HEKA
DECK
Magic in Ancient Egypt & How It Has Influenced Modern Mysticism Today
(Specifically Tarot Cards)
THE
Modern Mysticism
So We’re on the Same Page
Crystal Healing
Homeopathic
Medicine
Cartomancy
Modern Mysticism
So We’re on the Same Page
Crystal Healing
Homeopathic
Medicine
Cartomancy
What was the important in Egypt?
There were hundreds of gods between different time periods and regions.
Maintaining Maat or the cosmic order.
What is Heka?
How is it/he relevant?
Heka
The word itself can be translated to mean either ‘magic’ or ‘divine energy’.
Heka Was Seen as Crucial to Maintaining Maat
Sia
Hu
Heka
Perception
Utterance
Magic
Divine Creative Energy
Heka
By definition, ancient Egyptians saw heka as a symbiotic exchange with beings of greater power that were responsible for maintaining the order of the universe2. Their magical practices were often a dialog with or invocation of these beings.
HEKA
FORMS OF HEKA
HEKA IN PRACTICE
Amulets
Spells
Rituals
FORMS OF HEKA
HEKA IN PRACTICE
Amulets
Spells
Rituals
FORMS OF HEKA
HEKA IN PRACTICE
Amulets
Spells
Rituals
The belief in and use of magic or ‘heka’ was so prevalent in ancient Egyptian society that historians have had difficulty separating their magical practices from both their state religion and their cultural worldview4
Heka was thought to be a part of the essential energy force that allowed the world to continue to exist and prosper.
Many of the chosen heroes of Egypt were not warriors but rather powerful magic users5.
How Can You Have More Heka
HEKA IN PRACTICE
Higher Status
King or
Priest
Deformities or
Red Hair
How Can You Have More Heka
HEKA IN PRACTICE
Higher Status
King or
Priest
Deformities or
Red Hair
How Can You Have More Heka
HEKA IN PRACTICE
Higher Status
King or
Priest
Deformities or
Red Hair
How Can You Have More Heka
HEKA IN PRACTICE
Higher Status
King or
Priest
Deformities or
Red Hair
King or
Priest
As ancient Egyptians thought heka was essential for the prosperity of the dead in the underworld and the maintenance of balance in the realm of the living, magicians were in high demand.
TAROT
What is Tarot?
How is it relevant to Ancient Egypt?
TAROT
TAROT
TAROT
22 Major Arcana
(TRUMPS)
56 Minor Arcana
(Number Cards)
TAROT
21 Major Arcana
(TRUMPS)
56 Minor Arcana
(Number Cards)
CUPS
WANDS
SWORDS
PENTACLES
TAROT
WILD UNKOWN
MORGAN GREER
HELLO KITTY & HARRY POTTER
ART NOUVEAU & IMPRESSIONIST
ORIGINS OF TAROT
Franciscan Friar in Umbria, Italy (late 15th century BCE)
He gave a sermon on the practicality of gaming or utilis de ludo in which he discussed what he believed to be the three primary kinds of games:
“ the dice, the cards, and the trumps”
Franciscan Friar in Umbria, Italy (late 15th century BCE)
“There is nothing so hateful to God as the game of Trumps. For everything that is base in the eyes of the Christian faith is seen in trumps, as will be evident when I run through them. For trumps are said, so it is believed to have been given their names by the Devil, their inventor, because in no other game does he triumph (with the loss of souls to boot) as much as in this one.” (Giles 7)
Franciscan Friar in Umbria, Italy (late 15th century BCE)
“There is nothing so hateful to God as the game of Trumps. For everything that is base in the eyes of the Christian faith is seen in trumps, as will be evident when I run through them. For trumps are said, so it is believed to have been given their names by the Devil, their inventor, because in no other game does he triumph (with the loss of souls to boot) as much as in this one.” (Giles 7)
Franciscan Friar in Umbria, Italy (late 15th century BCE)
“There is nothing so hateful to God as the game of Trumps. For everything that is base in the eyes of the Christian faith is seen in trumps, as will be evident when I run through them. For trumps are said, so it is believed to have been given their names by the Devil, their inventor, because in no other game does he triumph (with the loss of souls to boot) as much as in this one.” (Giles 7)
I.The Mountebank
II. Empress
III. Emperor
IV. The Papess
V. The Pope
VI. Temperance
VII. Love
VIII. The Triumphal Car
IX. Strength
X. The Wheel of Fortune
XI. The Hunchback
XII. The Hanged Man
XIII. Death
XIV. The Devil
XV. The Arrow
XVI. The Star
XVII. The Moon
XVIII. The Sun
XIX. The Angel
XX. Justice
XXI. The World
0. The Fool
I.The MAGICIAN
II. Empress
III. Emperor
IV. The HIGH PRIESTESS
V. The Pope
VI. Temperance
VII. Love
VIII. The CHARIOT
IX. Strength
X. The Wheel of Fortune
XI. The HERMIT
XII. The Hanged Man
XIII. Death
XIV. The Devil
XV. The TOWER
XVI. The Star
XVII. The Moon
XVIII. The Sun
XIX. TEMPERANCE
XX. Justice
XXI. The World
0. The Fool
Origins/Development of Tarot
It is believed that the oldest surviving deck of Tarot Cards dates back to Italy in the 14th century.
