The court cards
 
the court cards on the Tree The Tarot aces The Tarot kings (knights) The Tarot queens The Tarot knights (princes) The Tarot pages (princesses)

The Tarot court cards

Ace of Wands | Cups | Swords | Disks
Knight of Wands | Cups | Swords | Disks
Queen of Wands | Cups | Swords | Disks
Prince of Wands | Cups | Swords | Disks
Princess of Wands | Cups | Swords | Disks

The court cards of the Tarot (king, queen, knight, page) differ quite a bit in their nomenclature between classical Tarot and Crowley's Book of Thoth. In Crowley's system, most of the cards are retitled. This retitling may seem arbitrary at first, but if you look at the Qabalistic significance of each card, the logic becomes clear:

Sephirah ClassicalThoth
Kether Ace Ace
Chokmah King Knight
Binah Queen Queen
TipharethKnight Prince
Malkuth Page Princess

Chokmah and Binah are the active and passive principles of the Supernal Triad. As such, they stand in the place of the Yod and first Heh of יהוה, the generative male and female principles from which the universe is created. Chokmah cannot be the king, because there is only one King — that which sits above Kether. Rather, Chokmah receives and executes the King's Will; it is, therefore, a knight.

Tiphareth and Malkuth are the defining Sephiroth of their respective worlds, Yetzirah (Formation) and Assiah (Action). Subsidiary to the Knight and Queen, they are the Vau and second Heh in יהוה, the act of creating (an active principle) and the creation (a passive principle). They are necessarily male and female, so the Page — a male — will not do; yet they are not master and servant but rather brother and sister: ergo, Prince and Princess. For he is ever a sun, and she a moon. Liber AL I:16

In all of this, the Ace, neither male nor female, stands alone in Kether, the highest Sephirah. It is the bridge between that which is Above and that which is Below; and, being One, is the seed from which all other numbers proceed. It is also the embodiment of the other four cards, containing the entire יהוה within itself.

...But of course, now that we've laid that all out so clearly, we will confuse it by pointing out that the four court cards also each associate with one of the worlds; and the Knight associates with Atziluth (Archetype), whose one Sephirah (Kether) the Ace controls. So in that respect, the Ace and Knight are identical. Similarly, the Sephirah Chokmah, being Two, associates with the twos as well as the Kings, so One equals Two and the Knight is both of them.

The Perfect and the Perfect are one Perfect and not two; nay, are none! Liber AL I:45

No one ever tried to claim this mysticism thing was easy. Mystification, now, that's easy; but to be able to dish it out like this takes years of study, thought, and contortionism.


Read more about:

Souls | Triads | Yetzirah | Yesod | Malkuth

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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An Interactive QabalahThe Mother lettersSeven of Swords A Brief Introduction to QabalahNepheshSix of Swords Kether, the CrownNeshamahFive of Swords Chokmah, WisdomThe Veil of ParokethFour of Swords Binah, UnderstandingPermutations of the NameThree of Swords Daath, KnowledgeThe Three PillarsTwo of Swords QliphothThe ProfaneAce of Disks Chesed, MercyReflectionKnight of Disks Geburah, StrengthRuachQueen of Disks Tiphareth, BeautySefer Yetzirah, the Book of FormationPrince of Disks Netzach, VictorySeverityPrincess of Disks Hod, SplendorThe simple lettersTen of Disks Yesod, FoundationWhat is a Soul?Nine of Disks Malkuth, KingdomThe SoulsEight of Disks AlefThe Supernal TriadSeven of Disks BetThe FoolSix of Disks GimelThe MagusFive of Disks DalethThe PriestessFour of Disks HehThe EmpressThree of Disks VauThe EmperorTwo of Disks ZainThe HierophantAdjustment ChethThe LoversAeon TethThe ChariotArt YodAdjustmentThe Chariot KaphThe HermitDeath LamedFortuneDevil MemLustThe Emperor NunThe Hanged ManThe Empress SamekhDeathThe Fool AyinArtFortune PehThe DevilThe Hanged Man TzaddiThe TowerThe Hermit QophThe StarThe Hierophant ReshThe MoonThe Lovers ShinThe SunLust TauThe AeonThe Magus The Qabalistic WorldsThe UniverseThe Moon Atziluth, ArchetypesAce of WandsThe Priestess Briah, the CreativeKnight of WandsThe Star Yetzirah, the FormativeQueen of WandsThe Sun Assiah, the ActivePrince of WandsThe Tower The court cardsPrincess of WandsThe Universe The AcesTen of WandsHebrew alphabet transliterations The KnightsNine of WandsThe Triads The QueensEight of WandsThe Qabalistic Veils The PrincesSeven of WandsThe Name of Names, YHVH The PrincessesSix of WandsAlef The TensFive of WandsAyin The NinesFour of WandsBet The EightsThree of WandsCheth The SevensTwo of WandsDaleth The SixesAce of CupsThe double letters The FivesKnight of CupsGimel The FoursQueen of CupsHeh The ThreesPrince of CupsKaph The TwosPrincess of CupsLamed The 32 Paths of WisdomTen of CupsMem The AbyssNine of CupsThe mother letters Adam Kadmon, the Body of GodEight of CupsNun AlchemySeven of CupsPeh The Alef-Bet in Space and TimeSix of CupsQoph The Ari TreeFive of CupsResh The Astral TriadFour of CupsSamekh BalanceThree of CupsShin The double lettersTwo of CupsThe simple letters The Ethical TriadAce of SwordsTau the Flash of LightKnight of SwordsTeth The Gra TreeQueen of SwordsThe Tree of Life The 72 Hidden Names of GodPrince of SwordsTzaddi The Tree of LifePrincess of SwordsVau The Hebrew alef-bet letter classesTen of SwordsYod MercyNine of SwordsZain The Presence of the Most HighEight of Swords