In this post I will investigate possible correlations between Boiards's poem and Pico's characterizations of the ten sephiroth in his 900 Theses of 1486, to see to what degree it can be said that Boiardo was influenced by Pico's understanding of Kabbalah. I will go through the sephiroth in order, saying first how Pico characterizes them, with the page references for these characterizations, from the English translation in Farmer's Syncretism in the West, Then I give the Boiardo pair for that number in the order, then the Corpus Hermitcum Tractate 13 pair (which I contract to "Hermes"), or the applicable Pico "punisher", from my previous post in this blog; and finally my comments on the extent of any correlation between Boiardo's stanzas and Pico's characterization of hte serifirorh.
I want to emphasize that the only tarot I am correlateing to at this point is the literary one of Boiardo's tarocchi poem. Any resemblance to any actual ddeck is coincidental. And I will say in advance that the investigation is inconclusive. But perhaps others will see more than I do.
The 1st is Crown, Father, Ehyweh (Syncretism 523), Empyrian (541), and the indwelling (545). Boiardo: Laziness/Endurance, Pico: Inconstancy/Constancy.
My comment: There is a possible correlation beween the Empyrean and both Enduranc and laziness, since the Empyrean is unmoved.
The 2nd is Wisdom, Christ, Intellect, Bereshit, procession, and the primum mobile (Syn. 349, 356, 536f, 541). Boiardo: Desire/Reason; Hermes: Lust/Perserverence;
My comment: Intellect = Reason. Desire is what makes the Aristotelian First Moved move: the desire to attain God's perfection, the archetypes, the attaining of which, through perseverence, is wisdom.
The 3rd is Intelligence, repentance (Syn 355, 533), Reason (549), the firmament (541), the “great north wind” (348f), the “great jubilee” (351, a reference to the apocalypse per Farmer), “mother of the world” (351), "green line" (532), and the "upper woman" (353), who unites with 6, Tiferet, and by whom the realms below are created. Boiardo: Secrecy/Sorrow vs. Grace. Pico/Hermes: Grief vs. Joy.
My comment: The sphere of the Firmament is also called the Ogdoad, the Eighth. It is the place we strive to attain in order to see the invisible divine beyond. It is the place of Paradise, hence of Joy. Binah is a feminine sephira in Pico; so are Grace and Joy (Voluptas).
The 4th is Piety, Love, Abraham, water (all Syn. 538), the southern water (355), and Jupiter (541). Boiardo: Anger vs. Patience. Hermes: Anger vs. Light .
My comment: In Boiardo the story is of Psyche’s love for Cupid. Also Love and Mercy are characteristics of Jupiter. Anger is best represented in Mars, but it is also Jupiter's lightning-bolt.
The 5th is Judgment, North Wind, Magical Power, Mars, superior anger, northern fire, and also demons like Satan and Lilith, who come when judgment is too harsh or a Cabalist errs in his work (Syn. 354f, 525, 539, 541). Boiardo: Error vs. Perseverence. Pico/Hermes: Inconstancy vs. Constancy.
My comment: In reference to Mars, we might speak of the harshness of Leban against Jacob. Perserverence is a soldier’s virtue, inconstancy his vice. Boiardo’s error relates to the creation of demons.
The 6th is the Ineffable Name, clemency, Christ in the inferior world, Beauty, the Sun, the shining mirror, free choice, procession, Heaven, and the combining of water and fire (Syn. 347, 541, 542, 545, 539, 549). Boairdo: Doubt vs. Faith. Hermes: Ignorance vs. Knowledge of God.. The Sun as a symbol of God correlates with Hermes' Knowledge of God and Boiardo's Faith, as well as Clemency. Beauty is an attribute of Apollo, the sun god, as well as Tifereth.
The 7th is the North, to whom is addressed petitions to be granted (Syn. 541; for Wirszubski, p. 146f, this echoes Isaiah 43:6). It is also Endurance, Eternity and Saturn; it effects the conversion to superior things (Syn. 541, 549). Boiardo: Deceit vs. Wisdom. Pico/Hermes: Fraud vs. Truth. Saturn.
My comment: Deceit is a quality of Saturn, as is Wisdom. Endurance is one of Boiardo’s virtues, although not in relation to this sephira. Conversion to higher things may = wisdom.
The 8th is the South, to whom petitions are addressed not to prohibit something; it is also Majesty, Venus, and the conversion to inferior things. (Syn. 541, 549) Boiardo: Chance vs. Modesty. Hermes: Greed vs. Generosity. Venus.
My comment: Boiardo's second story deals with the opportunity to satisfy lust, and the wife's generosity, It is in the sphere of Venus. Generosity is an attribute of a rich person's Majesty.
The 9th is Mercury, which is a mixture of inferior and superior. It is also Foundation, the organ of generation by which souls enter the world (Syn. 358), the “gathering of the waters” (357), and the “just,” the redeemer "sold for silver" and "carrying his cross" (529). Boiardo: Danger vs. Experience. Hermes: Treachery vs. Life.
My comment: Hermes is a god of deceit, as in the story of his theft of Apollo's cattle when still an infant. That is close to treachery The 9th as sacrificed redeemer corresponds somewhat to Julius Caesar.
The 10th is Kingdom, Kingdom of David (Syn. 357), the Keneset Israel, the Moon, Adonai, the Holy Spirit (523), "universalized bride," (Syn. 358f), night (354), "lower woman" (353), the “daughter of the voice” (362), and the “sea to which all rivers run,” the Shekhinah (357f). It is also the "unshining mirror" (355), cut off from the other sephiroth by Adam’s sin (347), whose goal is mystical unity with the 6th sephiroth, Christ, the “shining mirror” (542f). The moon. Boiardo: Time vs. Oblivion. Hermes: nothing.
