LEARN TAROT
 
The Cards You’re Dealt, A Conversation With Theresa Reed (The Tarot Lady)

The Cards You’re Dealt, A Conversation With Theresa Reed (The Tarot Lady)

Oct 6, 2023 | Blog

I was recently contacted by Weiser Books about Theresa Reed’s (The Tarot Lady) new book, ‘The Cards You’re Dealt’. I was asked if I wanted a free copy of the book and an interview with Theresa herself. I jumped at the chance.

Something I love about Theresa’s approach to the Tarot is that it’s grounded in reality. It focuses on the present and dealing with the shadow side of life just as much as the good stuff.

Like me, she focuses on balance and using Tarot in a practical way, to support and guide the self through the many challenges real life throws at us. Something her new book ‘The Cards You’re Dealt’ deals with in spades.

Many Tarot readers today have to push back against the traditional tropes the Tarot and readers have been given over the last few hundred years. This can make it tricky to show people just how influential and supportive Tarot can be with modern life and real, human situations.

“I think a lot of folks have the impression tarot is focused on the ‘tall dark stranger’ trope, but it’s not accurate.“ says Theresa.

“Many people seek tarot readings when they are in pain. Tarot can be a helpful tool for sorting out emotions and finding better, healthier ways to deal with life’s ups and downs.“

Whenever I talk to other Tarot readers I’m always curious as to when they had that realisation. When was the moment they realised that they could use the cards for something more than just a bit of fun or a quick check-in?

“I don’t know if there was a specific ‘aha’ moment. The truth is, I was simply doing my work and these topics were as common as questions about love at my tarot table.“

“Many people seek tarot readings when they are in pain. Tarot can be a helpful tool for sorting out emotions and finding better, healthier ways to deal with life’s ups and downs.”

Theresa has been reading for the public for over 30 years now and her experiences with her clients have taught her just as much about what the Tarot can aid with, as practising in the privacy of her own home.

When it comes to reading for the public, something that I worry about is the ethics that come attached to the practice. There are many amazing readers who simply want to help others, but there are also a lot of fraudsters out there who want to take advantage of those in a vulnerable emotional state.

Something I loved about ‘The Cards You’re Dealt’ was that it hits you with a disclaimer straight out of the gate.

“Please Note: Tarot is never a substitute for therapy, grief counselling, legal advice, health-care advice or other professional services…” — The Cards You’re Dealt by Theresa Reed

Dealing With Difficult Topics 

As the subject of the book is so sensitive – guiding you through using Tarot for grief and more of life’s toughest battles – I was so happy to see that Theresa had made sure to keep ethics at the forefront of her offering.

One way that I use Tarot and how I started to use the cards, is to support my mental health. I have depression and an anxiety disorder, something I’ve had since I was around 13. I’ve used Tarot cards alongside professional services like counselling, psychotherapies and other talk therapies for years.

I asked Theresa why she felt the cards were such a great accompaniment to these professional therapies.

“I feel that talking is one way we can heal. More therapists are adding tarot and oracle cards to their practices because they can see their potential for healing through conversation. The cards are perfect for inspiring people to talk. When we do that, we have the power to rewrite our stories. I think we’ve only just begun to see where Tarot is going. There is so much more it can do – and I cannot wait to see how it continues to expand in new ways.“

This new book from Theresa really feels like a crutch for those times in life when you have battles only you can fight. It’s for when you are surrounded by people and yet feel completely alone.

In the book Theresa talks about her career as a Tarot reader and how she has worked with a variety of clients to find more clarity and comfort during their biggest life challenges. She outlines some real-world examples of how Tarot has helped her own clients but doesn’t shy away from some of the frustrations of being a reader.

Something any Tarot reader will know is that when you first start out – before you find your groove – you’ll get a lot of people looking for those fortune-telling style readings and questions about love and lust. Theresa talks about her preference for working with more hard-hitting questions for readings.

