The Chakras are 7 places along the spine of our own body that we experience as 7 major centers of energy, corresponding to the 7 endrocrine centers and 7 nerve ganglia of the body. The Hindus developed the yoga system of kundalini to arouse and liberate the energies that get blocked in each of our centers. The physical and sexual energy of the lower chakras is raised to the higher ones, leading to blissful enlightenment. The chakras are the seven steps to enlightenment. In each center we can feel the energies and abilities we need for life. When all centers are open and balanced, and the currents between them are flowing, each center functions at its highest level. Thus, enlightenment and insight (and not just ordinary, runaway thinking) happens in the upper chakras when they are connected to the physical energy and desire of the lower chakras, and success in the physical world (and not just runaway fear and indulgence) happens through the lower chakras when they are connected to and guided by the higher centers. Here are the aspects and faculties of our being that are related to each chakra, listed from the highest:

7 (crown of the head): bliss, enlightenment, connection to God and cosmos, spirit, thought and understanding, pituitary gland 6 (third eye): vision, intuition, psychic awareness, imagination, light, left/right brain, pineal gland 5 (throat): expression, communication, hearing, sound, speech, interpretation, hands, adaptation, thyroid gland 4 (heart): love, compassion, relationship, balance and harmony, inner guidance, authentic self, thymus gland 3 (solar plexus/navel): will, power, energy, digestion, center of gravity, action, muscles, legs, adrenal glands 2 (genitals, lower stomach): sexual/sensual energy, female sexuality, joy and pleasure, desire, subconscious mind, genitals, ovaries, prostate gland 1 (base of spine): survival, grounding, finances, matter, roots of life, feet, "seat of pants" instinct, basic instilled beliefs, excretory system, male sexuality, testicles

What occured to me in 2004 was that, since the Toccata unfolds in seven distinct phases, it might be a picture of the seven major chakras. The piece opens with a grand canon theme, just like the double helix of kundalini, but soon after we hear a decisive chord that defines the end of the first section. Then a second canon starts, and this section ends with a whole bunch of powerful chords. Then the third section is launched by a second, different but related, powerfully-uplifting theme. This theme returns to mark off and open each succeeding chakra section, including the seventh where it is transformed into a stunning, blissful climax.

These 7 stages, furthermore, show a 3-part arrangement within the Toccata which is identical to how Anodea Judith arranges the chakras in 3 parts, with the two base chakras and the two upper chakras mediated by three in between, and centered on the 4th chakra in the center or heart (see Wheels of Life, p.46, 183). Judith goes further to identify the three groups with the Hindu gunas, the first two correlated with tamas (denseness), the middle three with rajas (passion), and the highest two with sattvas (wisdom, expansion); although the heart is considered both rajas and sattvas (indicating the wisdom and balance of the heart). These are also the same three parts of the soul mentioned by Plato, the Kabbalah and Freud. Robert Place showed how the 21 tarot trump cards (the so-called Major Arcana) reveal a 3-stage journey of the soul, and compared them to the Joyful , Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of Christianity, often recited in rosary prayers, describing Christ’s journey; mysteries Bach himself might have known of (The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination, p.128). The Joyful stage was Jesus' incarnation and early life (when he was a carpenter), the Sorrowful stage was his trials, passion and death, and the Glorious stage is Christ's resurrection and ascension.

 As we move up the Toccata from its auspicious beginning to its crowning glory, we hear the first two sections in which the two hands each play lines that imitate each other, accompanied by a held-down pedal note (called an organ or pedal point); each time followed by a pedal solo. In the next three sections, hands and pedal are played together. The piece concludes with two sections distinguished from the preceeding three by the soaring transformation of the themes, giving the impression that one has risen to the top of the chakras (or mountain, cathedral, cosmos, etc.), with each of the two final sections affording an increasingly magnificent "peak experience" and releasing incredible energy, just as students of kundalini yoga might experience.

Examining the Toccata closer, we find not only 7 sections, but we see that each section in turn has two parts. Of the 7 main sections, however, the last two are somewhat shorter in duration than the other 5, as if each of these final two sections could also be considered a division of one larger section. Thus, 6 sections, and 12 sub-sections. This corresponds to what Anodea Judith has described (p.118 and 121) as the energy flow or channel on each side of each chakra, one flow upward and one downward, which Hindus represent as two snakes (Ida and Pingala) winding themselves 6 times around the backbone axis (the Sushumna, like the staff of the caduceus symbol), and around each chakra (illustration at left from Alchemy by Burckhardt). The two opposing directions of the energy flowing around each chakra, causes them to "spin," and to alternate their direction of spin from one chakra to the next one above it.

These 12 positions in the chakra system correspond to the 12 signs of the zodiac. Astrology and the chakras are linked. Each year, in fact, we move through all the signs, and at the same time, we move up and down the chakras. What this means is that the zodiac is in your own body. As you move through the chakras, you also move through the signs, and as you listen to the Toccata in F, you move through the signs as well as the chakras. You hear the cosmos reflected within yourself as you hear Bach's cosmic music.

As we move through these signs each year, an alternation happens that is like the snake-like alternation in the chakras, which change from yang to yin and back as you move up or down. Each succeeding sign changes polarity from the preceeding one. Thus Aries is yang (positive polarity), the next sign Taurus is yin (negative polarity), Gemini is yang, Cancer is yin, and so on.

Furthermore, each sign of the zodiac is linked to one of the 7 visible planets. This is called rulership. Thus, we also are moving in and out through the planets as we move through the signs and chakras. The 5 visible planets each rule two signs of the zodiac, and the Sun and Moon each rule one sign. This pattern was discovered around 2000 BC, when the Summer Solstice occured as the Sun entered the constellation Leo. This diagram from Titus Burckhardt's book Alchemy (page 88) shows this pattern (labelled by me, in case you don't know the symbols).

With the yin/yang alternation added, you get this pattern: sign polarity ruling planet polarity sign Leo yang Sun/Moon yin Cancer Virgo yin Mercury yang Gemini Libra yang Venus yin Taurus Scorpio yin Mars yang Aries Sagittarius yang Jupiter yin Pisces Capricorn yin Saturn yang Aquarius

As you can see, a whole pattern is formed among the planets in order, like a ladder from the outermost planet at the bottom of the table to the Sun and Moon at the top, and each planet rules both a yin sign and a yang sign, one on each side of the table (and thus each side of the year, from Winter to Summer, or from Summer to Winter). The signs ruled by Saturn represent the bottom, base or first chakra (Aquarius the positive or yang sign, and Capricorn the negative/yin, each ruled by Saturn), the signs ruled by Jupiter represent the 2nd chakra (Pisces the negative, Sagittarius the positive), the signs ruled by Mars represent the third (Aries positive, and Scorpio negative), Venus the fourth (Taurus yin and Libra yang), Mercury the fifth (Gemini yang and Virgo yin), and Moon and Sun represent the 6th and 7th respectively, sharing co-rulership of one sign each (Cancer being the negative yin polarity, and Leo the positive yang)-- just like in the Toccata, where the two shorter final sections can also be considered the two halves of the final section.

Alchemically, we move through the seven metals, from lead, linked to Saturn and the base chakra, up through tin (Jupiter, 2nd chakra), iron (Mars, 3rd chakra), copper (Venus, 4th), mercury (Mercury, 5th) and silver (Moon, 6th chakra) to gold (Sun) at the crown. The color spectrum runs up the chakras as follows: red at the 1st chakra, orange at the 2nd, yellow at the 3rd, green at the 4th, blue at the 5th, indigo at the 6th, and violet at the 7th (again, indigo and violet really being two shades of purple at the two top chakras).

See a chart of the 7 levels here.

Here is a chart showing how the signs of the zodiac correspond to (and even generate) the two energy current channels Ida and Pingala (or the two caduceus snakes), by alternating polarity between yang and yin (or positive and negative) through the yearly zodiac cycle.

This cycle is shown starting with the southern Winter signs (Capricorn, Aquarius) at the base chakra, moving up through the Spring signs, to the northern Summer signs (Cancer, Leo) at the crown chakra, and returning through the Autumn signs to the base.

