Help with Tarot Nova symbols

[Toki Wartooth]

It's this deck here (http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/nova/), the Tarot Nova, by Dennis Fairchild and Julie Paschkis.

I recently bought this deck because my dad got me the mini book, hardcover version, that goes with it...but not the deck. In any case, I've been examining them, getting to "know" them so to speak, &c. and I've found that on most of the Major Arcana, there are various symbols I can't read/know the meaning of. Some look Hebrew, a couple look even Japanese, and I swear a couple look like the mathematical symbol for pi.

So, here are tiny snippets of various Majors, where I'm clueless on what the heck's happening in terms of symbols:
Red thing by HPS' foot. (http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/4466/02hpfoot.png)
Mark above astro. one, on Hermit. (http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/927/09hermmark.png)
Next to foot, above leaves, on Strength. (http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/7852/11strenft.png)
At far left and far right, on Hanged Man. (http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/7823/12hmwtf.png)
Left one, on Death. (http://img504.imageshack.us/img504/2362/13dthscorp.png)
Right one, on Tower. (http://img294.imageshack.us/img294/8210/16towmars.png)
Funky "Y" on Star card. (http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/4909/17stary.png)
P or D symbol on Moon card. (http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/4205/18mnp.png)
Idk on Sun card. (http://img160.imageshack.us/img160/5825/19sun.png)
Most clueless of all, on World card. (http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/401/21world.png)

ETA: There is also a sideways "Z" on the shirt of the Fool, something I didn't bother to take a snippet of. I imagine it just means "zero," but I'm not sure.

There are also a couple attached. L to R: the Fool, the Emperor, Judgment. As for the Judgment card, I can see something that looks like the Neptune symbol, but I'm not sure if that little wheel/circle with lines in it mean something? And, I noticed the Lovers has something very similar to what the Emperor has, which looks like ... pi.

Help?

[Sparkles]

Many of them look like letters of the Hebrew Alphabet. Try looking at this site: http://www.psyche.com/psyche/tarot/tarot_alphabet.html

[LisaT4P]

which looks like ... pi.:tongueout Mmmmm, pi.

I agree, lots of them look like Hebrew letters. Could the red thing by the HPS foot be similar to a snake? It's hard to make out.

[Toki Wartooth]

Many of them look like letters of the Hebrew Alphabet. Try looking at this site: http://www.psyche.com/psyche/tarot/tarot_alphabet.html

Holy crap. That's ... a lot. I feel slightly intimidated, LOL. I also find it interesting I got a tarot deck in my life with Hebrew letters. Hrm. Well, I guess I have my work cut out for me then...a new thing to study.

Thanks very much for the link!


:tongueout Mmmmm, pi.

I agree, lots of them look like Hebrew letters. Could the red thing by the HPS foot be similar to a snake? It's hard to make out.

Well, holding it close to my eyes, it doesn't look like a snake sorta thing at all. It kinda looks like an upside-down ayn (http://www.psyche.com/psyche/autiot/ayn.html)? :whatgives

I can see the illustrator's taken some liberties with drawing out the Hebrew letters...there are some differences in how they're drawn in that site and how they appear in my cards. So far I could match a couple, but I have a feeling this is going to be headache-inducing work, lol.

[LisaT4P]

Or... you could just pretend they aren't there. LOL

[Toki Wartooth]

I could, but I figure it may come in handy. You never know.

That, and I'd love to avoid any embarrassing questions. "So...what does that little squiggle in that corner mean?" "UMMMM ... it means pi?"

[sleepycat]

Do you have a Thoth deck?
Crowley used a lot of Hebrew letters on the cards. If you want, I'll compare them later, right now it's time for bed. PM me.

[Toki Wartooth]

I do not. That deck has never called to me, and holding it felt funny, lol. It wasn't "scary" funny -- but kinda weird funny. So no Thoth deck for me!

PMing, though. Thanks for the offer. :]

[sleepycat]

Spent some time looking at the website for your deck. They copied Crowley's alchemy signs and Hebrew letters for each card that I could see clearly. Strange thing to do for a children's deck.

The red thing by the foot of the High Priestess is a seedling Pomegranate traditional symbol for that card, not usualy a seedling, though.

[Sparkles]

LOL, Sleepycat, you took the words right out of my mouth. Crowley worked with the Hebrew Alphabet quite a bit. His books are not easy reads (and they do tend to force us to learn new things in order to understand what the heck he is saying), but worth the effort.

[Toki Wartooth]

I don't know that it was really intended to be a children's deck. It was just a little gift shop thingy I found at the front of Borders. I've seen such ones in other book stores, too. They're just supposedly these gift, impulse buy things.

In any case, I tried using that site and got such a headache. x_x I'm so unfamiliar with anything Jewish, Hebrew, or ... anything of the sort. I didn't even feel like the ... correspondence tables or whatever they were even really matched the meanings or feelings of the cards either, but maybe I was reading it wrong.