“I find these topics more compelling for Tarot readings rather than the standard “Will I get married?” type queries.” — The Cards You’re Dealt

How Tarot Can Help us with the Nitty Gritty of Life

Although Tarot is great for those types of questions, it’s the gritty stuff in life that Tarot can really help dig down into. I asked Theresa what the biggest differences were between the clients who ask the more surface-level questions, compared to those who want to really explore the more sensitive problems in their lives.

“The biggest thing that sets these types of readings apart is that folks who come for the ‘will I get married’ type questions view it as entertainment, and, in many cases, they assume the future will somehow just ‘happen to them,’ which can make them passive. They will then sit around, waiting for things to happen ‘to them’ instead of taking a proactive approach.”

Tarot is all about the balance between passive and active energies. Like manifestation, to really get the most from Tarot readings – whether you do them for yourself or get readings from others – you need to be able to take action on the guidance the cards offer.

“When people come to a Tarot reader to talk about serious stuff like illness or loss, they’re looking at what they can do to move through the situation with grace. They aren’t lounging around hoping for an outcome. Instead, they realize how precious time is and are looking to make the most out of living, right here, right now.”

“Tarot can also show you when you’re headed toward burnout. Sometimes that’s hard for them to recognize, especially when they are knee-deep in responsibilities. A Tarot reading might say ‘Hey, you’re doing too much. Slow down.’”

The book ‘The Cards You’re Dealt’ is split into two parts, the first showing those who are new to the cards how they can get started. The second is where the real magic takes place.

Theresa offers a number of different spreads and guidance around many tricky subjects. For example, there is a ‘Recovery Spread’ for those in recovery from an illness, addiction or surgery. There are also spreads for grief, caregivers and even to help make sense of natural disasters.

One aspect that I found most interesting was the focus on caregivers. As someone who has family members who require care, who are caregivers and who offer care in a more professional capacity, this is something that is at the forefront of my mind.

How Caregivers Can Benefit From Tarot

I asked Theresa what it was about caregivers in particular, that made them some of the best benefactors of Tarot guidance.

“Caregivers are constantly giving, and they often ignore their own needs. I know this story all too well. Tarot can help caregivers recognize what they need – and learn how to take better care of themselves so they can continue to support the people who need them.”

“Tarot can also show you when you’re headed toward burnout. Sometimes that’s hard for them to recognize, especially when they are knee-deep in responsibilities. A Tarot reading might say ‘Hey, you’re doing too much. Slow down.’ That’s a message caregivers need to hear but may have trouble hearing. I’m back in caregiving mode at this time, and I found some of my old habits of over-giving creeping back in. I’m using Tarot to reel myself back on track!”

Something that Tarot has taught me, and something I see my workshop students and group members learning as they go, is the concept of cycles and how to manage them. It’s the consistent turning of life and the repetition of cycles that often throw us through a loop and leave us confused about which way we’re facing.

Things like caregiving and especially grief and hardship, can all drive home the harsh realities of the cycles we move through in life. Theresa speaks to this a lot in her book. I asked her about any patterns she’s noticed over the years reading for the public. I asked if there have been any changes in the way we approach the idea of beginnings, middles and ends since she first started reading for others.

“I have found when it comes to loss, the main thing people struggle with is regrets. ‘I should have done this differently’ or ‘I wish I would have said…’ are two sentiments I’ve heard over and over from people dealing with grief. That’s why I think it’s so important to be fully present in the moment, especially when you’re with loved ones.”

“I never go a day without talking to my children and letting them know I love them. I had challenging relationships with my parents, so there were unresolved issues when they passed, and although enough time has passed, and I’ve released that energy, I never want to experience that with my children.“

In the book, there is a section where Theresa talks about our modern approach to things like grief that I found really interesting. In it she says,

“Our culture has a fear-based view of dying and grief. As Megan Devine says in her book ‘It’s OK That You’re Not OK: “The way we deal with grief in our culture is broken.” We treat it like it’s a pile of dirty clothes that needs to be laundered and put away as swiftly as possible. ” — The Cards You’re Dealt

What I took From ‘The Cards You’re Dealt’ from The Tarot Lady

In 2021 I lost my grandmother to a stroke, this was after not being able to see her due to the pandemic and only having seen her once between my arrival back in the UK in 2019, and when we went into lockdown in early 2020. I won’t pretend that I had a healthy approach to the grief I dealt with and I could have probably used this book back then.

