The Fire Signs In The Minor Arcana

Now that we’ve covered the Elements and Qualities of the Astrological signs we can put it all together and take a look at the Minor Arcana cards associated with the signs. 

As we have seen, each Tarot suit represents an astrological Triplicity, (the three signs which belong to the same element): 

Wands are the Fire signs
Cups are the Water signs
Swords are the Air signs
Pentacles are the Earth signs

The cards within each suit are assigned to these three signs as follows:

Cardinal Signs:  2, 3 and 4 of each suit.
Fixed Signs:  5, 6, and 7 of each suit.
Mutable Signs:  8, 9, and 10 of each suit.

The Fire Signs are represented by Wands.  The following cards from the Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot and the Universal Waite Tarot represent the three signs in the Fire Triplicity.

Aries - Cardinal Fire  March 21 to April 20

The two, three and four of Wands represent the sign Aries in the Golden Dawn System. Look for the symbol of Aries on these cards.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Universal Waite cards pictured above do not have the astrological symbols on them, so you’ll need to be able to remember these cards when using decks which do not include these symbols.

Leo - Fixed Fire  July 23 to August 23

The five, six and seven of Wands represent the sign Leo.  Look for the symbol of Leo on these cards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sagittarius - Mutable Fire  Nov. 22 to Dec. 21

The eight, nine and ten of Wands represent the sign Sagittarius.  Look for the symbol of Sagittarius on these cards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice also the Golden Dawn title for each of these nine cards. Compare this title with the scene in the Universal Waite card directly below it.  What strikes you?  Does the Universal Waite scene appear to reflect the Golden Dawn title?

We’ll move on to the the Cups in the next post.

Micki

Sign Qualities

We’ve looked at one system of classifying the signs which is familiar to those who use Tarot - the Elements and the Tarot suits.  Now we come to another system of classification which may not be so familiar in Tarot.  This system divides the the signs into what is known as Qualities..  Whereas with the Elements, there are three signs in each Element or Triplicity, with the Qualities there are four signs in each Quality. Together these two classifications make twelve unique classifications; one for each sign.

The Qualities can be associated with the three months of the seasons.  There are four seasons in a year and each season has three months in it making up the twelve months in our year.  Each season has a first month which begins the new season, a middle month where weather patterns stay pretty much the same, and a third month where the weather patterns begin to change in accordance with the season which will begin in the following month.

The names of the three Qualities are Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable. 

Cardinal has the quality of initiating – beginning something new. The  signs which begin in the first month of each of the four seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter are the Cardinal signs Aries, Cancer, Libra and Capricorn. These signs also mark the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes and the Summer and Winter Solstices.

First month of each season:

Spring – Aries – March 21 – Spring Equinox

Summer – Cancer – June 21 – Summer Solstice

Autumn – Libra – September 23 – Autumn Equinox

Winter – Capricorn – December 22 – Winter Solstice

Fixed has the quality of being stable and unchanging – maintaining the status quo. The signs which begin in the middle months  of the seasons are the Fixed signs Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius.

Second month of each season:

Spring – Taurus – April 21

Summer – Leo – July 23

Autumn – Scorpio – October 23

Winter – Aquarius – January 21

Mutable or movable has the quality of being changeable. The signs which begin in the third months of the seasons when the season is beginning to change into the next season are the Mutable signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces.

Third month of each season:

Spring – Gemini – May 21

Summer – Virgo – August 23

Autumn – Sagittarius – November 22

Winter – Pisces – February 20

Some Tarot systems associate the Kings, Queens and Knights with the Qualities.  There are differences in these systems as to which Quality is associated with which rank.  Here I have shown the King of Wands representing the Cardinal Fire sign Aries, the Queen of Pentacles as the Fixed Earth sign Taurus, and the Knight of Swords as the Mutable Air sign Gemini from the Robin Wood Tarot deck.

When we combine the Quality and the Element of each sign, we have a unique way of describing the function of that sign; its basic character so to speak.  The table below gives a quick reference of the Quality and season that the signs fall into.

Season Quality	1st Month Cardinal	2nd Month Fixed	3rd Month Mutable
Spring	Aries	Taurus	Gemini
Summer	Cancer	Leo	Virgo
Autumn	Libra	Scorpio	Sagittarius
Winter	Capricorn	Aquarius	Pisces

Putting it all together, this table shows the Element and Quality of each sign.

