B.O.T.A. tarot deck

Last updated

The BOTA Tarot (also spelled BOTA, B.o.t.A., or BotA) was created by Paul Foster Case, founder of Builders of the Adytum (BOTA), and artist Jessie Burns Parke. Although it is based upon, and closely resembles, Arthur Edward Waite's 1909 Rider-Waite deck, [1] Case changed what he said were mistakes or "blinds" on the part of Waite. [2] [3] [4] The BOTA Tarot is available as a standard-sized deck and a larger version containing only the Major Arcana (trump cards; often called "tarot keys" by Case) in black and white, as Case believed that every student must color in their own deck. After his death, the Major Arcana became also available in color. [5] Each of these cards has a border of a particular color associated with that according to Case. The Minor Arcana cards are illustrated with suit symbols only.

Contents

Every trump card has a Hebrew letter written on it in the lower right corner, which is the letter that is associated with the card in the writings of Case. In contrast to some earlier occult tarot decks, which place the Fool card last in order, and associate it with the second-to-last Hebrew letter, shin (such decks order the last Hebrew letter, tav , before shin), the BOTA deck places the Fool card first in order, and therefore associates it with the first Hebrew letter, aleph. It also orders shin before tav, in the correct order of Hebrew letters.

Differences from the Rider-Waite deck

The BOTA tarot deck is very similar to the Rider–Waite Tarot and is sometimes considered a clone. [6] [7] However, all of the card illustrations differ in at least some minor way from those of the Rider-Waite deck.

The card that contrasts the most between the two decks is the Death card. In the Rider-Waite deck, the Death card depicts the personified figure of Death as an armored knight on a horse, carrying a banner; whereas in the BOTA deck, this figure is depicted as a bare skeleton with a scythe, with a red sky in the background, being based upon the Death card of the Marseille tarot deck.

In the Rider-Waite deck, the Sun card depicts a nude child on a horse, carrying a dull-red banner, whereas in the BOTA deck, the card depicts two nude children standing in a field, being again based upon the Sun card of the Marseille deck.

Various more subtle elements of symbolism also differ between various cards in the two decks.

The "tarot tableau" spread

In his book The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, Paul Foster Case published the Hebrew letter attributions of the Golden Dawn for the first time. Also made public was Cases's "tarot tableau", a spread (pattern for laying out all of the tarot cards) which Case said revealed certain relationships and dissimilarities among them. This tableau was used by the American branch of Alpha et Omega when Case was the "praemonstrator" (chief instructor) of that order's Thoth–Hermes lodge in Chicago. The tarot tableau is an arrangement of the 22 major arcana cards into 3 horizontal rows that span across 7 vertical columns. On the top row there is only the Fool card, in the center of the row. Rows two through four consist of seven cards each, arranged in sequential order, such that cards 1 through 7 are on row two, cards 8 through 14 are on row three, and cards 15 through 21 are on row four.

Use in meditation and intuition

Builders of the Adytum, although an organization devoted to mysticism (specifically Western esotericism), has repeatedly emphasized that tarot cards are primarily a tool for meditation, not fortune-telling.[ citation needed ] Case invented a new, non-magical definition for the word "divination": "the use of spiritual intuition to find solutions to problems".[ This quote needs a citation ] After explaining the BOTA method for tarot divination in his book titled The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, Case specifically explained the differences between this particular type of divination and fortune-telling. Case then closed with the warning: "Finally, let me reiterate the thought that this is not to be used for vulgar fortune telling, or to amuse a party of friends. If you yield to the temptation so to abuse this information, you will pay for it in the loss of all power of true divination, and probably in the loss of ability to control the higher rates of psychic vibration." [8]

Correspondences to the Qabalistic Cube of Space and Tree of Life

The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages was the first published book to apply almost all of the tarot attributions to the "Cube of Space" diagram. There are 22 Major Arcana tarot cards, which Case corresponded to 22 components of the Cube of Space.

The Sepher Yetzirah is the source of the link between the Cube of Space and the Hebrew letters. [9] [ page needed ] The Sepher Yetzirah' itself does not directly mention a "cube of space", nor any kind of cube. Case based the Cube of Space upon two verses in the Sepher Yetzirah: the first, in chapter 4, associates six Hebrew letters with six cardinal directions (up, down, east, west, north, south); the second, in chapter 5, associates 12 Hebrew letters with 12 diagonal directional arms or boundaries (different translations use different terms), which Case interpreted as the 12 edges of a cube.

