The cards and your natal chart

Myrrha

This is a way to discover cards that you have a relationship with because they express the same placement of a planet in a sign that you have in your natal chart. If you don’t have an astrological chart go to www.astro.com. It is very easy, you just put in your birth date and place and select that you want a chart. Find out your Sun sign, Moon sign, and what sign Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn are in.

Not every planet in every sign is represented in the Tarot. Look to see if any of your placements are on the list below. If you find some, think about how the card relates to your life and your personality. Are any of them cards you consider your favorites in the deck? Perhaps from now on when these cards come up in your readings they will be special because you know they relate to your chart. You can also look at people’s charts before you read for them in case any of these special cards come up.

Generally, the moon shows how you are with feelings, your inner life, what you want; Venus shows your romantic creative side; the Sun is nowadays taken to show the self, it can also show what you need to grow spiritually; Mercury shows your intellect and thinking processes; Mars shows your aggression and drives; Jupiter shows luck, big dreams, expansion; Saturn shows how you deal with structure and limitation. This is a very simplified explanation, but you will be able to see which area of life to relate the card to.

For example, I very likely have the Moon in Libra (there is a chance that it is in Scorpio as I don’t know what time I was born). I look at the Two of Swords and yes, it is one of the ones I love in the deck and I feel it really describes me well. I need to be alone to think about things and experience my feelings. I need peace, beauty and order in order to function. I love the night when things are quieter and calmer.

I am not positive but I think that the RWS follows the same astrology so you can use any RWS derived deck to do this. Some of the connections between the astrological placement and the card might be clearer with the Cosmic or Thoth though as I believe the meanings are derived more closely from astrology.

This is a new area of study for me and I’m no expert so please post if I’ve made mistakes here.

Sun in Scorpio -- Six of Cups

Sun in Sagittarius -- Nine of Wands

Sun in Aries -- Three of Wands

Sun in Gemini -- Ten of Swords

Sun in Capricorn -- Four of Disks/Pentacles

Sun in Virgo -- Eight of Disks/Pentacles

Moon in Cancer -- Four of Cups

Moon in Aquarius -- Seven of Swords

Moon in Libra -- Two Swords

Moon in Taurus -- Six of Disks/Pentacles

Mercury in Sagittarius -- Eight of Wands

Mercury in Cancer -- Three of Cups

Mercury in Aquarius -- Six of Swords

Mercury in Taurus -- Five of Disks/Pentacles

Mercury in Virgo -- Ten of Disks/Pentacles

Mars in Aries -- Two of Wands

Mars in Leo -- Seven of Wands

Mars in Scorpio -- Five of Cups

Mars in Pisces -- Ten of Cups

Mars in Capricorn -- Three of Disks/Pentacles

Venus in Aries -- Four of Disks/Pentacles

Venus in Cancer -- Two of Cups

Venus in Scorpio -- Seven of Cups

Venus in Aquarius -- Five of Cups

Venus in Virgo -- Nine of Disks/Pentacles

Jupiter in Leo -- Six of Wands

Jupiter in Libra -- Four of Wands

Jupiter in Pisces -- Nine of Cups

Jupiter in Capricorn -- Two of Disks

Jupiter in Gemini -- Eight of Swords

Saturn in Leo -- Five of Wands

Saturn in Sagittarius -- Ten of Wands

Saturn in Pisces -- Eight of Cups

Saturn in Libra -- Three of Swords

Saturn in Taurus -- Seven of Disks/Pentacles
 

Akuts

Myrrha said:
This is a new area of study for me and I’m no expert so please post if I’ve made mistakes here.

Hmm. I'm no expert either, but I really, really hope you've made a mistake here. ;)

Of course, it might have been me. Maybe I messed up getting my astrological chart. I really hope so.

I'm the Ten of Swords, which has got to be the card I like least in the whole deck. :bugeyed: The best I can say for it is that it's got a bit of pink on it.

I checked the LWB and it says "Total madness has taken possession of the person." Well.

So I checked the RWS, but this deck seems to think I'm dead.

:mad: Well, I'm off to have a word with my mother. Maybe she got the date wrong - her watch was fast or she forgot to change the calendar or I'm really adopted. :D
 

Myrrha

LOL!
Yes. The title of this thread is a bit misleading, because the card doesn't really show "who you are", it is just that there is a relationship between the card and your chart.

