The Tarot of John Dequer

Early Occult Tarots: Images and/or Descriptions TAROT OF JOHN DEQUER


The Tarot cards shown here were published in 1949 as a deck entitled The Major Arcana of the Sacred Egyptian Tarot Edited by Dr. John H. Dequer Copyright 1949 by DEQUER INSTITUTE The cards measure about 140 x 70 mm (exact size varies within a millimeter ot two). They are square-angled, black-and white. There is a 23d card bearing the title and copyright notice as above. On the backs of all 22 cards are printed their meanings (see a sample here). The same year these cards were also published as illustrations to the book by George Fathman (misspelled as Fatham in the Kessinger reprint), The Royal Road, A Study in the Egyptian Tarot, Key to Sacred Numbers and Symbols. On the page iv Fathman has this to say about the Tarot and Dr. Dequer: [...] I gratefully acknowledge the invaluable help I received from studying the works of many sincere students of the Tarot, among them Homer and Augusta Curtis, C. C. Zain, P. D. Ouspensky, Paul Case, Manly Hall, Dr. Papus, Oswald Wirth, A. E. Waite and MacGregor Mathers. My greatest debt I owe to the late Dr. John H. Dequer, under whom I had the privilege of studying personally for six years. I consider Dr. Dequer the most learned and profound of all modern Tarot scholars. To his revered memory I dedicate this work. [...] Special thanks are due to Paul Hagerup, the artist who drew the pictures of the 22 Arcana from original sketches edited by Dr. Dequer; and to Pedro Krause, who inked them in and did the lettering. This was a labor of love, without which these excellent drawings could not have been acquired, as their cost would have been prohibitive. John H. Dequer has published a book as early as in 1930, Arrows of Light from the Egyptian Tarot. Heavily C.C.Zain-influenced and dedicated mostly to divination by names and letters, this book neither illustrates Major Arcana nor describes their images. (Though it lists A LOT of Arcana correspondences in many occult spheres.) Below I present the titles of the Arcana and SOME of their meanings from the book, Arrows of Light. (You will see that the titles in Dequer's 1930 book and in his 1949 deck differ in several instances.) Descriptions of the images are taken from the book by George Fathman, The Royal Road. (You will see that Fathman follows the 1949 titles, though in his book he puts the 0-22 card on the first place, while in Dequer's book Arcanum No 22 is described after Arcanum No 21.) Cards reproduced in Fathman's book are the same as the original deck, but very poorly redrawn and lacking many details. As a matter of fact, Fatham sometimes describes details (such as the word MU in Arcanum 4) impossible to discern on his illustrations. On the other hand, in Dequer's book NONE of these details are even ever mentioned (though a lot of them does come from the writings of Dequer's own teacher, C. C. Zain). One can assume that Fathman's descriptions are perhaps the fruit of the six years personal study with John Dequer. It is interesting to compare this Tarot design with the "Saint-Germain" Tarot and with The Brotherhood of Light Egyptian Tarot cards by C.C. Zain. Feedback, criticism, new material welcome -- please write to me.

Arrows of Light:

The Magus

Kabballistically expresses INTELLIGENCE

Astrologically expresses THOUGHT

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 1

The Prodigal

ARCANUM 1 pictures a man dressed in a white robe. A golden band encircles his head. In his right hand he holds a golden wand, directed toward a four-pointed star. From the star stream three rays toward heaven. With his left hand the man points toward earth. From the leathern girdle around his waist hangs a triangular apron with six folds tapering downward. A quadrangle weights it down. Before him lies a cube, upon which are a cup, a gold coin and a sword. An Ibis amidst rays of light, plus a border of black and white squares, adorns the front side of the cube.

Arrows of Light:

The Veiled Isis

Kabballistically expresses SCIENCE

Astrologically expresses ANALYSIS

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 2
The Virgin

ARCANUM 2 pictures a woman seated on a cube between two pillars. She wears a triple crown, surmounted by a receptive moon, over which shine seven stars. She also wears a veil suspended from her crown. The glyph of the planet Mercury adorns her solar plexus. On her lap she holds a book, partly covered by a mantle falling from her right shoulder.

