Tarot & Kabbalah: The 22 Major Arcana on the Tree of Life

BY NICOLE LAU

The Tarot and the Kabbalah are two of the most profound systems of Western esoteric wisdom—and they are intimately connected. The twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana correspond precisely to the twenty-two paths on the Tree of Life, creating a unified map of consciousness, initiation, and spiritual transformation.

This correspondence is not arbitrary—it is a sacred architecture, a symbolic language that reveals the hidden structure of reality and the soul's journey from matter to spirit.

The Structure of Correspondence

The Tree of Life consists of ten Sephiroth (spheres) connected by twenty-two paths. Each path represents a channel of energy, a process of transformation, a stage of initiation. The twenty-two paths correspond to:

• The twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet
• The twenty-two Major Arcana cards of the Tarot
• The three Mother Letters, seven Double Letters, and twelve Simple Letters

This triple correspondence—Hebrew letter, Tarot card, and Tree of Life path—creates a rich symbolic matrix that can be studied, meditated upon, and used for divination, pathworking, and spiritual development.

The Three Mother Letters

The three Mother Letters—Aleph, Mem, and Shin—represent the primordial elements of air, water, and fire. They correspond to three horizontal paths on the Tree:

• Aleph (א) - The Fool: The path between Keter and Chokmah. Air. The leap into the unknown, divine madness, pure potential.
• Mem (מ) - The Hanged Man: The path between Geburah and Hod. Water. Surrender, sacrifice, the reversal of perspective.
• Shin (ש) - Judgement: The path between Malkuth and Hod. Fire. Awakening, resurrection, the call to transformation.

The Seven Double Letters

The seven Double Letters correspond to the seven classical planets and seven vertical or diagonal paths on the Tree:

• Beth (ב) - The Magician: Mercury. The path between Keter and Binah. The power of will and manifestation.
• Gimel (ג) - The High Priestess: Moon. The path between Keter and Tiphareth. The veil of mystery, intuition, the unconscious.
• Daleth (ד) - The Empress: Venus. The path between Chokmah and Binah. Fertility, creativity, the divine mother.
• Kaph (כ) - Wheel of Fortune: Jupiter. The path between Chesed and Netzach. Cycles, fate, expansion.
• Peh (פ) - The Tower: Mars. The path between Netzach and Hod. Destruction, breakthrough, liberation.
• Resh (ר) - The Sun: Sun. The path between Hod and Yesod. Illumination, joy, solar consciousness.
• Tau (ת) - The World: Saturn. The path between Yesod and Malkuth. Completion, manifestation, the dance of creation.

The Twelve Simple Letters

The twelve Simple Letters correspond to the twelve signs of the zodiac and twelve paths on the Tree:

• Heh (ה) - The Emperor: Aries. The path between Chokmah and Tiphareth. Authority, leadership, the warrior king.
• Vav (ו) - The Hierophant: Taurus. The path between Chokmah and Chesed. Tradition, teaching, spiritual authority.
• Zayin (ז) - The Lovers: Gemini. The path between Binah and Tiphareth. Choice, union, duality.
• Cheth (ח) - The Chariot: Cancer. The path between Binah and Geburah. Will, control, the journey.
• Teth (ט) - Strength: Leo. The path between Chesed and Geburah. Courage, mastery, the taming of the beast.
• Yod (י) - The Hermit: Virgo. The path between Chesed and Tiphareth. Solitude, wisdom, the inner light.
• Lamed (ל) - Justice: Libra. The path between Geburah and Tiphareth. Balance, karma, divine law.
• Nun (נ) - Death: Scorpio. The path between Tiphareth and Netzach. Transformation, rebirth, the death of the ego.
• Samekh (ס) - Temperance: Sagittarius. The path between Tiphareth and Yesod. Alchemy, integration, the middle way.
• Ayin (ע) - The Devil: Capricorn. The path between Tiphareth and Hod. Shadow, materialism, the chains of illusion.
• Tzaddi (צ) - The Star: Aquarius. The path between Netzach and Yesod. Hope, inspiration, the waters of life.
• Qoph (ק) - The Moon: Pisces. The path between Netzach and Malkuth. Illusion, dreams, the unconscious depths.

How to Work with Tarot & Kabbalah

Understanding the correspondence between Tarot and Kabbalah deepens both practices:

• Tarot readings: When a Major Arcana card appears, consider which path it represents and what energies are being activated between those two Sephiroth
• Pathworking: Use Tarot cards as visual anchors for guided meditation journeys along the paths of the Tree
• Study and contemplation: Meditate on each card in relation to its Hebrew letter, astrological correspondence, and position on the Tree
• Ritual magic: Invoke the energies of specific paths using the corresponding Tarot card, Hebrew letter, and divine names

The Journey of the Fool

The Fool (Aleph) is the first and last card—the zero point, the eternal wanderer who travels all twenty-two paths. The Fool's journey is your journey: from innocence to experience, from ignorance to wisdom, from Malkuth to Keter and back again.

Each Major Arcana card represents a stage of initiation, a lesson to be learned, a threshold to be crossed. Together, they form a complete map of the soul's evolution.

The Living Symbols

The Tarot is not a static system—it is a living symbolic language that speaks directly to the unconscious. The images are archetypes, universal patterns that exist in the collective psyche of humanity.

When you combine Tarot with Kabbalah, you gain access to a profound technology of consciousness—a way to navigate the inner worlds, to understand the patterns of your life, and to align yourself with the divine blueprint encoded in the Tree of Life.

The twenty-two paths are the twenty-two stages of the Great Work, the alchemical transformation of the soul. The Tarot is the map. The Tree of Life is the territory. And you are the traveler, walking the paths, crossing the thresholds, becoming whole.