View Full Version : The cards and your natal chart
This is a way to discover cards that you have a relationship with because they express the same placement of a planet in a sign that you have in your natal chart. If you don’t have an astrological chart go to www.astro.com. It is very easy, you just put in your birth date and place and select that you want a chart. Find out your Sun sign, Moon sign, and what sign Mars, Venus, Mercury, Jupiter and Saturn are in.
Not every planet in every sign is represented in the Tarot. Look to see if any of your placements are on the list below. If you find some, think about how the card relates to your life and your personality. Are any of them cards you consider your favorites in the deck? Perhaps from now on when these cards come up in your readings they will be special because you know they relate to your chart. You can also look at people’s charts before you read for them in case any of these special cards come up.
Generally, the moon shows how you are with feelings, your inner life, what you want; Venus shows your romantic creative side; the Sun is nowadays taken to show the self, it can also show what you need to grow spiritually; Mercury shows your intellect and thinking processes; Mars shows your aggression and drives; Jupiter shows luck, big dreams, expansion; Saturn shows how you deal with structure and limitation. This is a very simplified explanation, but you will be able to see which area of life to relate the card to.
For example, I very likely have the Moon in Libra (there is a chance that it is in Scorpio as I don’t know what time I was born). I look at the Two of Swords and yes, it is one of the ones I love in the deck and I feel it really describes me well. I need to be alone to think about things and experience my feelings. I need peace, beauty and order in order to function. I love the night when things are quieter and calmer.
I am not positive but I think that the RWS follows the same astrology so you can use any RWS derived deck to do this. Some of the connections between the astrological placement and the card might be clearer with the Cosmic or Thoth though as I believe the meanings are derived more closely from astrology.
This is a new area of study for me and I’m no expert so please post if I’ve made mistakes here.
Sun in Scorpio -- Six of Cups
Sun in Sagittarius -- Nine of Wands
Sun in Aries -- Three of Wands
Sun in Gemini -- Ten of Swords
Sun in Capricorn -- Four of Disks/Pentacles
Sun in Virgo -- Eight of Disks/Pentacles
Moon in Cancer -- Four of Cups
Moon in Aquarius -- Seven of Swords
Moon in Libra -- Two Swords
Moon in Taurus -- Six of Disks/Pentacles
Mercury in Sagittarius -- Eight of Wands
Mercury in Cancer -- Three of Cups
Mercury in Aquarius -- Six of Swords
Mercury in Taurus -- Five of Disks/Pentacles
Mercury in Virgo -- Ten of Disks/Pentacles
Mars in Aries -- Two of Wands
Mars in Leo -- Seven of Wands
Mars in Scorpio -- Five of Cups
Mars in Pisces -- Ten of Cups
Mars in Capricorn -- Three of Disks/Pentacles
Venus in Aries -- Four of Disks/Pentacles
Venus in Cancer -- Two of Cups
Venus in Scorpio -- Seven of Cups
Venus in Aquarius -- Five of Cups
Venus in Virgo -- Nine of Disks/Pentacles
Jupiter in Leo -- Six of Wands
Jupiter in Libra -- Four of Wands
Jupiter in Pisces -- Nine of Cups
Jupiter in Capricorn -- Two of Disks
Jupiter in Gemini -- Eight of Swords
Saturn in Leo -- Five of Wands
Saturn in Sagittarius -- Ten of Wands
Saturn in Pisces -- Eight of Cups
Saturn in Libra -- Three of Swords
Saturn in Taurus -- Seven of Disks/Pentacles
This is a new area of study for me and I’m no expert so please post if I’ve made mistakes here.
Hmm. I'm no expert either, but I really, really hope you've made a mistake here. ;)
Of course, it might have been me. Maybe I messed up getting my astrological chart. I really hope so.
I'm the Ten of Swords, which has got to be the card I like least in the whole deck. :bugeyed: The best I can say for it is that it's got a bit of pink on it.