Arrows of Light:

Isis Unveiled

Kabballistically expresses ACTION

Astrologically expresses UNION

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 3 The Queen

ARCANUM 3 pictures a pregnant woman seated on a cube, the one visible side of which is ornamented with five eyes and a serpent across the bottom. In her right hand she holds a golden wand, and in her left a hawk, or eagle. The solar disk silhouettes her body as she rests her feet upon a recumbent moon. From the disk radiate thirty shafts, each shaft ending in a silver marriage bell. Immediately above her head, within the solar disk, shine twelve stars; at the top of the card blaze three more.

Arrows of Light:

The Sovereign

Kabballistically expresses REALIZATION

Astrologically expresses PHYSICAL DESIRE

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 4

The Prince

ARCANUM 4 pictures a man sitting cross-legged on a cube, with a cat crouching on the front side. He wears an iron casque on his head, above which shine fourteen stars. In his right hand he holds a wand, pointing it toward heaven; with his left hand he points toward earth. A hawk, or eagle, covers his solar plexus. From the leathern girdle around his waist hangs a triangular apron, with two ruffles on each side. A rectangle inscribed with the word MU weights down this apron.

Arrows of Light:

The Hierophant

Kabballistically expresses RELIGION and LAW

Astrologically expresses EXPANSION, BENEVOLENCE, JOVIALITY

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 5

The High Priest

ARCANUM 5 pictures a man seated on a cube between two pillars. On his head he wears a miter, with the emblem of the Pentagram on its front. Above the miter rises a winged globe. With his right hand on a level with his chest he makes the sign of the Pentagram. With his left hand he holds a triple tau rod. A triangular apron, weighted down with a rectangle, hangs from a leathern girdle around his waist. Two human figures kneel at his feet, with outstretched arms.

Arrows of Light:

The Two Paths

Kabballistically expresses TEMPTATION

Astrologically expresses LOVE and AFFECTION

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 6

The Two Paths

ARCANUM 4 pictures a man standing at the crossroads, with arms folded across his chest. He wears a triangular apron, with one raffle on each side, weighted down with a rectangle. A completely dressed woman with one hand on his right shoulder, points down the right-hand path. She wears a circlet of gold on her head. A scantily clad woman, with one hand on his left shoulder, points down the left-hand path. She has on her head a wreath made of vines. In an aureole of light above the man appears a genie with a cat's face, crowned with a flame. In the midst of twelve flame-crowned rays (only six of which show in our card) the genie aims an arrow at the woman on the man's left.

Arrows of Light:

The Conqueror

Kabballistically expresses VICTORY

Astrologically expresses COMPREHENSION

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 7

The Conqueror

ARCANUM 7 pictures a man standing in a cube-shaped chariot, drawn by two sphinxes, one black and one white. A winged globe adorns the front of the car. Four columns support a canopy, which is decorated with fourteen stars. In his right hand the man holds a sword, and in his left a scepter, surmounted by a square, a circle and a triangle. He wears a cuirass, on the front of which the letter T arises to meet the obstacles of two trying-squares. On bis head is a coronet, surmounted by three golden pentagrams.

Arrows of Light:

Blind Justice

Kabballistically expresses HUMAN JUSTICE, EQUILIBRIUM

Astrologically expresses UTILITY, SELF-INTEREST, and strangely contradictory as it may seem -- IDEALISM

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 8

Blind Justice
ARCANUM 8 pictures a woman seated on a throne that rests on a four-tiered dais. She wears a blindfold and a headdress composed of four lances. In her left hand she holds a pair of balances and with her right she brandishes a sword. By her side stand a sphinx, a lion and a winged genie. Above her head rises a winged turtle and a canopy inscribed with a cross. Opposite the canopy shine eight stars.

Arrows of Light:

[No name given in the appropriate place]

Kabballistically expresses WISDOM and PRUDENCE

Astrologically expresses KNOWLEDGE of HUMAN NATURE

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 9

The Sage

ARCANUM 9 pictures a man walking uphill. The path is strewn with golden coins. Cactus grows along either side. The man wears a helmet on his head, and leans on a staff as he walks. With a blanket falling from his left shoulder he shields a lighted lamp held in his left hand. He gazes steadily at the vision of a castle he sees in the sun.