Case associated his Cube of Space with the Tree of Life of Kabbalah (Qabalah). He based that association upon paragraph 95 of the Sepher Ha-Bahir . That paragraph does mention a tree, though does not specifically name it the Tree of Life; it states that a tree is inside the twelve diagonals that are mentioned in the Sepher Yetzirah. Because the Tree of Life consists of 10 sephiroth , Case associated the three "mother" letters ( aleph , mem , shin ) and seven "double" letters of the Sepher Yetzirah with ten corresponding sephiroth.

Until the publication of Case's The Tarot, most English-speaking occultists had never heard of Case's Cube of Space concept, nor any alleged correspondences between tarot and the Tree of Life diagram, [10] though the latter correspondence have become common in modern times (e.g., many tarot decks feature a Tree of Life diagram on the jacket of the Fool). Until the mid-1990s, there were almost no other books in print which even mentioned the Cube of Space. The ones that do (sometimes in different terms such as "the Qabalistic Cube") defer to Case's writings on the subject. [10] [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major Arcana</span> Trump cards of tarot decks

The Major Arcana are the named or numbered cards in a cartomantic tarot pack, the name being originally given by occultists to the trump cards of a normal tarot pack used for playing card games. There are usually 22 such cards in a standard 78-card pack, typically numbered from 0 to 21. The name is not used by tarot card game players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rider–Waite Tarot</span> Tarot deck

The Rider–Waite Tarot is a widely popular deck for tarot card reading, first published by the Rider Company in 1909, based on the instructions of academic and mystic A. E. Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, both members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Also known as the Waite–Smith, Rider–Waite–Smith, or Rider Tarot, the deck has been published in numerous editions and inspired a wide array of variants and imitations. Estimates suggest over 100 million copies of the deck circulate across 20 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Magician (tarot card)</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

The Magician (I), also known as The Magus or The Juggler, is the first trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional tarot decks. It is used in game playing and divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The High Priestess</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

The High Priestess (II) is the second Major Arcana card in cartomantic Tarot decks. It is based on the 2nd trump of Tarot card packs. In the first Tarot pack with inscriptions, the 18th-century woodcut Tarot de Marseilles, this figure is crowned with the Papal tiara and labelled La Papesse, the Popess, a possible reference to the legend of Pope Joan.

<i>The Pictorial Key to the Tarot</i> 1910 book by A. E. Waite

The Pictorial Key to the Tarot is a divinatory tarot guide, with text by A. E. Waite and illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith. Published in conjunction with the Rider–Waite tarot deck, the pictorial version followed the success of the deck and Waite's text The Key to the Tarot. Both Waite and Smith were members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Waite was very concerned with the accuracy of the symbols used for the deck, and he did much research into the traditions, interpretations, and history behind the cards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hierophant</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

The Hierophant (V), alternatively depicted as The Pope or The High Priest (as a counterpart to "The High Priestess") is the fifth card of the Major Arcana in occult Tarot decks used in divination. It was identified as the Pope in early decks like Tarot of Marseilles, while modern decks like Rider–Waite Tarot may use the term hierophant (Ancient Greek: ἱεροφάντης), a person who brings religious congregants into the presence of that which is deemed "holy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Hanged Man (tarot card)</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

The Hanged Man (XII) is the twelfth Major Arcana card in most traditional tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Lovers</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

The Lovers (VI) is the sixth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strength (tarot card)</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

Strength is a Major Arcana tarot card, and is numbered either XI or VIII, depending on the deck. Historically it was called Fortitude, and in the Thoth Tarot deck it is called Lust. This card is used in game playing as well as in divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wheel of Fortune (tarot card)</span>

Wheel of Fortune is one of 78 cards in a tarot deck and is the tenth trump or Major Arcana card in most tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justice (tarot card)</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

Justice is a Major Arcana tarot card, numbered either VIII or XI, depending on the deck. This card is used in game playing as well as in divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temperance (tarot card)</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