	Cardinal	Fixed	Mutable
Fire	Aries	Leo	Sagittarius
Water	Cancer	Scorpio	Pisces
Air	Libra	Aquarius	Gemini
Earth	Capricorn	Taurus	Virgo

Why is this important?

Learning the Element and Quality of each sign will be useful when we discuss the timing system which is associated with the Minor Arcana cards.  If you have committed the Element and Quality of each sign to memory, you will be able to quickly compute the 10 day span of time each of the 36 numbered cards, 2 through 10 in each suit, is associated with.

Micki

Pentacles and Earth

 

The symbol for Earth is a downward pointing triangle with a line through it.

 

Earth is the physical element. It is stable, slow moving and materialistic in focus.  It is the most solid of the four elements.  It represents the solid ground of our Earth.  Earth’s focus is on security and producing something substantial and visible in the world.  Earth wants to be able to see and touch what it has made. To the Earth signs, what they can see, hear, touch, taste and feel is what is real to them.  Earth signs live mostly in their physical bodies and place their trust in the things of the material world.  They are practical, peaceful, industrious, and benefit from being in nature and in touch with the healing energies which the earth generates 

The Earth signs are Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn.  These are the symbols and characteristics of the signs in the Earth Triplicity.

Taurus The Bull
Fixed Earth Sign
Ruler: Venus
Months:  April 21 to May 20
Archetype: The Farmer  
Keywords: stable, dependable, determined, industrious, enduring, placid, patient, slow moving, possessive, financial savvy, slow to anger, stubborn

Virgo The Virgin
Mutable Earth Sign
Ruler: Mercury
Months:  August 23 to September 22
Archetype: The Craftsman, The Harvest 
Keywords: highly discerning, precise, thorough, detailed, reliable, perfectionist, critical, nervous, fussy, over attention to detail

Capricorn The Goat
Cardinal Earth Sign
Ruler:  Saturn
Months:  December 22 to January 20
Archetype: The Patriarch
Keywords:  ambitious, self-disciplined, conservative, responsible, persistent, rigid, security conscious, dutiful, serious, stingy

In Tarot the first thing that comes to mind regarding the Pentacles is  money.  And they do represent money, but they also represent many other things, all having to do with the physical plane, including the health of the body.  They represent anything which is tangible and which is manifest in the material world.

It seems to me that what pentacles really represent is what we share with others.  Money, after all, is simply another means of trading something we have for something someone else has.  Anytime we share, trade or barter with others, we are operating in the world of Pentacles.  Our thoughts and ideas, represented by Swords  remain intangible until we write them down or communicate them orally.  Our visions and aspirations, represented by Wands remain visions and aspirations until we act on them in some way to bring them "down to earth" to produce something in the physical world.

We are at our best when we are working with others and sharing talents, abilities and resources. The earth element is a cooperative and peaceful element and humanity’s greatest achievements have all been accomplished by these means.

Look for the three earth sign symbols in the following Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot cards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Notice the symbol of earth, the downward pointing triangle with a line through it, at the bottom of the cards on each side of the title.

Micki

Swords and Air

 

The symbol for Air is a triangle pointing upward with a line through it.

 

Air is the mental element. It is free-flowing, intellectual, communicative, and sociable. It is related to perception and expression, personal interaction and both practical and abstract ideas. Air is objective, rational, logical, mentally agile, and analytical. Air signs tend to be detached and not overly emotional.  Knowledge, study and contemplation are the highlight of the element air, and people with an abundance of air in their charts tend to be perpetual students who feel that there is always more to learn and one’s life is best spent learning it.

The Air signs are: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius. These are the symbols and characteristics of the signs in the Air Triplicity.  

Gemini The Twins
Mutable Air Sign 
Ruler: Mercury
Months:  May 21 to June 21
Archetype: The Intellectual, The Trader  
Keywords:  versatile, clever, flexible, quick-witted, curious, logical, analytical, literary, restless, can be superficial

Libra The Scales
Cardinal Air Sign
Ruler:  Venus
Months:  September 23 to October 22
Archetype:  The Artist, The Wise Judge
Keywords:  diplomatic, courteous, idealistic, gracious, charming, affable cooperative, a peacemaker, indecisive

Aquarius The Water Bearer
Fixed Air Sign
Ruler:  Uranus
Months:  January 21 to February 19
Archetype: The Wise Fool
Keywords:  independent, unconventional, unique, progressive, humanitarian, altruistic, ingenious, inventive intellectual, logical, detached, friendly, unpredictable

In Tarot the Swords represent truth and justice but also conflict and adversity.  I’ve always thought of air and the air signs as signs of communication, sociability, diplomacy and truth, and  I’ve always loved the air element and held it in high regard. So when I began to study Tarot and discovered that the Swords suit was a suit mostly of conflict and adversity, I was shocked; offended in fact.  Having an abundance of fire in my own chart, I immediately embarked on a crusade to put this seeming injustice right! 

