Alphabet Numberology
Tarot & Numerology
Linking Tarot & Numerology in spirit.
Numerology has existed since Ancient Greece and has come to influence many modern spiritual disciplines. Numerology concerns the spiritual properties and symbolic resonance of numbers and also letters. It works with our personal information and identity, such as our date of birth and name. By decoding and discovering your numerology chart, you can gain fantastic introspect into your spiritual characteristics, resonances and energies.
During numerology’s modern development, it was greatly influenced by the Kabal, a type of Jewish mysticism that also worked with gematria, which is the process of using letters and numbers as a code or cipher. Whilst modern numerology draws its primary and key tenets from the work of Pythagoras, thus the name Pythagorean Numerology, it also draws inspiration from Kabbalistic mysticism. Kabbalah mysticism is also intertwined with the tarot’s origins in the 1500s. Numerology is certainly used in the formation of the modern tarot deck and features throughout the major and minor arcana.
Tarot combined with numerological knowledge ensures you can extract and derive even greater meaning from your tarot readings.
The Modern Tarot Deck
The standardized tarot deck contains 78 cards. These are separated into the Major and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana are the most archetypal and well-known of the tarot cards. They feature important events and moments that correlate to our life paths. There are 22 cards in the Major Arcana here and they are all numbered from 0 to 21.
The Minor Arcana deals more with the fabric of day-to-day life, or our physical realities. Here, there are 4 suits. Will is represented by the Wands, Intellect is represented by the Swords, emotion by the Cups, and material by the Pentacles. Each suit has 14 cards, meaning the Minor Arcana has 58 cards. These cards, ordered by suit, number 1 (the ace) to 10, with an additional 4 court cards per suit. The court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King. Essentially, this is a slightly expanded standard playing card deck.
Numerology for the Major Arcana
These are the 22 cards in the Major Arcana:
0 Fool
1 Magician
2 High Priestess
3 Empress
4 Emperor
5 Hierophant
6 Lovers
7 Chariot
8 Strength
9 Hermit
10 Wheel of Fortune
11 Justice
12 The Hanged Man
13 Death
14 Temperance
15 Devil
16 The Tower
17 The Star
18 The Moon
19 The Sun
20 Judgment
21 The World
Numerology typically works with a scale from 0 – 9. Double digits in numerology are normally reduced to a single digit. So, 11 would be reduced by adding each number. 1 + 1 = 2. So, Justice, number 11, would be interpreted as both 1 and 2. Death, number 13, would be interpreted as 1, 3, and 4. This produces layers of overlapping meaning.
Numerological Symbolism in the Major Arcana
Zero – The Fool
The fool indicates new beginnings, innocence, and openness to the world. Within this, this is also immaturity and absent-mindedness. Zero connects to this first because it is the beginning of an infinite sequence of numbers. Zero is also round but empty. It represents the same emptiness but openness as The Fool.
One – The Magician
The card of resourcefulness, skill, manifestation, and talent, the magician symbolizes one through a medium of focus. One is undivided, it represents a willingness to move forward. It comprises definition and thought, and action, that succeeds the fool to take on a new transformational form that is awakened to the power of life’s sequence.
Two – The High Priestess
A card of balance, reflection, and reflexivity, The High Priestess is symmetrical similarly to its accompanying number of 2. One eventually balanced with another, to become two, and this reflects upon a balance of inside and outside in both polarity and unity.
Three – The Empress
A couple, symbolized by 2, is then influenced by maternal instinct that adds a 3rd element, a baby. The Empress is also related to forging on and expanding with one’s personal life. It is about genesis and generation.
Four – The Emperor
The Empress’ abundance is largely unstructured without the presence of a shielding force, and this is where The Emperor comes in to again balance odd to even. With the power of structural stability and organization, The Emperor brings stable order to the sequence, as mirrored by the number 4.
Five – The Hierophant
The Hierophant is vigorous and challenging. It unsettles stability in order to proceed with the sequence towards better and more ambitious futures. Once again triggering growth, The Hierophant rolls forward with energy. The characters of this card are heavily related to the numerological meaning of 5, which is that of vigor and growth.