Each chakra is ruled by a planet, which in turn rules (is linked to) two signs each, one yin and one yang; except the Sun (yang) and Moon (yin) which rule one sign each. With the planets in the center, their two ruling signs are shown on each side of them. Yang signs are in bold and red, yin signs are in italics and blue. The ascending, liberating yin current or "snake" flows through the yin signs, and the descending, manifesting current/snake flows through the yang signs, each current switching from side to side at each level. Although to my knowledge this scheme has never been presented before, it is a combination of the illustration by Anodea Judith from Wheels of Life (1989, Llewellyn), page 123 (shown under "chakras and currents" in the next chart below), and Titus Burckhardt, Alchemy (1960, Penguin), page 88, shown in the picture above. By the way, sometimes the liberating current is described as yang and the manifesting as yin.

chakra	Autumn signs	Planets	Spring signs	chakra
7-crown	Leo	Sun/Moon	Cancer	6-third eye
5-throat	Virgo	Mercury	Gemini	5-throat
4-heart	Libra	Venus	Taurus	4-heart
3-solar plexus	Scorpio	Mars	Aries	3-solar plexus
2-genitals	Sagittarius	Jupiter	Pisces	2-genitals
1-base	Capricorn	Saturn	Aquarius	1-base

Note also that this symbolic scheme can be represented in an alternative way, with the yang signs all placed on the left and the yin signs on the right (or vice versa works too). In this arrangement the current flows through the sequence of the signs through the seasons, from Aquarius in January to Cancer in June (spring) and from Leo in July to Capricorn in December (autumn). In each case, the chakra spins in a direction opposite to the one below it, because the currents switch from side to side as they ascend and descend:

yang signs	PLANET	yin signs
Leo (autumn)	SUN/MOON	Cancer (spring)
Gemini (spring)	MERCURY	Virgo (autumn)
Libra (autumn)	VENUS	Taurus (spring)
Aries (spring)	MARS	Scorpio (autumn)
Sagittarius (autumn)	JUPITER	Pisces (spring)
Aquarius (spring)	SATURN	Capricorn (autumn)

Some occult symbols (like the Golden Dawn's Tree of Life) reverse the sequence shown above, putting the outer planets at the top instead of the Sun and Moon.

Some traditional yogis do not say that the two currents switch from side to side, but that feminine, lunar Ida flows only on the left, and masculine, solar Pingala only on the right. Some say they only cross each other twice; at the 3rd and 5th chakras. I think this grand symbol contains any of these interpretations. If yin and yang signs are all placed on one side, then, as I mentioned, the currents still shift back and forth as they proceed through the sign sequence during the Earth's year. These two currents can be represented as the two sides (one yin and one yang) of the great medicine wheel, or as the left and right columns on the Kabbalah's Tree of Life; as well as two spiraling currents, one yin and one yang. If the currents only switch at the 3rd and 5th chakras, they mark the divisions between the 3 parts of the soul. Many clairvoyants, such as Anodea Judtih, observe the currents switching and the direction of spin changing, from one chakra to the next.

 Before looking at each section of the Toccata, let’s examine the theme itself more closely. Get a copy of the piece and listen to it if you can, and/or find a sample by googling Toccata in F online. Or click on one of the performances available on
YOU TUBE (see this one from Bach's church)
Lionel Rogg plays Bach's Toccata in F at Arlesheim in 1970.
Hear Ton Koopman play it (best sounds, but no visual of the organist playing)
Or hear Helmut Walcha play it
Or watch Balint Karosi play it
Aaron Robinson plays it, with great views of different cathedrals and organs
Arjen Leistra plays the toccata
Hear Toccata from Bruges cathedral; good view of organist and keyboard
You can follow the essay and the music together by cleverly using the web's and You Tube's features. Open a second browser window for this essay, after opening You Tube from the link here. Switch over and click the pause button whenever you need to stop the music, to give yourself time to read the description of each section.

Chakra One

Intertwining snake theme turns the chakra wheel to the right

The Toccata in F begins with a long, snake-like linear string of notes played by the hands. The theme itself consists of 6 notes per measure, with this 6-note figure then virtually repeated in the next measure one note up the scale, to form a total of 12 notes. The 1st note of the next bar can also be considered the 7th note of the previous bar. Again, one note for each sign of the zodiac, and one note for each of the 12 half-sections of the entire piece. Also, since the first note of the 3rd bar is also a part of the basic theme, that makes 13 notes in all in the theme of Toccata in F.

The notes of the theme themselves alternate back and forth between up and down (or yang and yin, like yang and yin signs or chakras). To me, this resembles the movement of a snake, like the two serpents around the axis of the caduceus, the symbol of medicine.

Titus Burckhardt writes in Alchemy, "a serpent or dragon as the image of cosmic power is to be found in all parts of the world...A reptile moves without legs and by means of an uninterrupted rhythm in its body, so that it is the incorporation, so to say, of a subtle oscillation." (p.130). This smooth "uninterrupted rhythm" is characteristic of much of Baroque music in general, and of this piece in particular, with its unique up and down oscillation between each note that sounds like the wiggling movement of a snake. Indeed the rhythm is so seductive it almost sounds like a snake dance. I call Bach's Toccata in F the serpentine toccata. Lionel Rogg wrote that Bach’s later organ toccatas are brilliant pieces characterized by an "uninterrupted movement" and "an implacable rhythm," and that they were the basis for the modern form of the toccata. Click HERE to read liner notes by Lionel Rogg and Harry Halbreich for the Toccata in F by Bach

 But in Bach’s Toccata in F, you don’t have just one snake; you have two, just like in the caduceus symbol! For the identical theme starts again just two measures later, now played with the left hand, even as the right hand continues on, each hand now moving in canon form, one imitating the other in counterpoint. So you have an image in the theme itself of two snakes twirling around each other. One is played with the right hand; thus the yang current, and one with the left hand; thus the yin current. It is a round, like "Row Row Row Your Boat" (with only two voices). You can also call it a spiralling double helix. What’s more, you also have the pole holding steady in the center, provided by the held-down pedal note underlying the whole magnificent theme.

 We also notice that this snake or canon (imitation) theme, which lasts about a minute, itself has 7 portions, each consisting of from 6 to 8 measures each. Everywhere throughout this piece, we have the same pattern repeated on many levels, like a hologram or a fractile. Often the sequence of notes in each of these 7 portions of the canon "snake theme" suggests the chakras as a whole. For example, twice among the 7 portions of the theme, the third measure features 3 longer, triumphant and optimistic notes that leap upward, suggesting the energy release to come at the third chakra section. Twice as well, the basic 6-note theme repeats itself 7 times in a row, starting one note higher on the scale each time, providing us a picture in minature of the 7 chakras, each one higher than the last. It is significant that the modulation (change of key), from F to B-flat that happens during the first canon, and from C to F in the second, each takes place in the fourth measure of this very sequence, representing the inner transformation that takes place at the heart chakra. What’s more, during the second canon (or 2nd chakra section), this 7-measure movement up the chakras starts with C and ends with B, thereby correlating with the way the notes are traditionally linked to each chakra.

See the score here in pdf

 We notice that the first chakra section has two halves, a liberating part and a manifesting part, as does every section. After the canon with the pedal point underlying it (with the right hand leading the way, representing the first chakra’s yang polarity), the theme is then played again all by itself on the pedals. This represents the downward manifesting current of the first chakra, because the solo pounding of the feet on the pedals represents the down-to-earth pull of the first chakra, as we ground ourselves in the movements of our feet. What’s more, most of the time the pedal notes are themselves moving downward toward the roots, or into the dark fog as the 12-note theme is heard one note lower each time, until the very last note leaves us dangling in chaos, as if out of tune. (In some editions of the Toccata, this note has been changed to a more harmonious dominant note.) Then at last, three grand chords immediately and boldly announce the next chakra, in which we move upward again.