Tarot is based on the old style of astrology that was practiced back when Kings and Queens decided when to have their coronations based on astrology and it was taken very seriously. Medicine and early science were pretty much based on astrology. One of the things that was different back then is that some planets were thought of as being harmful or difficult influences and even the planets that are good influences could be difficult influences when they are in signs that don't suit their natures.

Each planet has a sign that is its "fall" and a sign that is its "detriment". These are signs where the planet is not comfortable. The energy of the sign doesn't allow the planet to express itself in the best way. The Sun is a symbol of individual expression and the air signs more about relationships. The Sun is about unity and Gemini expresses duality. Gemini is unfocussed and the Sun wants to focus and be very direct. So the Sun in Gemini would be seen as a difficult placement.

Contemporary astrology doesn't talk much about planets or placements that are "bad". It has been rewritten to the way people think about things nowadays which is that everything is equally good, just different. Rather than look at a chart that has the Sun in Gemini and saying that it is a difficult placement and here are some other things in your chart that can help you work with any problems that come up, contemporary astrologers focus on what is good about having the Sun in Gemini.

This is one of the cards where I think the visual image is a bit extreme although it makes more sense to me than the RWS. I don't read it as madness when it comes up, just an extreme Gemini attack. Thoughts really scattered and trying to go in several directions at once. Too much contradictory information, being able to see both sides of all the issues resulting in paralysis. Not being able to focus because your thoughts are taking you in so many directions at once.

You could see your relationship with this card as not so much a description of yourself but a warning of a potential problem. Don't let your thoughts get scattered, be careful to focus. If I am remembering right, the sign that a person's Moon is in can show what will help with difficulties that come from the Sun placement.

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to post this thread, I wouldn't want anyone to have hurt feelings or be frightened by the cards.

--Myrrha
 

Akuts

Myrrha said:
Maybe it wasn't a good idea to post this thread, I wouldn't want anyone to have hurt feelings or be frightened by the cards.

No, no. Don't be silly. I thought it funny to get such a card. Remember, I am a Gemini after all.

I loved what you said about it being an extreme Gemini attack. The card certainly makes sense when thought of this way. A Gemini doesn't only see both sides of anything - they see about sixteen sides, and can think of more at a pinch, and each one makes perfect sense. On occasion, it can be difficult to make a decision.

The swords are only little on the card (compared to the size of the man), and the front ones are see-through, so it's not all that bad. And the card has got pink on it.
 

bettylishious

very interesting stuff

well that was really interesting. i've joined this site to get a deeper knowledge and insight into the tarot. i recently bought this deck and feel tingles everytime i read a card, having taken your advice and looked up my astrological chart, two cards correspond to my stars, the eight of swords and the eight of cups. i cant tell you how much i identify with the imagery, symbolism and feelings i get from those cards. it highlights my tendency to procrastinate which infuriates me sometimes.... and yep i also am currently taking a week off work to recharge my batteries as i have let work and one friend in particular grind me down . so i relate to those cards not just in an overall sense but they are pertinent right now in my life too.

this is the first thread i have read but already im getting a sense of how much this is going to change my outlook on myself and the cards.

...so thank you :)
 

Myrrha

Hi Bettylishious
That is great that both of the cards spoke to you like that! I'm glad that you could relate to them. If you like this idea you might also like to know your soul card and year card (if you don't know them already). They are Major Arcana cards that are calculated numerologically. It is a little bit more arbitrary (in my humble opinion) than the astrological cards but still interesting. You will find threads about it if you search the "using tarot cards" forum.

Anyway thanks for answering as I'm curious to know how the astrological cards work for people.

---Myrrha
 

tarotlyn

Just want to add:

There may be different takes on the assignments of astrological signs and
planets given to each Tarot card.

Below is a link to a chart that shows "actual dates" for the cards...

http://supertarot.co.uk/astro/attrib.htm ....scroll down to see the chart.

And...they are offering "3" different tarot cards for each date.

What they are saying on that page is that the meaning of the Tarot card
will tell you "what is happening" while the astrological attributions will tell
you "when it will happen."

So in that respect, no card is good or bad...it is a matter of timing...

:heart:
Lyn
 

Myrrha

Hi successgoodhealth. Thank you for the link. That is actually the same system, the Golden Dawn! You can certainly use it for timing if that interests you.

Yes, you can also look at which Major Arcana card corresponds to your sun sign and which court card goes with your birth date. People sometimes pick significators this way.

