Thirteen
Number-Less
Originally, Tarot decks had no numbers on the Majors. The addition of the numbers--which card gets which number, really depends on deck. For example, is the Fool 0 or 22? (Alpha or Omega?). The confusion over Strength and Justice is a late problem arriving with Rider-Waite. The earlier order had Justice at 8, Strength at 11. But Waite's religious order assigned the cards zodiac signs and, among other obscure reasons, Waite decided that one couldn't have Justice (Libra) come before Strength (Leo). So he switched them.
In the end, you have to decide for yourself if the numbers on the majors is a blessing or a curse; if you should use them...or go back to the days when the Majors were number-less. There's a lot of variation in numberology--in what number means what; it varies from country to country, culture to culture, and era to era. Very changable and flexable are the meanings of numbers. And if you get into ancient myths and religions, yikes! You get even more variables. I happen to be fascinated by such things but you can very quickly bury yourself in a lot of contridictory information if you're not careful.
If you're wondering why that number for that card, best to read up on what the creators were thinking. A lot of decks will explain--or they're going along with Rider-Waite or Thoth meanings.
Originally, Tarot decks had no numbers on the Majors. The addition of the numbers--which card gets which number, really depends on deck. For example, is the Fool 0 or 22? (Alpha or Omega?). The confusion over Strength and Justice is a late problem arriving with Rider-Waite. The earlier order had Justice at 8, Strength at 11. But Waite's religious order assigned the cards zodiac signs and, among other obscure reasons, Waite decided that one couldn't have Justice (Libra) come before Strength (Leo). So he switched them.
In the end, you have to decide for yourself if the numbers on the majors is a blessing or a curse; if you should use them...or go back to the days when the Majors were number-less. There's a lot of variation in numberology--in what number means what; it varies from country to country, culture to culture, and era to era. Very changable and flexable are the meanings of numbers. And if you get into ancient myths and religions, yikes! You get even more variables. I happen to be fascinated by such things but you can very quickly bury yourself in a lot of contridictory information if you're not careful.
If you're wondering why that number for that card, best to read up on what the creators were thinking. A lot of decks will explain--or they're going along with Rider-Waite or Thoth meanings.