Ive given you some food for though, but lets talk experience. Heres what I have noticed about numbers in a Tarot reading:
The Queen is achieved, rested, and poised. Queen is proud but is so without external validation. Queen is cohesion of thought and feeling. The Queen has credence, she needs no belief.
In terms of what causes certain cards to emerge, I personally believe its the force (again I call it Spirit). But we can break this down even further if we think of the fact that everything has energy. The people I read for have different energies and life experiences and they bring these to the reading. The Querent is involved in the reading and they are bringing their energy to the cards. They do this physically. I have them shuffle the cards, cut the deck, or pull cards from a pile. So, the Querents are the ones arranging the cards into the correct order and creating the pattern that I then read.
Lack of material success, or avoidance of the necessary work. Also, focused on work and/or materiality to a fault. Instability, repeating cycles that need to end.
Lack of closure, or the need to redefine goals.
What was / Whats becoming / What may be
8. INHALE THE READING.Take a moment to look at the cards and take note of patterns. You are looking for card reversals (if the card is upside down), suits that seem prominent, colors, and whatever else strikes your eye. The patterns you see may lend clues about the situation at hand. Dark colors can indicate dark times. Bright colors can indicate happy times. Sounds basic? It can be. You may also take a moment to jot down some notes before you start talking.
If a number is repeated throughout a Tarot reading, it is usually significant.
The part that I cant teach is how to know in what way the repeating numbers and sequences are significant in a reading. This is something you will develop intuitively as a reader. What I will say is that you can usually find clues in the cards that surround the numbers.
Work, success, material wealth. Eight is the culmination of the number 2, and suggests completion. 8s can be grinding, the infinity symbol that never ends. Energy must be channeled appropriately.
When you read for other people, talking about what the Tarot is and what it can and cant do ensures that people know what to expect during the reading.Theres more about this in 3.
These words are a rhythm seeking to circle the Court Cards, to lasso them in as they break from one into the other. The child becomes the teen. The Queen becomes the King. They are stubbornly fixed and yet edgeless.
Numerology is the belief that numbers are not just math, but that they have divine meanings. Back before we separated the study of science from religion (not saying this is a bad thing), the study of the world also meant looking for the patterns around us. Take for example Pythagoras (6th C. BCE), who believed numbers were the expressive architecture of the divine.
To decipher the timing of an event, some people also use the general suit they are seeing and combine it with the repeating number. This is a commonly used system:
The King is the culmination of human aspiration. King are antlers grown through time and seasons. Eventually though, spires fall and ring wears off. The cycle begins again.
The Knight is called the conflicting force, the defiant sport, the charming one, the arrogant bastard, the risk, the push, the twist, the strength, the sword. The Knight is the challenge we all must fight against. The Knight is the defiance we must embrace.
The Knight is the rebellious teen. They are the defiance of the world, or the worlds limits reigning them in, turning them around. The Page thought their plans would be easy. But now, they are forced to carry out orders. This was not their plan. This was not their rule.
We begin with the Page, the fresh-eyed fawn. Or, the shoot of grass in spring. Breaking from formlessness, the Page unfurls like a question gazing into the sun. The Page could be called innocent, but they are not unbroken. They long for a story to be told. Then they rip it apart in order to create their own.
TheBook of Formationtells us that the supreme creator first ordered the world into number, letters, and then sounds. These building blocks of life are called the 32 mysterious paths of wisdom. The Holy Qabalah (below), is a map of these building blocks. Also, if you are interested, the Qabalah connects with the Tarot. A great book to read about the Qabalah for magickal purposes, as well as its connection to Tarot isThe Chicken Qabalah, byLon Milo Duquette.
Someone else suggested this once and I like this as theres less pressure on you and the tarot to predict your day. Pull cards at the end of the day, asking What happened today? Take note of the correlations you see in the cards with the days events.
5. CUT THE DECK.The client cuts the deck into three piles and then restacks the cards back into one pile.
Describe out loud what is depicted visually on each card.
The Page is anything possible and barely dreamed of.
The significance of the repeating number may stress the importance of its numerical meaning.
Sequential numbers can show when something starts and ends: For example, seeing 4 6 repeated in a reading can indicate that something will begin to come to fruition in 4 months and be complete within 6.
13. DOCUMENT THE READING (optional).
9. DISCUSS THE OVERARCHING THEME. What do you see? Discuss what strikes you most about the cards as a group.
6. PLACE THE CARDS INTO A SPREAD.If the client cut the cards (you did not use the fan method), pull from the top of the stack of cards, placing one card at a time face down into your Tarot Spread. Cards should be placed numerically in order to correspond with the spread you are using.