The meanings of the minor cards are derived (in part) from a planet in a particular sign. Thats what I've been looking at so far in this thread. So, for example using the chart you linked to: I have the Moon in Libra so that is the 2 of Swords. I look at that card. The others on that row of the chart, the Queen of Swords and Justice do not really apply specifically to me. I also have the Sun in Sagittarius (December 11), which is the Nine of Wands. The Knight of Wands is the corresponding court card, I could use that as my significator if I wanted to (no thanks!) and the Temperance card (called Art in this chart) is also special to me as it is the Major Arcana that corresponds to my Sun sign. Furthermore I have an astrological connection to the Wheel of Fortune card because Jupiter rules my sun sign, Sagittarius. (The cards for the ruling planets are found right under the chart)

The dates given in that chart, for example September 23 to October 2, are dates the sun passes through a particular ten degree slice of that sign. If you were born during those dates you have the Sun in Libra. However the meanings of some of the cards that correspond to those dates were derived (in part - they also used kabbalah) from other planets in the sign. For example the Two of Swords which is the Moon in Libra. The planets-in-signs for the Minor Arcana are not mentioned on the chart that you linked to, but they are on the deck itself if you have the Thoth and are also worked into the design of some cards in the Cosmic Tarot.

I haven't really heard of people looking at which cards show their planets-in-signs (other than the courts for their birth dates and majors for their sun signs). I thought it would be interesting to take a look and also help to learn more about the astrological derivations of the minors. You are right though, it seems more common to use the astrological information for timing.

There might also be other systems of attribution. The deck we are studying, the Cosmic, is pretty much based on the Thoth deck which uses the Golden Dawn attributions (shown in the chart you linked to). As far as I know, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck is also based on the Golden Dawn system so I would probably stick with that unless you have a deck that follows some other system.

So you could look at

1. The Major Arcana card that corresponds to your sun sign
2. The Major Arcana card that corresponds to planet that rules your sun sign
3. The court card that corresponds to your birth date
4. any Minor Arcana cards that go with your other planets-in-signs

Also, if you have several planets in a particular sign why not take a look at the Major Arcana card that goes with that sign? I have three or four planets in Capricorn so the Devil card is worth looking at for me. We are all very used to identifying with our sun signs but if you have a few planets in one sign that is not your sun sign it is really helpful to take a look at this. It can explain alot!

--Myrrha
 

Merenwen

This looks very interesting. Not had much chance to play around with it, but it does explain my fascination with the Hermit I think. According to the link Lyn put up, Virgo = Hermit, and I've got my moon in Virgo. My sun sign (Sagittarius) does not describe me well, so I'm looking into my moon sign to see if that makes more sense. It would certainly explain why I'm drawn to High Priestess and Hermit in any deck.

Just one quick question, I assume that list is based on a different deck as I've never heard of Art or Lust in the Cosmic. Which would that be?
 

Myrrha

Merenwen said:
Just one quick question, I assume that list is based on a different deck as I've never heard of Art or Lust in the Cosmic. Which would that be?

Hi Merenwen
Art is the name given to the Temperance card in the Thoth deck and Lust is the name given to the Strength card. The Cosmic Tarot seems to follow the Thoth pretty closely in the minor arcana but not so much in the majors.

The information in that link that Lyn put up isn't really specific to the Thoth, even though it uses those Thoth names. Crowley used the Golden Dawn system of linking the tarot to astrology. It should be useful for just about any deck since so many of them are derived from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith were both members of the Golden Dawn). The Cosmic and the Thoth seem to lean more on astrology in the minors than some of them though.

Sometimes when people feel like their Sun signs do not describe them they have a bunch of planets in another sign, not their Sun sign. I think that even having a bunch of planets in signs that are a different element than your Sun sign can make you feel like you "are" something different from what your Sun sign describes.

I once read a book about the old style of astrology, used up until the age of "enlightenment" in the 1700s. In that way of thinking the rising sign showed the person's general character. I don't have the book anymore (darn it). It said that the reason people came to think of their Sun signs as representing them, and saying "I am a Leo" (or whichever sign), is that in the 1920s horoscope columns were put in the newspapers for entertainment and it is much easier to have a little box that shows what everyone's Sun sign is than to show what their rising or Moon sign is let alone all of them.

Do you know your rising sign?

--Myrrha