Arrows of Light:

The Wheel

Kabballistically expresses CHANGE of FORTUNE

Astrologically expresses SUDDENNESS, ECCENTRICITY

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 10

Wheel of Fate

ARCANUM 10 pictures a wheel with eight snake-infested spokes, and two genie, called Hermanubis and Typhon. Two columns support the wheel, only one of which shows. A sphinx balances itself on a circular platform poised on top. In its right hand it holds an arrow. Two serpents rear their heads at the base of the two columns. Below the black bar a winged globe rises in flight.

Arrows of Light:

The Enchantress

Kabballistically expresses THE PRINCIPLE OF FORCE

Astrologically expresses IDEALISM and VAGUENESS

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 11

The Enchantress

ARCANUM 11 pictures a chastely dressed young girl. With little effort she closes the mouth of a raging lion. She wears a crown surmounted by a vase and an eagle. A line of trees decorates the bottom of the card below the heavy black line.

Arrows of Light:

The Martyr

Kabballistically expresses SACRIFICE and EXPIATION

Astrologically expresses BELIEF and SELF-UNDOING

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 12

The Martyr

ARCANUM 12 pictures a man hung by his left foot from a cross bar supported by two trees. Each tree shows the stubs of six cut branches. Above the cross bar shine twelve stars. The man's right leg crosses his left, depicting the numeral 4. His hands, tied with a leathern thong, make the shape of a diamond over his head. Golden coins slip from his fingers. At the bottom of the card two fish swim in the sea.

Arrows of Light:

The Reaper

Kabballistically expresses TRANSFORMATION

Astrologically expresses CONSCIOUSNESS

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 13
The Reaper

ARCANUM 13 pictures a skeleton reaping heads, hands and feet with a scythe. On the scythe appear the emblems of a serpent and a scarab. Behind the skeleton's knees shines a rainbow. Below the black bar rises a mountain range.

Arrows of Light:

The Alchemist

Kabballistically expresses TEMPERANCE and REGENERATION

Astrologically expresses POSSESSION and ACCUMULATION

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 14

The Alchemist
ARCANUM 14 pictures a flame-crowned genie. He wears a shawl draped over his left shoulder. On his feet is a small pair of wings, with a larger pair on his shoulders. He pours a fluid from a silver to a golden urn. Behind his head shines the sun, adorned with ten rays, only seven of which show. Trees grow beneath the black bar.

Arrows of Light:

The Black Magician

Kabballistically expresses FATALITY, EVIL, BLACK MAGIC, ANNIHILATION

Astrologically expresses CRYSTALLIZATION, OSSIFICATION, OLD AGE, STAGNATION AND DEATH

The Royal Road:
ARCANUM 15

The Devil

ARCANUM 15 pictures a flame-crowned genie, who inhabits the body of a hog with the wings of a bat, the feet of a goat, a snake for a navel cord, and a crocodile's head with a horn on the snout. In his left hand the genie holds a flaming torch; in his right a scepter somewhat resembling the emblem of the planet Pluto. He towers over the smoking embers of a ruined temple, before which kneel two goat-headed figures tied together by their necks with a chain. Below the black bar a strong wind blows across the land, uprooting all vegetation.

Arrows of Light:

The Lightning

Kabballistically expresses ACCIDENT, CATASTROPHE

Astrologically expresses DYNAMIC FORCE

The Royal Road:

ARCANUM 16
The Ruined Tower
ARCANUM 16 pictures a pyramid, with a bolt of lightning blasting off its capstone. The bolt also topples two figures, one crowned, the other uncrowned, from a seven-staged platform in front of the pyramid. Beneath the black bar a raging fire burns fiercely.

Arrows of Light:

The Star

Kabballistically expresses TRUTH, FAITH, HOPE

Astrologically expresses THOUGHT on the EXTERIOR PLANE

The Royal Road:
ARCANUM 17
The Naked Truth
ARCANUM 17 pictures a nude young girl kneeling, her right foot resting on land, and her right knee and left foot on the sea. From the silver urn she holds in her left hand, and from the golden urn in her right, she pours the elixir of life. To her right grows a three-blossomed plant, with six leaves on the stalk. A butterfly ascends from the topmost blossom. In the center of an eight-pointed blazing star above the young girl's head appears a double triangle, the top half white, the bottom black. Fourteen smaller stars surround the large one. Clouds and tree tops show beneath the black bar.