I checked the LWB and it says "Total madness has taken possession of the person." Well.
So I checked the RWS, but this deck seems to think I'm dead.
:mad: Well, I'm off to have a word with my mother. Maybe she got the date wrong - her watch was fast or she forgot to change the calendar or I'm really adopted. :D
LOL!
Yes. The title of this thread is a bit misleading, because the card doesn't really show "who you are", it is just that there is a relationship between the card and your chart.
Tarot is based on the old style of astrology that was practiced back when Kings and Queens decided when to have their coronations based on astrology and it was taken very seriously. Medicine and early science were pretty much based on astrology. One of the things that was different back then is that some planets were thought of as being harmful or difficult influences and even the planets that are good influences could be difficult influences when they are in signs that don't suit their natures.
Each planet has a sign that is its "fall" and a sign that is its "detriment". These are signs where the planet is not comfortable. The energy of the sign doesn't allow the planet to express itself in the best way. The Sun is a symbol of individual expression and the air signs more about relationships. The Sun is about unity and Gemini expresses duality. Gemini is unfocussed and the Sun wants to focus and be very direct. So the Sun in Gemini would be seen as a difficult placement.
Contemporary astrology doesn't talk much about planets or placements that are "bad". It has been rewritten to the way people think about things nowadays which is that everything is equally good, just different. Rather than look at a chart that has the Sun in Gemini and saying that it is a difficult placement and here are some other things in your chart that can help you work with any problems that come up, contemporary astrologers focus on what is good about having the Sun in Gemini.
This is one of the cards where I think the visual image is a bit extreme although it makes more sense to me than the RWS. I don't read it as madness when it comes up, just an extreme Gemini attack. Thoughts really scattered and trying to go in several directions at once. Too much contradictory information, being able to see both sides of all the issues resulting in paralysis. Not being able to focus because your thoughts are taking you in so many directions at once.
You could see your relationship with this card as not so much a description of yourself but a warning of a potential problem. Don't let your thoughts get scattered, be careful to focus. If I am remembering right, the sign that a person's Moon is in can show what will help with difficulties that come from the Sun placement.
Maybe it wasn't a good idea to post this thread, I wouldn't want anyone to have hurt feelings or be frightened by the cards.
--Myrrha
Maybe it wasn't a good idea to post this thread, I wouldn't want anyone to have hurt feelings or be frightened by the cards.
No, no. Don't be silly. I thought it funny to get such a card. Remember, I am a Gemini after all.
I loved what you said about it being an extreme Gemini attack. The card certainly makes sense when thought of this way. A Gemini doesn't only see both sides of anything - they see about sixteen sides, and can think of more at a pinch, and each one makes perfect sense. On occasion, it can be difficult to make a decision.
The swords are only little on the card (compared to the size of the man), and the front ones are see-through, so it's not all that bad. And the card has got pink on it.
bettylishious
05-06-2008, 08:49
well that was really interesting. i've joined this site to get a deeper knowledge and insight into the tarot. i recently bought this deck and feel tingles everytime i read a card, having taken your advice and looked up my astrological chart, two cards correspond to my stars, the eight of swords and the eight of cups. i cant tell you how much i identify with the imagery, symbolism and feelings i get from those cards. it highlights my tendency to procrastinate which infuriates me sometimes.... and yep i also am currently taking a week off work to recharge my batteries as i have let work and one friend in particular grind me down . so i relate to those cards not just in an overall sense but they are pertinent right now in my life too.
this is the first thread i have read but already im getting a sense of how much this is going to change my outlook on myself and the cards.
...so thank you :)
Hi Bettylishious
That is great that both of the cards spoke to you like that! I'm glad that you could relate to them. If you like this idea you might also like to know your soul card and year card (if you don't know them already). They are Major Arcana cards that are calculated numerologically. It is a little bit more arbitrary (in my humble opinion) than the astrological cards but still interesting. You will find threads about it if you search the "using tarot cards" forum.