I did exactly what Theresa spoke about, I acknowledged it and cleaned it away as quickly as possible so I could get on with everything else in life. I could relate to a lot of what Theresa touched on in the book about the difficulties people face around grief, and it got me thinking about how I could have used my cards better during that time.

Using Tarot for grief is something that I have never given much thought towards. Probably because I have such a resistance to dealing with my own grief. During this time though I did try and be more mindful around my self-care routines and mirrored that with access to professional services.

Often in these times, turning to the wellness industry seems like the most obvious thing to do. I’ve noticed a very slow and gradual uptick in Tarot being used within ‘wellness’, but I was curious to hear Theresa’s thoughts on the trajectory of Tarot’s place within this trending space.

“For the wellness industry, I hope they respect Tarot and don’t treat it like the yoga pose of the month. It has a rich history, and I’d love it if they would learn about that. Also, I do worry about some folks encouraging people to forgo therapy in favor of self-care. While self-care is essential, and Tarot can be a vital part of that, neither is a substitute for professional treatment.”

With social media and the internet, the line between medical practices and wellness can easily become blurred. Something we don’t want to happen is for Tarot to be positioned as a ‘fix all’ tool. Like Theresa says here, neither self-care nor Tarot readings should be used as a substitute when you need more professional support.

I know from experience, that there is a time and place for everything. If I had relied solely on my wellness practices to manage my mental health I would have gone backwards instead of forwards. Tarot and self-care are tools that can help support and guide you, but they are not medical or psychological treatments.

It’s important as Tarot readers, that we make sure to keep Tarot in its lane. To ensure that it is represented in the most authentic, ethical and beneficial way possible.

Exploring Tarot’s Shift into the Mainstream

I spoke to Theresa about the rise of Tarot into the mainstream wellness movement:

“While I appreciate Tarot being more ‘mainstream,’ I worry it will get watered down to placate the masses. I’d like it to remain a bit edgy, rather than becoming metaphysical muzak. Maybe that’s the old-school punk rocker in me. Or perhaps it’s because I have seen some folks with the whole ‘positive vibes only’ mindset trying to remove the so-called ‘negative’ aspects of Tarot. Life is a full spectrum with all sorts of experiences, both good and not-so-great. Tarot reflects all of that. Why would we want to ignore the hard stuff?“

The focus on ‘love and light’ is something that I was inundated with when I first started out. Like Theresa though I knew straight away that I didn’t want to just be another person on the internet telling you to raise your vibe all the time. As a human I struggle with the shadows, both medically and just within my personality, so ignoring that side of my humanity and preaching ‘love and light’ would not have been an authentic thing for me to do.

I think that’s why I’m so much more drawn towards the Tarot than Oracle cards. To me, Oracle cards are marketed more as a ‘high vibe’ tool, with Tarot as the tool for the nitty gritty. The Tarot, as Theresa said, is a little bit edgy because of its ability to not shy away from the darkness of the human condition.

“While I appreciate Tarot being more “mainstream,” I worry it will get watered down to placate the masses. I’d like it to remain a bit edgy, rather than becoming metaphysical muzak.”

I’ve learned so much about myself from the Tarot over the years. I’ve learned why I do what I do, why I think the way I do and how to sort through my thoughts when I’m in a spiral. It has given me a huge sense of empowerment that I would have struggled to cultivate otherwise.

When asked about what Tarot had taught her, Theresa said: “I am not powerless. I have agency. I can make different, better decisions. This is my biggest takeaway from Tarot.“

I couldn’t agree more.

