Numerology + Tarot



Numerology and Tarot are like peanut butter and jelly, they go hand in hand.  I am really influenced by numerology when I read the cards- Tarot and also playing cards.  I feel it is an amazing tool to use to help you connect deeper to the cards without having to rely on textbook meanings.  It colors them and adds depth to them.  I have studied numerology for many years and it can be quite confusing.  There are many different meanings assigned to each number depending on the system and method. Tarot has a standard set of meanings (there are though different opinions on this) which sometimes don't make sense. Let's look at them first:

1 (Ace)- new beginnings
2- duality, choice
3- expansion, growth, creation,
4- stability, security
5- change, conflict
6- equilibrium, balance
7- wisdom, meditation
8- power, movement
9- endings, completion
10- completion, ending of one cycle beginning of another

I get frustrated because the number doesn't always correspond to the picture or meaning of the card.  Why are 9 + 10 both completion? What is the point of 8 cards with the same theme? If 9 is endings why is the 9 of Pentacles about good fortune and wealth? If the 6 of Swords is about moving on from past difficulties where does "equilibrium" come in? I get it, it is just not so clear to me. How do you relate #10's beginning of a new cycle to real life? It can be confusing.

I studied each number of each suit and their images on the cards to find the common denominator among them.  I want to share my musings with you. 
Each number is expressed through the elements differently.  With the swords it's more negative.  I pair the number and suit and that gives me the meaning.
 Let's look at the elements first:

Swords:  Air Element, mentality, action, change, power, intellect, thoughts, beliefs,
Wands:  Fire Element, growth, development, spirituality, inspiration, energy, motivation, creativity, ambition, determination
Cups:  Water Element, emotions, heart, peace, creativity, intuition, feelings, relationships
Pentacles:  Earth Element, material life, physical realm, money, health, work, business, property

Now let's combine the number (the meanings are listed below) and the suit:
 For example:  7 of Pentacles
7= Thoughts
Pentacles = Money
 Therefore 7 of Pentacles = "Thoughts of money" which then you can branch out into many other meanings.  For instance:  Financial planning, letting things grow and develop, organizing, patience, etc.  So get the basic keyword then go from there and use your intuition!  Each card has positive and negative meanings, plus it depends if you read reversed or not.  Use your intuition! Let the cards speak to you!

 Let's cover Ace through 10.

ACE-  I see the Aces as gifts.  There is a hand coming out of the sky from a cloud.  To me, I see it as a gift from the universe presenting itself to you.  Don't get me wrong, sometimes I do read them as new beginnings (#1) because that is how I learned them and it just stuck in my head. Do what works for you!  But basically I see ALL of the Aces as positive even the Swords. I see them as a gift coming to you that will give you an opportunity for Clarity (swords), self-growth/inspiration (wands), emotional satisfaction (cups) and money/abundance/good luck (pentacles).  Therefore my keyword for example for the Ace of Swords would be "Gift of Clarity". 

2-  This number for me is the same as the standard meanings.  Duality, choices, opposites, 2 people, 2 situations, 2 things, bringing 2 things together and trying to find balance, a middle ground or these 2 opposites can cause confusion and doubts and worry. To make it easy, let's use the keywords: 
DISHARMONY of________
HARMONY of________ 
OR
IMBALANCE of______
BALANCE of ________
Swords:  Disharmony of thoughts= Contradicting thoughts/doubts
Wands:  Disharmony of energy/development= crossroads
Cups:  Harmony of emotions= love/relationship
Pentacles:  Harmony of money =flexibility/ ups + downs of life , ability to handle and balance 2 things (such as jobs and family)

3-  For me, the 3's represent growth, expansion, good luck, success, things in 3's, 3 people, interference, meddling
Swords:  3's a crowd
Wands:  Success, being on top
Cups:  Celebrating, gratitude (3 people in the image partying)
Pentacles:  Advancing a level (3 people in the image working together)

4-  This is the same as the standard one.  Stability, security, foundation, order, maturity
Swords:  No activity, rest
Wands:  Home, security
Cups:  Stability becomes boring, mundane, moodiness, dissatisfied
Pent:  Security, prudent, shrewd