Anyway thanks for answering as I'm curious to know how the astrological cards work for people.
---Myrrha
tarotlyn
06-06-2008, 12:13
Just want to add:
There may be different takes on the assignments of astrological signs and
planets given to each Tarot card.
Below is a link to a chart that shows "actual dates" for the cards...
http://supertarot.co.uk/astro/attrib.htm ....scroll down to see the chart.
And...they are offering "3" different tarot cards for each date.
What they are saying on that page is that the meaning of the Tarot card
will tell you "what is happening" while the astrological attributions will tell
you "when it will happen."
So in that respect, no card is good or bad...it is a matter of timing...
:heart:
Lyn
Hi successgoodhealth. Thank you for the link. That is actually the same system, the Golden Dawn! You can certainly use it for timing if that interests you.
Yes, you can also look at which Major Arcana card corresponds to your sun sign and which court card goes with your birth date. People sometimes pick significators this way.
The meanings of the minor cards are derived (in part) from a planet in a particular sign. Thats what I've been looking at so far in this thread. So, for example using the chart you linked to: I have the Moon in Libra so that is the 2 of Swords. I look at that card. The others on that row of the chart, the Queen of Swords and Justice do not really apply specifically to me. I also have the Sun in Sagittarius (December 11), which is the Nine of Wands. The Knight of Wands is the corresponding court card, I could use that as my significator if I wanted to (no thanks!) and the Temperance card (called Art in this chart) is also special to me as it is the Major Arcana that corresponds to my Sun sign. Furthermore I have an astrological connection to the Wheel of Fortune card because Jupiter rules my sun sign, Sagittarius. (The cards for the ruling planets are found right under the chart)
The dates given in that chart, for example September 23 to October 2, are dates the sun passes through a particular ten degree slice of that sign. If you were born during those dates you have the Sun in Libra. However the meanings of some of the cards that correspond to those dates were derived (in part - they also used kabbalah) from other planets in the sign. For example the Two of Swords which is the Moon in Libra. The planets-in-signs for the Minor Arcana are not mentioned on the chart that you linked to, but they are on the deck itself if you have the Thoth and are also worked into the design of some cards in the Cosmic Tarot.
I haven't really heard of people looking at which cards show their planets-in-signs (other than the courts for their birth dates and majors for their sun signs). I thought it would be interesting to take a look and also help to learn more about the astrological derivations of the minors. You are right though, it seems more common to use the astrological information for timing.
There might also be other systems of attribution. The deck we are studying, the Cosmic, is pretty much based on the Thoth deck which uses the Golden Dawn attributions (shown in the chart you linked to). As far as I know, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck is also based on the Golden Dawn system so I would probably stick with that unless you have a deck that follows some other system.
So you could look at
1. The Major Arcana card that corresponds to your sun sign
2. The Major Arcana card that corresponds to planet that rules your sun sign
3. The court card that corresponds to your birth date
4. any Minor Arcana cards that go with your other planets-in-signs
Also, if you have several planets in a particular sign why not take a look at the Major Arcana card that goes with that sign? I have three or four planets in Capricorn so the Devil card is worth looking at for me. We are all very used to identifying with our sun signs but if you have a few planets in one sign that is not your sun sign it is really helpful to take a look at this. It can explain alot!
--Myrrha
Merenwen
15-06-2008, 00:58
This looks very interesting. Not had much chance to play around with it, but it does explain my fascination with the Hermit I think. According to the link Lyn put up, Virgo = Hermit, and I've got my moon in Virgo. My sun sign (Sagittarius) does not describe me well, so I'm looking into my moon sign to see if that makes more sense. It would certainly explain why I'm drawn to High Priestess and Hermit in any deck.
Just one quick question, I assume that list is based on a different deck as I've never heard of Art or Lust in the Cosmic. Which would that be?
Just one quick question, I assume that list is based on a different deck as I've never heard of Art or Lust in the Cosmic. Which would that be?