You can find Theresa’s new book ‘The Cards You’re Dealt’ online at Weiser Books in the US or pre-order it over on Amazon UK if you’re based in the UK. Here in the UK it will be released on November 28th 2023.

*Disclaimer: I was sent a free copy of the book in advance for PR purposes.

The Tarot Major Arcana Cards

The Tarot Major Arcana Cards

Sep 19, 2023 | Learn Tarot

Master the Major Arcana cards with this beginner-friendly guide to all 22 of the major cards.

The Major Arcana refers to the first 22 cards in a traditional Tarot deck. It runs from The Fool all the way to The World and represents the major themes all humans have to move through within the cycle of life.

If you are new the world of Tarot cards and Tarot reading, then you may be wondering what exactly the Major Arcana is and what makes it so special? 

These 22 cards are some of the most widely recognised cards out of the 78 card deck. They are frequently used in the media when representing the Tarot. We all know the cards Death, The Tower and The Devil. These are all part of the Major Arcana.

If you are new the world of Tarot cards and Tarot reading, then you may be wondering what exactly the Major Arcana is and what makes it so special? 

These 22 cards are some of the most widely recognised cards out of the 78 card deck. They are frequently used in the media when representing the Tarot. We all know the cards Death, The Tower and The Devil. These are all part of the Major Arcana.

So what makes these cards so special in a deck of 78 cards? The Major Arcana hold a lot more weight than they’re Minor Arcana counterparts.

They represent the major life lessons and themes and the major archetypes we all come across in the cycle of life. They set the overall tone for a reading and provide an anchor as we move through the other cards in a Tarot reading spread.

What does the Major Arcana represent?

The Major Arcana is called as such because ‘Arcana’ means lessons or knowledge. These cards represent the ‘major’ knowledge and lessons we as humans need to move through life. The other 56 cards in a traditional Tarot deck are called the Minor Arcana cards, because they represent the ‘minor’ life lessons and knowledge. 

Another way to think of these two sections of a Tarot deck is that the Major Arcana is the umbrella and the Minor Arcana is everything that sits underneath.

These 22 cards are also seen as archetypes. If you’re not familiar with what archetypes are, they are a term used within psychology to refer to the universally understood symbology of a pattern of behaviour. 

Something we go back to time and time again in Tarot is psychologist Carl Jung’s breakdown of archetypes. Particularly the four main categories of; The Self, the Persona, the Shadow and the Anima/Animus. 

What are the 21 Major Arcana?

Temperance_Tarot_Card_Reading

The Major Arcana is numbered from 0 to 21, meaning that in total there are 22 cards within the Majors. These cards all run from The Fool – which is given the number of Zero – and ends with the final card, The World – which is given the number of 21. 

One way of seeing the Majors is in a table of three rows. This is often referred to as ‘The Fool’s Journey’ and positions The Fool as the hero of the Major Arcana cycle. He then goes on a journey where he encounters each of the archetypes locked within the 21 other Major Arcana cards. 

With each meeting he is faced with a new challenge. When we read the Major Arcana cards, it can be helpful to put ourselves in the position of The Fool in this respect. It can help us better understand why a Major card has made an appearance in our readings. 

The Major Arcana, like all of the Tarot, is a cycle. Once you reach the card numbered 21, you then circle back and start a brand new cycle with The Fool back at position Zero.

This represents our natural life cycles. We are never stagnant, life is always moving, throwing ups and downs our way. This is what we face within the journey of the Major Arcana. 

The Major arcana therefore tells the story of the self. If we apply those four archetype’s from Jung’s work then we can see this a little more clearly. 

Going back to that Fool’s Journey, the first line of the Majors represent the self, the second could represent the persona and the final representing the shadow with the animus and anima sprinkled throughout to add dimension. 

The Major Arcana Cards

0 The Fool

The very first card in the Major Arcana. This represents new beginnings and freedom.

FIND OUT MORE

1 The Magician

The second card representing creation and manifestation.

