Chapter 2

Blake's System

I must create a system, or be enslav'd by another man's;
I will not reason & compare; my business is to create.

—Introduction
—The Four Zoas of Albion
—The Back Design of the Cards

Introduction

The William Blake Tarot embodies the essence of William Blake's philosophical system. In the context of Tarot, this adds a powerful layer of meaning to all the cards, greatly enriching and expanding the traditional interpretations. This deck does not replace any of the old meanings; it gives them a new myth and a new outlook.

Possibly Blake's greatest achievement was as a mythologizer, for he invented a mighty pantheon of characters — mythological, supernatural, and historical — who, throughout most of his works, symbolize and enact man's spiritual journey. He single-handedly created an entire mythology, on much the same scale of grandeur as that of the Greek and Roman gods. Yet unlike theirs, Blake's system reflects modern psychology and addresses contemporary issues. Moreover, it seeks to liberate the soul and make man divine, whereas the ancients proclaimed man's powerlessness at the hands of the gods.

The value of learning Blake's system is that it gives us both a motive and a method for dealing with the imaginal world. His motive is liberation of the spirit; his method is the practice of art. After meeting his basic characters and learning the principles they represent, you will 'see' the world in a different way. Blake baffled his contemporaries because he was 200 years ahead of his time; his system is for today. Blake's ideas provide a method for releasing your imagination at the same time as they reveal a spiritual view of life unlike that of any other writer or artist before or since.

While it is true that Blake's entire system is dauntingly complex, this deck takes just the essential characters and ideas, and gives them to you to play with. Everyone should feel free to interpret or appreciate Blake in their own way.

Even scholars who have spent careers studying Blake disagree about the identification and meaning of his characters and plots. This is a measure of his greatness, for Blake represents different things to different people. In fact, Blake belongs to everyone, more so now than ever.

His wonderful art, enthusiasm for life, his wit and verbal expression, and his love of humanity — are impossible not to appreciate. In my descriptions of the cards in the succeeding chapters, I follow the mainstream of Blakean interpretation, with occasional personal speculations and revisions. The Appendix recommends some basic books from which you can learn more, if you wish.

Those who have been told that my works
are but an unscientific and irregular eccentricity,
a madman's scrawls, I demand of them to do me the justice
to examine before they decide.

The Four Zoas of Albion

Blake's system is based on his mythological character, Albion, an ancient term for England, and by extension, everyman. Derived from the Celtic root meaning 'white', Albion might originally have referred to the 'white goddess' of the moon, or perhaps the chalk cliffs of Dover. Blake's Albion is the universe personified as a person, specifically a fourfold divinity who lives in eternity in a state of organic unity. In essence, Albion is the human soul. His unity is broken when his constituent parts divide against each other. As a result, Albion falls to earth, where he goes into a deep sleep, or coma.

Albion's four parts or divine energies are called by Blake the Zoas, and his entire mythology is about their interactions and their epic struggle to reunite. Blake derived the term from the Greek root for 'alive, living'; that is, the eternal parts of man, or as Blake called them, "lifes in eternity." The Zoas stem from the 'living beings' of the Bible, the four 'beasts' of Revelation; and in astrology and astronomy correlate with the constellations — the creatures of the Zodiac.

They are named Tharmas, Urizen, Luvah, and Urthona, and respectively represent the body, mind, emotions, and spirit of Albion. Each of the Zoas also has an Emanation, or female portion: Vala and Enitharmon are the most important of these in the Blake Tarot. Like the Zoas, Albion has an Emanation, named Jerusalem, and she appears in the deck also.

Each of the Zoas is associated with one of the eternal arts. According to Blake: "In eternity the four arts: Poetry, Painting, Music and... Science, are the four faces of man" — and thus these arts become the four Creative Process Suits of the Blake Tarot.

The Suits cards of the Blake Tarot describe the gifts and opportunities of the four eternal arts: Painting — Science — Music — Poetry

The Suits cards, taken in numerical order, describe the psychological states associated with Blake's primal arts. These cards are sequentially described in Chapters 4 through 7. The symbols of the suits, called 'glyphs', are the 'instruments' of their suits and their arts because this deck emphasizes doing or achieving. Thus:

        [Suit Symbol]                                                  [Glyph = Suit Name (Referent)]                                       [Element]

Palette	= Painting (physical world)	(Water)
Compass	= Science (mental world)	(Air)
Lyre	= Music (emotional world)	(Fire)
Scroll	= Poetry (spiritual world)	(Earth)

The four elements — see above — are similarly associated with the Zoas. The elements are the natural forms in which the eternal energies have disguised themselves.

The fall and eventual regeneration of the Zoas is the central theme of Blake's myth. The fall of Albion occurs when the Zoas rebel against and war with each other, seeking "selfhood" and dominion over the others. The division of these "eternal senses" creates the fallen world of "time and space," in which materialism becomes the ground of existence instead of imagination. So, the Zoas, along with a few other figures such as Jesus and Satan, are the protagonists of the story described by the Blake Triumphs.

The Triumphs cards of the Blake Tarot
describe the spiritual fall and regeneration of the Zoas.

