The 12 cards of my tarot reading, by astrological houses. I used the Tarot of Transformation.
Tarot decks typically have 78 cards. There are 22 “major arcana” cards, usually numbered 0 then Roman numerals I – XXI, relating to self-discovery along one’s spiritual journey to enlightenment. The “minor arcana” cards are like playing cards, with four suits numbered ace – 10 plus four “court” cards, traditionally page, knight, queen, and king. The “minor arcana” cards relate more to details of daily life. The meanings for numbers 1 – 10 correspond roughly to numerology categories. The traditional suits are CUPS for emotionality; PENTACLES for physicality; SWORDS for mentality: and WANDS for spirituality.
For those of you familiar with the tarot, here are the Tarot of Transformation cards I drew to match each astrological house, using standardized terms for the court cards and suits.
HOUSE #/ TAG TAROT Card CARD TITLE
1 Persona Queen of Wands Vibrational Healing
2 Self-Worth 5 of Pentacles Releasing Stuck Energy
3 Self-Expression 5 of Swords Holding the Higher Vision
4 Home/Family XV The Devil Separation from Source
5 Creativity 9 of Wands Tantric Sexuality
6 Daily Work/Health 5 of Cups Natural Intimacy
7 Partnership Queen of Cups Healing the Inner Child
8 Others’ Self-Worth Knight of Cups Exploring Inner Landscape
9 Expansion Page of Cups Attend to Emotional Needs
10 Highest Potential Ace of Wands Grounding for Creativity
11 Community 8 of Cups Human Doing/Busyness
12 Unconscious King of Wands Temple of the Goddess
What jumped to my attention right away was the preponderance of 5s, Cups, and Wands. In my other tarot spreads and dream-insights over the past two years, I have received more variety and lots more major arcana cards, with some Wands, few Cups, and almost no 5s. Seeing so few major arcana cards shows that this spread is geared toward everyday life, more than big-picture spirituality. Using descriptions in the Tarot of Transformation book and in The Spiritual Tarot, I looked for trends.
FIVES: I have three of the four 5s. Five is the midpoint of numerology categories 1 – 9, so 5s are the pivotal decision point. WILL I overcome my complacency and fears and choose to embrace change and activate my potential? This sure fits in with my continuing crisis in confidence, eh? Changing direction is scary!
CUPS: I have five of the fourteen: 5, 8, Page, Knight, & Queen. They are in six of seven consecutive houses, # 6 – 11! WEIRD!!!!
WANDS: I have four of the fourteen: Ace, 9, Queen, & King.
The Cups and Wands fill all 9 houses # 5 – 1, all of which are interactive, to some degree. So, my emotional and spiritual development is apparently meant to be somewhat interactive, too. I spent a lot of childhood energy first fighting then learning to be private. Going public is not going to be comfortable.
The three oddball cards are together in houses 2 – 4, which are the most internally oriented. The one major arcana card is the XV Devil, which is about needing to examine the stuffed-in-the-unconscious, rejected parts of myself and learning to understand them. Comprehension brings compassion, and shadows tend to melt away in the light of consciousness. Similarly, the 5 of Swords is about transcending defeatist attitudes by focusing on the higher truth and letting it motivate me forward. The 5 of Pentacles is overtly a test of self-confidence, about embracing change, purging the no-longer-needed stuff and attitudes, and moving on.
It feels like most of the cards are urging me to meditate, meditate, meditate. That is how to access and disarm the childhood survival mechanisms that are now holding me back. I don’t need them anymore, since I have learned many better coping mechanisms since.
COURT CARDS: Since this spread is all about me, the court cards do not represent persons, as they often do. I couldn’t find much about them as a group, except in The Spiritual Tarot, which explained that they express four levels of maturity in the spiritual quest. That makes good sense to me.
Pages are just starting out, with lots of unfocused enthusiasm and are most open to learning and risk. This card also can represent the Inner Child. Coincidently, my Caroline Myss-mandated archetype of the Inner Child is also in my 9th house, the house of expansion! (The Myss books on archetypes are on my Bibliography Page.)
Knights are relatively hyper-focused and over-zealous, and don’t know as much as they like to think they do. My knight is in the 8th house, where I think my incipient teaching activities (numerology/tarot) are. Ooh, I’d better mellow out and tone down my enthusiasm a bit. I can come on too strong. At least I am already painfully aware that I don’t know much at all!
Queens represent mature, receptive female energies. Kings represent mature, active male energies. I am excited to see two queens. And that king of mastery in my 12th house is a thrill, because that house is the biggest challenge in my astrological chart. Maybe I WILL fulfill my purpose in this life!
Aagghh! How did I miss seeing this post? I was on the edge of my seat wanting to see it. You do such a nice job succinctly interpreting readings, Ginny. I’m thinking of your numerology/tarot reading for the new name for Caritas, and the dream interpretation you did for my dad dream when he died. Very interesting and illuminating, and I love the interpretations you took from it. You could have a career in working readings separate from the person being there!! Love that idea.
Well, thank you so much for your vote of confidence. SOMEtimes, I feel like I have SOME sense of what something means–and then there’s all the rest that befuddle me completely! I can tell I’m BEGINNING to see/think symbolically. It gives me hope and motivation to keep working at it. (Besides, it’s so FUN!) YOU often offer me interpretations that really resonate well, which I didn’t see at all. Spiritual sisters, indeed!