Are you curious about tarot cards and their connection to your zodiac sign? Tarot cards have various uses, whether for meditation, divination, or providing guidance for your daily life. But did you know that each tarot card is associated with an astrological sign? Dive deeper into the fascinating world of tarot and astrology to uncover the hidden connections between the two.
Why Do Certain Tarot Cards Correspond With Certain Zodiac Signs?
To understand why certain tarot cards are linked to specific zodiac signs, we need to go back in time to ancient Egypt. The Egyptians used 36 constellations known as decans to measure time and create their calendar. Each decan appeared on the horizon every hour during the night, with a new decan appearing every 10 days.
Astrology eventually made its way to Egypt, and three decans were assigned to each zodiac sign. This concept is still used today to divide each sign into three equal parts, each lasting for 10 days. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a prominent organization, adopted this concept and associated the tarot cards with the zodiac signs.
The Connection Between Tarot and the Zodiac
The Golden Dawn correlated the tarot cards with the zodiac signs by aligning the first three cards of each suit with the corresponding element's cardinal sign. For example, the first three cards of the Wands suit represent cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn), while the next three cards represent fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, and Aquarius), and the following three cards represent mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces).
Additionally, each element's Ace card symbolizes the purest form of that element and is associated with all signs belonging to that element. For instance, the Ace of Cups is connected to all water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces).
While this is the most common approach to connect tarot and astrology, there are alternative methodologies, such as the Tarot of the Bohemians by Gérard Encausse, which you may encounter during your research.
The Court Cards and Astrology
The court cards add complexity to the tarot and astrology connection. In the Golden Dawn tradition, each court card is linked to an element in addition to the element of its suit.
- Pages: Earth
- Knights: Fire
- Queens: Water
- Kings: Air
Furthermore, the court cards are associated with specific decans of the signs. The Queens primarily connect to the cardinal element of a sign, the Knights connect to the fixed element, and the Kings connect to the mutable element. By incorporating these additional elements and decans, the Golden Dawn was able to assign the court cards to the zodiac signs.
How to Use Tarot Card Correspondences in a Reading?
Understanding the astrological correspondences of tarot cards can enhance your readings in several ways. If a particular card keeps appearing, it may indicate a connection to someone born during the associated zodiac sign. Additionally, if you seek insight into the timing of an event, a tarot card can indicate that it will occur during the period associated with that specific card.
The Tarot Cards for Each Astrological Sign
Here is a list of tarot cards associated with each zodiac sign. These correspondences provide a deeper understanding of the connections between astrology and tarot.
Aries Tarot Cards
- The Emperor (IV)
- Queen of Wands (1st and 2nd decan)
- Knight of Pentacles (3rd decan)
- Two of Wands (1st decan of Aries: March 21-30)
- Three of Wands (2nd decan of Aries: March 31-April 10)
- Four of Wands (3rd decan of Aries: April 11-20)
Taurus Tarot Cards
- The Hierophant (V)
- Knight of Pentacles (1st and 2nd decan)
- Knight of Swords (3rd decan)
- Five of Pentacles (1st decan of Taurus: April 21-30)
- Six of Pentacles (2nd decan of Taurus: May 1-10)
