Download 2. The Signs and Planets of the Major Arcana

Chapter 2. The Signs and Planets of the Major Arcana
Although it may seem more than coincidental that there should be 12 signs and 10
planets, which together make up the 22 Trumps of the Major Arcana, in fact when tarot was
originally developed only seven planets were known. And according to recent astronomers,
Pluto has been reclassified and is no longer considered a planet, though most modern
astrologers still consider it important. Yet others consider asteroids equally significant.
There is no real historical evidence that systematic correspondences between tarot and
other metaphysical disciplines were used for divination or other purposes until the Thoth and
Rider-Waite-Smith tarot decks were developed (or “rectified”) around the turn of the century
by followers of societies devoted to the Western Mystical Tradition, such as the Golden Dawn.
Prior to that, some of the images of the major arcana would certainly have been identified with
various mythological figures, some of which are represented among the signs and planets of
astrology. However, Renaissance-era associations are far less systematic and some trumps have
more than one association or none at all.
For these reasons, both the widely-used Rider-Waite-Smith and likely Renaissance-era
associations are presented in this book. I also encouraged you to develop other possible
systems of correspondences for your personal use. Many have noted that some of the Golden
Dawn associations seem a bit forced, designed to ensure that the astrological signs progress in
order through the major arcana. This leads to pairings that might seem odd, such as Cancer
with the Chariot or Taurus with the Hierophant. Other choices are certainly possible, and it is a
valuable exercise to question those that are presented here and develop your own. The most
widely-used set of modern correspondences is shown below.
0 The Fool – Uranus
1 The Magician – Mercury
2 The High Priestess – Moon
3 The Empress – Venus
4 The Emperor – Aries
5 The Hierophant – Taurus
6 The Lovers – Gemini
7 The Chariot – Cancer
8 Strength – Leo
9 The Hermit – Virgo
10 Wheel of Fortune – Jupiter
11 Justice – Libra
12 The Hanged Man – Neptune
13 Death – Scorpio
14 Temperance – Sagittarius
15 The Devil – Capricorn
16 The Tower – Mars
17 The Star – Aquarius
18 The Moon – Pisces
19 The Sun – Sun
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20 Judgment – Pluto
21 The World – Saturn
An older system of astrological and mythical correspondences is based on Renaissance
art and mythology, and more closely follows the mythological portrayals of the gods,
goddesses, beasts, and other symbols associated with these signs and planets. No particular
attention is paid to signs being in order or having one per card, since this was most likely not an
issue in the original development and ordering of the cards.
In addition to astrological signs and planets, many of the cards are associated with
Greek or Roman gods and goddesses, or other familiar figures of the culture at that time. To
better understand why these cards have the assignments they do, you may want to look at an
early version of the trumps in one of the Renaissance decks. One interesting note is that some
of the cards like Death, the Devil, and Judgment, which we think of as being largely allegorical
today, may have had more literal meanings to the people of the time. Some associations of
Renaissance-era major arcana are provided below, only some of which correspond to planets
and signs used in astrology.
0 Fool – Fool or court jester, Dionysus
1 Magician – Mountebank or conjurer, Hermes, Mercury
2 Papess – Historians differ about whether this card could refer to the legendary Pope
Joan or the historical Manfreda Visconti and thus represent a heretical take on the church, or
whether she is simply a feminine counterpart to the Pope and the church, much as the Empress
to the Emperor; other associations include Juno, Persephone, and Taurus
3 Empress – Demeter, Hera, Mary mother of Jesus, Cancer
4 Emperor – Zeus, Jupiter
5 Pope – Sagittarius
6 Lovers – Venus, Aphrodite, Eros – this card was originally called Love or the Lover and
featured Cupid rather than an angel overhead, and a man choosing between two women
7 Chariot – Mars, Aries
8 Justice – Athena, Libra, one of the four virtues (justice, strength, prudence, and
temperance)
9 Hermit – Saturn, Kronos (Father Time), possibly associated with the virtue Prudence,
though this link is less clear than the other virtues
10 Wheel of Fortune – Fortuna, the 3 Fates, Gemini
11 Strength – Heracles, Leo, one of the four virtues
12 Hanged Man – Prometheus, Odin, Capricorn
13 Death – Hades
14 Temperance – Iris, Aquarius, one of the four virtues
15 The Devil – Satan, Pan, Scorpio
16 The Tower – Tower of Babel
17 The Star – Ganymede, Aphrodite, Virgo
18 The Moon – Moon, aspects of the Triple Goddess, including Artemis, Demeter, and
Hecate (maiden, mother, crone), as well as other goddesses associated with the moon, such as
Athena and Persephone
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19 The Sun – Sun, Apollo, Helios, Castor and Pollux
20 Judgment – The Resurrection, Judgment Day, Archangel Michael, Pisces
21 The World – Gaea, Paradise, the four elements, animus mundi
In the following sections, each astrological sign and planet is described in depth, as it
appears in astrology as well as how it relates to the major arcana cards with which it has been
associated in both modern and Renaissance eras. Because planets and signs are not always that
much like the tarot cards with which they are associated, both their similarities and differences
are discussed. Having a greater depth of understanding of both sets of archetypes broadens our
understanding of both tarot and astrology. The nature of each retrograde planet is also
explored.
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