Chakra Two

The intertwining snake theme turns to the left

 In the second chakra section, representing the second chakra of the genital area in the lower abdomen, once again we hear the same canon composed of exactly the same notes, with the theme repeating itself two bars later in the other hand as before; only this time, things are switched around. The left hand starts instead, and it also begins lower down in the dominant key of C major (it soons returns to F, and then back again to C; just as in the first canon it starts with F and moves to B Flat and back). The left hand leading is a clear symbol of the feminine nature of this center, as Anodea Judith describes it. Once again the held pedal note majestically underlies the snake movement, just like the great OM sound underlying all creation. And this time, the "snake" theme not only gives the impression of joyous celebration, but conveys the "sweetness" for which Chakra 2 is named.

Indeed, I find few if any musical passages as sweet as this secondcanon in the Toccata in F. This tender joyfulness also indicates the chakra’s yin or feminine polarity. The music also conveys a wonderful fluidity. Somehow the softer sound of the lower notes played by the left hand, leading the higher notes played by the right hand, allows a sweeter feeling to emerge. The subconscious, softer, more relaxed and feminine part of us is leading the way. Both canons together have always given me the impression of a world coming again to new life, as if Kundalini or Shakti is rising out of the trap in which she is originally found, coiled like a snake inside the base of the spine. Now she’s being released, and nothing represents this liberation and new life better than this sweet, snake-like music. The OM sound of the pedal, and the vibrant notes twirling around it, evoke the powerful movement of life as it unfolds "implacably" within and all around us. Pause, listen, awaken, and participate!

Then once again, the pedal solo follows, which is the manifesting current of the 2nd chakra. I don't know another piece with two pedal solos in the midst of it. It seems highly symbolic. The foot movements ground us, showing we are still in a lower chakra; but this time the theme not only moves downward through the pedals, but takes a leap upward too, and moves around with greater freedom. Then, it readies us for the "takeoff" which comes upon us suddenly as we enter the next chakra.

Chakra Three, transition

The Chariot theme; a portal of power

 As the third chakra section begins, it is as if the music has burst into flames. Judith indeed compares this chakra to the fire element. What’s more, she says it represents our courage, our power and our will. Indeed, any virtuoso organist who has played Bach’s Toccata in F can testify that it takes courage to play the next three sections, because now both hands and feet are playing elaborate themes all at once. Entering this third section, representing the solar-plexus or power center, it seems like a change of state has occured, from the more joyful but dense tamas phase to the passionate and ambitious rajas phase.

In the first series of chords which announce the change, the wiggling snake is transformed into two great declarative chordal columns (as if standing for the two left and right columns on the Kabballah’s tree of life), with the pedal axis remaining between them. First a pedal note sounds; then the two chords. As we will see, I call this the "chariot theme." Once again, there are 12 chords in all, one for each zodiac sign, while the pedal note preceeding each set of two chords now alternates between higher and lower octaves. This graceful up-and-down octave movement on the pedals once again represents the central staff, its vertical direction now visible to us. Even so, the 12 chordal columns still "wiggle," as they alternate between higher and lower notes just like the original theme. So, in effect, in the chordal columns the original theme is given a larger and slower treatment, fractal-like.

It is like two moving triangles, with the pedal notes, one higher and the next one lower, representing the apex of the triangles; one pointing up and one down. Or you can also see two successive wedges formed just in the pedal notes (the bottom staff): the first 3 notes form a wedge that points down and next 3 form one that points up. You can see this in the original theme too. This pattern is said to represent the Merkabah, or the soul’s chariot in its journey to "the other world." Those familiar with The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown may also recognize this chariot figure as the two icons for chalice and blade, or male and female, one pointing up and one down, which when combined form the Star of David from the Temple of Solomon, which is also a symbol of the Merkabah, our vehicle of ascension. The pedal notes shifting up and down thrust the Chariot up the chakra tree, not only here, at the start of the third section (which is also regarded as the end of the second section), but throughout the rest of the mystical journey, since we hear this theme again in all the following sections. Anodea Judith says at her web site that the word chakra originally derives from the wheels of the chariots of the Aryans who conquered India, after which chakra knowledge was developed.

Chakra Three

Begins with a fiery and uplifting arpeggio, the first hearing of the liberating theme

 Then, after another pedal note followed by the same series of 3 chords we heard announcing the second chakra, the original theme itself is magically transformed into an upward-leaping movement that traverses an entire octave; first entering on the pedal, then the right hand, then twice with the left. This is called an arpeggio because it is like a chord with the notes played successively instead of all at once.

The whole theme is repeated 4 times, modulating (changing) through 4 different keys. Beginning immediately and confidently, this new optimistic, rhythmically-bouyant and uplifting theme represents our will, which has come under our command. Nothing could evoke it more clearly than this powerful and grand musical figure. Also, the direction in which this next chakra turns has shifted again. This third chakra of will and power is considered a yang or male chakra, contrasting with the previous yin chakra below it, and similar to the yang first chakra that turns in the same direction. As Anodea Judith explains, our personal power and will is not created by domination, but by the coordination among the parts of our being and by our ability to work together with others. Here this new energy and coordination is represented by hands and feet playing this new courageous, uplifting, liberating theme together in counterpoint. The feet always play the theme first, in the lowest notes, which may indicate how important the subconscious mind (developed or tapped in the 2nd chakra and in the pedal solos), as well as our passion and sensuality (also 2nd chakra), are in fueling and guiding our will and our power, at least when well programmed by our higher soul centers. In fact, when the 2nd pedal solo jumps upward it anticipates the new uplifting theme, with only a one note difference.

 What’s more, it is clear that we have entered a truly ambitious and liberating journey that will take us ever higher. We are climbing a "stairway to heaven" (to higher consciousness), which has 7 steps. This confident new uplifting theme is repeated to open each succeeding chakra section (at the climactic 7th chakra the theme is given an expanded and altered treatment). The liberating current becomes dominant as we go up the chakras, and likewise this liberating theme becomes more dominant as we go upward in the music. Already, in the opening two canons or snake themes, it had been suggested in the third measure (thus anticipating the third chakra), as the principle notes of this uplifting, liberating theme were sounded there. But in the lower two chakras, the liberating theme is only suggested, while the snake or "manifesting" theme is completely dominant. This represents the preeminence of the manifesting current in the lower chakras. In the third, fourth and fifth sections, however, the two themes alternate equally. But in the final and highest sections, it is the original manifesting snake theme that becomes submerged and blended beneath the uplifting liberating theme, now transformed into a fabulous crowning glory.

 The grand 12-chord column-like figure, accompanied by pedal octaves, which announces the third chakra, returns during all the remaining sections of the piece, usually following the liberating uplifting theme; affording us ever more magnificent scenic views on our journey. Meanwhile, the second half of the 3rd chakra is introduced with huge, grand chords of great energy and flourish. The most powerful notes of the Toccata are heard at the center of our center of power. Then a new version of the original 12-note "snake" theme is heard, now in a minor key (d minor; related to F major, the key in which the first chakra-- also having a yang polarity like the 3rd-- began), played this time with both hands and feet. The return of the "snake" theme reminds us of the first two chakras "below." We are meeting the downward movement of the current on the other side of the chakra, represented by the return of the original manifesting snake theme-- this time of shorter duration and in grand style, and played with two hands and feet. The minor key also represents the downward trend. Furthermore, toward the end of this half-section, the pedals perform a torturous, rapid downward-moving shorter version of the original pedal solo, with the left hand imitating it in harmony, accompanied by a slower, descending, up and down movement in the right hand. Capping off the third chakra section (and again also the fourth and fifth), and leading us into the next, are 7 notes moving rapidly down the scale, representing the downward movement through the 7 chakras of the manifesting current.