My comment: The "sea to which all rivers run" could be considered Oblivion. The Shekhinah's state, cut off from her lover, corresponds to that of Boiardo's Dido and probably also Elice, as a beloved of Jupiter.
So as you can see, there is some correlation in each case. Possibly Boiardo was in part inspired by Pico's characterizations of the sephiroth, but it is not at all clear.
I want to emphasize that the only tarot I am correlateing to at this point is the literary one of Boiardo's tarocchi poem. Any resemblance to any actual ddeck is coincidental. And I will say in advance that the investigation is inconclusive. But perhaps others will see more than I do.
The 1st is Crown, Father, Ehyweh (Syncretism 523), Empyrian (541), and the indwelling (545). Boiardo: Laziness/Endurance, Pico: Inconstancy/Constancy.
My comment: There is a possible correlation beween the Empyrean and both Enduranc and laziness, since the Empyrean is unmoved.
The 2nd is Wisdom, Christ, Intellect, Bereshit, procession, and the primum mobile (Syn. 349, 356, 536f, 541). Boiardo: Desire/Reason; Hermes: Lust/Perserverence;
My comment: Intellect = Reason. Desire is what makes the Aristotelian First Moved move: the desire to attain God's perfection, the archetypes, the attaining of which, through perseverence, is wisdom.
The 3rd is Intelligence, repentance (Syn 355, 533), Reason (549), the firmament (541), the “great north wind” (348f), the “great jubilee” (351, a reference to the apocalypse per Farmer), “mother of the world” (351), "green line" (532), and the "upper woman" (353), who unites with 6, Tiferet, and by whom the realms below are created. Boiardo: Secrecy/Sorrow vs. Grace. Pico/Hermes: Grief vs. Joy.
My comment: The sphere of the Firmament is also called the Ogdoad, the Eighth. It is the place we strive to attain in order to see the invisible divine beyond. It is the place of Paradise, hence of Joy. Binah is a feminine sephira in Pico; so are Grace and Joy (Voluptas).
The 4th is Piety, Love, Abraham, water (all Syn. 538), the southern water (355), and Jupiter (541). Boiardo: Anger vs. Patience. Hermes: Anger vs. Light .
My comment: In Boiardo the story is of Psyche’s love for Cupid. Also Love and Mercy are characteristics of Jupiter. Anger is best represented in Mars, but it is also Jupiter's lightning-bolt.
The 5th is Judgment, North Wind, Magical Power, Mars, superior anger, northern fire, and also demons like Satan and Lilith, who come when judgment is too harsh or a Cabalist errs in his work (Syn. 354f, 525, 539, 541). Boiardo: Error vs. Perseverence. Pico/Hermes: Inconstancy vs. Constancy.
My comment: In reference to Mars, we might speak of the harshness of Leban against Jacob. Perserverence is a soldier’s virtue, inconstancy his vice. Boiardo’s error relates to the creation of demons.
The 6th is the Ineffable Name, clemency, Christ in the inferior world, Beauty, the Sun, the shining mirror, free choice, procession, Heaven, and the combining of water and fire (Syn. 347, 541, 542, 545, 539, 549). Boairdo: Doubt vs. Faith. Hermes: Ignorance vs. Knowledge of God.. The Sun as a symbol of God correlates with Hermes' Knowledge of God and Boiardo's Faith, as well as Clemency. Beauty is an attribute of Apollo, the sun god, as well as Tifereth.
The 7th is the North, to whom is addressed petitions to be granted (Syn. 541; for Wirszubski, p. 146f, this echoes Isaiah 43:6). It is also Endurance, Eternity and Saturn; it effects the conversion to superior things (Syn. 541, 549). Boiardo: Deceit vs. Wisdom. Pico/Hermes: Fraud vs. Truth. Saturn.
My comment: Deceit is a quality of Saturn, as is Wisdom. Endurance is one of Boiardo’s virtues, although not in relation to this sephira. Conversion to higher things may = wisdom.
The 8th is the South, to whom petitions are addressed not to prohibit something; it is also Majesty, Venus, and the conversion to inferior things. (Syn. 541, 549) Boiardo: Chance vs. Modesty. Hermes: Greed vs. Generosity. Venus.
My comment: Boiardo's second story deals with the opportunity to satisfy lust, and the wife's generosity, It is in the sphere of Venus. Generosity is an attribute of a rich person's Majesty.
The 9th is Mercury, which is a mixture of inferior and superior. It is also Foundation, the organ of generation by which souls enter the world (Syn. 358), the “gathering of the waters” (357), and the “just,” the redeemer "sold for silver" and "carrying his cross" (529). Boiardo: Danger vs. Experience. Hermes: Treachery vs. Life.
My comment: Hermes is a god of deceit, as in the story of his theft of Apollo's cattle when still an infant. That is close to treachery The 9th as sacrificed redeemer corresponds somewhat to Julius Caesar.
The 10th is Kingdom, Kingdom of David (Syn. 357), the Keneset Israel, the Moon, Adonai, the Holy Spirit (523), "universalized bride," (Syn. 358f), night (354), "lower woman" (353), the “daughter of the voice” (362), and the “sea to which all rivers run,” the Shekhinah (357f). It is also the "unshining mirror" (355), cut off from the other sephiroth by Adam’s sin (347), whose goal is mystical unity with the 6th sephiroth, Christ, the “shining mirror” (542f). The moon. Boiardo: Time vs. Oblivion. Hermes: nothing.
My comment: The "sea to which all rivers run" could be considered Oblivion. The Shekhinah's state, cut off from her lover, corresponds to that of Boiardo's Dido and probably also Elice, as a beloved of Jupiter.
So as you can see, there is some correlation in each case. Possibly Boiardo was in part inspired by Pico's characterizations of the sephiroth, but it is not at all clear.