Arrows of Light:

The Moon

Kabballistically expresses SECRET ENEMIES, DECEPTION, FALSE FRIENDS

Astrologically expresses FEELING and TOUCHINESS

The Royal Road:
ARCANUM 18
Illusion
ARCANUM 18 pictures two pyramids, one white, one black. An entrance door appears in the white pyramid. Clouds obscure the moon, and a fog casts a haze over the scene. A white dog howls at the moon, a black one listens. A scorpion crawls in a circle of light. Below the black bar a small boat sails on a stormy sea.

Arrows of Light:

The Sun

Kabballistically expresses HAPPINESS and JOY, CONJUGALITY

Astrologically expresses WILL TO POWER, PLEASURE, and CHILDREN

The Royal Road:
ARCANUM 19
The Reunion
ARCANUM 19 pictures a young man and a young woman with joined hands dancing in a circle of twenty flowers. From her left hand the woman scatters seed. On her neck she wears an Ankh, or Egyptian cross. The man grasps a flowering plant with his right hand. Four leaves appear on the stalk, and four petals blossom at its top. The man wears the emblem of an eagle on his breast, and a wreath on his head. In the center of the sun appear a lingham and yoni. The sun has twenty-one rays. To the right shine six stars. Below the black bar rises a mountain range.

Arrows of Light:

The Sarcophagus

Kabballistically expresses RESURRECTION, AWAKENING

Astrologically expresses PERIODICITY, GESTATION

The Royal Road:
ARCANUM 20
The Awakening
ARCANUM 20 pictures a man, a woman and a child, wrapped in grave clothes, rising from a sarcophagus. Two angels and a scarab decorate its lower part. Above the three figures stands an angel in the sun, crowned with a flame, blowing a trumpet. The sun has seven rays, each ray tipped with a triple crown. Below the black bar small human-like figures leave the world on an upward path.

Arrows of Light:

The Adept

Kabballistically expresses SUCCESS and ATTAINMENT

Astrologically expresses POWER, VITALITY, INDIVIDUALITY

The Royal Road:
ARCANUM 21

The Redeemed

ARCANUM 21 pictures a wreath of twelve flowers, each flower having three petals. In the center of the floral wheel appears a winged lingham and yoni. Four heads show on the outside of the wreath: in the upper left that of a man; in the upper right that of another man; in the lower left that of an eagle with a miter on its head; in the lower right that of a bull. Underneath this ensemble a kneeling girl plays a three-stringed harp. The flame-crowned head of a man adorns the harp's sounding board. Just to the left of the girl's head appears the emblem of the sun. Below the black bar a row of trees sways gently in the breeze.

Arrows of Light:

The Fool

Kabballistically expresses FAILURE, FOLLY, MISTAKE

Astrologically has no correspondence

The Royal Road:
THE BLIND FOOL

Arcanum Zero-22 pictures a blindfolded man walking down the road of life into the open jaws of a crocodile. Over his left shoulder he carries a heavy bag. With his right hand he leans on a black staff, entwined with two serpents. Behind him the moon eclipses the sun. A broken column covered with hieroglyphs lies by his left side. On his chest he wears the glyph of the planet Pluto. Below his feet are pictured the horns and head of Taurus, the Bull.

