The Golden Verses of the Pythagoreans

Concealed within the fabric of The Golden Verses of the Pythagoreans¹ are 4 ancient philosophical codices. Heremectically sealed together as one great verse, these precepts embody the teachings of the earliest western mystery schools. The 4 codices present to the soul the arcanum of spiritual life.

In the middle ages this wonderful doctrine of the ancients resurfaced and drew the attention of medieval philosophers to comprehend and understand the wisdom held within it. Concurrent with this renewed interest in classical works of the ancients, the Tarot mysteriously appears.

One of the earliest known sets of Tarot cards surviving to modern times is the Sola Busca Tarot² believed to have been created 1450-1460. This Tarot deck is unique compared to its contemporaries and one might say, superior when considering the detailed symbolic pictographic content of its minor arcana.

How did the unknown author of the Sola Busca arrive at such a different concept in the construction of the minor arcana? Did he stumble upon ancient knowledge concerning its philosophical meaning? The major arcana of this Tarot deck is unique and different in comparison to all others, why?

Curiously enough, the next set of Tarot Cards³ to have a similar symbolic construction of the minor arcana is a deck conceived by A.E. Waite and drawn by Pamela Coleman Smith 450 years later. The question is how and why did Mr. Waite come to a similar draft and design of Tarot cards? Did he personally examine the Sola Busca Tarot and acquire a copy of it for Pamela Coleman Smith to use as a reference? One could almost be certain of this by comparing the Sola Busca 10 of Swords to Waite's 10 of Wands. I can find no record or document of this being true. I have inquired on more than one occasion with the world renowned expert concerning the life and works of A.E. Waite if he knows of any reference to this event, and he has always replied, "No". Yet, if one is to consider the circumstantial evidence, it is likely to have taken place by one means or another.

In Arthur Edward Waite's book The Key to the Tarot⁴ he writes, on page 5:

"The true Tarot is symbolism ; it speaks no other language and offers no other signs. Given the inward meaning of its emblems, they do become a kind of alphabet which is capable of indefinite combinations and makes true sense in all. On the highest plane it offers a key to the Mysteries, in a manner which is not arbitrary and has not been read in."

In consideration of this and supposing for the moment Mr. Waite did obtain a copy of the Sola Busca Tarot cards, he certainly must have had strong convictions that it was the original version of Tarot cards depicting the secret tradition of the Mysteries. Though other possibilities for the similarity between the two Tarot decks may exist. A seldom talked about Fraternity, the Knights of the Crescent, who were active at the time of the Sola Busca's publication seems to be a highly esteemed tradition of Mr. Waite's. In later portraits of himself, he wears as a necklace the emblem of this particular group. I myself do believe, but can not conclusively prove, that the Knights of the Crescent are responsible for the appearance of Tarot cards in Europe. Whether they authored them or imported them from foreign lands is yet to be discerned.

In Stuart Kaplan's book The Encyclopedia of Tarot⁵ he writes, on page 272:

"Interestingly, both the Rider-Waite tarot pack, and the Royal Fez tarot pack designed by Michael Hobdell that closely follows the Smith Waite designs, present a continuous story through the sequence of the cards in each suit. The three highest court cards in the suit of swords comprise a family of father, mother and eldest son. The king of swords is the father, the queen is the mother, and the son is the knight. A young lad in servitude to the knight appears as the page. In the ten of swords the son is killed and the nine of swords shows a grieving sister sitting up in bed after a dream has revealed to her the terrible fate of her brother. The sister seeks to revenge her brother's death, and in the eight of swords she is captured and shown bound and blindfolded. In the seven of swords the page appears with the swords symbolizing that help is on its way, and in the six of swords the sister and her young son are rescued by the page, who is also her lover. The page is now a warrior, and in the five of swords he is shown with the swords of his craft. In time, the page is also stricken by the sword and killed, four of swords, which causes so much sadness as evidenced by the broken heart pierced by three swords in the three of swords. The two of swords shows the widow in mourning with the swords of defiance and her eyes blindfolded to the way of peace, for she seeks revenge. The ace of swords emerges from a cloud, emphasizing that those who live by the sword are apt to die by it."