After a year of struggling to find a more positive way of interpreting the Sword suit, it was the cards themselves which taught me a valuable lesson. They simply wouldn’t cooperate with the interpretations I was using, and the result was that my readings were not accurate!  Bad news. Not liking this at all, I decided I’d better take off my blindfold and have another look at my premise.

I began to realize that our minds really are the source of most of our problems in life.  I was just beginning to understand this truth when I read this comment by J. Philip Thomas in the Tarot de Paris companion book about the 10 of Air (Swords):

“This is truth-or-consequences time.  Beginning with the Ace, the Air suit has proven (card by card) that conflict does not originate from the poles – The Aces and the Tens.  Actually, the only possibility of struggle exists within the human mind, which, interestingly, is in conflict with its own existence.”

It was a sad but necessary realization for me, though I still do try to see the positive side of the Swords whenever I can. 

Look for the three air sign symbols in the following Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot cards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look for the symbol of air, the upward pointing triangle with a line through it, at the bottom of the card on each side of the title.

Micki

Cups and Water

 

The symbol for water is a triangle pointing downward.

 

Water is the emotional element. It is cooling, healing, nurturing, sympathetic and empathic. Water signs are resourceful and creative, and they draw on their emotions for strength. True to their element, water signs are not easily contained. Constantly changing emotions can make them appear moody, and at times seem irrational. They may go through many moods during the course of a day.  When upset their emotions become stormy and they tend to withdraw into themselves, resisting any attempt to bring them out of their shell until the emotional storm has passed.

The Water signs are: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces.  These are the symbols and characteristics of the signs in the Water Triplicity.

Cancer The Crab
Cardinal Water Sign
Ruler:  The Moon 
Months:  June 21 to July 22
Archetype: The Mother
Keywords: emotional, sensitive, security-conscious, retentive, domestic, maternal, protective, quiet, traditional, moody

Scorpio The Scorpion
Fixed Water Sign
Ruler:  Pluto
Months:   October 23 to November 21
Archetype:  The Magician or Shaman
Keywords:  intense, determined, powerful, strong-willed, secretive, mysterious, penetrating, introverted

Pisces The Fish
Mutable Water Sign
Ruler:  Neptune
Months:  February 20 to March 20
Archetype: The Prophet, The Samaritan
Keywords:  receptive, supersensitive, impressionable, peace-loving, sympathetic, charitable, compassionate, artistic, dreamy, shy, introverted, spiritual, reclusive

In Tarot the suit of Cups represents love, friendship, pleasure and happiness. As I said earlier, an emphasis on water signs in a chart usually indicates an ever-changing flow of moods and the water signs can move from the lowest to the highest within the course of an hour or a day because water is a free flowing element.  Some of these extremes are illustrated in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck such as the 4 of Cups which shows the emotional withdrawal common to these signs when they are upset or disappointed.  The 3 of Cups is an example of the exuberance we experience when we feel emotionally excited.  The 7 of Cups is an example of the sometimes dreamy or visionary nature that many water people experience on a regular basis. And, of course, the 10 of Cups represents the way we feel when we are truly emotionally fulfilled by our relationships and are able to share that sense of happiness with those we are close to in our lives.  Water people live in their emotions more than their mind and life is not fulfilling to them without someone to share these feelings with.

Look for the three water sign symbols in the following Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot cards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The symbol for water, the downward pointing triangle, is seen on both sides of the title at the bottom of each of the cards.

Micki

Wands and Fire

 
The symbol for fire is a triangle pointing upward. 


Fire is the “action” element. It radiates the warmth and enthusiasm of the hearth fire. It is excitable, action oriented, and creative.  Like the fire element, people with many planets in fire signs are warm and engaging, enthusiastic and supportive.  But like fire, when angered they are quick-tempered and can appear to be ablaze. Since fire is an active element, however, tempers are usually short lived and quickly forgotten. Fire signs very seldom hold a grudge, though they may want to even the scales from time to time, if they can remember what you did that angered them long enough to do something about it.