Chakra Four

Opens with the uplifting arpeggio again, but it is calmer

 Then as the "uplifting" or liberating theme sounds again, we have entered the fourth chakra, the heart. We notice a difference this time from the previous section. The theme dangles around itself five times through different keys, as if moving more freely and gracefully (untied or "unstruck," the Hindu name of the chakra), with less of the frantic ambition to move upward and onward that we heard in the previous third chakra. The themes are also played lower on the keyboard than in the previous and upcoming sections. Furthermore, in the middle of the third chakra, an unresolved chord had led us into an extra upward-moving passage that gives the distinct impression that we are making a tortuous and difficult ascent; and this happens again in the fifth chakra. Here this passage is omitted, and the first half of the heart chakra section ends on a quiet tonic chord. This gives the fourth chakra section a more peaceful feeling than the last, representing the calm yin polarity of the heart chakra. The missing "difficult ascent" passage, built from the liberating and then the manifesting theme, here doesn’t block the heart’s center; representing its "balance" and serenity. So now, the two currents, upward & downward, Ida & Pingala, are in equilibrium, and we feel centered here in the very middle of the Toccata, as if we’re in the eye of the storm.

I wondered for some time why the heart chakra section features five repeats of the liberating theme, while the 3rd and 5th chakra sections have only four repeats. The Da Vinci Code provided the answer for me. It makes much of the pentacle (five-pointed star) as the symbol of Venus, the goddess of love and the sacred feminine. Brown, as well as astrology writers like Mark Lerner, have pointed out that Venus makes 5 stations (passages close to Earth) before returning to the same place in the zodiac 8 years later (with an advance of only 8 minutes of arc). As you can see from our tables, Venus rules the heart chakra. The 5 repeats of the liberating theme also matches the "5th element" (or ether, the quintessence), which I have linked to the heart. The pentacle is also related to the famous fibonacci series, because the lines within a pentacle are related to each other according to the fibonacci proportion of 1.618.

As we might expect, this "divine" or "golden proportion" is present in the great Toccata in F itself. In fact, here in the middle of the heart chakra, just as its second half begins, we reach 271 bars out of 438 (438 divided by 271 equals 1.616). Also, the length of the liberating and manifesting sections in each of the first 5 chakra sections are related according to the divine proportion; but only in the heart chakra, and in the 2nd chakra (where Venus is exalted), are these proportions close to exact. (HERE is a footnote describing all the mathematical proportions I have so far discovered in the Toccata).

As the snake theme returns again in the second or manifesting half of the fourth chakra section, the left hand leads the way this time, representing again the yin polarity; whereas the right hand had come in before the left in the third section. A new passionate, "heart-felt" and tender phrase is also added to the start of the theme, a short but powerful motif that anticipates the crown chakra. Then, after a similar upward climb as before, the same rapid "downward" movement in the pedals is heard as in the previous section, but this time it is imitated by the higher notes in the right hand, with the left hand in the middle accompanying with the slower notes. As we move higher, so do the notes. The key of this manifesting section is A minor, which is related to the C major in which the previous yin section, the 2nd chakra, started. "Related" keys have all the same notes on the keyboard; a minor just starts the scale two notes below the major. Remember we saw this also with the first two yang chakras, d minor being the related key to F major.

Chakra Five

Opens with the third uplifting arpeggio; more insistent now

 The third-chakra’s "uplifting" and liberating theme then enters again to start the fifth section, and this time we sense greater urgency as we continue our climb. We realize now we are in another yang or masculine chakra, the fifth or throat chakra. We can’t rest now; we are attacking the summit! We are ready for the most difficult challenges now. So there’s no messing or whirling around with the liberating theme this time, as the 4 modulations and their concluding chords all end on an upward tonic note; and the tone is getting darker and more urgent. Things are stated clearly and unambiguously, since this is the chakra of communication. As we enter the chakra ruled by Mercury, or Hermes the Magician himself, we feel about to be transformed by the magical work, and we face the dark demons within. This time, in the manifesting or second half of the 5th chakra section, the "downward" movement that once was laboriously played out with the feet on the pedals and imitated with one hand, has now been transferred upward to both hands alone. The pedal plays the slower accompanying notes. This not only represents the manual dexterity of Mercury, but indicates that we are opening up our higher mental faculties. At the same time, we feel less grounded, even as we feel higher and closer to the climax. Some listeners begin to feel strained at the anxious repetition of similar themes we’ve heard before. We begin to wonder, and to ask our Master Hermes/Bach, "will we ever get to the top?" Will our great work ever end? Is this the darkness before the light?

Chakra Six

The uplifting arpeggio sounds a fourth time; but now it introduces a breakthrough

 Soon though, as the "uplifting" theme sounds again, we have entered into the sixth chakra section, at the brow or third eye. Suddenly a breakthrough occurs, as the entire landscape stretches down before us. We realize how high we have climbed. It is like revelations are occuring. The original snake theme and the 12-chord column figure (chariot theme) are blended together in counterpoint, and our vision breaks all boundaries as we soar upward into the exalted key of B-Flat, accompanied by Om-like bass pedal points. The music now seems graceful and poised again, since we are now in a yin chakra, and our chariot has carried us into the sattva level of higher consciousness. Once again, as in the 2nd and 4th yin sections, the chariot theme ends on a peaceful tonic chord.

Chakra Seven

The uplifting arpeggio is stretched out into a new theme of bliss and glory

 Then the music readies us for the final leap. The "uplifting" liberating theme enters again twice, in two fragments, and then we are hurled exuberantly into the glorious final section. A totally-transformed theme is sounded triumphantly over a huge new C-major Om-like pedal point. It is a simple theme crafted from all the preceeding elements of the music. You can also see it as stretching and extending the chords of the liberating theme. We feel the bliss in which everything seems perfect, even if only for a moment. We have arrived at the radiant golden summit; the top of the head; the crown chakra! The kundalini energy then is fully unleashed, as the uplifting, liberating theme rushes up and down the keyboard and is turned upside down and back again with seemingly reckless abandon. Light and sound flushes through us, and we are connected to the cosmos. Then the 12 chord-columns of the chariot theme sound again, this time descending from the heights.

Finally, in an amazing stroke, Bach brings back the passage of tortuous ascent that he had cut from the heart chakra, and attaches it here to the end as the final coda. Now however, it seems like a theme of conquest and resolution, one that also connects the cosmic energy of the crown chakra back to our own heart center. We are back again in F major now too, as if ready to begin the entire adventure again-- perhaps on another level. Indeed, the final chord is exactly the same as the chord that boldly introduces the second chakra, as if introducing the first section again and allowing us to start the whole Toccata over.

But if the listener chooses, (s)he can move on instead into the Fugue in F that follows the Toccata, in which the new serenity and peace you have gained moves smoothly through two entirely new main themes, as if floating in glowing clouds of glory; each theme entering successively, one radiant and the other more quiet and serene, and then combined together at the end like an alchemical marriage of Sun and Moon in the 7th chakra. During the first theme, the glorious crown theme of the Toccata is alluded to often, and the second theme in places resembles the Toccata's second theme, the "liberation" theme of upward arpeggios.

 It is a fun exercize to visualize the colors of each chakra, and pay attention to each center’s location in your body, while listening to each section of the Toccata in F. For which color corresponds to which chakra, see the chart below (or Judith, p.46). The whole musical image of the Toccata in F so clearly represents the chakras and kundalini, that we have to ask, how could the devout Christian J.S. Bach have been aware of the Hindu system of Tantra yoga, or even of astrology, the Tarot, or even alchemy-- sometimes called the kundalini of the West? Well, we know that the symbol of the caduceus, and similar alchemical and astrological symbols, are found all over cathedrals, on Christian crosses, and on other forms of Christian art, even though some American Christians today might consider these subjects to be the work of the devil. They are embedded in Western tradition nontheless. Bach was certainly well-exposed to the Western tradition in all its richness, and we know (as Albert Schweitzer has pointed out) that he used musical symbolism in composing his organ works (his Prelude and Fugue in E Flat is clearly a symbol of the Trinity, for example). But maybe this kind of esoteric knowledge wasn’t necessary to Bach. He simply opened himself to whatever came to him from divine inspiration. Perhaps God just spoke through him, and a universal pattern unfolded. The Toccata certainly is a mystic meditation on the soul's heroic journey to enlightenment through seven levels, which Robert Place says is a venerable ancient tradition.