FIND OUT MORE

2 The High Priestess

The third card which represents spiritual exploration and mystery.

FIND OUT MORE

3 The Empress

The fourth card which represents fertility, nurturing and self-love.

FIND OUT MORE

4 The Emperor

The fifth card which represents our personal power and authority.

FIND OUT MORE

5 The Hierophant

The sixth card which represents our beliefs, habits and traditions.

FIND OUT MORE

6 The Lovers

The seventh card which represents our duality and our unconscious and conscious.

FIND OUT MORE

7 The Chariot

The eight card and the card of independence and exploration.

FIND OUT MORE

8 Strength

The ninth card representing inner strength and self control.

FIND OUT MORE

9 The Hermit

The tenth card meaning isolation and introspection.

FIND OUT MORE

10 Wheel of Fortune

The eleventh card representing fate and destiny, the things out of our control.

FIND OUT MORE

11 Justice

The twelfth card meaning our subjectivity vs objectivity and truth. 

FIND OUT MORE

12 The Hanged Man

The thirteenth card which represents stress, perspective and suspension.

FIND OUT MORE

13 Death

The fourteenth card representing change, transition and transformation.

FIND OUT MORE

14 Temperance

The fifteenth card representing balance, willpower and moderation.

FIND OUT MORE

15 The Devil

The sixteenth card representing our vices, addictions and materialism.

FIND OUT MORE

16 The Tower

The seventeenth card in Majors representing chaos, destruction and fresh starts.

FIND OUT MORE

17 The Star

The eighteenth card referring to our hope, direction and optimism.

FIND OUT MORE

18 The Moon

The nineteenth card representing our subconscious, dreams and shadow self.

FIND OUT MORE

19 The Sun

The twentieth card representing joy, success and abundance.

FIND OUT MORE

20 Judgement

The twenty-first card referring to thresholds and make or break moments.

FIND OUT MORE

21 The World

The final card of the Majors, the card of completion and ascension.

FIND OUT MORE

Learning the meanings of the Major Arcana

To help you learn the core meanings of all of the Major Arcana cards, here is a little infographic that acts as a quick and handy cheat sheet. These are the traditional meanings of the Tarot cards and meanings can vary depending on what deck you are using. These are ideal for any Rider Waite deck or a deck based on the Rider Waite meanings. 

If you’ve got a taste of the Tarot and you’re looking to see if Tarot reading is something you want to dive into a little more, then make sure you sign-up for my free self-led workshop below. 

 

The Major Arcana Infographic Tarot Meanings
A Tarot Spread For a Mid-Year Review

A Tarot Spread For a Mid-Year Review

Jun 14, 2023 | Journaling

We all love to set big goals at the beginning of the year, but as it goes on they get left behind in the past. How often do you check in mid-year to make sure you’re on the right track to meet those goals? How many times have you forgotten that you even had goals?

The next time you find yourself wondering ‘what Tarot spread should I do?’ think about when the last time you checked in with yourself was.

This mid-year review is the perfect Tarot spread to help you do just that. Review the energies that have got you to this point and what you can expect to cultivate as you move forwards.

Whether you do this 6 months into the year or 10 months into the year. There is no wrong time to sit down and make space for a bit of self-reflection.

Want to really get stuck into this work and connect with your most authentic self, all while building a consistent Tarot practice? Make sure to check out the Tarot For Reconnection Workshop.

Card 1 – What you entered the year with

This position shows you what energy you sprang into the new year with. It’s a good time to reflect on this and assess why you had that energy to begin with, whether it’s still present and if not, when and why did it disappear.

This is so you can see how you’ve changed from the person you used to be compared to the person you are at this present moment.

Card 2 – What has been driving you

What is your motivation for getting to you are right now? This card will show you what your main driving energy is, and what’s fuelling you as you work towards the end of this year.