The Blake Triumphs, taken in numerical order, combine the traditional Tarot tale of the Fool's Journey with Blake's myth of the four Zoas, resulting in what I call the Soul's Journey. This story unfolds in the descriptions of the Triumphs that follow next in Chapter 3.

As you proceed through the card descriptions in the following chapters, you will find Charts 2-1 and 2-2 to be useful summaries of Blake's ideas within the context of Tarot.

Chart 2-1: Correspondences of the Blake Triumphs relates the Blakean Triumphs to the traditional Tarot, briefly describes them, and indicates how the Zoas are represented in the deck. For novice Blakeans, this usefully codifies the concepts of the Zoas; it is a schematic that makes them easier to assimilate. In Chart 2-1, note that the Zoas appear twice in the deck, first in their fallen forms and then in their regenerated forms. This is fully explained in the card descriptions in the next chapter.

Chart 2-2: Correspondences of the Creative Process Suits is the master chart of Blake's system. It corresponds the four suits to a wide range of symbols and ideas, and is a dense compendium of information about Blakean ideas and related Tarot concepts. Chart 2-2 should also prove helpful when interpreting the cards during readings, as it contains many ideas and referents for unlocking associations that might otherwise escape notice. The order of the suits in this chart, and throughout this book, is always Painting first, then Science, Music, and Poetry.This follows Blake's order, and gives internal consistency.

The Back Design of the Cards

The illustration on the verso of each card is from the title page of the Illustrations of the Book of Job. Blake depicts seven angels that he calls the Eyes of God, referred to in the Bible as the "seven eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth."

For Blake, the Eyes represent the issue of justice, and they characterize various aspects of dealing with or dispensing it. The first angel, at the top right, is Lucifer ('Bright Star'), shown descending to earth as the fallen angel. Newborn, he is innocent but selfish, and becomes an aspect of Satan. The next angel beneath him is Molech ('King'), the executioner of children, whose attempts to deal with life are clumsily destructive. Next comes Elohim ('Mighty'), the judge, who holds a scroll to indicate he has a conscience, and so invents guilt. At the bottom is Shaddai ('Strength'), the accuser, who looks back and blames the others. Now beginning to ascend, the next angel is Pachad ('Fear'), the appalled, with scroll and plume to record his dismay. Higher yet, also with a scroll, is Jehovah ('He creates'), the moralist who upholds the law.

All these aspects of God fail to change anything because they uphold earthly justice, a system of error that promotes guilt, sin, and vengeance. The final angel with wings upraised for spiritual ascent, back turned to the others, is Jesus, the Savior. He looks toward the spiritual world within, and his revolutionary response to justice is forgiveness and mercy instead of vengeance.

Chart 2-1: Correspondences of the Blake Triumphs

Traditional Arcana		Blake Triumphs		Figure(s) Depicted	Represent(s)	Zoa(s)	Symbolizes
—	(no equivalent)	00/	Eternity	Albion asleep	Humanity's dream of eternity	-	-
0	Fool	0	Innocence	Tharmas with dog	Materialization of the soul	Tharmas	Fallen body
1	Magician	I	Magic	Hermes-Anubis with Jupiter	Magus/ psychopomp (Egyptian)	Urthona (as Los)	Fallen inspiration (TIME)
2	High Priestess	II	Mystery	Triple Hecate	Goddess of magic and witchcraft (Greek)	Urthona (as Enitharmon)	Fallen inspiration (SPACE)
3	Empress	III	Nature	Bathsheba with sons	Seductress and mother (Biblical)	Luvah (as Vala)	Fallen emotion
4	Emperor	IV	Reason	Urizen	Tyranny of the mind. Single vision	Urizen	Fallen intellect
5	Hierophant	V	Religion	King George III with angels	Tyranny of religion	-	-
6	Lovers	VI	Knowledge	Adam and Eve with Rafael	The earthly (fallen) Eden	-	-
7	Chariot	VII	Experience	Plough of Jehovah	Realm of Generation: materialism. Twofold vision	-	-
8	Justice (or Strength)	VIII	Assessment	Luvah	The call to spiritual awakening	Luvah	Emotion Regenerating
9	Hermit	IX	Imagination	Los	The light of Imagination	Urthona (as Los)	Spirit Regenerating
10	Wheel of Fortune	X	Whirlwind	Ezekiel's vision	The Zoas and God in whirlwind	The four Zoas	Process of Regeneration
11	Strength (or Justice)	XI	Energy	Tharmas with animals	Communing with the animal self	Tharmas	Body Regenerating
12	Hanged Man	XII	Reversal	Urizen	The upset of reason	Urizen	Intellect Regenerating
13	Death	XIII	Transformation	Time destroying Humanity	Time looks backword and forward	-	-
14	Temperance	XIV	Forgiveness	Jesus with angels	Merciful self-forgiveness	-	-
15	Devil	XV	Error	Satan with acolytes	Realm of Ulro: delusion	-	-
16	Tower	XVI	Lightning	Accuser destroying Job's family	Self-doubt and the destruction of ego	-	-
17	Star	XVII	Stars	Milton (with Jobin border)	Communion with the universe	-	-
18	Moon	XVIII	Moon	Family and friends	Realm of Beulah: subconscious. Threefold vision	-	-
19	Sun	XIX	Sun	Jesus with children and angels	Realm of Eden: brotherhood. Fourfold vision	-	-
20	Judgement	XX	Liberty	Jerusalem	The call to spiritual awakening	-	-
21	World	XXI	Union	Albion	Unified Humanity	-	-

