Tarot Lexicon

This lexicon covers words and names that are often found in tarot literature or mentioned in forums and blogs. I've tried to include a links that provide more information from helpful but diverse sources. The Lexicon will expand throughout 2021 as time allows. Please note that I don't include terms rarely connected to esoteric tarot or are jargon specific to just one occult order or tradition. The best singular source, in my opinion, to learn the full language of Qabalah would be The Qabalistic Tarot by Robert Wang.

A

 * A.:A.: (The Argenteum Astrum or A.A.): The occult order founded by Aleister Crowley in 1905.


 * Abba & Aima/Imma/Eema: the spiritual archetypes (partzufim) for divine father & mother in KBL/QBL.


 * Acolyte: someone who one who assists in a ritual, service, or procession. The pair of secondary figures in the Hierophant card.


 * Adam Kadmon: A non-binary, primordial hu(man) mentioned frequently in kabbalistic and qabalistic texts.


 * Adept: In general, a term for an experienced magickal practitioner but can be linked to specific degrees of initiation in certain occult orders.


 * Adonai: One of the Judaic God Names commonly mentioned in KBL/QBL texts.


 * Adytum: A Greek word for the innermost shrine or sanctum found in a temple.


 * Aeon: A period of a thousand years in astrology with more symbolic esoteric meanings, especially in Thelema. Synonymous with an Age as in "The Age of Aquarius"


 * Ain, Ain Soph, Ain Soph Aur: The three Veils of Negative Existence which represent ineffable reality outside of creation.


 * Akasha: Borrowed by Theosophy from Vedanta, Akasha can be conceptualized as aetherial reality or the fifth element (spirit).  The Akashic Records are purported to be sustained here.  The Starchild Tarot is an example of a tarot deck designed around these concepts.


 * Albus: matte (dull) white in Latin and a word that shows up most often in older texts, especially those discussing the alchemical idea of albedo.


 * Alchemy: One of the classic esoteric arts and sciences. Adam McLean is one of the most notable modern scholars on alchemical lore and symbolism.  The Alchemical Tarot by Robert M. Place is an example of a tarot deck specifically designed with alchemical symbols and concepts in mind.


 * Altar: A sacred space in a church, temple, or one's own home. Some tarot readers keep their personal tarot deck upon one when not in use.


 * Androgyne: Classical term for a non-binary person and used extensively in classic esoteric literature.


 * Animism: the belief that divine power organizations and animates the material universe.


 * Aquarius: The 11th sign of the Zodiac.


 * Arcana: The word is derived from Latin and means "mysterious or hidden truth." A tarot deck has a Major & Minor Arcana.


 * Archetypes: complex concepts that are simplified into symbols and/or mythic characters by the human brain.


 * Ardhanari A non-binary hindu deity who is sometimes depicted with four arms and holding the archetypal four tools.


 * Aries: The first sign of the zodiac


 * Ars Memoriae) The "Art of Memory" is a somewhat esoteric collection of mnemonic principles and techniques that came into vogue in Renaissance Italy at the same time as astrology, alchemy and hermeticism (and of course, playing cards).


 * Assiah: One of the Four Worlds of KBL/QBL; the lowest, natural/physical world that shares esoteric attributes as the suit of Pentacles in tarot.


 * Astral Realm: A conceived spiritual/psychic plane of existence that has never been scientifically discovered but is described throughout world religions and mystical traditions. Akin to Barzakh in Islamic thought and Yetzirah (another of the Four Worlds) in KBL/QBL.


 * Attributions: In esoteric tarot, describing individual cards as having specific qualities or characteristics in a metaphorical way.


 * Atziluth: the highest and/or most spiritual of the KBL/QBL Four Worlds where only archetypes exist. Shares esoteric attributes of the suit of Wands in tarot.

B

 * The Bahir: Sepher Ha-Bahir (סֵפֶר הַבָּהִיר; "Book of Brightness") is one of the better known kabbalistic texts. It is often referenced in articles like "Tarot and Kabbalistic Sacred Geometry" by J.S. Kupperman


 * Bet(h): ב the second letter of the hebrew alphabet


 * Binah: בינה‎ the third sephira on the Tree of Life glyph, associated with the fixed modality in astrology, Yin in Chinese philosophy/culture, and the threes in the tarot suit cards.


 * Boaz & Jachin: The names represented by the B & J on the High Priestess card's pillars. A.E. Waite was a Freemason as well as a member of the Golden Dawn.