Hi Merenwen
Art is the name given to the Temperance card in the Thoth deck and Lust is the name given to the Strength card. The Cosmic Tarot seems to follow the Thoth pretty closely in the minor arcana but not so much in the majors.
The information in that link that Lyn put up isn't really specific to the Thoth, even though it uses those Thoth names. Crowley used the Golden Dawn system of linking the tarot to astrology. It should be useful for just about any deck since so many of them are derived from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith were both members of the Golden Dawn). The Cosmic and the Thoth seem to lean more on astrology in the minors than some of them though.
Sometimes when people feel like their Sun signs do not describe them they have a bunch of planets in another sign, not their Sun sign. I think that even having a bunch of planets in signs that are a different element than your Sun sign can make you feel like you "are" something different from what your Sun sign describes.
I once read a book about the old style of astrology, used up until the age of "enlightenment" in the 1700s. In that way of thinking the rising sign showed the person's general character. I don't have the book anymore (darn it). It said that the reason people came to think of their Sun signs as representing them, and saying "I am a Leo" (or whichever sign), is that in the 1920s horoscope columns were put in the newspapers for entertainment and it is much easier to have a little box that shows what everyone's Sun sign is than to show what their rising or Moon sign is let alone all of them.
Do you know your rising sign?
--Myrrha
Merenwen
19-06-2008, 02:09
Do you know your rising sign?
That's what's so odd. It's Sagittarius as well I think. But I'm a cusp girl, and I think a lot is explained by that.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/Alexandriana/astro_w2gw_01_merenwen_hp57969322.gif
celticnoodle
19-06-2008, 02:24
Myrrha, thanks for posting this! I'm not really that much into astrology per se, but my sister is REALLY into this. She finally convinced me to get my chart online at one of those online free charts sites. I found it pretty interesting how well it captured me--and so now sis & i are talking almost daily about our charts. I'm becoming more interested as a result. now, I'll have to go and pair up the cards to our planets just for more of an interesting discussion today. :)
If I remember correctly, my sun sign is in Libra, Moon is in Pisces and Ascendant is in Cancer-so....since I didn't see any cards listed in your first post to go with them, maybe I can find them on the site tarotlyn posted. off to check out the site tarotlyn posted.
That's what's so odd. It's Sagittarius as well I think. But I'm a cusp girl, and I think a lot is explained by that.
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/Alexandriana/astro_w2gw_01_merenwen_hp57969322.gif
Wow, you have your rising sign and Mercury and your Sun all in Sagittarius. And all this in the first house which is supposed to be all about you and your personality, and yet you don’t feel like Sagittarius really fits you. That does seem odd. I didn't see any groups of planets in other signs than your Sun sign, or any difficult aspects to your Sun sign. It might be interesting to post about it in the astrology forum and see what the people who really know alot about astrology say.
The other thing is that the constellations that the signs were named for, Sagittarius and all the rest, have moved in the thousands of years since astrology was discovered. If you go back to astro.com I think you can get a chart made according to “sidereal” astrology which uses the actual constellations rather than the sections of the sky. It might be really interesting to look at that and see if you think it fits you better.
I am not really very knowledgeable about astrology. For a long time I didn’t look into it much because I don’t know what time I was born and you really need to know that to use the house system. I’m more interested in it now, partly because of tarot.
If I remember correctly, my sun sign is in Libra, Moon is in Pisces and Ascendant is in Cancer-so....since I didn't see any cards listed in your first post to go with them, maybe I can find them on the site tarotlyn posted. off to check out the site tarotlyn posted.
Great! You should be able to find the Major Arcana cards for those and also the Court card that goes with your birthdate. It never occurred to me to look at the Major Arcana that goes with a rising sign but why not?
For people who think in pictures rather than concepts you could set up the whole chart with tarot cards. The signs all have Major Arcana cards and so do all the planets (scroll down after the chart for a list), even if you don’t have a Minor Arcana for that particular planet in sign combination like in my first post. So Moon in Pisces is like having the High Priestess (card that represents the planet Moon) in the Moon card (card that represents Pisces). No wonder you do those very intuitive readings, celticnoodle!
