Tarot and astrology (I). Major arcana, zodiac, planets and elements.
The relationship between Tarot and astrology is relatively recent. It can be said that it is in the 19th-20th centuries, with the rise of the European occult orders, in which they sought to exploit and interrelate all esoteric knowledge. Most of these works, or at least those that modern tradition has drawn on, are due to the Golden Dawn, where S.L. Mathers and Aleister Crowley. Of course, astrology, as the mother of the other sciences, and influential at a cosmic level through melotesia, had to maintain a close relationship with the Tarot, the most popular and also the most widespread divination art, since it did not require, in the first instance, mathematical or astronomical knowledge. Combining it with astrology dignified, in some way, an art that was considered street art. Furthermore, it was in fashion to relate it to the Book of Toth and the Egyptians, as well as to its more spiritual and psychological side. And there was no longer a Church that condemned the Tarot, as had happened with the Renaissance works in which it had been associated with the Kabbalah, another complex art of reach only to some initiates, which had caused the Tarot, which was beginning to rise category in the eyes of scholars, should once again be hidden. We find that along with astrology, relationships are sought with Kabbalah, since this mystical knowledge also makes references to celestial bodies and dimensions.
There are many astrological associations. The simplest are with the zodiac signs, the planets, and the houses, the ascendants, relationships between constellations. Likewise, relationships are made with the position of the cards and those of the constellations, and some cartomants are capable of creating a complete horoscope or astrological chart. The reality is, however, that there is no single system or single relationship. We will find cards, planets and signs that are repeated, or that give contradictory interpretations, or that clash with commonly accepted traditions and symbologies. This partly discourages those who enter this world of astrological associations, but it must be taken into account that the esoteric world, including tarot and astrology, are worlds that continue to change and update.
The basis of the mixed interpretation is based on symbology. Once both astrology and tarot were reinterpreted, their approaches sought the most recognizable archetypes, facilitating the work of those who wanted to carry out their own analysis. Likewise, mathematics plays a fundamental role. As could be seen in the article The Purification of Astrology, associating terrestrial and celestial rhythms is one of the priorities of current astrology, and this was also the case in the occult orders of previous centuries.
- Zodiac signs and major arcana
The associations of the signs of the zodiac and the major arcana of the Tarot are based both on the works of the Golden Dawn and on the studies of the psychologist Carl Jung, in which, through an analysis of the tarot, he related the archetypes and the personalities. However, there is a very obvious problem, and that is that there are only 12 zodiac signs, against the 22 major arcana: therefore, not all arcana have an associated zodiac sign. Despite this, in some circles attempts are made to associate more than one card with some signs, but this generally creates more problems than solutions.
Aries: The Emperor, due to his personality full of both leadership and despotism.
Taurus: the Hierophant or Pope, for his serenity and gentleness, as well as his taste for luxury.
Gemini: The Lovers, due to their dual, changing personality, always between two options.
Cancer: The Chariot, due to its familiarity, and at the same time due to immobility or doubtful steps in circumstances that require decision-making.
Leo: Strength, for the courage, pride, self-esteem and perseverance that characterizes them. Furthermore, the Lion appears in the letter itself, in this case tamed.
Virgo: The Hermit, due to his organized, reflective personality, sometimes causing his isolation.
Libra: Justice, for its balanced personality but with great and firm convictions.
Scorpio: Death, due to its excessive passion, its drastic thoughts and its capacity for transformation.
Sagittarius: Temperance, for its free attitude and personal improvement, but within the spaces of patience and work.
Capricorn: The Devil, because of his determination, which can turn into tyranny and manipulation.
Aquarius: The Star, for its striking personality and eccentricity. Furthermore, in the letter itself the zodiac sign is manifested with the woman pouring two jugs, although not into each other, but in two different environments, a mark of duality.
Pisces: The Moon, for its mystical, secret, deeply spiritual and emotional facet.
- Planets and major arcana
When associating the planets with the Major Arcana, they encounter the same problem that we saw in the previous section, because there are 22 arcana, and 7 or 10 planets (depending on the accepted version). The "solution" that some offer is to eliminate Arcanum 0, the Fool, and the Arcanum without number, Death. However, it doesn't seem like a convincing solution. For this reason, here we present all the possibilities, along with the meanings attributed to them, so that everyone can analyze how the powers and personalities of the planets have been associated with the personality and characteristics of the different cards:
The Sun: The Sun / The Emperor / The Force. The Sun is the king star, it implies power and dominance, control and illumination, respect.