 * B.O.T.A (The Builders of the Adytum): The still active esoteric order founded by Paul Foster Case in 1922. The B.O.T.A tarot deck is an "adjusted" version of the original RWS done for Mr. Case by Jessie Burns Parke which is intended to be colored by the reader themselves.


 * Beri'ah, Briah: בְּרִיאָה or בְּרִיָה is one of the Four Worlds of KBL/QBL; and given the same esoteric attributes as the suit of Cups in Tarot.


 * Book of Abramelin: a set of ~17th century texts on ceremonial magic & kabbalah that were first translated to English by MacGregor Mathers which helped shape the original Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

C

 * Cabala: Another English spelling of KBL/QBL that is most commonly found in 18th & 19th century works. Sometimes called the "Christian Kabbalah".  {I don't differentiate between a cabala and qabalah tradition}.


 * Cardinal: one of the three astrological modalities. Can also refer to the cardinal directions (north, south, east, west).


 * Cartes da trionfi: "Cards of Triumph" and the earliest documented name for tarot cards in Europe.


 * Cartomancy: any form of divination using decks of cards.


 * Censer: a container to used to burn incense and with a symbolic association with the element of Air; also called a thurible.


 * Chakras: Focal points of energy in the body first mentioned in the Veda texts in India. The seven core chakras share attributes with the seven classical planets in astrology.


 * Chalice: a cup used in rituals to represent the element of water; typically the kind of cup shown in that suit in standard tarot decks.


 * Chesed: one of the spheres or sephira on the Tree of Life. The name translates to loving-kindness in English.


 * Chet(h) ח the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet.


 * Chokmah: another Qabalistic sephira. The name translates to wisdom in English.


 * Christian Rosenkreuz: The legendary founder of Rosicrucianism


 * Consciousness: Our personal and subjective awareness of our thoughts, memories, feelings, sensations and reality itself.


 * Consecration: The ritual act of making something sacred to yourself or to a group (coven, church, etc.)


 * Count de Gebelin: 18th century scholar and Freemason who is the widely considered the founder of esoteric tarot.


 * Magick: A word sometimes used (including in this wiki) to separate occult magick from fictional and stage magic.


 * Correspondence: in esoteric traditions, subjectively applying all of the attributes that a symbol or archetype is believed to possess in one system to a symbol or archetype in another system.

D

 * Da'at(h): part of the Qabalistic Tree of Life.


 * Dalet(h): ד the fourth latter of the Hebrew alphabet.


 * Dark Night of the Soul: A painful period of anxiety, challenge, depression and existential crisis that lead to meaningful life change, often experienced as a prelude to remarkable personal development.


 * Decan or Decanate: a 10° subdivision of the zodiac, three for every sign. Each has its own associated planet.  Sometimes their attributes are corresponded to selected tarot cards.


 * Deosil: (sounds like jostle) is movement in a clockwise (sunward) direction which has the symbolic attributes of life, positive energy, and white magic.


 * Divination: the art and science of answering questions or gaining insight into a situation by the means of an esoteric system or ritual.


 * Divinity, the Divine: a religious being or god; also called God, Godhood, deity, however it is defined within a specific religion or belief system.


 * Duality, dualism, dichotomy: the concept of reality being composed of polar irreducible opposites which can be expressed in nearly infinite ways. The archetypes and symbols within esoteric tarot express dualism in a variety of ways as well as the reconciliation of polar opposites through synthesis.

E

 * Egregore: Some consider it merely a purely negative archetype, others a spiritual entity. I believe it is a product of imagination that we empower through our desires and fears to such a degree it becomes part of our subjective reality. I also believe that they can be created by both groups and individuals.


 * Elemental Tablets: components of the Enochian magickal tradition that are worked into the esoteric symbolism of some tarot decks.


 * Enochian Alphabet: The foundation of the Enochian magickal tradition; 21 letters of a mystical language that is worked into the esoteric symbolism of some tarot decks.


 * Etz Ha-Chayim: The Hebrew name for the Tree of Life


 * Evocation: conjuring a spirit or entity for a specific task, information, or some practical application aimed at manifestation in the physical world. A more narrow form of invocation.