Temperance (XIV) is one of the 22 Major Arcana cards in Tarot decks. It is usually numbered 14. It depicts a figure which represents the virtue Temperance. Along with Justice and Strength, it is one of three Virtues which are given their own cards in traditional tarot. It is used in both game playing and in divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Devil (tarot card)</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

The Devil (XV) is the fifteenth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Tower (tarot card)</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

The Tower (XVI) (most common modern name) is the 16th trump or Major Arcana card in most Italian-suited tarot decks. It has been used in Tarot cards since the 15th century as well as in divination since the mid-19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Moon (tarot card)</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

The Moon (XVIII) is the eighteenth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in divination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The World (tarot card)</span> Tarot card of the Major Arcana

The World (XXI) is the 21st trump or Major Arcana card in the tarot deck. It can be incorporated as the final card of the Major Arcana or tarot trump sequence (the first or last optioned as being "The Fool" (0). It is associated with the 22nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet, 'Tau', also spelled 'Tav' or 'Taw'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Foster Case</span> American occultist (1884–1954)

Paul Foster Case was an American occultist, Freemason, and writer of books on occult tarot and Qabalah. Perhaps his greatest contributions to the field of occultism were the lessons he wrote for associate members of Builders of the Adytum or B.O.T.A. The knowledge lectures given to initiated members of the chapters of the B.O.T.A. were equally profound, although the limited distribution has made them less well known.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarot card reading</span> Using tarot cards to perform divination

Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy whereby practitioners use tarot cards to purportedly gain insight into the past, present or future. They formulate a question, then draw cards to interpret them for this end. A traditional tarot deck consists of 78 cards, which can be split into two groups, the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. French-suited playing cards can also be used; as can any card system with suits assigned to identifiable elements.

The Cube of Space is an occult concept popularized by the occultist Paul Foster Case. The Cube of Space associates the center point of the cube, its three axes, six sides, and the 12 edges of the cube with the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The Cube of Space is based upon two verses in the proto-kabbala text called the Sepher Yetzirah; one of the verses is in chapter four and the other is in chapter five. Chapter four's verse associates the six Hebrew letters with the six cardinal directions: up, down, east, west, north, and south, and chapter five's verse associates the 12 Hebrew letters with either 12 diagonal directional 'arms' or 12 diagonal boundaries. Different translations contradict each other; with some interpreting the 12 Hebrew letters as referring to the 12 edges of an octahedron while others like Paul Foster Case interpreted these as the 12 edges of a cube. In the most authoritative English translation of the Sepher Yetzirah, scholar Aryeh Kaplan, interprets chapter five, verse two, as describing a cube. However, another occult author, Kevin Townley, explains a cosmology of an octahedron within a cube.

Jessie Burns Parke, a notable American artist of the Boston School (painting), has become best known for creating the art for the cards in the Builders of the Adytum (B.O.T.A.) tarot card deck. An oil painter and watercolorist, Parke created both easel paintings and miniatures as well as graphics, etchings, and illustrations. She focused on landscapes, nature scenes, and portraits.

References

  1. ↑ White, Douglass A.; Thoth and the Tarot, pp. 13-14
  2. ↑ Case, Paul Foster; The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages.
  3. ↑ Case, Paul Foster; Highlights of Tarot.
  4. ↑ Case, Paul Foster; The Book of Tokens: Tarot Meditations.
  5. ↑ "Introduction to the B.O.T.A. Tarot Deck". Esoteric Meanings. Retrieved March 15, 2019.
  6. ↑ Barrett, David V. (2011). A Brief Guide to Secret Religions. London: Constable & Robinson. p. 177. ISBN   1849018111.
  7. ↑ "B.O.T.A. Tarot Reviews". Aeclectic Tarot. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  8. ↑ Case, Paul Foster; The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages, p. 223.
  9. ↑ Kaplan, Aryeh; Sefer Yetzirah: The Book of Creation in Theory and Practice.
  10. 1 2 Townley, Kevin. The Cube of Space: Container of Creation
  11. ↑ Hulse, David Allen; New Dimensions for the Cube of Space: The Path of Initiation Revealed by the Tarot upon the Qabalistic Cube.

Bibliography

Writings of Case and others regarding the BOTA Tarot deck:

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.