	Arrows of Light: The Magus Kabballistically expresses INTELLIGENCE Astrologically expresses THOUGHT The Royal Road: ARCANUM 1 The Prodigal ARCANUM 1 pictures a man dressed in a white robe. A golden band encircles his head. In his right hand he holds a golden wand, directed toward a four-pointed star. From the star stream three rays toward heaven. With his left hand the man points toward earth. From the leathern girdle around his waist hangs a triangular apron with six folds tapering downward. A quadrangle weights it down. Before him lies a cube, upon which are a cup, a gold coin and a sword. An Ibis amidst rays of light, plus a border of black and white squares, adorns the front side of the cube.
	Arrows of Light: The Veiled Isis Kabballistically expresses SCIENCE Astrologically expresses ANALYSIS The Royal Road: ARCANUM 2 The Virgin ARCANUM 2 pictures a woman seated on a cube between two pillars. She wears a triple crown, surmounted by a receptive moon, over which shine seven stars. She also wears a veil suspended from her crown. The glyph of the planet Mercury adorns her solar plexus. On her lap she holds a book, partly covered by a mantle falling from her right shoulder.
	Arrows of Light: Isis Unveiled Kabballistically expresses ACTION Astrologically expresses UNION The Royal Road: ARCANUM 3 The Queen ARCANUM 3 pictures a pregnant woman seated on a cube, the one visible side of which is ornamented with five eyes and a serpent across the bottom. In her right hand she holds a golden wand, and in her left a hawk, or eagle. The solar disk silhouettes her body as she rests her feet upon a recumbent moon. From the disk radiate thirty shafts, each shaft ending in a silver marriage bell. Immediately above her head, within the solar disk, shine twelve stars; at the top of the card blaze three more.
	Arrows of Light: The Sovereign Kabballistically expresses REALIZATION Astrologically expresses PHYSICAL DESIRE The Royal Road: ARCANUM 4 The Prince ARCANUM 4 pictures a man sitting cross-legged on a cube, with a cat crouching on the front side. He wears an iron casque on his head, above which shine fourteen stars. In his right hand he holds a wand, pointing it toward heaven; with his left hand he points toward earth. A hawk, or eagle, covers his solar plexus. From the leathern girdle around his waist hangs a triangular apron, with two ruffles on each side. A rectangle inscribed with the word MU weights down this apron.
	Arrows of Light: The Hierophant Kabballistically expresses RELIGION and LAW Astrologically expresses EXPANSION, BENEVOLENCE, JOVIALITY The Royal Road: ARCANUM 5 The High Priest ARCANUM 5 pictures a man seated on a cube between two pillars. On his head he wears a miter, with the emblem of the Pentagram on its front. Above the miter rises a winged globe. With his right hand on a level with his chest he makes the sign of the Pentagram. With his left hand he holds a triple tau rod. A triangular apron, weighted down with a rectangle, hangs from a leathern girdle around his waist. Two human figures kneel at his feet, with outstretched arms.
	Arrows of Light: The Two Paths Kabballistically expresses TEMPTATION Astrologically expresses LOVE and AFFECTION The Royal Road: ARCANUM 6 The Two Paths ARCANUM 4 pictures a man standing at the crossroads, with arms folded across his chest. He wears a triangular apron, with one raffle on each side, weighted down with a rectangle. A completely dressed woman with one hand on his right shoulder, points down the right-hand path. She wears a circlet of gold on her head. A scantily clad woman, with one hand on his left shoulder, points down the left-hand path. She has on her head a wreath made of vines. In an aureole of light above the man appears a genie with a cat's face, crowned with a flame. In the midst of twelve flame-crowned rays (only six of which show in our card) the genie aims an arrow at the woman on the man's left.
	Arrows of Light: The Conqueror Kabballistically expresses VICTORY Astrologically expresses COMPREHENSION The Royal Road: ARCANUM 7 The Conqueror ARCANUM 7 pictures a man standing in a cube-shaped chariot, drawn by two sphinxes, one black and one white. A winged globe adorns the front of the car. Four columns support a canopy, which is decorated with fourteen stars. In his right hand the man holds a sword, and in his left a scepter, surmounted by a square, a circle and a triangle. He wears a cuirass, on the front of which the letter T arises to meet the obstacles of two trying-squares. On bis head is a coronet, surmounted by three golden pentagrams.
