In The Golden Dawn, Book T provides the descriptive foundation for the 78 Tarot symbols and their attributions (letters, paths, signs, planets, decans, etc.). These correspondences are usually presented in a microcosmic way — circular and “flat”: the Tarot is read as a mapping of the ecliptic (the zodiacal belt), divided into signs and smaller segments (decans).
For example: the 4 of Swords is attributed to Jupiter in Libra, 20°–30° (the 3rd decan of Libra). On a zodiac wheel, this means:
- placing Libra on its 30° arc,
- subdividing it into three segments (0–10, 10–20, 20–30),
- and inscribing “4 of Swords” on the 20–30 segment.
The text then develops the “climate” of the card (rest after struggle, peace after conflict, etc.), showing how a portion of the sky — reduced to a wheel — becomes a quality of experience.
But another document, titled “The Tree of Life as projected in solid sphere”, proposes a macrocosmic reading: the Tree of Life is presented as a structural rule operating in the “celestial heavens” when projected onto a solid sphere.
In this model, the ecliptic becomes a central reference, and the sphere is organized around an axis: the text specifies that Draco encircles the Kether pole of the heavens.
Most importantly, the Tarot is no longer limited to a zodiacal crown. It unfolds in latitudinal bands around the ecliptic, from a northern pole (Kether) to a southern pole (Malkuth):
- North pole → +45°: Princesses/Knaves (the thrones of the Aces, which “rule in Kether”),
- +45° → ecliptic: Kings, Queens, and Princes,
- Ecliptic → −45°: the 12 zodiacal Trumps,
- −45° → South pole / Malkuth: the 36 small cards (2 through 10).
Thus, the microcosm looks at the wheel, while the macrocosm reveals the globe: the zodiac wheel becomes the symbolic “equator” of a sphere where the Tree of Life organizes the domains of the Tarot across the entire sky.
Reconstruction of the Book T projection on the celestial sphere
This project is a reconstruction of that spherical projection, applied to the actual sky.
Using NASA’s 3D skymap as a base, I mapped the Tarot cards in green, the constellations and major stars in white, and the official constellation borders in violet.
Since the sky is a sphere, I generated six directional views: North Pole, South Pole, Regulus, Antares, Fomalhaut, and Aldebaran.
The six sky views have now been turned into high‑resolution posters, available through print‑on‑demand in several sizes.
Taille 30 cm par 20 cm ( Size 11 inches per 8 inches) :
Poster 30 x 20 cm | North pole 1/6
Poster 30 x 20 cm | South pole 2/6
Poster 30 x 20 cm | Regulus 3/6
Poster 30 x 20 cm | Antares 4/6
Poster 30 x 20 cm | Fomalhaut 5/6
Poster 30 x 20 cm | Aldebaran 6/6
Other size are :
60 cm par 40 cm (23.5 inches per 16 inches)
90 cm par 60 cm (35.5 inches per 23.5 inches)
Lux in extensionem,
G.H.F. soror S.L.V., fondatrice de l’ordre Magicrucien de l’Aube Dorée.