Some of them I have a hard time seeing the connection though, like the Chariot and Cancer. The energy of the Chariot, full of outward-facing drive and determination, never seemed to me to go with Cancer which is home oriented and nurturing. One deck, the Dragon Tarot, talks about a dragon mother searching for her lost dragon baby but in most decks it is hard for me to see the connection.
Astrology for tarot-heads
This astro placement in your chart -- is like this combination of cards
Moon in Aries -- High Priestess in The Emperor (meaning in the home or territory of the Emperor which sounds like trouble…)
Moon in Taurus --High Priestess in The Hierophant and Six of Disks/Pentacles
Moon in Gemini -- High Priestess in The Lovers
Moon in Cancer -- High Priestess in The Chariot and the Four of Cups
Moon in Leo -- High Priestess in Strength (or Lust if you have a Thoth)
Moon in Virgo -- High Priestess in The Hermit
Moon in Libra -- High Prisetess in Justice and Two of Swords
Moon in Scorpio -- High Priestess in Death
Moon in Sagittarius -- High Priestess in Temperance (Art if you have a Thoth)
Moon in Capricorn -- High Priestess in The Devil (hmmm, interesting!)
Moon in Aquarius -- High Priestess in The Star and the Seven of Swords
Moon in Pisces -- High Priestess in the Moon
Mercury in Aries -- The Magician in the Emperor
Mercury in Taurus -- The Magician in The Hierophant and Five of Disks/Pentacles
Mercury in Gemini -- The Magician in The Lovers
Mercury in Cancer -- The Magician in The Chariot and Three of Cups
Mercury in Leo --The Magician in Strength (or Lust if you have a Thoth)
Mercury in Virgo -- The Magician in The Hermit
Mercury in Libra -- The Magician in Justice
Mercury in Scorpio -- The Magician in Death
Mercury in Sagittarius -- The Magician in Temperance (or Art if you have a Thoth) and Eight of Wands
Mercury in Capricorn -- The Magician in the Devil (look out!)
Mercury in Aquarius -- The Magician in the Star and Six of Swords
Mercury in Pisces -- The Magician in the Moon
Mars in Aries -- The Tower in the Emperor and the Two of Wands
Mars in Taurus -- The Tower in The Hierophant
Mars in Gemini -- The Tower in The Lovers
Mars in Cancer -- The Tower in The Chariot
Mars in Leo -- The Tower in Strength (or Lust if you have a Thoth) and the Seven of Wands
Mars in Virgo -- The Tower in The Hermit
Mars in Libra --The Tower in Justice
Mars in Scorpio -- The Tower in Death and Five of Cups
Mars in Sagittarius -- The Tower in Temperance (or Art if you have a Thoth)
Mars in Capricorn -- The Tower in the Devil and Three of Disks/Pentacles
Mars in Aquarius -- The Tower in the Star
Mars in Pisces -- The Tower in the Moon and the Ten of Cups
Venus in Aries -- The Empress in the Emperor and the Four of Wands
Venus in Taurus -- The Empress in The Hierophant
Venus in Gemini -- The Empress in The Lovers
Venus in Cancer -- The Empress in The Chariot and the Two of Cups
Venus in Leo -- The Empress in Strength
Venus in Virgo -- The Empress in The Hermit and the Nine of Pentacles
Venus in Libra --The Empress in Justice
Venus in Scorpio -- The Empress in Death and the Seven of Cups
Venus in Sagittarius -- The Empress in Temperance (or Art if you have a Thoth)
Venus in Capricorn -- The Empress in the Devil and
Venus in Aquarius -- The Empress in the Star and Five of Swords
Venus in Pisces -- The Empress in the Moon
Jupiter in Aries -- The Wheel in the Emperor
Jupiter in Taurus -- The Wheel in The Hierophant
Jupiter in Gemini -- The Wheel in The Lovers and Eight of Swords
Jupiter in Cancer -- The Wheel in The Chariot
Jupiter in Leo -- The Wheel in Strength and Six of Wands