The Fire signs are: Aries, Leo, and Sagittarius. In astrology the term for the three signs which share the same element is Triplicity.  These are the symbols and characteristics of the signs in the Fire Triplicity.


Aries The Ram
Cardinal Fire Sign
Ruler: Mars
Months:  March 21 to April 20
Archetype: The Pioneer 
Keywords:  spontaneous, impulsive, direct, spirited, lighthearted, impatient


Leo The Lion  
Fixed Fire Sign
Ruler: The Sun
Months:  July 23 to August 22
Archetype: The King/Queen
Keywords: self-confident, hearty, benevolent, humorous, generous, leader, cheerful, boastful


Sagittarius The Archer
Mutable Fire Sign
Ruler:  Jupiter
Months:  November 22 to December 21
Archetype:  The High Priest
Keywords: freedom loving, honest, jovial, optimistic, philosophical, direct, intellectual, restless

When Wands appear in a reading, the energy of these signs will be relevant to the issue in some way. The Wand Courts will reflect the personalities of any one of the three fire signs, depending on the system you are using.  All three fire signs exude confidence, optimism and enthusiasm, but they can also be combative and willful. They like competition and  are usually athletic. Both the Five and Seven of Wands are examples of the competitive nature of the fire signs. In the 5 of Wands we see the possibility that tempers may flare in the heat of the moment and deteriorate into a clash of wills. It is the nature of the fire element to flare up unexpectedly.  In the Hanson-Roberts Seven of Wands, shown here, the figure certainly appears to be enjoying the challenge. These signs do love a good fight. Whether in the athletic arena, business, politics or a passionate debate, they will usually rise to the occasion in a spirit of honor and good sportsmanship.

The Golden Dawn Ritual Tarot is one of the decks, among many, which includes the sign and planet symbols on the cards. Look for the three fire sign symbols in the following cards.





















Notice also the upward pointing triangle on each side of the title at the bottom of the card – the symbol for the element fire.

Micki

Astrology for Tarot Readers

Spanning the “Not-So” Great Divide
 

I hear many Tarot readers and enthusiasts express an interest in and a desire to know more about Astrology, yet they feel it is too complicated, obscure or too difficult to learn. While it is true that Astrology is a complicated science, the parts of it that will enhance your Tarot reading are not complicated, and the value you will receive is worth the effort. You would be surprised how much you already know about Astrology simply because you are already familiar with your Tarot cards.

You already know the four elements in Astrology because they are represented by the four suits in the Minor Arcana. You already know the planets and zodiac signs because they are associated with each of the Major Arcana cards, and if you do not know those associations now, you will find they are not that difficult to commit to memory. You may not realize you know all this simply because Astrology uses a different language and different terminology. It isn’t difficult to learn a few new words, especially when you are already familiar with the concepts those new words represent. There are not many more parts of Astrology than these I have just mentioned that you need to know to use it effectively to enhance your Tarot reading.

Another thing Tarot readers and enthusiasts are familiar with is symbols. We read symbols on the cards all the time, such as crosses, circles, semi-circles. Astrology symbols, or glyphs, are just another set of symbols. Many Tarot decks have astrological symbols on every card. If you have one of these decks already, you can use it to accelerate your learning. So for most Tarot readers and enthusiasts, a basic knowledge of Astrology for use with reading the cards is not so far out of your grasp.

This series on Astrology Basics will begin with what you are already familiar with. Instead of learning the unfamiliar language and symbols of Astrology, my focus will be to start with what you know, Tarot, and show the similarities it shares with Astrology.

Micki

Contra-positive Cards ~ A New Technique From James Ricklef

“Contra-positive” is a phrase coined by James Ricklef for a new reading technique, one which is, in my opinion, simply brilliant.  I’ve been working with it and find that it is a very effective technique. He explains that it is:

…a new way to find solutions for problems indicated by the “problem” cards among the 40 “numbered” cards in the Minor Arcana.  James Ricklef

He has elaborated on this method in three more subsequent posts to date.  These four posts can be found on his blog at the following links:

Contra-positive cards
More about Contra-positive cards
Suggestions about contra-positive cards in the Minor Arcana - Part 1
Suggestions about contra-positive cards in the Minor Arcana - Part 2

It is always difficult as a reader to get these “problem” cards in a reading.  We now have an excellent technique for offering our clients, or ourselves, some really helpful advice when these cards appear.

Micki