Arcana Encyclopaedia

Hebrew Letter

Kabbalah
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One of 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, each assigned to a Major Arcana card.

The Hebrew alphabet has 22 letters, matching the 22 Major Arcana. The correlation was first proposed by Comte de Mellet (1781) and systematized by Eliphas Levi (1855). The Golden Dawn adopted and refined these assignments. Three 'mother' letters correspond to elemental cards (Aleph/Air=Fool, Mem/Water=Hanged Man, Shin/Fire=Judgement), seven 'double' letters to planetary cards, and twelve 'simple' letters to zodiacal cards.

Significance

The Hebrew letter system connects tarot to the Sefer Yetzirah (Book of Formation) and broader Kabbalistic tradition, providing the deepest layer of esoteric correspondence.