Jupiter in Virgo -- The Wheel in The Hermit
Jupiter in Libra --The Wheel in Justice (or Adjustment if you have a Thoth) and Four of Swords
Jupiter in Scorpio -- The Wheel in Death
Jupiter in Sagittarius -- The Wheel in Temperance (or Art if you have a Thoth)
Jupiter in Capricorn -- The Wheel in the Devil and Two of Pentacles
Jupiter in Aquarius -- The Wheel in the Star
Jupiter in Pisces -- The Wheel in the Moon and Nine of Cups
Sun in Aries -- The Sun in the Emperor and Three of Wands
Sun in Taurus -- The Sun in The Hierophant
Sun in Gemini -- The Sun in The Lovers and Ten of Swords
Sun in Cancer -- The Sun in The Chariot
Sun in Leo -- The Sun in Strength and Six of Wands
Sun in Virgo -- The Sun in The Hermit and Eight of Pentacles
Sun in Libra --The Sun in Justice (or Adjustment if you have a Thoth)
Sun in Scorpio -- The Sun in Death and the Six of Cups (this is a better fit for the Cosmic and Thoth decks than the RWS)
Sun in Sagittarius -- The Sun in Temperance (or Art if you have a Thoth)
Sun in Capricorn -- The Sun in the Devil and Four of Pentacles
Sun in Aquarius -- The Sun in the Star
Sun in Pisces -- The Sun in the Moon
Saturn in Aries -- The World in the Emperor
Saturn in Taurus -- The World in The Hierophant and Seven Pentacles
Saturn in Gemini -- The World in The Lovers
Saturn in Cancer -- The World in The Chariot
Saturn in Leo -- The World in Strength (or Lust if you have a Thoth) and Five of Wands
Saturn in Virgo -- The World in The Hermit
Saturn in Libra --The World in Justice (or Adjustment if you have a Thoth) and Three of Swords
Saturn in Scorpio -- The World in Death
Saturn in Sagittarius -- The World in Temperance (or Art if you have a Thoth) and Ten of Wands
Saturn in Capricorn -- The World in the Devil
Saturn in Aquarius -- The World in the Star
Saturn in Pisces -- The World in the Moon Eight of Cups
Tarot isn’t really astrology though. Mars is not the Tower. There is a correspondence and a similarity of energy but they aren’t the same exact thing. Saying Mercury in Capricorn is like the Magician in the Devil teaches me something about the cards and about that astrological placement but I wouldn’t take it to mean exactly the same thing.
Also, the correspondances come from the Golden Dawn but this business of looking at them this way, "The Tower in the Star" "The High Priestess in the Moon", I haven't seen this in any books and I don't think there is anything traditional about it. It is just a fun way to look at astrology in the language of tarot and vice versa.
It is fun though.
Merenwen
20-06-2008, 01:58
If you go back to astro.com I think you can get a chart made according to “sidereal” astrology which uses the actual constellations rather than the sections of the sky. It might be really interesting to look at that and see if you think it fits you better.
Now that's a completly different picture! http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a192/Alexandriana/astro_2gw_01_merenwen-sidereal.gif Not looked at it in detail yet to see what it means. Hmm *sneaks off to the astrology forum*
I like that list Myrrha, and you're right, it makes it fun. I'm also intending on taking out the Cosmic again, as I've noticed in the past that there are lots of symbols for the planets hidden in the cards. Just never had the drive to find out exactly what those symbols mean.
Merenwen
21-06-2008, 22:28
Right, I've done it. I may have missed some of the more hidden symbols, but I've been through all the cards.
Some are symbols, some are actual animals and as such I may have missed a few references.
