet, kabod). Kabod, that is, God's glory, illuminates the one who bears God's name, whom God has created, formed, and made. Shem is the lower right corner of the pentagram; bara is the upper right corner; kabod is the top corner; yatzar is the upper left corner; ashah is the lower left. Thus, we get the pentagram of creation as an interesting theme for Kabbalistic meditation.
Gershom Scholem explained that the Kabbalistic principle of four manifestations has its parallel in the doctrine of the four Adams. The first Adam, as the man of Atziluth, is Adam Kadmon (see "Ezekiel" 1:26-27), from whom all creatures originate, both earthly and celestial. The second Adam is the one created on the sixth day of creation and relates to Briah. This Adam is innocent and has not yet been tempted. This temptation occurs in the Garden of Eden, where the third Adam, or the Adam of Yetzirah, that is, formation, resides, who is divided into male and female. Finally, the Adam of Assiah is the one who was expelled from the garden and became subject to death.