A poetic journey through the tarot court cards
As the Page gathers power and their legs straighten, they settle into pace. They begin to assert their confidence, seeing signs of adeptness. It is then that they become a charming steed, the horse bucking with pure energy. In growing determination the Page swivels into a dynamic Knight.
So you see, to me it seems we have a
Learn the Major Arcana cards first and begin reading from them. While this is not required, it can be helpful to tackle a smaller portion of the deck.
Completion, creation, social activity, power. May indicate group workings, birth, and success.
res no cutting involved). The client then pulls three cards straight out from the fan and places the cards face down.
The significance of the repeating number may show a length of time.
The battle of becoming is like the wind or the sea carving rock and shaping land. After its heavy hand, the polished stone shines with ease. There is calm after the storm. The dawn glows an orangish pink as the sun rises to greet.
Ready to start reading Tarot for someone else, or wanting further direction on just how a Tarot reading works from start to finish? Here is an outline you can follow.
For me, there is also something more than just knowing the cards and seeing the patterns. Earlier, I mentioned this as my energy and that I would explore this in a spiritual context. When I read intuitively, I call this connecting to Spirit. For me, Spirit is an all-knowing energy, outside and inside of us. I also think of this as a collective energy where information and ideas are accessible to all. It is this energy that helps me know something that I would not otherwise know. This clairvoyant information may come to me as a phrase or word I hear, or an image in my minds eye. When I read tarot for someone, I connect to Spirit. Connecting to Spirit helps me bring an added component to the readings so that I am open to information from the universe at large.
Balance, weighing, potential. May indicate two people if there are an abundance of twos and 2 court court cards in the reading.
While the actual meaning of a Tarot card and its interpretation in a spread is my first method for reading, numerology is a secondary tool that adds additional meaning.
The ancients realized that the primary forms of life first came out of water, and modern science concurs in this view. H.G. Wells, in hisOutline of Historydescribing primitive life on the earth, states: But though the ocean and intertidal water already swarmed with life, the land above the high-tide line was still, as far as we can guess, a stony wilderness without a trace of life. In the next chapter he adds, Wherever the shore-line ran there was life, and that life went in and by and with water as its home, its medium, and its fundamental necessity (131).
New beginnings, ideas, or possibilities.
Numerology follows the belief that because we can understand the world through the scientific means of algorithm, geometry, and pattern, we can also use numbers to understand ourselves. The numbers that compose your year, month, and date of birth relate a blueprint of sorts, about the nature of who you are and what your function is.
Tell the client what the card means (you should have 2-3 key phrases memorized for each card). If you are still learning and dont have meanings memorized, share what you know and what you think the meaning is.
2.DISCUSS WHAT THE TAROT IS. Bypass this step if you are reading for yourself!
If you want to read about how to calculate your life path number, there are a million sites out there to show you how, so I am not going to repeat what is already out there. What I am here to write about today is the connection that numbers have to Tarot, and what I have come across as a reader.
We try to stand still but life forces our progress, step and stride and stumbling. We move along, backwards, sideways and forward and then we stand still. For a moment.
10. DISCUSS EACH CARD INDIVIDUALLY, ONE AT A TIME.
The Knight is Trent Reznor, Joan of Arc, Nat Turner, Marcel Duchamp, and the hopeless romantic. They are the spirit of defiance that keeps the world in check, making strides with pain, fury, appetite, and unrest.
Start with three card spreads. You can create your own, but here are some Ideas:
3 cards for advice in my life right now
TheBook of Formationalso tells us that different elements were born in each emanation. The first emanation is Spirit in and of itself. The second is Air the breath of life. The third emanation of the Sephirot deals with water. In this third emanation, primordial water was extracted from the air, and the in theBook of Formationit is written that at this time the creator formed therein twenty-two sounds and established them out of mud and loam.
Conflict is closing, the challenges are wrapping up and a decision is made. Could also indicate denial of challenges.
Sequential numbers can also indicate the nature of a situation. Lower numbers like 1,2 and 3 in sequence suggest something is unfolding, while 7, 8, and 9 can indicate a situation is closing.
4. SHUFFLE.The reader shuffles the cards while focusing on the question at hand. You can also have the client shuffle the cards. I personally prefer to shuffle because Ive seen people man-handle my cards over the years and I feel physical pain when this happens.
Work on one suit (Minor Arcana suit) per week or month. Is there a story as you progress through the card numbers? What does the suit represent or communicate?
The length of time is usually: When something will happen (days or months) for the querent, the length of time something lasted (like a relationship), or how long ago a significant event happened.