	Arrows of Light: Blind Justice Kabballistically expresses HUMAN JUSTICE, EQUILIBRIUM Astrologically expresses UTILITY, SELF-INTEREST, and strangely contradictory as it may seem -- IDEALISM The Royal Road: ARCANUM 8 Blind Justice ARCANUM 8 pictures a woman seated on a throne that rests on a four-tiered dais. She wears a blindfold and a headdress composed of four lances. In her left hand she holds a pair of balances and with her right she brandishes a sword. By her side stand a sphinx, a lion and a winged genie. Above her head rises a winged turtle and a canopy inscribed with a cross. Opposite the canopy shine eight stars.
	Arrows of Light: [No name given in the appropriate place] Kabballistically expresses WISDOM and PRUDENCE Astrologically expresses KNOWLEDGE of HUMAN NATURE The Royal Road: ARCANUM 9 The Sage ARCANUM 9 pictures a man walking uphill. The path is strewn with golden coins. Cactus grows along either side. The man wears a helmet on his head, and leans on a staff as he walks. With a blanket falling from his left shoulder he shields a lighted lamp held in his left hand. He gazes steadily at the vision of a castle he sees in the sun.
	Arrows of Light: The Wheel Kabballistically expresses CHANGE of FORTUNE Astrologically expresses SUDDENNESS, ECCENTRICITY The Royal Road: ARCANUM 10 Wheel of Fate ARCANUM 10 pictures a wheel with eight snake-infested spokes, and two genie, called Hermanubis and Typhon. Two columns support the wheel, only one of which shows. A sphinx balances itself on a circular platform poised on top. In its right hand it holds an arrow. Two serpents rear their heads at the base of the two columns. Below the black bar a winged globe rises in flight.
	Arrows of Light: The Enchantress Kabballistically expresses THE PRINCIPLE OF FORCE Astrologically expresses IDEALISM and VAGUENESS The Royal Road: ARCANUM 11 The Enchantress ARCANUM 11 pictures a chastely dressed young girl. With little effort she closes the mouth of a raging lion. She wears a crown surmounted by a vase and an eagle. A line of trees decorates the bottom of the card below the heavy black line.
	Arrows of Light: The Martyr Kabballistically expresses SACRIFICE and EXPIATION Astrologically expresses BELIEF and SELF-UNDOING The Royal Road: ARCANUM 12 The Martyr ARCANUM 12 pictures a man hung by his left foot from a cross bar supported by two trees. Each tree shows the stubs of six cut branches. Above the cross bar shine twelve stars. The man's right leg crosses his left, depicting the numeral 4. His hands, tied with a leathern thong, make the shape of a diamond over his head. Golden coins slip from his fingers. At the bottom of the card two fish swim in the sea.
	Arrows of Light: The Reaper Kabballistically expresses TRANSFORMATION Astrologically expresses CONSCIOUSNESS The Royal Road: ARCANUM 13 The Reaper ARCANUM 13 pictures a skeleton reaping heads, hands and feet with a scythe. On the scythe appear the emblems of a serpent and a scarab. Behind the skeleton's knees shines a rainbow. Below the black bar rises a mountain range.
	Arrows of Light: The Alchemist Kabballistically expresses TEMPERANCE and REGENERATION Astrologically expresses POSSESSION and ACCUMULATION The Royal Road: ARCANUM 14 The Alchemist ARCANUM 14 pictures a flame-crowned genie. He wears a shawl draped over his left shoulder. On his feet is a small pair of wings, with a larger pair on his shoulders. He pours a fluid from a silver to a golden urn. Behind his head shines the sun, adorned with ten rays, only seven of which show. Trees grow beneath the black bar.
	Arrows of Light: The Black Magician Kabballistically expresses FATALITY, EVIL, BLACK MAGIC, ANNIHILATION Astrologically expresses CRYSTALLIZATION, OSSIFICATION, OLD AGE, STAGNATION AND DEATH The Royal Road: ARCANUM 15 The Devil ARCANUM 15 pictures a flame-crowned genie, who inhabits the body of a hog with the wings of a bat, the feet of a goat, a snake for a navel cord, and a crocodile's head with a horn on the snout. In his left hand the genie holds a flaming torch; in his right a scepter somewhat resembling the emblem of the planet Pluto. He towers over the smoking embers of a ruined temple, before which kneel two goat-headed figures tied together by their necks with a chain. Below the black bar a strong wind blows across the land, uprooting all vegetation.