- Seven of Pentacles (3rd decan of Taurus: May 11-20)
Gemini Tarot Cards
- The Lovers (VI)
- Knight of Swords (1st and 2nd decan)
- Queen of Cups (3rd decan)
- Eight of Swords (1st decan of Gemini: May 21-31)
- Nine of Swords (2nd decan of Gemini: June 1-10)
- Ten of Swords (3rd decan of Gemini: June 11-20)
Cancer Tarot Cards
- The Chariot (VII)
- Queen of Cups (1st and 2nd decan)
- Knight of Wands (3rd decan)
- Two of Cups (1st decan of Cancer: June 21-30)
- Three of Cups (2nd decan of Cancer: July 1-11)
- Four of Cups (3rd decan of Cancer: July 12-21)
Leo Tarot Cards
- Strength (VIII)
- Knight of Wands (1st and 2nd decan)
- King of Pentacles (3rd decan)
- Five of Wands (1st decan of Leo: July 22-August 1)
- Six of Wands (2nd decan of Leo: August 2-11)
- Seven of Wands (3rd decan of Leo: August 12-22)
Virgo Tarot Cards
- The Hermit (IX)
- King of Pentacles (1st and 2nd decan)
- Queen of Swords (3rd decan)
- Eight of Pentacles (1st decan of Virgo: August 23-September 1)
- Nine of Pentacles (2nd decan of Virgo: September 2-11)
- Ten of Pentacles (3rd decan of Virgo: September 12-22)
Libra Tarot Cards
- Justice (XI)
- Queen of Swords (1st and 2nd decan)
- Knight of Cups (3rd decan)
- Two of Swords (1st decan of Libra: September 23-October 2)
- Three of Swords (2nd decan of Libra: October 3-12)
- Four of Swords (3rd decan of Libra: October 13-22)
Scorpio Tarot Cards
- Death (XII)
- Knight of Cups (1st and 2nd decan)
- King of Wands (3rd decan)
- Five of Cups (1st decan of Scorpio: October 23-November 1)
- Six of Cups (2nd decan of Scorpio: November 2-12)
- Seven of Cups (3rd decan of Scorpio: November 13-22)
Sagittarius Tarot Cards
- Temperance (XIV)
- King of Wands (1st and 2nd decan)
- Queen of Pentacles (3rd decan)
- Eight of Wands (1st decan of Sagittarius: November 23-December 2)
- Nine of Wands (2nd decan of Sagittarius: December 3-12)
- Ten of Wands (3rd decan of Sagittarius: December 13-21)
Capricorn Tarot Cards
- The Devil (XV)
- Queen of Pentacles (1st and 2nd decan)
- Knight of Swords (3rd decan)
- Two of Pentacles (1st decan of Capricorn: December 22-30)
- Three of Pentacles (2nd decan of Capricorn: December 31-January 9)
- Four of Pentacles (3rd decan of Capricorn: January 10-19)
Aquarius Tarot Cards
- The Star (XVII)
- Knight of Swords (1st and 2nd decan)
- King of Cups (3rd decan)
- Five of Swords (1st decan of Aquarius: January 20-29)
- Six of Swords (2nd decan of Aquarius: January 30-February 8)
- Seven of Swords (3rd decan of Aquarius: February 9-18)
Pisces Tarot Cards
- The Moon (XVIII)
- King of Cups (1st and 2nd decan)
- Queen of Wands (3rd decan)
- Eight of Cups (1st decan of Pisces: February 19-28)
- Nine of Cups (2nd decan of Pisces: March 1-10)
- Ten of Cups (3rd decan of Pisces: March 11-20)
The Corresponding Signs for the Major Arcana
- The Emperor (IV): Aries
- The Hierophant (V): Taurus
- The Lovers (VI): Gemini
- The Chariot (VII): Cancer
- Strength (VIII): Leo
- The Hermit (IX): Virgo
- Justice (XI): Libra
- Death (XIII): Scorpio
- Temperance (XIV): Sagittarius
- The Devil (XV): Capricorn
- The Star (XVII): Aquarius
- The Moon (XVIII): Pisces
The Corresponding Signs for the Minor Arcana
Here are the tarot cards associated with each zodiac sign in the Minor Arcana:
- Aces: Fire Signs - Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
- Aces: Water Signs - Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
- Aces: Air Signs - Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
- Aces: Earth Signs - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Explore the connections between tarot and astrology, and you may discover a new layer of meaning in your tarot readings. Remember, tarot is a personal journey, and the cards can guide you toward self-discovery and insight. Embrace the magic of tarot and astrology, and let them illuminate your path.