But they are also the hooded armsmen that fight to keep worlds held back.
Pick 2-3 keywords per card; memorize them. You will change/add to these meanings in the years to come.
Odd numbers: Leadership/Breaking away (Masculine)
Too many options, lack of focus. Conversely, avoidance of imagination or consideration of the possibilities available to you.
Stability uprooted, lack of balance or grounding. Either inability to create stability or to break free from it.
Learn the elemental properties and the corresponding suits: SPIRIT, AIR, FIRE, EARTH, and WATER.
Queen is Moon, reflecting light in darkness. Queen is solemn, magical, and serene. The Queen is a river bringing water through dirt, root, and stream. The Queen cuts through jagged rocks to bring balance with force if need be.
The world is made of cycles and patterns. Straight and simple. In our lives, we live in patterns. Patterns of behaviors, cycles of highs and lows, and moments that seem to repeat. How convenient is it then, that the tarot employs complex systems of pattern? Within the deck, there are typically four suits with fourteen cards each, and a fifth suit with twenty-two cards. So, there are sets of cards and numbers that form a basic pattern. Additionally, there are visual symbols such as figures, colors, and symbols that repeat throughout the deck.
Something will not come to completion.
Ask the client what their interpretation of the card is.
Work on visualization techniques; talk about what you see happening in the image of a card when you pull it. Tie your visualization into abstract meanings (metaphor) as well as literal meanings (whats actually depicted on the card and how that may represent something literal). Do this before you double check what the card actually means.
Lets pause for a minute. Did you hear that? There were 22 sounds created from mud and loam (loam is clay). So, in this religious text, we are brought back to where we began our first steps. On the shoreline, slipping from the water and mixing with mud, we took our first walk-about, leaving our simpler celled-start behind. Looking at the Sephirot above, I have to say that while Im no scientist, to me it looks like one big cell or molecule. In the third emanation or growth, we came onto the shoreline as watery lizards, mixing with mud and loam as we first traversed the land.
The King is knowledge, the book, the vision, the plan, the stance, the position. The King is the mature adult, the boss, the father, the judge, the founder, the spark, the courage, the leader.
Even numbers: Harmony/Balance (Feminine)
As any path begun, forks and knives begin to appear and the Page is twisted and bent into shape. Gaining momentum and courage, the Page asserts their position and continues.
The Queen is the center of the hive, the cooperation and the speaking of trees swaying and strong. The Queen is called mother, matriarch, creator, and the energy of receptivity. Queen is called the hope, the order, the life, the center, the magnet, the glue that holds chaos together. What room is there for a King?
I bring to you my love of water. What I share is part research, part poetry, and part soul, fluidly stewed together for you to feed on. How these words shape you, flood you, and fill you, I cannot control. However my hope is that you gain an understanding of how the element water effects us and can be used for spiritual and symbolic purposes, whether through the Tarot (in thesuit of cups) or in other ways as you see fit. This is a hearty, heartfelt but well researched read. Get ready to dive deep into a few watery areas and see how they flow together. Oh, and to get you in the mood, you may want to press play on the song Water, by the Incredible String Band.
Here are my numerological associations with the Tarot cards (which reflect traditional numerological associations):
Out of the 32 paths, 10 of them are circles or points called the Sephirot. The Sephirot are emanations. TheBook of Formationtells us that these emanations were like lightening as they came down from the supreme creator. It all happened so fast, but in that instant, those points also became a cosmic blueprint of realms, with Spirit (supreme creator) residing in 1, and us humans at the bottom, in realm 10 on earth, or Kingdom.
Because I pay special attention to patterns, I normally like to read the tarot in groupings of two to five cards. This helps me identify sequences, numbers, or repeated images. Patterns in the cards may be simple or complex. I also think that my background as an artist helps me to read images and patterns. For example, I may notice a blue sky repeated in all of the cards, but anxious figures or scenes within the landscapes. This contrast is telling me that blue skies abound, but that the Querent is more worried than they need to be. I may also notice that many of the cards are from one suit in particular. So, an abundance of pentacle cards may suggest that even though the Querent is asking about love, they may be struggling at work. And because they are struggling at work, this will also be impacting their happiness, confidence, and therefore their ability to meet someone. Or, if I see the number nine repeated (numerically, nine can indicate an ending) but reversed, and followed by an Ace (beginnings), this suggests the Querent is avoiding ending something and starting down a much needed new path. As you can see (hopefully!), there are an endless amount of patterns in the cards and each time I do a reading I try to clear my brain so that I am truly open to seeing the patterns. I think that anyone can learn this skill through time and practice, and it definitely helps make a reading accurate.