[sleepycat]

I asked Lisa (via PM) if this info is already on the board (Hebrew letters linked to tarot cards) Waiting for her reply.

Toki, if you want to, we can start a new thread discussing this, or we can use this one. I don't want to 'take over' your thread.

I will say this, it is a LOT of info, a good-sized book's worth. There are 3 books that I can think of off the top of my head about Crowley linking tarot to the Kabalah. (That's what the Hebrew letters do) I don't know if you want to invest that much time.

[Toki Wartooth]

Geez. I was hoping there'd be an easy ... symbol-by-card sort of guide that'd make sense and just be enough for me to have a barely passing knowledge of it. :lol: Guess that's not so true, eh?

I haven't been too interested in such things myself, so I'd prefer not to invest too much time in it. I just wanted to know these in a basic form if I ever had to use them when interpreting the cards.

[Sparkles]

Geez. I was hoping there'd be an easy ... symbol-by-card sort of guide that'd make sense and just be enough for me to have a barely passing knowledge of it. :lol: Guess that's not so true, eh?

*big grin* Yeah . . . I wish! Seriously, it's an effort to begin to understand the meanings of symbols, but I am assuming that they are there for a reason. However, even if that is true, it is *your* individual interpretations of the symbols and images on your cards which *you* choose to access that makes up your readings. You chose this deck because it spoke to you in some way; that is how I choose my decks, too. You should use (or not use) whatever makes sense to you.

I am just now making my way through the connections between the Hebrew alphabet and the Major Arcana; I have only made it to The Lovers (Zayin, which means "spear"; LOL, obvious meaning here, but I am looking beyond the obvious), which I am trying to comprehend now. LOL. I have: Fool, Aleph (zero, or "nothing" from which all creation proceeds); Magus, Beth (shows potential through which divine energy can pass through the "house" of the physical body); High Priestess, Gimel (H.P. embodies the Middle Pillar and is the "camel" that can safely cross the desert of the Abyss); Empress, Daleth (gateway or "door" to the power of creation); Emperor, Tzaddi (fish hook, which is also the symbol of the element of sulphur and swift, creative energy that will burn itself out if left to persist on its own for too long, unless tempered with the element of salt and The Empress); and Hierophant, Vau (he is the "nail" which holds in place his traditions). Needless to say, these are my own personal realizations, and if you decide to make use of the symbols your understandings may be different.

LOL, cudos to Crowley for without his Thoth Tarot and The Book of Thoth, I would probably not be attempting this.

[Toki Wartooth]

Hmm. Not bad points. I suppose I may delve into it somewhat by searching around, preferably for something a bit more ... user friendly, but I can't see it being a huge thing for me. And, yeah, you're probably right in using my own interpretations...though it'll be interesting to say, "So...that little squiggle means..." XD

My dad actually bought me the hardcover booklet before I ever even thought about getting the deck. I found it interesting that it was kinda thrust onto my lap. (Moreso because I have renewed interest in an angel/demon/deity from the Abrahamic area of religions.)

[LisaT4P]

I told SC in PM, but I'll say it here too, I don't believe there have ever really been any in depth discussions like this. I think it may have been mentioned in some threads occasionally, but nothing like what he's talking about doing.

I'd LOVE it if you guys started something like this. A thread, a study group, whatever you'd like. If you need me to sticky something like that, just let me know.

[Sparkles]

Sounds cool. A thread for the Hebrew Alphabet and the Major Arcana? What do you think?

[Toki Wartooth]

I'd be up for that if only for education, lol.

[Sparkles]

LOL, so I went home last night and dug out my books to delve deeper into The Lovers/Zayin. I found that some define Zayin as meaning "sword"; that definition makes more sense to me in regard to this card than "spear," which seems to mainly offer phallic symbolism. Granted, a literal interpretation of this card would have at least a slight hint of phallic symbolism *wink, wink*, but somehow I felt that I should look deeper.

Taking The Lovers beyond the surface indications of love and romance, I have found that this card tells of the deliberate union of two complete beings. The Minor Arcana equivalent of this card is the Two of Cups, the "soul mate" card which tells of the potential for two beings, opposite in nature, to find each other and unite in order to bring completion to both. The Lovers takes this a step higher, and presents two complete beings, opposite in nature, who choose to unite in order to create new life, or to create something new, or to bring things to a new level. A sword has two edges, one on either side of the blade, each facing in the opposite direction, united onto one tool. It can be stabbed, like a spear, but it can also be used to slice.

What do you think, Toki?

[LisaT4P]

Here is an older class on Qabbala (however you want to spell it) here: http://mysticwicks.com/forumdisplay.php?f=179

Not sure if you could maybe find some useful info there. :)

[girlread]

I got this two months ago and use it for daily draws. What I liked about it was the simplicity and the fact that it is not traditional.

I tend to just go with what pops up in my mind for it. The other thing you could do if you are stumped is to draw clarifying cards for it with a deck you understand better. It's always fun to use decks together, whether it's a one-card draw or a full spread.

Try that maybe rather than agonizing over meaning?