It’s a good shout to see if this is even an energy you want to harness and be a vessel for. It might be that this energy is not at all what you were trying to achieve. If so, then now is a great time to see how you’ve got to this point and how you could change things.

If it is an energy you’ve been trying to harness, then review what steps you took to get here and make a note of anything you observed along the way.

Card 3 – How have you approached this year so far

This is the energy you’ve been using to attack the year so far. Card 2 shows you the energy that has built up naturally over time, but this is conscious energy. You’re actively using this energy to move forward.

Again, is this energy what you were trying to use or has it evolved into something more? Do you think this is the right energy to be wielding? Do you think it is helping you or is it hindering/slowing down your progress?

Card 4 – A lesson that you’ve learned

This card represents a key lesson that you’ve learned so far this year. Take a look and try and identify what this might be referring to and what difference it has made.

Maybe this lesson has completely changed the goals you have for yourself. Maybe this lesson has made you rethink some aspects of your life or of yourself. Dive into this lesson so you can see how it has impacted you.

Card 5 – A lesson that you’re about to learn

This card shows a lesson that is currently open to you. It’s one that is on the horizon should you keep moving in the direction you are currently. This lesson may be something that really challenges you or could even derail you.

How do you feel that this lesson is on its way to you? Do you feel a need to change direction in order to avoid it? If so why? If you’re ready to face this lesson head-on, why?

Card 6 – Your goal for the rest of the year

This is the energy you are able to harness should you embrace everything the rest of the year has in store for you. This is a great card to sit with and really absorb the energy it is offering.

How does it feel? Is it a welcome energy? Does it make you feel excited or scared? Make sure to dive into any thoughts or feelings that appear and pick them apart as much as possible. Try and get to the root of why this energy is so important for you right now.

*To help you dive into this a little more, I have a free workshop all about using Tarot For Goal Setting here. 

 

Tarot Spread Mid-Year Review

Tarot is such a powerful tool for self-reflection and also taking care of your overall well-being. If you’d like to find out how you can better utilise Tarot or Oracle cards in your self-care routine then why not explore my FREE ‘Creating a Self-Care Tarot Practice’ deep dive lesson?

What the Queen of Pentacles Can Teach us About Organic Growth

Jun 7, 2023 | Journaling, Learn Tarot

What the Queen of Pentacles Can Teach Us About Organic Growth

Image via Unsplash by Oladimeji Odunsi

The Queen of Pentacles has such a deep nurturing meaning that many overlook. She’s on par with The Empress in my eyes, just a much more practical version. She’s like your biggest cheerleader. She’s the loving mother that tells you that you can do whatever your heart desires. She wants what’s best for you.

Something we can take away from the Queen of Pentacle’s energy is a lesson in organic growth. This is something I spoke about at length in episode 38 of The Self-Care Tarot Podcast which you can listen to here:

In summary, the Queen of Pentacles helps to ground us in reality. She cultivates the ground from which we can grow in a way that is natural and aligned with our soul’s purpose. That sounds a bit airy, but it means that there is no rush to become who you are eventually meant to be.

It’s about the journey, not the destination

When we embrace the energy of the Queen of Pentacles we make a commitment to ourselves. We promise that we won’t force change, nor will we reject it. We commit to going through whatever comes up. Grow through what you go through vibes.

>
“Grow through what you go through”
— Queen of Pentacles

Organic growth is all about the growth you don’t actively chase. It is what the universe guides you through and a lot of the time we don’t even realise it’s happening.

That’s why taking on the energy of the Queen of Pentacles is so important. She helps to give us the space to stop, reflect and understand what we’ve been through and how it has changed us.

Cultivating the Environment for growth

If you’ve ever done a bit of gardening you’ll know that if you try and plant something in an inhospitable environment it won’t grow. The same applies to ourselves. We can’t grow and develop if we are not consciously creating an environment where we can do so.

With the Queen of Pentacles, we are bringing together the deep emotional energy of elemental water and the grounding and supportive nature of elemental earth.