Some other proposed traits and correspondences for the chakras

chakra	chakra trait	signs	exalted planet	polarity of chakra	element	color and source	Divine Science inherency of God	Fillmore's 12 soul powers	virtue/tarot
7-crown	knowledge of God	Leo	Neptune (the mystic)	yang	spirit as yang (thought)	Neptune = violet	knowledge	Leo = wisdom	Wisdom/World
6-third eye	visionary	Cancer	Jupiter (higher mind, prophecy)	yin	fire as yin (light)	Jupiter = blue violet	wisdom	Cancer = imagination	Hope/Star
5-throat	expression	Virgo, Gemini	Mercury in Virgo	yang	air (gas)	air = sky blue	understanding (interpretation)	Virgo = understanding, Gemini = power of word	Temperance
4-heart	love, center of being	Libra, Taurus	Saturn in Libra, Moon in Taurus (justice and mercy)	yin	spirit as yin (ether, central 5th element)	Saturn = green	love	Libra = order, Taurus = love	Justice
3-navel/solar plexus	will, coordinated energy	Scorpio, Aries	Sun in Aries (conscious will)	yang	fire as yang (energy)	Sun = yellow	power	Scorpio = strength, Aries = will	Strength
2-genitals/lower stomach	sensual, joyous	Sagittarius, Pisces	Venus in Pisces (sensuality)	yin	water (liquid)	Venus = orange-yellow	joy	Sagittarius = zeal, Pisces = faith	Love/Lovers
1-base	grounding, survival-oriented	Capricorn, Aquarius	Mars in Capricorn (initiative)	yang	earth (solid)	Mars = red	life	Capricorn = life, Aquarius = release	Faith/Fool

 What about that other Toccata? (The famous one in D-Minor, S. 565) What does it represent? Hint: I think the "name of God" in Hebrew-- YHVH-- forms the basis for its famous 4-part fugue theme; and it’s also like a cross with the 4 directions. Briefly, the first four notes come down from above (like Y), the second four notes move upward from the middle register (like H), the third come up from below (like V), and the final four notes repeat the second four (like the second H. The 2 Hs could also stand for "Horizontal").

                
Each note, of course, is preceeded by the same high A note (at the dominant), creating "oneness" through the theme. This theme is the basis for everything in this great Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, which is also known as "The Phantom of the Opera" and is said to have been Bach's symbol for a cosmic storm. It is a mainstay of the Bewitched Genre of music, and the cross with the four directions is used in many pagan, occult and shamanic traditions, as well as being a symbol of Christianity and "the throne of God" (c.f. The World tarot card below)

Topping the list is Chakra Gold by Aetherium, who are Kevin Kendle and Chris Puleston.

The Song of the Tree by Lis Addison

Light Music by Richard Shulman

Music for a Busy Head by Absolute Ambient/Matt Coldrick

Chakra Healing by Dean Evenson and Soundings of the Planet

Chakra Journeys by Seckund Naychur

The Seven Stages of Alchemical Transformation by Seth Osborn

Fresh Aire II by Mannheim Steamroller features a suite of 7 "doors"

Chakra Suite by Steven Halpern

Chakra Chants I and II and Chakra Dance by Jonathon Goldman

Chakra Healing Zone by David and Steve Gordon

Chakra Healing Chants by Sophia

Kundalini Rising by Phillip Kanakis

The 10 Minute Chakra by Akshara Weave

Rhythms of the Chakras. Volume 2 by Glen Velez

I will mention others here as I find or remember them. Lots of chakra music exists. Try using a search engine if you want to see more examples.

BACK TO TOP

The Tarot Triumph and Bach's Toccata in F: more thoughts 

So why did the occultists of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Builders of the Adytum (BOTA) align these cards with the Kabbalistic Tree of Life in a descending sequence? The Tree of Life is the symbol in the Kabbalah (or Qabala, Cabalah), the Jewish mystical tradition, for divine creation and its reflection within us. See the Tree of Life as depicted by BOTA HERE. The Tree of Life shows the levels of creation or emanation from the highest in Kether, meaning crown or knowledge of God (usually linked to the crown chakra), to the lowest in Malkuth, or the worldly kingdom (usually linked to the base chakra). The Tree symbol is 10 circles arranged on 7 levels, with 22 pathways connecting the circles. But the story told by the tarot trumps is the journey of the soul back up to God (or enlightenment, the mystic realization) from worldliness, so it must be a journey UP the tree of life from Malkuth to Kether. They do not represent God’s descent into form. They represent evolution, not involution. Although the currents of the chakras in the caduceus run both ways, if Place’s research is correct that the trumps are a ladder that starts with worldliness and move toward the spirit and "heaven," then the tarot trumps describe the upward or liberating journey. So the famous poster of the Tree of Life created by the Builders of the Adytum, is clearly incorrect in aligning the tarot cards with the paths in the tree of life numbered from the top downward.

 Given this clear direction of the Tarot up the tree of life, what should we make of the Hebrew alphabet to which occultists link the 22 paths on the tree of life, and the 22 trumps of the Tarot? Each Hebrew letter represents a concrete image, starting with "ox" for the first letter aleph, and "house" for beth, and so on through "cross" or "mark" for the last letter tau. Occultists generally link the first letter aleph or "ox" with The Fool (trump zero), the second letter beth or "house" to The Magician (trump one), the third letter gimel or "camel" with The Priestess (trump two), the fourth letter daleth or "door" with The Empress (trump three), and so on. The complete list of correspondences can be found on page 81 of Place's book The Tarot, and also at the BOTA web site, as well as included in my table below.

Arthur Waite and Robert Place make the good point that depending on the Hebrew letters and their simple symbols to understand the Tarot can rob the rich images on the cards of their symbolic power. Clearly the correlations don’t always make a lot of sense by themselves anyway. The sword, for example, is not a good symbol of the lovers card (trump six), and doesn’t tell us what it means. The Priestess does not much resemble a camel! What does a fish have to do with Death, or the Tower with the human mouth? Perhaps the Tower of Babel? Speaking truth to power? One may discover intriguing and illuminating hidden links between the letters and the cards, but such speculations may not resonate with our experience in a powerful way.

 Even so, some of the correspondences make some sense. Religion (as in The Pope) means to bind, and so does a nail (the letter corresponding to The Pope, or 5th trump). Occultists and thus "Magicians" named their Masonic orders after housebuilders. The eye (the Hebrew letter linked to The Devil card) can be a prime source of satanic temptation. The cross represents the four corners of the world depicted on the World card. And so on. The Hebrew alphabet can be seen as yet another system of spiritual knowledge describing the journey to virtue and enlightenment, and is used thus in the Bible. If the Hebrew alphabet contains 22 letters, and the Tarot 22 trumps, it is logical to seek a correspondence between these two spiritual systems; even if one sees that the Tarot was not historically based on the Hebrew alphabet, as some authors allege. Even the simple images associated with the letters can work the same way as the tarot images. And it is quite a coincidence that Tarot cards have 10 numbered cards in each suit (same number as the Sephiroth of the kabalah's Tree of Life), as well as 22 trumps (same as the number of pathways); and that 10 planets plus the 12 signs of the zodiac = 22.

 Here is where I see something that has not been pointed out elsewhere to my knowledge. If we align the Hebrew alphabet with the journey UP the Tree of Life diagram, instead of Down, as is usually done, we can see that, just like the Tarot, the Hebrew alphabet falls into three distinct groups of seven letters each. We can even join the first letter "ox" with the first group to make eight letters in the first section.

Furthermore, the obvious meanings of these three groups of letters coincide perfectly with the meanings of the three groups (low, middle and high) in the Tarot, the Tree of Life, the chakras, the toccata, and all the other systems, where there is a lower worldly or sensual part, a middle moral or passionate part, and a higher rational or spiritual part. And yet on the BOTA Tree of Life, the higher letters and cards are placed on pathways at the bottom of the tree, and the lower letters and cards are placed on pathways at the top of the tree. From the evidence of the meanings of the cards and letters themselves, this order needs to be switched!

