Numerology and Tarot Cards

16 = 7 is tarot math. 

Is it any wonder that I've never really adopted it?

The theory is that you can combine one of the suit meanings to one of the number meanings, and voilà, you can read a pip deck. For me, tarot is a visual means for accessing my intuition. Combining the words "growth of communication" doesn't give me immediate insight into the Three of Swords. There's something worthwhile in that phrase, but it is not how I work with the cards.

I've never found a keyword chart that really satisfies me, so the following lists show what I think all the Wands have in common, what all the Pages have in common, what all the Aces have in common, and so forth.

Suits

Fire/Wands* (aka: Clubs, Staves/Staffs, Rods, Batons)
Intuition, inspiration, passion, ambition, will, confidence, creativity, movement, destruction, energy, career, desire for growth, risk, power, spirituality

Water/Cups (aka: Hearts, Chalices, Bowls)
Emotions, relationships, connection, love, intuition, assumptions, flexibility, imagination, fantasy, religion, psychic, creativity

Air/Swords* (aka: Spades, Feathers, Crystals)
Communication, problems, world view, thought, mind, intellect, logic, judgment, strategies, ethics, authority, challenges, conflict

Earth/Pentacles (aka: Coins, Disks, Stones)
Physical world, miracle of existence, material concerns, resources or needs, nature, beauty, sensation, body, material life, health, common sense, practicality, resources, commerce, work, greed, gratitude, materialism, spiritual awareness

* In a few decks, Swords are associated with Fire, and Wands with Air. Frankly, it makes more sense, since swords are forged in fire, while the flowering branches that often symbolize wands grow through the air and can be destroyed by fire. (Some new decks change the elemental correspondences, but fail to create new imagery to reflect the change of element.)

 Courts

Page/Princess* (aka: Child, Maiden, Daughter) 
Inexperience, sense of wonder, optimism, learning

Knight/Prince* (aka: Explorer, Warrior, Brother) 
Focus, idealism, energy, a quest, seeking challenges

Queen (aka: Guardian, Lady, Woman, Mother)
Experience, self mastery, awareness, guidance, nurturing

King (aka: Elder, Master, Sage, Man, Father) [Knight*]
Established, skill or mastery, control, counsel, foresight

* In decks based on the Thoth system, the court cards, Princess, Prince, Queen, and Knight. Thoth Knights in the Thoth system do not correspond to RWS Kings.  The Thoth system is entirely different-- and that's all I can tell you about Thoth. If you'd like to, you can learn more about that system by reading The Tarot Handbook by Angeles Arrien.

Pips

Ace: Seed, beginning, essence of suit, potential, inspiration, opportunity, energy, gift of grace, innovation, positive aspects of the suit

2: Balance, choice, dialogue, duality, polarity, adaptability, energy, partnership, potential for conflict, taking responsibility, personal power

3: Growth, fertility, creative energy, cooperation, productivity, achievement, becoming grounded or stable, leadership, resolution, creation

4: Rooted, foundation, stability or stagnation, structure, boundaries, conventionality, stillness, restriction, constraint, excitement

5: Change, development, discord, uncertainty, adversity, test or trial, restriction, scattered energy, lack of awareness, freedom, conflict

6: Harmony, opposites reconciled, regaining control, understanding, connection, service, communication, resolution, trust, growth

7: Introspection, reflecting on life experience, understanding, inventiveness, conviction, persistence or procrastination, excess, attainment

8: Cycles, patterns, power, moving forward, taking action, opportunities, challenges, overcoming obstacles, manifestation, mastery

9: Attainment, integration, resolution, obstinacy, excessive idealism, subconscious, fruition, nearing fulfillment

10: Endings and beginnings, completion, wholeness, achievement, conclusion, repair, abundance, excess, transition

Images in this post are from The Four Elements Blog, Creative Fabrica, and WikiBooks.