F-G

 * Fire:


 * Flashing Colors:


 * Force & Form:


 * Four Elements:


 * Four-Fold Breath:


 * Four Worlds:


 * Frater:


 * Geburah/Gevurah:


 * Gematria:


 * Geomancy


 * Gilgulim:


 * Gimel:


 * Gnostic:


 * God-Forms:


 * Goetia:


 * Great Work:


 * Gringonneur, Estensi, Charles VI tarot: A 15th century French tarot deck of which 17 cards survive. It serves as the basis for the modern Golden Tarot of the Renaissance


 * G'uph:

H

 * He(h):


 * Hermetic Magic


 * Hexagram


 * HGA (Holy Guardian Angel)


 * Hierophant:


 * Higher Power:


 * Hod:


 * Horus:


 * Hru:

I-J-K

 * IAO


 * Initiate


 * Initiation:


 * Intuition:


 * Invocation:


 * Jung: An early psychologist who introduced many concepts that became infused into modern tarot.


 * KBL/QBL: shorthand for Kabbalah/Qabalah meaning something is part of either the Jewish mystical tradition and Western esoteric tradition derived from it.


 * Kether


 * Klippoth/Qlipoth:

L

 * Lamed


 * Lamen


 * LBRP (The Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram)


 * Logos

M

 * Macrocosm:


 * Macroprosopus:


 * Magic(k):


 * Malkut(h):


 * Merkabah:


 * Metatron:


 * Microcosm:


 * Microprosopus:


 * Midrash


 * Monad:

N-O

 * Nefesh/Nephesch:


 * Negativity:


 * Neschamah:


 * Netzach:


 * Notariqon:


 * Nun


 * Opening Of the Key:

P-Q

 * Papess: Word for a female Pope and name of the card now most often called The High Priestess.


 * Peh:


 * Pentagram:


 * Philosopher's Stone:


 * Philosophus:


 * Phylax:


 * Pillars of Mercy, Mildness and Severity:


 * Pips: the symbols on each card in the Ace-to-Ten cards of the Marseilles-style Minor Arcana that demonstrate each card's suit and value.


 * Planetary Forces: The archetypes possessed by the seven classical planets which are Jupiter, Mars, Mercury, Moon, Saturn, Sun and Venus which are attributed to the seven double letters in the Hebrew alphabet. These forces are expressed in alchemy as the seven metals   and in as the chakras


 * Psyche:


 * Psychopomp:


 * Qoph:


 * Quintessence:

R

 * Resh:


 * Rosicrucians:


 * Ruach:

S

 * La Sagitta: "The Arrow" in Latin and one of the early names and archetypes for the card that later became The Tower. Mythologically, La Sagitta (Oistos) was the arrow used by several heroes to overcome monsters.


 * Samekh:


 * Sandolphon:


 * Scales of color:


 * Scrying:


 * Sepher Yetzirah:


 * Sephira (pl. Sephirot(h))


 * Shekinah:


 * Shin:


 * Sigil:


 * Sybilline Oracles A set of esoteric texts from the 6th or 7th century translated into English in 1899 by Milton S. Perry. They can be read here.


 * Sixth Sense:


 * Sphinx:


 * suit: A French word originally meaning a band or retinue. From its earliest documented history, the minor arcana had been divided into four suits with some flexibility in naming conventions.

T

 * Ta-Rosh: First used by Count de Gebelin, he described it as an Egyptian word meaning "The Royal Way" and attributed it (incorrectly) to the origin of tarot.


 * Tattva:


 * Tau


 * Tetragrammaton:


 * Thelema:


 * Theurgia, Theurgy:


 * Thirty-Two Paths of Wisdom:


 * Thoth:


 * Three Alchemical Principles


 * Three Modalities


 * Three Negative Veils:


 * Tikkun, Tikune:


 * Tiparet(h):


 * Terra Mater Latin for "Earth Mother", one of the universal archetypes that is associated with the tarot, especially the Empress and the World in the Major Arcana and the Queen of Pentacles in the Minor Arcana.


 * Tohu:


 * Trance:


 * Tree of Life:


 * Trumps or Triumphs: A term for each of the Major Arcana that was established in the earliest documented history of tarot.


 * Tzaddi


 * TzaddikL

U-V-W

 * Vau:


 * Vayu:


 * Viscont-Sforza: Often refers to the collection of 15th century decks which serve as models for the modern Visconti-Sforza tarot decks.


 * Vital Force:


 * Vitriol:


 * Will:

X-Y-Z

 * Yechidah:


 * Yesod:


 * Yetzirah:


 * Yod:


 * Zain, Zayin:


 * Zimzum:


 * Zodiac:


 * Zohar: