If you’re like me, you don’t swallow every spoonful of generally-accepted wisdom that’s pushed at you; at least you take a sniff first, and if it doesn’t pass the “sniff test” (never mind the “giggle test”), you are wary of ingesting it. So it is with me regarding the astrological correspondences given to the Major Arcana cards of the tarot by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. No matter how much Paul Foster Case indulges in linguistic legerdemain in trying to justify them, there are a few that don’t make a whole lot of sense astrologically. (I say this as a student of esoteric astrology and tarot since the early ’70s.)

I set about the task of re-imagining how I might set things up if I were starting from scratch with no pre-existing model to work with (or against). My associations are purely astrological, not qabalistic. The Tree of Life contingent takes a dim view of some of my reassignments because they wreak havoc on the cards’ path associations. They argue persuasively for not changing some things, and believe I’m scuttling tradition. To that I say “Good. Mission accomplished!”

The attached paper is the result of my efforts. Have fun with it! I have also included some thoughts on why I think the High Priestess should be reallocated; this was the most controversial of my qabalistic heresies.

Astrologically Rethinking the Major Arcana

Reconsidering the High Priestess