Origins/Development of Tarot
This deck was thought to have been painted by Jacquemin Gringonneur for Charles VI in 1392 (Farley 19). Though some historians now believe it is more likely that the cards actually date almost a hundred years after the original estimate. (Giles 11)
Fun Fact: An early surviving Tarot deck that dates back to to 1400s, the Visconti di Modrone pack, is housed at Yale University in the Beinecke Library as a part of the Cary Collection. Because of this it is also known as the Cary-Yale Deck.
The Visconti di Modrone pack is unique amongst early decks for including Faith, Hope and Charity amongst its trumps (considered three prominent theological virtues at the time) and for including a male and female position for each rank amongst the court cards of the minor arcana (meaning there were equally gendered court cards numbering 6 rather than 3 or 4 male/female-specified court cards). (Giles 13)
Tarot is not a niche interest.
Tarot is everywhere.
Today, tarot is common enough that most everyday people have at least a simple idea of what it is, but between the Renaissance and the 18th century, Tarot was wildly popular. There’s a record from a Jesuit claiming that in France tarot was even more popular than chess. (Giles 21)
Tarot does not garner an esoteric interpretation until the late 18th century. Historical records do not show tarot being used for anything but gaming earlier than then. (Giles 20)
Origins/Development of Tarot
Though there is evidence of some variance amongst the Trumps of early tarot packs, it is believed that Tarot was essentially standardised everywhere by 1500. Most suits, imagery, ranks and symbols were the same across packs. The basic pattern of the standardised decks was attributed to tarot practices that originated in Marseilles. (Giles 14-15)
Origins/Development of Tarot
As time went on there was limited variation based on who had illustrated different packs and what the political climate was in different countries.
(Fun Fact: the Empress and the Emperor became the Grandmother and Grandfather in France during the French Revolution). (Giles 14)
Origins of Tarot - Egyptian Theory
Court de Gebelin (1719-1784)
Origins of Tarot - Egyptian Theory
Eliphas Levi (1810-1875)
Origins of Tarot - Gypsy Theory
Romani People
Egyptian = Gypsy
Origins of Tarot - Tarocchino Theory
Tarocchino
Downfall of this Theory
Patterns for Modern Decks
Members of the order are the originators of almost all well known early 20th century decks.
The vast majority of all modern decks are templated after Arthur Edward Waite’s 1909 deck.
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn was formed in 1888 based on an old occult document found in a second-hand bookstore that connected western European occultists with a group out of Germany. (Giles 39-40)
MacGregor Mathers was a consequential player in the order that contributed greatly to the group’s interest in tarot. Yeats claimed him as his inspiration for getting interested in consciousness as an area of study. (Giles 41)
Tarot was studied through an entirely esoteric lense in the order. As a part of initiation into the order, initiates had to create their own deck of cards from a master copy, but were not expected to copy the deck exactly. (Giles 42)
Occultism as practiced by the Order was considered more counter-culture than crazy at this time. It could be considered more akin to the birth of cubism, than to bat-shit crazy ravings. (Giles 43)
Aleister Crowley
Aleister Crowley
I. The Magician
Rider Waite Tarot
XI. Strength
Rider Waite Tarot