Together we get this safe space to really open up and be vulnerable. We are safe and secure allowing us to be able to be 100% honest with ourselves. The perfect environment for review and reflection, two key elements in growth.

How to do this Queen of Pentacles work

The most essential part of Queen of Pentacle’s work is creating time and space for you to sit and reflect. Once here, you can give yourself a Tarot reading, do some self-reflecting meditation, and maybe even write some poetry or paint. Whatever helps you really tap into what you’ve been going through.

*Why not do this work in my digital Energetic Tarot Journal? There’s plenty of space each week for you to really get stuck in and start to connect with your own organic growth.

An example of this would be if you’ve just gone through a period of grief. Making this time for yourself to reflect and process can help you better understand your loss, what you’ve learned through it and even help you express emotions that were hard to accept at the time.

Remember that organic growth is allowing the changes that happen naturally to occur. We don’t fight anything, we simply give it the space to pass through unchallenged.

>
“We are safe and secure allowing us to be able to be 100% honest with ourselves. The perfect environment for review and reflection”

 

In the podcast episode all about organic growth and the Queen of Pentacles, I offer some journal prompts. I want to offer them up to you again.

Prompt 1: Let’s start with an analysis of your ability to let go of control. It’s a big part of allowing for organic growth so here we go. Write down 10 times you have made plans or set goals and the universe has directed you in a completely new or opposite direction.

Prompt 2: Go through your list and write down how you coped with this. What did you do instead, how did it feel to have your original plans scuppered by fate? Once you’ve done that, highlight or mark off how many of those reactions were positive and how many were negative.

Prompt 3: Looking at your list again, do you have an abundance of positive or negative reactions to those redirections? If you have an abundance of positive reactions, why do you think you reacted that way? If you have an abundance of negative reactions, why do you feel you had those reactions instead of something more positive or optimistic?

Prompt 4: Finally, for any negative reactions write down what positive outcome came from that redirection.

So for example, if you had the plan to reach the most senior position at your work but then the company went under and it made you redundant. You probably won’t have had an overly positive reaction to that because you just lost your job, but positive outcomes of that might have been that you learned what you did and didn’t want from your career.

You may have realised you’ve been in the wrong career all along or you ended up working at a place you love even more because you were forced to look elsewhere by fate.

Your Guide to Tarot and Numerology

May 31, 2023 | Learn Tarot

Death Tarot Meanings Thirteen

Numerology can be a key to unlocking an even deeper level of meaning for your cards.

Explore how the mystical world of numerology could help you expand your Tarot reading practice. Add more meaning and depth to your readings and get more out of the cards than you ever thought possible.

WORDS: Cat Crawford

IMAGE: Egor Myznik

 

When I teach energetic Tarot I always mention the many different symbologies we can draw meaning from. Tarot and numerology are one of the first things I break down for my students. This is because it was the key that unlocked so many more meanings and understanding for me personally.

By understanding the esoteric meanings of the numbers 1-9 I managed to differentiate between cards that had previously seemed the same and found meanings in cards that I only had a surface level understanding of. 

When you think of any esoteric practices, there will be a way to link them to your Tarot readings. Whether it’s astrology, Kabbalah or alchemy, all of these different threads can be tied together. Numerology is just the beginning rabbit hole you can go down.

If you want to learn more about numerology with Tarot and how to use it, keep reading. Plus, make sure to share the infographic so more people can discover the power of numerology within the Tarot.

What is Tarot numerology?

Tarot numerology is how we find meaning in the numbers that are assigned to the cards. The major arcana are numbered 0-21 and the minor arcana run from 1 or ace to 10. Understanding the numerological meanings of these numbers can help us dig even deeper into the meanings of the cards.

The way I teach Tarot numerology is a Westernised version. If you’re more interested in Eastern ideologies, you might want to research those numerological meanings. Although there may be some similarities, there are also a lot of differences.

In numerology, we start with the first nine numbers. These are single digits and form the very foundations of all numerology. If we are working with a card that has double digits, we add the digits together until we have reduced that card’s number back down to a single digit.