Six – The Lovers
Within the chaotic ambition of 5 comes 6, a balancing force that restores some harmony in love. The Lovers create balance and mutuality. The symbolism of 6 is heavily spiritual and orientates around the integration of two souls that were caught in life’s chaos to become a balanced whole, much like The Lovers
Seven – The Chariot
Once more, growth beckons and The Chariot symbolizes the re-awakened desire to proceed. The Chariot is also resemblant of choosing a direction before travel, it asks “where am I going?” It is an indication of looking within oneself for the correct path. Doing this now will save you from turning back later.
Eight – Strength
Eight represents strength and infinity. The number 8 is resemblant of the infinity sign. It is associated with consolidating the elements of the sequence passed. A strong, structured, and balanced number, it represents a foundation. This is because it is a multiple of both 2 and 4.
Nine – The Hermit
The Hermit is an intriguing and abstract card that bears many similarities to 9 which is also seen as an intriguing and abstract number within numerology. It symbolizes a type of individualism and wisdom that is gained via experience, similar to how The Hermit gains valuable life experience through their time alone. This is related to the concept of spiritual introspect and looking inside oneself within quiet moments.
Ten – The Wheel of Fortune
Whilst double-digit numbers for the Major Arcana are reduced to single digits hereafter, the Wheel of Fortune’s symbolism links perfectly with 10 that represents completeness. It is a reminder of life’s varying luck and opportunities. This takes us back to The Fool’s youthful innocence and the Magician’s strong outlook.
The Other Cards in the Major Arcana
The symbolic meanings of the resulting cards can be formed by looking at their individual and reduced numbers. For example, The Devil is 15.
This equals 1 + 5, The Magician, and The Hierophant. The Devil is represented here by The Magician’s divination and magical properties as well as The Hierophant’s vigorous and challenging energy.
1 + 5 also = 6, The Lovers, representing the potential for lovers to become obsessed or one-track-minded down destructive paths. This relates through The Devil.
Numerology for the Major Arcana
These are the 22 cards in the Major Arcana:
0 Fool
1 Magician
2 High Priestess
3 Empress
4 Emperor
5 Hierophant
6 Lovers
7 Chariot
8 Strength
9 Hermit
10 Wheel of Fortune
11 Justice
12 The Hanged Man
13 Death
14 Temperance
15 Devil
16 The Tower
17 The Star
18 The Moon
19 The Sun
20 Judgment
21 The World
Numerology typically works with a scale from 0 – 9. Double digits in numerology are normally reduced to a single digit. So, 11 would be reduced by adding each number. 1 + 1 = 2. So, Justice, number 11, would be interpreted as both 1 and 2. Death, number 13, would be interpreted as 1, 3, and 4. This produces layers of overlapping meaning.
The Minor Arcana
The numerological meanings of the Minor Arcana are more straightforward. Indeed, these also communicate their meanings with the Major Arcana, and you will see similarities.
0/1 (Aces – Symbolize origins, potential, and the will to venture forth into the world. Most of the Ace card in the Minor Arcana depict something being granted from a heavenly body with seemingly supernatural origins.
2 – A balanced symbolism that represents partnership and duality.
3 – Representing a unison of 3 points, e.g. groups, and also the growth of a sequence into more complex forms.
4 – Stability and structure. E.g. The Four of Wands is frequently depicted as a canopy.
5 – Instability, tension, and conflict.
6 – New levels of cooperation as an amalgamation of odd and even numbers, harmony between previously conflicting energies.
7 – The point of introspect and reflection upon what is known and what is unknown. E.g. Many of these 7 cards depict a reflection upon an accumulation of items.
8 – The rebalance of previous energies building towards a new foundation of mastery and accomplishment.
9 – The point of nearing completion, where a task needs to be rounded off and finalized. Attainment and fulfillment.
10 – An amalgamation of the origin and the end. A complete cycle.