Card - Planet & Sign
10 of Swords - Mercury & Gemini
10 of Wands - Saturn
3 of Swords - Saturn
4 of Pentacles - Sun & Capricorn
4 of Swords - Jupiter
6 of Wands - Jupiter
8 of Cups - Saturn
Chariot - Moon & Cancer
Emperor - Aries
Empress - Earth
Hermit - Sun + Jupiter & Virgo
King of Cups - Cancer
King of Pentacles - Capricorn
King of Swords - Libra
Moon - Pisces
Prince of Cups - Scorpio
Prince of Pentacles - Capricorn
Prince of Swords - Aquarius
Prince of Wands - Leo
Princess of Pentacles - Taurus
Queen of Swords - Mercury & Gemini
Queen of Wands - Sagittarius? (an archer on a tower, so I'm not too sure on this one)
Interesting that some of them do correspond, with some additions. Just because I haven't found all the references, doesn't mean to say the don't exist. The LWB has Golden Dawn as further reading suggested, so I suspect they will be there.
Interesting that some of them do correspond, with some additions. Just because I haven't found all the references, doesn't mean to say the don't exist. The LWB has Golden Dawn as further reading suggested, so I suspect they will be there.
That is so great that you went through the deck and found all that! Astrology is really the key to this deck.
Yes, you're quite right the Golden Dawn's "Book T" has this information. Here is a link to a pdf
http://www.hermetics.org/pdf/gd/t.pdf
If you look on page two there is a chart that shows all the minor arcana astrological references.
There is a study group in the Golden Dawn subforum of the Thoth forum that is looking the Golden Dawn astrological basis for tarot and you might enjoy those threads as well.
Some of the astrological references are a little hidden in the Cosmic Tarot, For example the Four of Wands is Venus in Aries and there is a dove-like bird flying (a dove is one of Venus' main symbols) and a spiral on the ground that looks like a ram's horn. Many of the cards don't seem to have specific visual references at all, but maybe I just haven't found them all yet.
You're right the Princess of Pentacles has horns on her headband like Taurus and there is a horned animal of some kind in the background. Still, the deck does seem to follow a pattern where the Kings each represent one of the Cardinal Signs, the Princes represent the Fixed Signs (Taurus is the Fixed earth Sign), and the Queen's represent the Mutable Signs. I'm not sure why the artist then goes and puts Taurus symbolism on the Princess of Pentacles as well as on the Prince. Maybe both cards represent Taurus. Usually though the Princesses represent the element and don't represent a Sign.
Another reason I would put the Prince of Pents as Taurus rather than Capricorn (besides that it fits the Cardinal/Fixed/Mutable pattern) is the symbol of Venus on the pole in the background. Venus is the ruler of Taurus.
Here is a link about Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable signs. (By the way your Sun sign, Sagittarius, is a Mutable Sign).
http://www.bobmarksastrologer.com/TheSigns.htm
You can look at the kinds of qualities associated with each sign and it tells you about the personality of the court card. Notice the King of Wands has a sort of staff with a ram's head in the background (Aries) and the Queen of Cups has Pisces fish on her fan. I think you are right about the Queen of Wands, the archer represents Sagittarius, the Mutable Fire Sign.
A few more astrological symbols in the cards: the lion in the Six of Wands is a symbol of Leo. The caduceas (snakes twining on a pole) in the Six of Swords is a symbol of Mercury. The symbol on the woman's belt in the Three of Wands is like an Aries glyph upside down and she has a Sun glyph on her headband. The dove in the Four of Wands is a symbol of Venus, the ram's horn in the same card is a symbol of Aries. Queen of Pentacles has a Virgo glyph on the top of the tower. I had to use a magnifying glass but it is there.
--Myrrha
Merenwen
22-06-2008, 20:48
See, I knew I hadn't found them all :P
Some of the ones you mention I did see, and they are written down to look up what they mean.
Also, the Princes and Princesses have the symbols for the elements on them. I think it's a bit mixed which one of the 2 has it, but they are there, normally as a form of jewellery or embroidery.