11. THE MESSAGE.Summarize what you feel the Tarot reading is saying overall What advice is given?
If the person is not present I ask for Spirit to guide the reading and select the cards that align with the energy and needs of the person I am reading for. Sometimes it also helps to have the Querent visualize the cards being shuffled as if I am arranging them like puzzle pieces that describe their lifes picture. So even if they are not touching the cards physically, energetically they are still involved. Visualization and concentration (channeling energy into the deck) helps assure that the cards align in the best, and most accurate way.
Make your own Tarot deck! By making your own Tarot deck, you must think about the ways in which you connect to the meaning of the card. You create an instant bond.
7. FLIP THE CARDS OVER.Turn the cards overhorizontally, backside to frontside, right to left. Do not flip the cards with a vertical flip this changes the orientation of the cards against their original position.
We have some how always known about our connection to water as our earliest birthplace, even before science discovered this. Lets look at how one of the oldest religions, Judaism, views the element water and the beginning of life, as written in their sacred text, theSepher Yetzirah, orBook of Formation.I will be referencing this book as its transcribed by Manly Hall on pages 360-362 of his book The Secret Teachings of the Ages(as an FYI, this is a great book for those interested in comparative religion, mythology, and the esoteric).
But, once on shore we didnt stop there. As we evolved, we developed language, the twenty-two sounds, the alphabet (22 sounds, the Hebrew Alphabet in this case).
Ask the Tarot for guidance for the day, and pull one card. Study it. Carry its message with you. Write about your experience with the card at the end of the day. Soon begin pulling 3 cards per day, so you can begin to connect the cards together and create a narrative.
There are a million ways to learn Tarot, and some great suggestions on theresourceslink with books, sites, and videos you may enjoy. As far as practical tips, here are some ideas:
While I dont think you need a spiritual component to read the cards, for me I have found it to be helpful. The fact that most people believe something unexplainable happens only shows that there is something magical. I am often astounded and amazed by this work. It is this sense of awe that keeps me addicted to the tarot!
Card reversals may correspond to the question asked (for example, in a yes or no question, a reversed card is no and shows why no). Otherwise, there are many reasons cards may be reversed. They may be showing:
I have also experienced water as a gatekeeper between life and death. This first became apparent to me when I had a visitation dream from a family member a few years ago. She visited me from the shoreline of a beach and spoke to me telepathically. I shared this vision with my Dad, and he commented that in his experience, dreams with water are sent from God. While we have differing religious views, his comment stuck with me.
Like our birthplace, the womb, we developed in a watery abyss. Water was our home, and as written above, our medium. This word suggests that water has great power between life and death; if not the very least as an evolutionary tie, its greater symbolism rests in its connection to our birthplace and the wellspring of life. Formed over eons, we were shaped in the water but eventually sought to explore the land, as tadpoles, frogs, lizards, and leaping creatures, eventually evolving into four-legged mammalian walkers. We crawled from the water out onto that stony wilderness. but we did not abandon our past. We return to it every day. We drink water, we bathe in it, and we ARE water, 60% so.
I believe in the force! One exists and we can tap into it at anytime when we read the cards or need general guidance. I bring a spiritual component to the tarot (and to my life), but not everyone does; you dont need to be spiritual to read the cards. But you do have to believe in yourself, because you are what makes the cards come alive beyond rote memorization.
1. SEAT YOURSELVES IN A WAY THAT IS CONDUCIVE TO READING.I personally prefer to read for people side-by-side, so that we see the reading in the same orientation. When someone sits across from you the cards are oriented differently towards each person, making it harder to see the reading together.
Explain what your interpretation of the meaning of the card is as it relates to their question.
1+0 = ONE. So, the completion of something and the chance to start over again. Endings and new beginnings.
Additionally, the numerical significance may relate to the problem or issue at hand. For example, the number 4 is connected to stability. Seeing this number repeated throughout a reading may indicate the need to save money or seek security.
Start a Tarot journal. If you prefer to work digitally, evernote and notability are apps I like.
Some schools of thought place both the Fool (0) and World (21) card somewhat outside of the Major Arcana. Doing this allows for 6 groups of 10 cards in the Major and Minor Arcana: The Major Arcana cards 1-10, Major Arcana cards 10-20, and 4 sets of Minor Arcana cards 1-10 in each suit (Wands, Swords, Cups, and Pentacles). In numerology, 1-9 are considered the root numbers and the number 10 is an ending and beginning (10 equals 1, as 1+0 = 1). So, it would seem that the Tarot is connected to a basic tenant of numerology, that root numbers 1-9 form the underlying pattern within the deck. This could be a random connection, but the members of the Golden Dawn didnt think so. In their published doctrines, these magicians and occultists teach that each Tarot card has numerical, astrological, and Qabalastic associations (Check out:The Golden Dawn: A Complete Course in Practical and Ceremonial Magic).