Example:

In the major arcana, The Sun card is assigned the number 19 because it is the 19th card in the majors. To find its numerological meaning we have to perform the following equations.

1+9=10 > 1+0=1

The numerological value of The Sun card is therefore the number 1. We can then look at the numerological properties of that number and apply them to our interpretation of the card.

How do we use numerology in Tarot readings?

How you choose to use numerology within your Tarot readings is completely up to you. If you feel quite comfortable with the properties of the numbers 1-9 then you might want to make it a staple of your readings.

If you like to lean on other ideologies and theories in your readings then you might decide to use just a sprinkling of numerology.

The key to using numerology effectively in Tarot reading is to learn how to apply numerological meanings to your Tarot interpretations. Numerology shouldn’t eclipse all other intuitive messages you’ve received from the cards, it should elevate and deepen those meanings.

Example:

You get the Eight of Swords in your future position and you feel like this is a sign that you’re really building strong and stable narratives for yourself. Clearing limiting beliefs and allowing yourself to thrive without limitations.

In numerology, the number eight has the properties of resourcefulness and hard work to create security long-term.

The properties of the number eight shouldn’t take over from that initial meaning. Instead, it should add to it like so…

The Eight of Swords is a sign that you’re really building strong and stable narratives for yourself. Clearing limiting beliefs and allowing yourself to thrive without limitations. You’ve worked hard to clear these beliefs and rewrite your inner schemas. It’s been a hard road but you’re starting to see your work paying off in how you think and feel about yourself.

Tarot Numerology Infographic

The Number Zero

The Fool Tarot Meanings Zero

There is one number that we can easily overlook in numerology and that is the number zero. This is probably because it quite literally symbolises nothing.

Zero appears first on The Fool’s major arcana card. Here it represents infinity, a concept not yet made flesh. There is limited potential in zero but also nothing at all. It’s a paradox of a number.

Even though it’s often overlooked, it’s one of the most powerful. The circle of the zero shows us that cycles exist on all plains of being. There is power in circles, it brings people together, and it can be used for protection, attraction and summoning. Never forget the zero.

Numerology meanings in Tarot

Although I’ve talked about how we tend to reduce double digits down until they fit nicely into a single-digit meaning, there are other ways we can approach numerology in Tarot.

For example, we could see each digit as its own energy, just like we do when we’re doing a Tarot reading. We can then read each individual property of each digit exactly like we would the Tarot cards.

Example:

You pick a past and a present card to assess your day and see how you can move things forward over the next 24 hours. You get the Three of Pentacles and The Hanged Man.

You can either read the spread like this:

3+12=15 > 1+5=6 – this gives you a single number that represents the reading as a whole, so your reading’s number would be 6, the number of love and achievement. You can then use that information to deepen this two-card reading, thinking about how love or achievement might be able to play a role in what you choose to do in the present.

Or, you could read it like this:

3 & (1+2=3) – this way is a little more complex. You would apply the properties of the number three to the Three of Pentacles. Then you would look at The Hanged Man’s number 12 and add the two digits together to get three and again apply the number three’s properties to the hanged man.

Or finally, like this:

3 & (1&2) – this way avoids any mathematics completely. Instead, you read each digit as its own entity. So you would apply the properties of the number three to the Three of Pentacles as normal. Then, for The Hanged Man, you would look at the properties of the number one and the number two and see how they work together energetically.

The number one is the number of creation and the number two is the number of harmony and balance. You could combine those meanings to give you a complete meaning of creating more harmony and balance in life in your interpretation of The Hanged Man.

To see the properties of the numbers 0-9, take a look at the infographic I’ve created below. Use this whenever you want to add numerological meanings to your readings.

If you’re looking to create a deeper and more connected Tarot reading routine, make sure you grab a copy of my Energetic Tarot Journal. There is space to log your reading numerology so you can go back and reflect or work into meanings more intensely.