0. aleph = ox 1. beth = house 2. gimel = camel 3. daleth = door 4. heh = window 5. vav = nail 6. zain = sword 7. cheth = fence

 In the first group, from aleph to cheth, we see no less than five letters that mean a house and parts thereof: house, door, window, nail (or hook) and fence. Two of the other letters represent heavy beasts of burden: the ox (or bull) and the camel. The remaining letter stands for a weapon used to defend all this property, the sword. The first group of letters represents worldly concerns: the need to survive and prosper in the world by building and defending a physical house and a yard (the "Emperor's domain"), and using beasts of burden there to meet your needs. They thus could not correctly coincide with the upper three sephiroth that represent knowledge of God, God the Father in heaven, and the great Mother goddess of celestial love and understanding! Instead they correspond with Malkuth the worldly kingdom, with life’s Foundation or fertility, its sensuous Splendour, and its Victory (perhaps victory in fending off threats to worldly acquisition): the lower four sephiroth.
Another interesting coincidence appears when we compare the first 8 letters to the Joyful Mysteries among the Christian Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries we discussed before. If the Magician and most of the first eight letters represent a house, and if therefore these letters represent the first or worldly part of the journey shown in the tarot and the toccata, then these symbols also correspond to Christ's early life (the Joyful Mysteries) when Jesus was a carpenter (house-builder). Here again this shows how the tarot and the Hebrew alphabet represent the spiritual mystic journey from worldly pursuits UP THE TREE to spiritual liberation, as this is reflected in the Christ story as well as other similar storys such as Buddha's life and Plato's myth of the cave, where we start in a position of being immersed in the world and its concerns and trappings of power.

8. teth = serpent 9. yod = open hand 10. kaph = closed hand 11. lamed = ox goad 12. mem = water 13. nun = fish 14. samekh = tent peg

 In the second group from teth to samekh, which would coincide with the middle sephiroth whichever direction (moving up or down the Tree) is chosen, we see another interesting fact. Two of the letters represent the human hand. The occultists seemed to have forgotten Adam Kadmon. This is the kabalistic doctrine that the tree of life aligns with the perfect Man-- Adam-- and symbolically with the human body of everyone. If this is so, it is logical that the middle group of Hebrew letters should have symbols for the hands in the middle of the body. It also contains two symbols for tools used by the hands; an ox goad, and a tent peg-- linked to the virtue cards Justice and Temperance respectively. The peg or prop indicates that we are less focused on permanent shelter and security in the world and more willing to "camp out" and thus adapt, move and grow (and "adaptation" is what the word Temperance, linked to this symbol, originally meant). This middle section also contains two animals, like the first; but they are not beasts of burden, but symbols of powers or "virtues" in the human soul: the serpent (representing Strength) and the fish (representing Death, or the ability to swim with the currents of change). Finally there is water, a symbol of passion often associated with the heart, the center of our being. Water is in the middle of the elements too; less stable than earth, but more substantial than air and fire.

15. ain = eye 16. pe = mouth 17. tzaddi = fish hook 18. qoph = back of head 19. resh = head 20. shin = tooth 21. tav = cross

 In the third group, from ayin to tav, the correspondence with Adam Kadmon is made crystal clear. No less than five of the seven letters are named after parts of the human head: eye, mouth, back of head, front of head, and tooth. The head is the seat of the higher chakras, and thus the spiritual parts of the soul. This is known to all occultists, and yet they link these letters to the groin, the genitals and the stomach! The other two symbols are a fish hook, the means of spiritual discovery within the sea of life; and the cross of the 4 elements, which symbolizes the throne (or crown) of God, linked to The World card where this throne is pictured; and also to the cross of the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus the Christ.

Slideshow: see Hebrew letter symbols in order

Further support for reversing the order on the Tree is shown by the astrological correlations made to the letters and cards. The signs run from pioneering Aries for The Emperor near the start of the letter order, to spiritual Pisces for Moon near the end. Paul Foster Case, founder of BOTA, goes on to link these signs to a "spectrum" of colors and tones, starting with red and C for Aries and Emperor and ending with purple and B for Pisces and the Moon card. But we know that the lowest chakra corresponds with red and C, and the highest chakra with purple and B. Taking the chakras into account, clearly an order in which the cards move UP the Tree (and thus the soul levels of "Adam"), instead of down, fits better with BOTA's own correlations.

Clearly, the Hebrew letters take us up, not down the Tree of life; and if they correspond to Tarot trumps, the same direction is shown. The Tarot triumph is thus also a journey UP the Tree.

Here is a table showing how BOTA lined up 12 Tarot cards, zodiac signs and Hebrew letters with 12 colors and tones, verifying that in fact the cards and letters reveal a journey UP the chakras and soul levels.

Tarot trump	Hebrew letter	Zodiac sign	color spectrum	tone	chakra	soul level
Moon	Qoph=back of head	Pisces	red violet	B	6 or 7	Reason
Star	Tzaddi=fish hook	Aquarius	violet	A#	6 or 7	Reason
Devil	Ayin=eye	Capricorn	blue violet	A	6	Reason
Temperance	Samekh=prop	Sagittarius	blue	G#	5	Will
Death	Nun=fish	Scorpio	blue green	G	5	Will
Justice	Lamed=ox goad	Libra	green	F#	4	Will
Hermit	Yod=open hand	Virgo	yellow green	F	3	Will
Strength	Teth=serpent	Leo	yellow	E	3	Will
Chariot	Cheth=fence	Cancer	orange yellow	D#	2	Appetite
Lovers	Zain=sword	Gemini	orange	D	2	Appetite
Hierophant	Vav=hook	Taurus	red orange	C#	1	Appetite
Emperor	Heh=window	Aries	red	C	1	Appetite

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No doubt the allegory in the Tarot trumps or Major Arcana might need some updating. We don’t live in Renaissance times, and the Tarot’s moral point of view could be seen to somewhat resemble the reactionary "red-state" attitudes of today’s Religious Right fundamentalists. Male figures trump female ones, and sexuality and sensuality, often symbolized in the cards by women, is rejected in the Tarot’s 2nd Act in favor of male discipline. The conservative, punishing parenting style described by George Lakoff might be seen to be preferred over the liberal nurturing style. All the more reason then (in a "new age" tarot) to change the trump order in the first section to elevate the female rulers over the male ones, as Bach’s Toccata in F and the chakra system indicate. For in the Toccata, as in the chakras, the first chakra is male, and the second chakra above it is female!

Interestingly, Robert Place noted that the High Priestess card was originally a picture of a female pope chosen by a heretical 13th-century sect which called itself "the new age." So the order implied by Bach in his toccata was actually a prophecy of the new age and the feminism of today! And as I noted before, the powerful presence of love, joy and sensuality near the beginning of the journey also shows how much of a motivating factor it is; we could not make the ascent without it. The discipline of virtue needs to be seen not as inflicting pain or domination on oneself or others. Rather, it is focusing on our 7 soul centers, and recognizing the power over us of our own uncentered demonic compulsions, fears and habits. By becoming conscious of these "demons," we master them. This is what Buddha meant, I contend, by his second Noble Truth, in which craving and attachment is named as the cause of suffering; which in turn is healed by Awakening (Nirvana, the 3rd Noble Truth). Remember also that on the Strength card, a woman tames a powerful lion using love. Notice how in the Toccata the pedal, heard solo in the Lovers card, soon leads the way in the uplifting theme of the Strength card.

We also know today that our reasoning mind is not always virtuous, but often is chief among our demons. The ancient philosophers did recognize, however, that reclaiming ourselves and our consciousness from these compulsions is true power and virtue, not the worldly dominance over other people depicted on the lower trumps. They taught us that our addiction to indulgence, fear or comfort sometimes needs to be sacrificed in order to achieve "the great work." We also notice that the virtues and the highest wisdom are represented in the cards by females. Perhaps religious liberals and conservatives can find some common ground in the universal symbols of the Tarot trumps. It is interesting that the "severity" of Justice, represented by the card Justice and by the sephirah circle colored red on the Tree of Life by modern occultists, and the leniency, nurturance and openness of Mercy, represented by the Hanged Man trump and by the blue sephirah on the Tree, are both linked and balanced in Tipereth, the kabalistic symbol of the heart. Perhaps in the spiritual journey, then, we can reconcile today’s red and blue states and their conflicting values in the culture wars. In my order, Temperance is placed between the red and blue circles on the Tree of Life.