The Modern Spellcaster's Tarot

I love that the creators of this deck have restored the elemental associations of Swords and Wands! I remember spending an entire evening, many years ago, repressing my natural inclination and reprogramming myself to think that Wands represented the element of fire and that Swords represented the element of air.

I'm glad they've made this change, but I don't understand why the images remain so similar to Pixie's drawings considering the "new" elemental associations! The Seven of Air (Swords) in Pixie's drawing shows a boat moving to smoother waters, while her Seven of Fire (Wands) shows a victorious horseman parading past adoring crowds. The new Seven of Fire in the Modern Spellcaster's Tarot is a redrawing of the boat and its passengers.

The question is perhaps, how much do I rely on elemental associations in my readings? And if elemental associations are only significant in meditations and spell work, why don't I use a Marseilles deck for the practices?

.

Reading Tarot Cards Is Easy

Many of my tarot students tell me that they have owned a tarot deck years ago but could never use it. I suspect this is because they turned to the words in a book instead of relying on the images in the cards. Since tarot is a visual medium for accessing our intuition, we need only focus on the cards' images.

In my short, introductory class, I begin the morning by asking everyone to exchange readings with the person across from him or her. People who had been certain they couldn't read the cards find themselves offering brilliant insights into the tarot images. Beginning students always teach me something about the cards.

Relying on your intuition is the best way to read the cards. There are set meanings for the cards, but relying solely on those interpretations is less fruitful than relying on your own feelings and life experiences. Many excellent tarot books are available, but you should not turn to them during a reading. You know your own answers, you just need to listen.

Have you ever had an intuition or premonition that came true or that you wish you'd relied on? The more you rely on your intuition, the more often it will speak to you.

Always respect the first impression you have when you see a card, whether you're looking at it for the first time or the fiftieth. Here are some guidelines for reading the cards that will help you get to know them.

• Remember that tarot is a visual medium for accessing your intuition; resist the temptation to rely on the words in a guidebook. 
• Discover your own interpretations of the cards. Develop your own relationship with them.
• Trust your first impressions and any ideas that just pop into your head.Play with the imagery as a child would. What is happening in the pictures? Why? What does that story tell you about what is happening in your life now?
• Note what emotions the image evokes in you.
• Describe the card literally, using lots of adjectives. This process will help you uncover its meaning.
• If an image reminds you of something, explore that association further.
• If one of the details of the image jumps out at you, take especial note of it.
• Look for details and colors that appear in several cards.
• Make connections between the stories you see in the cards.
• Go with the flow of your intuition; if you don't understand what a card is saying, move to the next card and come back later.
 •Do not ask the same question over and over again. Be open to hearing what the cards and your intuition have to say to you. If you stop listening to your intuition, your intuition will stop speaking


You don't need much tarot knowledge to read the cards.

It's useful to recognize the different types of cards in the deck. The twenty-two cards Major Arcana cards represent significant influences in your life; they are lessons we learn as we go through our lives. The fifty-six Minor Arcana cards are divided into four suits; each suit has ten numbered cards and four face cards.

The numbered cards may represent day-to-day events. Face cards may represent people, attitudes, or advice.

Not all decks use the same names for the cards. What are the names of the four suits in your deck? (Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles?) What are the names of the face cards in your deck? (King, Queen, Knight, and Page?)

The four suits of the Minor Arcana can represent different aspects of our lives:

• Earth - physical and financial issues (this suit is often called Pentacles)
• Air - ideas and challenges (this suit is often called Swords)
• Fire - passion and work (this suit is often called Wands)
• Water - emotions and relationships (this suit is often called Cups)

That’s really all the information you need. You can rely on your intuition for everything else.

If you are new to tarot, do you recognize any of the images in your deck? Do you have a strong reaction to any of the cards?

Reading tarot cards is easy. Start doing readings regularly and trust yourself. Do readings with a partner so that you can share ideas. If you don't have a partner, pull a card in the morning then, in the evening, look at the card again while reviewing your day. When you need a particular energy, meditate on a card that seems to represent it.

Get to know the cards and what they mean to you.