So, the question before us: is it possible that Roland Berrill and Michael Hobdell, A.E. Waite, W.B. Yeats and Pamela Coleman Smith, and the unknown author of the Sola Busca all chose a particular literary work to illustrate their respective minor arcana cards? If so, I have been unsuccessful in identifying this 500 year old + work of literature and I rather doubt this to be the source of these images, but leave my mind open to any possibility.

Now that we have looked over the basic beliefs and ideas concerning these symbolic images separated by centuries, I offer my own scintillating contribution to this mystery of mysteries concerning the origin and history of the Tarot. When I perceived the cipher key allowing me to unlock The Golden Verses of the Pythagoreans into 4 distinct codices of the ancient mysteries, I suddenly understood a connection with these 4 codices to the images of the minor arcana in the Tarot decks discussed in this article.

These 4 codices I have entitled according to the subject matter they themselves pertain to: Book 1 Devotional Life, the archetype of the father which strengthens our faith; Book 2 Intellectual Life, the archetype of the mother which builds our continence; Book 3 Affectional Life, the archetype of the son which makes visible the simplicity; Book 4 Physical Life, the archetype of the daughter which bestows unto us knowledge.

In Arthur Edward Waite's book The Key to the Tarot⁴ he states in the preface, page viii:

"As poetry is the most beautiful expression of the things that are of all most beautiful so is symbolism the most catholic expression in concealment of things that are most profound in the Sanctuary and that have not been declared outside it with the same fulness by means of the spoken word."

In light of this, which Mr. Waite so clearly expresses, I have chosen to display the Tarot cards conceived by A.E. Waite alongside the Sola Busca cards with the appropriate Pythagorean verse beneath them. I have enumerated the Pythagorean verses according to the Shrine of Wisdom's translation of the Golden Verses because their method of dividing the verses is quite meaningful in view of the cipher I have discovered. Additionally, their commentaries grant a great illumination to the connection these 3 documents have with each other which is the Sanctuary. I recommend one obtains a copy of the Shrine of Wisdom's edition of the Golden Verses for the convenience of consulting the commentaries avalable that pertain to each verse. Those of you who are primarily interested in the divinatory aspect and meaning of the cards will acquire not only a great wealth of knowledge from the commentaries, but gain an instinctive insight into the symbols and images pertaining to them. To those who seek the Mystery, the doorway will be greatly widened by the meditative discipline I have pointed to.

I leave all with this quote from the anonymous author of Meditations on the Tarot⁶ page 4:

"For the Major Arcana of the Tarot are authentic symbols, i.e. they are 'magic, mental, psychic and moral operations' awakening new notions, ideas, sentiments and aspirations, which means to say that they require an activity more profound than that of study and intellectual explanation. It is therefore in a state of deep contemplation—and always ever deeper—that they should be approached. And it is the deep and intimate layers of the soul which become active and bear fruit when one meditates on the Arcana of the Tarot."

Book 1 Devotional Life__the suit of Cups

Book 2 Intellectual Life__the suit of Swords

Book 3 Affectional Life__the suit of Wands

Book 4 Physical Life__the suit of Coins

All literary and pictorial works cited, quoted, referenced and reviewed in this article are as follows:

1. The Golden Verses of the Pythagoreans, A New Translation, Commentary by the Editors of the Shrine of Wisdom, The Shrine of Wisdom, Fintry, Brook, Nr. Goldalming, Surrey, 1961.

2. Ancient Enlightened Tarot, 'Sola Busca', Lo Scarabeo, Torino, Italy, 2000.

3. Tarot Cards, published by Rider & Co., Paternoster House, E.C.₄ (no date).

4. The Key to the Tarot, Being Fragments of a Secret Tradition under the Veil of Divination, by Arthur Edward Waite, New Edition, London, Rider & Co., Paternoster House, E.C.₄ (no date).

5. The Encyclopedia of Tarot, Volume 1, by Stuart R. Kaplan, U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Publishers, Stamford, CT 06902 USA, 8th printing, 2001.

6. Meditations on the Tarot, A Journey into Christian Hermeticism, Anonymous, translated by Robert Powell, Jeremy P. Tarcher / Putnam, a member of Penguin Putnam Inc., New York, 2002.

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