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 Let's look more closely now at the correlations between the Tarot trumps and Bach's Toccata in F. See the Table below. You can follow this journey by looking at the cards as we go. HERE is a good summary with pictures of the tarot cards by Builders of the Adytum. HERE is an article and pictures from Wikipedia on the Waite-Smith tarot deck, and of the earlier French deck called Tarot of Marseilles

According to Robert Place and others, the Tarot moves through three phases, and Place observed that these phases correspond to Plato's three parts of the soul. My claim is that they also correspond to Bach's Toccata in F. Here is a tour through the hero's journey of Tarot and Toccata, trump by trump. Become now The Fool, who is the seeker who takes the journey, and follow along (you can also take the journey at my site called The Tarot Journey).

Remember you can follow the music on You Tube here or here (click on the links). Open this page again in a separate window so you can switch back and forth, and use the the pause button at You Tube when you want to stop the music.

Or better yet,

Watch a slideshow on Photobucket of the Tarot Journey, set to the music of Toccata in F.

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Soul of Appetite

(worldly, sensual, joyous; beginning phase of spiritual hero's journey: worship)

The Fool card represents the basic three-chord or "triad" figure with which the piece ends. But The Fool is called a "wild card" because it can appear anywhere in the story (or played anytime in a game). The Fool is not just a phase in the journey; (s)he represents the seeker who takes the journey. So, appropriately, this 3-chord figure is ubiquitous throughout the Toccata. In any case it is hardly unique to this piece of music. The Fool is the symbol of Everyman/woman everywhere who makes the journey, and the basic three-note chord is its symbol in the Toccata. But The Fool card is also a great symbol of the aspiring and adventurous, idealistic tone with which the Toccata begins. This represents the Fool's spirit of faith as he embarks on his journey to enlightenment. Among the places The Fool chord is heard in the Toccata: It not only concludes the entire piece, it also concludes the first section, after the first pedal solo, and thereby introduces the second section. It concludes the 12-chord Chariot theme, first heard at the end of the 2nd chakra section. Thereafter it concludes every instance of the Chariot theme. Thus, it also introduces the third chakra, and appears in every chakra thereafter. It also appears during the liberating theme, which is repeated often. It is heard at the beginning of the three "manifesting" themes in the minor key (the return of the initial snake theme), in the middle 3 sections.

That the figure has three chords could represent the three parts of the soul that we all have. It comes at the end, which also can become the beginning too if you start the Toccata over again. In that way it introduces the first canon, just as it later introduces the second. Since the Fool and its number zero represents what precedes all manifestation, you could say that the chord preceeding the toccata is inaudible and "unmanifest"-- unless you start the music over from the end. So the Fool’s journey also involves reconnecting with his beginnings, and his discovery that "in my end is my beginning" or that eternity has "ended before the beginning."

Fool card by BOTA, colored by Rev. Christine Emmerling of Divine Science Community Center.

The Magician is represented by the first pedal solo. It is the first trump, and although it doesn’t come first in the Toccata, it goes the lowest on the keyboard (the lowest pedal notes), leading us as it were into the depths of matter. So it represents the lowest trump on the journey. But it can also be seen to be bringing the spirit down to the earth, just as the Magician’s hands point to heaven above and the earth below, symbol of the hermetic phrase, "as above, so below." It thus fulfills its role in the Toccata as representing the "manifesting" current. In fact, just as the Magician in the original game of the Tarot had the lowest rank, but one of the highest scores if you hold it at the end, so the Magician represents the final term and destination of the manifesting current which starts with God or Spirit at the crown. Thus he stands for the full power to manifest spirit into reality and bring beauty into the world.

I have assigned the two male rulers The Emperor and Pope or Hierophant (High Priest) to the first canon or snake theme, and the two female rulers the Empress and Papess or High Priestess to the second (both canons clearly have 2 parts, because the theme starts over half-way through). One could also assign the secular rulers to the first and the sacred rulers to the second, which would correspond to some early Tarot decks reported by Robert Place in The Tarot. I prefer the first grouping because the first chakra is considered male (yang) and the second female (yin) by Anodea Judith in Wheels of Life. During the second half of each canon snake, which symbolizes the two sacred rulers Pope and Priestess, the repeating canon is interrupted each time by a motif that resembles and anticipates the final crown theme (only 1 note is missing), as if the two sacred rulers are mediating the divine for their subjects. This motif even has 3 notes, as if representing the Pope's tiara (3-pointed crown). By the way these same notes also introduce or "frame" the chariot theme in the middle chakras, as if guiding our journey.

The planetary rulers of the zodiac signs representing the lower two chakras are Saturn and Jupiter, which could represent the secular and sacred rulers respectively; but what’s more interesting is that the planets exalted in these signs are Mars and Venus (in the first and second chakras, respectively). These again are male symbols for the first chakra, like the Emperor and Pope, and female for the second, like the Empress and High Priestess. The first chakra could thus signify male sexuality, usually seen to be lower in the male body (near the "ejaculation muscle") than female sexuality is in the female body, and thus female sexuality is represented by the second chakra. The Empress, of course, is clearly a sensuous symbol, and her Venusian sweetness really shines through in the second canon of Bach's Toccata in F.

If the trump order is changed to reflect the chakras and the Toccata-- and the "new age" order in which female rulers trump males ones, and in which the "esoteric" High Priestess trumps the "exoteric" Pope-- we have:

2. Emperor (Aries, camel) (formerly #4, Aries, window) 3. Pope (Mars, door) (formerly #5, Taurus, nail) 4. Empress (Venus, window) (formerly #3, Venus, door) 5. Female Pope (Taurus, nail) (formerly #2, Moon, camel)

The male Pope is usually assigned to Taurus, a feminine sensuous sign; which makes no sense at all. In this order, on the other hand, the female pope or High Priestess would be trump #5, and assigned to Taurus, which is ruled by Venus, and is the sign in which the Moon is exalted. Robert Place reports that the High Priestess is probably celebrating the pagan rites of Venus. In the Da Vinci Code, remember, the number 5 (or pentacle) represents Venus and the sacred feminine. Changing these astrological symbols for the cards would allow us to restore the Moon (traditionally linked to the High Priestess) to the Moon card-- now usually assigned (without much reason) to Pisces. Then the Tower, representing liberation, would be assigned to liberating, rebellious Aquarius instead of Mars, and The Star (which, like Pisces, integrates the two halves of experience) would be assigned to Pisces instead of Aquarius. Obviously though, the Pope is also connected to Jupiter or Pisces.

This dissolves the patriarchal order, but other speculations can be made too. Camel (gimel) could also be switched with fence (cheth), so that camel represents the Chariot and fence represents The Emperor. Then all 4 rulers in the tarot trumps would correspond to the parts of the house built by the Magician (beth). Emperors build fences between peoples, and the camel is a kind of chariot (the ship of the desert). But in that case, the Chariot would be trump 2 and the Emperor trump 7, if the Hebrew alphabet's order is maintained. It seems to be the case that the order among the lower group of trumps can be moved around more than the upper groups. This reflects what Charles Ponce wrote in his book Kabbalah: "About the beginning (God's realm) there is much agreement; about its result, the world, little." (p.112)

Taking suggestions from another web site, I have also thought that, if Jupiter (symbol of organized religion) is the Pope, then Saturn (fate) could represent Fortune, while Pisces could take Saturn's place as symbol of The World card (universal consciousness). Then The Star would be Aquarius again, but Uranus (rebellion/liberty) could be The Tower instead of Aquarius or Mars. Since brave, pioneering Mars, which was my "new age" symbol for The Pope, has here been displaced in that role by Jupiter, Mars could then represent The Fool (instead of Uranus) as initiator of the journey. But Aries could also serve this purpose, with Mars then as symbol of The Emperor. The signs and planets then all line up in order, but with Sun and Moon still near the top (and Neptune still comes before Uranus).