5-  The 5 stays the same for me as well.  Conflict, change, chaos
Swords:  Fight, war, fighting words, arguments, lowblows
Wands:  Competition
Cups:  Emotional upset, sorrow
Pent:  Chaos in physical realm, a lack, loss

6-  Now for me, the sixes represent the past (with the exception of the Pentacles) and giving and receiving.
Swords:  Leaving past behind and moving on and with the help of someone.
Wands:  Receiving praise, recognition for a job well done in the past
Cups:  Looking to the past for help in the present, memories. Receiving/giving something to someone, being kind to someone
Pent:  Having enough money to give or receiving a gift

7-  7 is a magical number. It is all about the self, looking within, introspection, thoughts and all that goes on inside your heart, mind and spirit.
Swords:  Negative thoughts, cunning intellect, dishonesty
Wands:  Inner strength, sense of self, defending your beliefs/position, determination (like The Chariot also #7)
Cups:  Illusion, dreams, imagination, inner feelings
Pent:  Planning your next step, contemplation, assessing, organizing, patience

8-  Progress, movement, taking initiative, power
Swords:  Lack of power, movement, feeling stuck, #8 is blocked
Wands:  Progress towards goals, things moving quickly, news, travel
Cups:  Moving away from emotional attachments
Pent:  Working with enthusiasm, making progress towards goals

9-  Distance (with active elements- Swords + Wands) and closeness (with passive elements- Cups + Pentacles) to the elements themselves. For example: the 9 of Swords.  The Swords is an active element representing the mental realm. So let's use distance for the active element. We have : distance from the mental realm or reality.
Swords:  Distance from reality: nightmares, stress, out of your mind
Wands:  Distance from goals: others, putting a wall around yourself
Cups:  Closeness to your heart/desires:  wish fulfilled
Pent:  Closeness to money/abundance:  you have it all around you, you have lots of money and feeling financially independence

10-  The 10's for me aren't about completion but are about other people and their relation to you.  Other people in the mix and how they play out in the elements.
Swords:  They betray you or vice versa
Wands:  They don't help you:  you're doing it all on your own
Cups:  You share happiness and love with your family, children
Pentacles:  You share money with family or receive an inheritance

Use these meanings as guidelines and keywords to spark your intuition and take the meanings further. 
I hope this has helped you and if you have any questions or comments please comment below!
Sara xoxo

Comments

  1. Thank you Sara!

    I think I heard the meanings of the first list in a video (also the elements). But I like to have things written, because it`s an easy possibility to have them named again. Interesting how you connect with numerology.

    About the Aces I thought something simlar to "I mean, if they were meant to be a #1 then why are they called Aces?". Ok, 1 can be the beginning of something, but I saw "Ace" more as "this suit is very critcal here". But I think I´m not at an end of thinking about this as I want also read a textbook.

    I often thought about the numbers as a scale. Like 9 is like "very near to completion" and 10 like "more completion not possible". But also here just "beginning-thoughts" as I want to read at least one textbook before deciding what the numbers mean to me more concrete. And also connecting with the images, of course. But yes - I think "complete" is an adjective which is not increasable.

    I think this post inspires me to at least think about using a numerology-system as well. I like numbers and they are there in Tarot. :)
    Michael

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  2. I like your idea on Aces as the suit being critical. Ive thought about it as a scale as well but ultimately lots of studying and pondering is required. Read as much as you can of course. Im glad you are inspired to delve deeper into this! Let me know if you have any other thoughts on this! :)

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  3. I`ve seen a review of a deck in which the images were quite abstract. If I remember it correctly the images of the suit-cards consisted of just the suits. For example six of cups = six cups. This reinforced my scale-idea. On the other hand there are those pictures since decades. I think I will know more when I will have read textbooks or at least one textbook. From card games I have the idea that Aces are something special. If I project this on Tarot I would now think "There`s a big hint here that the suit should be considered more closely" if it would appear in a reading.

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