The Moon: the Priestess / The Moon / The Chariot. The moon is the emotional, the maternal, that which nourishes us, but also that which transforms us.
Mercury: the Magician/ The Empress/ The Pope/ Justice/ The Hermit/ Temperance/ The Star. Mercury is the planet of mental and verbal intelligence, of adaptability. The variety of the added arcana makes us realize its versatility.
Venus: the Empress / The Pope / The Lovers / The Star. Venus is pleasure but also what we attract and value, what we love. She can be loved physically and spiritually, and both are positive things.
Mars: the Emperor/ The Tower/ The Fool/ The Magician/ The Force. Mars, as an opposite of Venus, is excessive passion, violence, tyranny, but it is also control, strategy and ambition, which makes its meanings neither good nor bad.
Jupiter: The Wheel of Fortune / The Emperor / The Pope / The Chariot. Jupiter is the largest planet, the most influential, it symbolizes expansion, abundance, positive changes.
Saturn: the Chariot / The World / The Wheel / Death / The Devil. Saturn is generally a "bad" planet, delaying good things, promoting obstacles, but all of this should be seen as tests of patience and learning in life.
Uranus: the Fool / the Hermit. Uranus is considered a solitary, individual planet, but this does not have to be negative if it involves moments of good reflection and meditation, aimed at personal improvement and renewal.
Neptune: the Tower/The Hanged Man. Neptune is a "bad" planet, slow, it produces confusion, dissolution, the immaterial.
Pluto: the World/The Judgment/The Devil/Justice. These cards have been associated with the ideal of Pluto as king of the underworld, however, it is curious to see that he has not been associated with Death, precisely because Pluto is not a "bad" planet, but rather a herald of change.
- Elements and major arcana
The elements are distributed throughout the entire deck, and although the distribution between the suits of the deck is known (wands-fire, pentacles-earth, cups-water and swords-air), in the case of the major arcana Things change depending on whether the astrological facet is taken into account in the spread or not. For this reason, the major arcana are usually studied separately and not mixed too much with astrology, due to the division of existing opinions.
That is, in a "normal" reading, the most common distribution of the elements is that seen in the article The Four Elements in the Tarot:
Fire element: The Magician, the Priestess, the Empress, the Sun, the Tower, the Force
Air Element: The Hermit, the Wheel of Fortune, the Fool, Justice, the Star.
Water element: The High Priest, the Lovers, the Chariot, the Moon, the Hanged Man, the Judgment
Earth element: Death, Temperance, the Devil, the World, the Emperor
Let us remember that the Wheel of Fortune and the World would contain the four elements in themselves.
However, if astrology is being used in a spread to expand information or generate a more complete vision of time, etc., the four elements are "distributed" in the other most common way, linking the arcana with the elements, in relation with the elements of the planets and the associated zodiac signs. This way:
Air Element: The Fool (Uranus), the Magician (Mercury), the Lovers (Gemini), Justice (Libra), and the Star (Aquarius).
Water Element: The Priestess (Moon), The Hanged Man (Neptune), The Chariot (Cancer), Death (Scorpio), and the Moon (Pisces).
Earth Element: The Empress (Venus), the World (Saturn), the High Priest (Taurus), the Hermit (Virgo), and the Devil (Capricorn)
Fire Element: The Sun (Sun), The Tower (Mars), the Wheel of Fortune (Jupiter), The Judgment (Pluto), the Emperor (Aries), Strength (Leo), Temperance (Sagittarius)
Pietro V. Carracedo Ahumada - pietrocarracedo@gmail.com
Bibliography:
-Chang, T.S., Meeleen, M.M. Tarot Deciphered. Decoding Esoteric Symbolism in Modern Tarot. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2021
-Fiebig, J. / Kroll, M. Tarot. La Biblioteca del Esoterismo. Ed. Taschen. 2020.
-Kenner, C. Tarot and Astrology. Enhance Your Readings With the Wisdom of the Zodiac. Llewellyn Publications, Minnesotta, 2011.
-Pollack, R. Haindl Tarot, Major Arcana Rev. Red Wheel Weiser, 2002.
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> Western astrology (I). Astrology notions.