* Suit of:	Painting	Science	Music	Poetry
* Represents:	Body/Matter	Mind/Thought	Emotion/Love	Imagination/Spirit
* Suit symbol:
* Window Keyword:	FORM (Inner Vision)	STRUCTURE (Knowledge)	VIBRATION (Energy)	PROPHECY (Truth)
Element:	Water	Air	Fire	Earth
* Element Keywords:	Body of Water	Vapour of Thought	Flame of Feeling	Spirit of Earth
* [Waite/Smith Element]:	[Earth]	[Air]	[Water]	[Fire]
* [Waite/Smith Suit]:	[Pentacles]	[Swords]	[Cups]	[Wands]
Zoa:	Tharmas	Urizen	Luvah	Urthona (Los)
'Zoa Keywords:'	'The Parent Power'	'King of Pride'	'Prince of Love'	'Prophet of Eternity' (TIME)
Occupation:	Shepherd	Ploughman	Weaver	Blacksmith
Emanation:	Enion	Ahania	Vala	Enitharmon
Emanation Keyword:	Desire	Pleasure	Nature	Inspiration (SPACE)
Direction:	West	South	East	North
Creative Arts:	Graphic Arts, Sculpture, Crafts, Sports, Martial Arts, Ceramics	Architecture, Engineering, Physics, Astronomy, Astrology, Philosophy	Music, Dance, Weaving, Cooking, Perfumery, Chemistry, Alchemy	Literature, Oratory, Theater Arts, Psychology, Mythology, Agriculture
Vision:	Single	Twofold	Threefold	Fourfold
Degraded Arts:	Medical and Surgical Arts	Technology, Politics, History	Legal Arts, Economics, Mathematics	Religion, Ritual, War
Anatomy:	Body (Sensuality)	Head (Selfhood)	Heart (Forgiveness)	Loins [Genitals] (Creativity)
Sense Organ:	Tongue (Speech) + Touch	Eyes (Vision)	Nostrils (Scent)	Ears (Hearing)
Divided Man:	Shadow	Spectre	Emanation	Humanity
Realm:	Generation (Existence)	Ulro (Delusion)	Beulah (Subconscious)	Eden (Brotherhood)
Satan's Quaternity:	Death (of the Body)	Night (of Reason)	Sin (of the Emotions)	Chaos (of the Imagination)
* Jungian Function:	Sensation	Thinking	Feeling	Intuition
Tetramorph:	Ox	Lion	Man, Angel	Eagle
* Archangel:	Raphael (Healing)	Gabriel (Truth)	Uriel (Salvation)	Michael (Amity)
* Evangelist:	Luke	Mark	Matthew	John
* Triumphs (Fallen):	0-Innocence	IV-Reason	III-Nature	I-Magic and II-Mystery
* Triumphs (Regenerated):	XI-Energy	XII-Reversal	VIII-Assessment	IX-Imagination
Location:	Circumference (Body)	Zenith (Brain)	Center (Heart)	Nadir (Subconscious)
Dimension:	Outward	Height and Depth	Inward	Breadth
Celestial:	Earth (Senses)	Stars (Intellect)	Moon (Love)	Sun (Imagination)
Ruling:	Vegetation	Matter	Men	Gods
Metal:	Brass (Society)	Gold (Wisdom)	Silver (Love)	Iron (War)
Divinity:	God (Father)	Satan	Jesus (Son)	Holy Ghost
Small Animal:	Worm (Mortality)	Butterfly (Resurrection)	Dove (Love)	Eagle (Genius)
Large Animal:	Elephant (Sexuality)	Horse (Reason)	Tiger (Emotional Wrath)	Lion (Spiritual Wrath)
Supernaturals:	Nymphs	Fairies	Genii	Gnomes
Desires:	Lust	Hunger	Love	Friendship
City:	York	Verulam (Canterbury)	London	Edinburgh
Country:	Ireland	Wales	England	Scotland
Continent:	America (Materialism)	Africa (Slavery)	Asia (Reaction)	Europe (Imagination)
* Color:	Blue	Yellow	Red	Green
* Concerns:	Wealth	Death	Love	Power
*	Security	Ego	Fantasy	Self
*	Work	Knowledge	Passion	Commitment
* Motto:	I do	I think	I feel	I desire
* Mode:	Literal, Tangible	Deductive, Logical	Inductive, Psychological	Spiritual, Mystical
* Creative Process	Manifests —>	Changes —>	Reacts —>	Masters
* Imaginative process:	Produces	<— Utilizes	<— Nurtures	<— Conceives

* Correspondences marked by asterisks are not specifically Blakean.