The Seventh Key to the Tarot
Eliphas Levi gave this design as the 7th key to the Tarot in his book Dogme et Rituel de la Haute Magie, attributing it to the Hebrew letter Zayin. Many researchers of Levi, including Crowley and later J. Daniel Gunther, argue that Levi knew the correct Tarot attributions, but was under oath not to unveil them. To this effect, he moved the Fool between Judgement and The World, off-setting the attributions by one except for the last card. This is further supported by Crowley’s attributions within 777, under the Magical Powers column, Column XLV.
(See note by O.M., in pg. 184 of Levi’s “The Key of the Mysteries.”, Equinox I:10.)
(See note by O.M., in pg. 184 of Levi’s “The Key of the Mysteries.”, Equinox I:10.)
Comparing some of the Chapter titles to these Magical Powers, a particular pattern emerges:
Chapter VIII: A Warning to the Imprudent
Chapter IX: Initiation
Chapter X: The Key of Occultism
Chapter XI: The Magic Chain
Chapter XII: The Great Work
Chapter XIII: Necromancy
Chapter XIV: Transmutations
Chapter XV: The Sabbath of the Sorcerers
Chapter XVI: Witchcraft and Spells
Chapter XVII: The Writing of the Stars
Chapter XVIII: Philtres and Magnetism
Chapter XIX: The Stone of the Philosophers
Chapter XXI: Divination
If Levi’s Chapter on Divination is moved to the top of the list of chapters, all of the Hebrew letter attributions fall into place. This also aligns all of the Tarot Key numbers (with the exception of Aleph repositioned as the blind, to fool the fools).
There is also evidence that Eliphas Levi was in contact with Kenneth R. H. Mackenzie, one of the potential authors of the Cipher Manuscript which was used to create the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The attributions Levi would have kept secret were eventually codified using those documents.