This order, with Aries as The Fool, has the advantage that (if The Fool is placed first in the order), the virtue tarot cards line up with both the chakras and the Yang signs-- plus Pisces (final yin sign) as the final virtue Wisdom. I call this the Yang=Virtue order. The chakras, virtue cards and yang signs are: 1.Fool/Faith = Aries, 2.Lovers/Love = Gemini, 3.Strength = Leo, 4.Justice = Libra, 5. Temperance = Sagittarius, 6.Star/Hope = Aquarius, 7.World/Wisdom = Pisces. These are incorporated in the table below.

Perhaps each card and letter can have several astrological correlations, each of which adds to our understanding of them. Remember you can see the traditional order at the BOTA web site. This order is still valid, insofar as the patriarchal order is still and has been the way of the world. Remember too that all symbols can have several different meanings or correspondences at times, depending on the context. No one definition or picture can exhaust the full meaning of a genuine symbol, which always holds within it the energy of the infinite divine.

Here is my own table with four of the many possible orders correlating the cards, letters and astrology, so you can see which one you like best. Unlike BOTA's chart, however, and in keeping with my other charts here, I put the last letter tav on the highest level of the chart, so that the letters and cards represent the journey upward. The first three orders, based on the Kaballah which attributes one sign or planet to each letter, can be called the direct current running up the chakra tree (symbolized by the Rod of Asclepius). The final chakra order can be called the alternating current (symbolized by The Caduceus), since there are two simultaneous sequences, one running up from Winter to Summer signs (the liberating current) and the other down from Summer to Winter signs (the manifesting current).

Soul Level	Trump#	Tarot/Virtue	Hebrew letter	Patriarchal (Golden Dawn)	New Age	Yang=Virtue	Chakra
Reason	21	World/Wisdom	tav=cross	Saturn	Saturn	Pisces=Wisdom	7.Leo/Neptune
Reason	20	Judgement	shin=tooth	fire/Pluto	Pluto	Pluto	7.Leo/Neptune
Reason	19	Sun	resh=front of head	Sun	Sun	Sun	6/7.Leo
Reason	18	Moon	qoph=back of head	Pisces	Moon	Moon	6.Cancer/Jupiter
Reason	17	Star/Hope	tzaddi=fish hook	Aquarius	Pisces	Aquarius=Hope	6.Cancer/Jupiter
Reason	16	Tower	peh=mouth	Mars	Aquarius	Uranus	6.Cancer
Reason	15	Devil	ayin=eye	Capricorn	Capricorn	Capricorn	5.Virgo/Mercury
Will	14	Temperance	samekh=tent peg	Sagittarius	Sagittarius	Sagittarius=Temperance	5.Gemini
Will	13	Death	nun=fish	Scorpio	Scorpio	Scorpio	5.Gemini
Will	12	Hanged Man	mem=water	water/Neptune	Neptune	Neptune	4.Taurus/Moon
Will	11	Justice	lamed=ox goad	Libra	Libra	Libra=Justice	4.Libra/Saturn
Will	10	Wheel of Fortune	kaph=closed hand	Jupiter	Jupiter	Saturn	3.Scorpio
Will	9	Hermit	yod=open hand	Virgo	Virgo	Virgo	3.Aries
Will	8	Strength	teth=serpent	Leo	Leo	Leo=Strength	3.Aries/Sun
Appetite	7	Chariot	cheth=fence	Cancer	Cancer	Cancer	2.Sagittarius
Appetite	6	Lovers/Love	zain=sword	Gemini	Gemini	Gemini=Love	2.Sagittarius
Appetite	5	Pope	vav=nail	Taurus	3/Mars	Jupiter	1.Capricorn/Mars
Appetite	4	Emperor	heh=window	Aries	2/Aries	Mars	1.Capricorn/Mars
Appetite	3	Empress	daleth=door	Venus	4/Venus	Venus	2.Pisces/Venus
Appetite	2	Priestess	gimel=camel	Moon	5/Taurus	Taurus	2.Pisces/Venus
Appetite	1	Magician	beth=house	Mercury	Mercury	Mercury	1.Aquarius
	0	Fool/Faith	aleph=ox	air/Uranus	Uranus	Aries=Faith	1.Aquarius

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The first two canons of the Toccata vividly symbolize two great wheels or spirals moving in opposite directions. It is amazing to behold. The masculine right hand leads in the first canon (first chakra section), and the feminine left hand leads in the second (see right), each section thus moving in reverse order from the other. This is a clear symbol of the change of direction from the first chakra to the second. The glyphs of the planets that rule these chakras also reflect this reversal. The switch of hands at the second canon, which also switches to the dominant key, represents the duality that Chakra Two introduces, according to Anodea Judith. Robert Place also points out that in many tarot decks, the Emperor and Empress cards each display shields with birds facing opposite directions (like the 2 canons and the first 2 chakras turning in opposing directions), indicating that at the beginning of the mystic journey the male and female aspects of the soul separate so they can later be reunited. Even Johann Sebastian Bach's personal seal shows his ornate initials JSB pictured in opposite directions on each side (mirror images of each other), and united in the crowned center. Seeing this seal, I have to say that the Toccata in F, which it so clearly resembles, is probably one of Bach's "signature pieces."

Wow; even the letters J and B are used in tarot cards and masonic rituals to represent the male and female forces (Joachim/Jakin and Boaz, often pictured on the High Priestess card, representing columns in Solomon's Temple), and the S becomes the uniting pillar and pedal note in the center! J for Johann and B for Bach also refer to J and P from the MBTI Jungian personality test, and to I and P or Ida and Pingala from kundalini (in this case with the polarity reversed). "S" for Sebastian of course also stands for Sushumna, spiral, spirit, snake, serpent, Shakti, Shekinah, Solomon, etc. etc. The two columns are often pictured as white (J) for male, and black (B) for female. Sometimes (as in The DaVinci Code), this is reversed too.

On page 137 of Robert Place's book The Tarot: History, Symbolism and Divination, he shows an alchemical illustration from 1618 by Michael Maier showing Zeus letting two eagles fly in opposite directions to find the sacred center. Place suggests that this image and myth may be the source of the two birds facing opposite directions on the Emperor and Empress cards. I couldn't help notice the striking resemblance of this illustration to Bach's seal. The text containing this illustration is called "Atalanta Fugiens" (fugue means flight, and we all know how closely the fugue in music is associated with Bach). Michael Maier himself was also a musician who wrote a set of fugues, which were also entitled "Atalanta Fugiens" (You can hear one on a Dorian recording called Music for Witches and Alchemists). Looking at the illustration and the seal, we remember the two canons in the Toccata in F, each played with the opposite hand leading, which I have used to symbolize the Emperor and Empress cards (together with Pope and Papess). The elaborate quality of Bach's seal reminds one of Oriental, Arabic, Moorish, Celtic and Baroque images full of interwoven rich detail, as is Bach's music. In fact, organist Lionel Rogg refers in the liner notes from his Bach Organ Works album to the canons or "snake themes" (as I call them) as "arabesques." The caduceus symbol originates from Arab lands, and is often depicted on Arab talismans in a style closely resembling Bach's seal (for example, see page 135 of Alchemy by Titus Burckhardt (a Penguin book).

Compare this picture of a caduceus on an Arab talisman from Burckhardt's Alchemy, to Bach's official seal on the right. On the second row are The Emperor and Empress cards, from Morgan Greer Tarot, and "Atalanta Fugiens" by Maier, from Place's The Tarot.

In my article The Tarot Journey, I compare the 16 royal face cards in the tarot deck's Minor Arcana to the 16 Jungian-based MBTI personality types. The four greater imperial rulers (Emperor, Pope, Empress, Female Pope) in the trump cards or Major Arcana, I think, each represent one of the four functions individually within all of us: thinking (T), intuition (N), sensation (S) and feeling (F) (see The Ta