	Arrows of Light: The Lightning Kabballistically expresses ACCIDENT, CATASTROPHE Astrologically expresses DYNAMIC FORCE The Royal Road: ARCANUM 16 The Ruined Tower ARCANUM 16 pictures a pyramid, with a bolt of lightning blasting off its capstone. The bolt also topples two figures, one crowned, the other uncrowned, from a seven-staged platform in front of the pyramid. Beneath the black bar a raging fire burns fiercely.
	Arrows of Light: The Star Kabballistically expresses TRUTH, FAITH, HOPE Astrologically expresses THOUGHT on the EXTERIOR PLANE The Royal Road: ARCANUM 17 The Naked Truth ARCANUM 17 pictures a nude young girl kneeling, her right foot resting on land, and her right knee and left foot on the sea. From the silver urn she holds in her left hand, and from the golden urn in her right, she pours the elixir of life. To her right grows a three-blossomed plant, with six leaves on the stalk. A butterfly ascends from the topmost blossom. In the center of an eight-pointed blazing star above the young girl's head appears a double triangle, the top half white, the bottom black. Fourteen smaller stars surround the large one. Clouds and tree tops show beneath the black bar.
	Arrows of Light: The Moon Kabballistically expresses SECRET ENEMIES, DECEPTION, FALSE FRIENDS Astrologically expresses FEELING and TOUCHINESS The Royal Road: ARCANUM 18 Illusion ARCANUM 18 pictures two pyramids, one white, one black. An entrance door appears in the white pyramid. Clouds obscure the moon, and a fog casts a haze over the scene. A white dog howls at the moon, a black one listens. A scorpion crawls in a circle of light. Below the black bar a small boat sails on a stormy sea.
	Arrows of Light: The Sun Kabballistically expresses HAPPINESS and JOY, CONJUGALITY Astrologically expresses WILL TO POWER, PLEASURE, and CHILDREN The Royal Road: ARCANUM 19 The Reunion ARCANUM 19 pictures a young man and a young woman with joined hands dancing in a circle of twenty flowers. From her left hand the woman scatters seed. On her neck she wears an Ankh, or Egyptian cross. The man grasps a flowering plant with his right hand. Four leaves appear on the stalk, and four petals blossom at its top. The man wears the emblem of an eagle on his breast, and a wreath on his head. In the center of the sun appear a lingham and yoni. The sun has twenty-one rays. To the right shine six stars. Below the black bar rises a mountain range.
	Arrows of Light: The Sarcophagus Kabballistically expresses RESURRECTION, AWAKENING Astrologically expresses PERIODICITY, GESTATION The Royal Road: ARCANUM 20 The Awakening ARCANUM 20 pictures a man, a woman and a child, wrapped in grave clothes, rising from a sarcophagus. Two angels and a scarab decorate its lower part. Above the three figures stands an angel in the sun, crowned with a flame, blowing a trumpet. The sun has seven rays, each ray tipped with a triple crown. Below the black bar small human-like figures leave the world on an upward path.
	Arrows of Light: The Adept Kabballistically expresses SUCCESS and ATTAINMENT Astrologically expresses POWER, VITALITY, INDIVIDUALITY The Royal Road: ARCANUM 21 The Redeemed ARCANUM 21 pictures a wreath of twelve flowers, each flower having three petals. In the center of the floral wheel appears a winged lingham and yoni. Four heads show on the outside of the wreath: in the upper left that of a man; in the upper right that of another man; in the lower left that of an eagle with a miter on its head; in the lower right that of a bull. Underneath this ensemble a kneeling girl plays a three-stringed harp. The flame-crowned head of a man adorns the harp's sounding board. Just to the left of the girl's head appears the emblem of the sun. Below the black bar a row of trees sways gently in the breeze.
	Arrows of Light: The Fool Kabballistically expresses FAILURE, FOLLY, MISTAKE Astrologically has no correspondence The Royal Road: THE BLIND FOOL Arcanum Zero-22 pictures a blindfolded man walking down the road of life into the open jaws of a crocodile. Over his left shoulder he carries a heavy bag. With his right hand he leans on a black staff, entwined with two serpents. Behind him the moon eclipses the sun. A broken column covered with hieroglyphs lies by his left side. On his chest he wears the glyph of the planet Pluto. Below his feet are pictured the horns and head of Taurus, the Bull.

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