Conflict, decisions, challenges, and being between decisions or worlds.
Through the Courts our eyes wane from new to expectant. The gaze begins soft and in time is distinct. The Courts are stages, ages, perception, and mindset. They are self, and other, becoming old and young, around and around and away again.
When you start reading for people (even if its just friends), you will want to have an understanding of what you will and will not read about. For example, I avoid the intention to predict the clients future. You may find it helpful to write out what you want to use the Tarot for. Avoiding reading on a subject you are unsure of. You can also help the client rephrase the question if needed. For example, you might say, I cant predict when you will meet someone and get married, but I can look at advice cards to help you improve your love life.
Stability, grounding, balance, proportion, success. Four is two 2s theres more weight to what was set into motion.
3 things I need to know about ________
Perhaps not enough, so the King must rise up in order to be seen.
Practitioners and magic workers name the Page many things. The young, the student, the journeyer unlearned working toward master. The spirit of transition, the seeker of new, the impressionable and immature, the free and the pure. The longing to build, the curious, the vain, the unfettered mind, the force of ideas quickly strung together.
Balance, harmony, nurturing, love, grace. The power of 3 combined into two 3s but 6 is an even number, suggests balance over the dynamism of the number 3.
Minor Arcana cards (suits of: Wands, Swords, Cups, and Pentacles) are numbered 1-10 each, with 4 Court Cards following the number 10 in every suit.
Lack of balance, disharmony. The need to stop over-giving or nurturing. Or, the fear of opening up.
It is now that we meet the time of the Queen.
What source, if any, do you attribute as the force behind the specific cards that are turned over in a reading/the answers that emerge from the cards? Ie, what or who causes those particular cards to emerge, and how do you explain the cards unique ability to answer each question accurately?
The numbers in the Tarot are as follows:
You can also opt for the fan spread, which means that after shuffling you place the cards face down in a fan shape (the
Discuss how the individual cards are connected.
The Major Arcana cards are numbered 1-21
I was contacted by Shelley Rue ofSparrow Tarot, and asked to the answer the following question for an article, which I am reposting here.
12.THE LEARNING.Ask the client what they have learned as a result of the reading and how they plan to use the information.
Can indicate either avoidance of starting over, or that now may not be the right time to start over. May also indicate opportunities or ideas that have fallen through and are no longer available.
Rising up like a tower, the King reaches toward the sky. They are steel and structure and forceful. The King is scorched with ambition. They are the mountain, the sun, the leaves, and the winter, ending to make way for the new.
The King is the force of initiation, high on the lead. The King will keep the peace or end ties if need be. The King decides the direction. Others must follow their creed.
The sun rises in the east (air) and sets in the west (water). I associate water with the direction west, as shown in this chart. The rising sun in the is east is symbolic of life beginning, while the setting sun symbolic of death. The sun rises, the sun sets. The day begins, the day ends. Every day, there is a new day of creation, a new cycle. Water guides us through to the underworld, back to ourselves at the end of our day, and in death.
Distrustful partners, deceit, lack of completion/coordination, singularity (versus group work/trust) may be needed.
What makes a reading hit home beyond the card meanings, in my opinion are two things: Your energy, and your knowledge of the patterns within the cards. In terms of energy, I am going to explore this in a spiritual dimension, but lets first talk about the patterns.
The Knight can obey or rebel. In a reading, the other cards around the Knight reveals whether they meet or spurn their sovereign.
3. SET THE INTENTION FOR THE READING.The client shares what they hope to know as a result of their reading, and you tell them what spread/process you are using, and/or how you hope to help them through the Tarot.
Possibility, ideas, creativity, evaluation, futuristic thinking.
To know water, we have to go back in time and first know our evolution. It took us humanoids 6 million years to evolve from our apelike ancestors. But science tells us, even earlier than that, we grew out of single cells, and micro creatures swimming and spinning about in the water. As a metaphysicist, I will focus on the spiritual aspect of what this means, and well start with good ol Manly Hall. He explores the symbolism of us emerging from water in his book,The Secret Teachings of All Ages:
Spend time with the Major Arcana cards. Identify myths, stories, and people (real or fictional) you see in the cards. Invent the story of each card, and THEN look at the real meaning. Write about what you see. Remember that Tarot card meanings are generally universal, but that whats more important is that you make a personal connection to your cards.