The Tarot of the Bohemians
Papus
Chapter 1
The Gypsies
The Gypsies possess a Bible, which has proved their means of gaining a livelihood, for it enables them to tell fortunes; at the same time it has been a perpetual source of amusement, for it enables them to gamble.
Yes; the game of cards called the Tarot, which the Gypsies possess, is the Bible of Bibles. It is the book of Thoth Hermes Trismegistus, the book of Adam, the book of the primitive Revelation of ancient civilizations.
Thus whilst the Freemason, an intelligent and virtuous man, has lost the tradition; while the priest, also intelligent and virtuous, has lost his esoterism; the Gypsy, although both ignorant and vicious, has given us the key which enables us to explain the symbolism of the ages.
We must admire the wisdom of the Initiates, who utilized vice and made it produce more beneficial results than virtue.
The Gypsy pack of cards is a wondderful book according to Cour de Gebelin1 and Vaillant2. This pack, under the name of Tarot3, Thora4, Rota5, has formed the basis of the synthetic teachings of all the ancient nations successively6.
In it, where a man of the people only sees a means of amusement, the thinker will find the key to an obscure tradition. Raymond Lulle has based his Ars Magna upon the Tarot; Jerome Cardan has written a treatise upon subtility from the keys of the Tarot7 Guillaume Postel has found in it the key to the ancient mysteries; whilst Louis-Claude de Saint-Martin, the unknown philosopher, finds written in it the mysterious links which unite God, the Universe, and Man!
The hour is approaching when the missing word wil be refound. Masters, Rosicrucian and Kadosh, you who form the sacred triangle of Masonic initiation, do you remember!
Remember, Master, that illustrious man, killed through the most cowardly of conspiracies; remember Hiram, whose resurrection, promised by the Branch of Acacia, thou art looking for in faith!
Remeber, Rosicrucian, the mysterious word which thou hast sought for so long, of which the meaning still escapes thee!
Remember, Kadosh, the magnificent symbol which radiated from the center of the luminous triangle, when the real meaning of the letter G was revealed to thee!
Hiram - INRI - Yod-He-Vau-He! indicate the same mystery under different aspets.
He who understands one of thse words possesses the key which opens the tomb of Hiram, the symbol of the synthetic science of the Ancients; he can open the tomb and fearlessly grasp the heart of the revered Master, the symbol of esoteric teaching.
The whole Tarot is based upon this word, ROTA, arranged as a wheel.
INRI! is the word which indicates the Unity of your origin, Freemasons and Catholics!
Igne Natura Renovatur Integra.
Iesus Nazareus Rex Iudeorum are the opposite poles, scientific and religious, physical and metaphysical, of the same doctrine.
Yod-He-Vau-He is the word which indicates to you both, Freemasons and Kabbalists, the Unity of your origin. TAROT, THORA, ROTA are words which point out to you all, Easterners and Westerners, the Unity of your requirements and of your aspirations in the eternal Adam-Eve, the source of all our knowledge and of all our creeds.
All Honour, therefore, to the Gypsy Nomad, to whom we are indebted for the preservation of this marvellous instrument, the synthetic summary of the whole teaching of antiquity.
Our Work
We will commence by a preliminary study of the elements of the Kabbalah and of numbers.
Supplied with these data, we will explain the construction of the Tarot n all its details, studying separately each of the pieces which compose our machine, then studying the action of these pieces upon each other . Upon this point we shall be as explicit as possible. We will then touch upon some applicaions of the machine, but upon a few only, leaving to the genuine inquirer the work of discovering others. We must confine our personal work to giving a key, based upon a synthetic formula; we can only supply the implement of labour, in order that those who wish for knowledge may use it as they like; and we feel assured that they will understand the utility of our efforts and of their own.
Lastly, we will do our best to explain the elements of divination by the Tarot as practiced by the Gypsies.
But those who think that occult science should not be revealed must not be too angry with us. Experience has taught us that everything may be fearlessly said, those only who should understand can understand; the others will accuse our work of being obscure and incomprehensible.
We have warned them by placing at the head of our work-
For the exclusive use of Initiates.
It is one characteristic of the study of true occult science, that it may be freely explained to all men. Like the parables, so dear to the ancients, it appears to many only the expression of the flight of a bold imagination: we need, therfore never be afraid of speaking too openly, the Word will only reach those who should be touched by it.
To you all, philosophers of Unity, enemies of scientific, social, and religious sectarianism, I now address myself, to you I dedicate this result of several years study. May I thus aid in the erection of the temple which you are about to raise to the honour of the UNKNOWN GOD, from whom al the others emanate throughout Eternity!
1. Court de Gebelin.- Le Monde Primitif.
2. Vaillant.- Les Romes, Histoire des Behemiens.
3. Eliphas Levi.- Rituel de la Haute Magie.
4. Vaillant.- Op. cit.
5. Guillaume Postel.- Clavis.
6. Vaillant.- Loc. cit.
7. Eliphas Levi.- Op. cit.