Personal Card

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 05 Aug 2001, and now archived in the Forum Library.

KyrieSummer	05 Aug 2001
MeeWah, I think that you have covered this before, but could you help to refresh this? I have been working with my personal tarot card, which I figured out to be several from the way I was told to figure it out . . . I added up all of the numbers in my birthday and year and came up with 19 (anything over 22 is added again). This card for me is then the Sun. Then there are the underlying parts of your personality when you add those numbers together, for me it is two cards, 10 for Fortune and 1 for Magician. Am I figuring this out correctly? What have others done in regards to this? What are your personal tarot cards? Also, if I remember correctly, you also have a card for the year, which is your birthday plus the present year date. MeeWah, or anyone, does this then start after your birthday, or at the beginning of the year? For this year, I am supposed to be working on the same as my personal card, the Sun once again! Others???

Maan	05 Aug 2001
Doesn't this come from one of Mary Greer's books? I think from the first one. I did not have as many cards as you. I only have one, The Empress. My card for this year turned out to be the lovers. And that really is what the year was al about so far. ( had a relationship and had to decide wether i would continue with it or not, hope the rest of the year is about true love) I have a copy of my year card on my altar. I just love the lovers card from the Robin Wood deck Maan

KyrieSummer	05 Aug 2001
I think that is the author that I recall, do you know the name of the book? I am interested in learning more about all of this. How has knowing your personal card affected you?

Maan	05 Aug 2001
The name of the book? Well i read it in dutch but tranclated it would be "tarot for yourself" or something. ( Anyone help?) And in here book tarotconstelations ( this one i have in english) she come's back on the subject. It did not really affect me. It was more like of course. I could have known. The year cards are more difficult to me. This is actually the first year i could make sence of it. Maan

MeeWah	05 Aug 2001
Kyrie: The book is "Tarot Constellations" by Mary K. Greer ISBN 0-87877-128-X. Greer credits Angeles Arrien with the original concept of Lifetime Cards expressed as Personality, Soul & Year Cards. Greer first mentioned them in her first book "Tarot for Your Self", but developed them further in "Tarot Constellations", including the Teacher Card & the Hidden Factor Card, which do not apply to everyone as they depend on the Birth Card. I see both those latter cards as Shadow Cards, the unknown aspects of self that may help &/or hinder one in developing the self or the process of individuation. I am not familiar with Arrien's writings on this, but according to Greer: 19The Sun is your Personality Card; 1The Magician is your Soul Card; 10Wheel of Fortune is your Teacher Card. That your current year card is also your Personality/ Birth Card would have great significance--sort of like a double whammy :) A period where one would likely have opportunities to utilize all of one's knowledge & expertise in dealing with one's life, events, etc. A time of great potential in growth. I prefer to calculate the Year Card from birthday to birthday rather than from January, as the former makes more sense to me. The use of Lifetime Cards enhances the insight into the psyche, which is why I not only use them in relation to me but also incorporate them in most readings for others. In particular, the Year Card alerts one to possibilities; also possible areas of concern. I'm a firm believer in being an "informed consumer", & the use of such cards aids in an overview.

KyrieSummer	06 Aug 2001
Ugggggghhhh! Then the double whammy is coming up! My birthday is this Wednesday and thus would start up a year of the Sun being my personal card and my year card. Why oh why me! The sun card is one of my problem cards, of course! Need to learn those lessons, whether we are always ready to learn them however, . . . .

KyrieSummer	06 Aug 2001
And of course being a Leo as well, isn't the sun card related to this sign?! Ugghhh! I tell you I am not ready for this double whammy!

StarShine	06 Aug 2001
Okay, Semi-Newbie Me I have read about this method somewhere but I can not for the life of me remember where. Could some one please re post the method used for personal and yearly cards? I just had a B-Day and if there is something I need to do this year, I need at least 6 months of procrastination time before I drive myself bananas trying to get it done at the last minute! :-D

Rhiannon	06 Aug 2001
Ok, so I found this to be interesting and tried it. I just want somebody to tell me I did it right, please! LOL My b-day is 6/6/1974. So adding all that up my card would be the Lovers, right? And my year card would be the Hermit? And since I don't have anything to add together with a #6 do I have a Soul Card or Teacher card? :/ Confusled... Thanks! Rhiannon :)

MeeWah	06 Aug 2001
Using Rhiannon's as an example, the birth-date is added as follows: ****06************************* ****06************************* *+1974************************* *=1986************************* 1+9+8+6=24********************* 2+4=6************************** In this case, 6The Lovers serves as both Personality & Soul Cards. My take on The Personality Card is it pertains to how one expresses the self (similar to the function of the rising or ascendant sign in astrological terms). The Soul Card describes the core of the individual as in character traits, aspirations, lessons & purpose--both of which are usually of spiritual &/or karmic significance. Mary K. Greer refers to the Hidden Factor Card or the Teacher Card. For 6The Lovers, the Hidden Factor Card (which I see as The Shadow Card or the "flip side" of a card) is 15The Devil. This card would represent those hidden aspects of self; emotional baggage; lessons & karmic influences not readily apparent. The current Year Card is figured similarly, using the current year or whichever year one has in mind. Rhiannon's Year Card is also 6The Lovers. Considering what this card represents, this year may define any issues, concerns or projects that were focal points in the previous year, which would have been 5The Hierophant. The latter may have been an uneven year with changes, conflicts & outright challenges to one's equilibrium. A year of adustments &/or assessments; of dealing with the traditional or conventionalities against personal freedom. This year may likely be a year of making decisions based on the experiences & the knowledge gained in the last year; dealing with relationships on different levels. There may be a sense of accomplishment or relief, depending on what was worked on previously; or a need for more work, whatever. It is helpful to examine the previous year's card also, as overlapping of energies occur between the years. In addition, all number 6 pip cards or minors also have significance as they express the different aspects of 6The Lovers. It would also be helpful to note the appearance of any of these cards as well as the Year Card in any Tarotwork. A basic understanding of the Major Arcana & of numbers would assist greatly with the insight into the influences of the Lifetime Cards if one seeks to utilize such information.

EveAnna	06 Aug 2001
I was interested in how to do this also, thanks for posting it - My card turned out to be The Emperor (4) :)

Rhiannon	06 Aug 2001
Wow! Thanks MeeWah! You gave me way more information than I asked for and I thank you whole-heartedly for it. (I am going to buy that book!) KyrieSummer: Looks like we are both in for double whammies this year... good luck with yours. As for mine, I think I'm going to go home and really meditate on the Lovers card. Let me know how your journey goes. Rhiannon :)

StarShine	06 Aug 2001
Thanks Bunches for taking the time to re-post that info! I am going to sign off so that I can figure mine out. Basically, it is simply Numerology, right? By the way, how do you know which one is your "Shadow Card"?

MeeWah	06 Aug 2001
Starshine: The presence of a Shadow Card depends on the birth card as not all such cards will have a Shadow Card. It can be figured by the number that results as a birth card. If I recall correctly, all 2-digit numbers resulting from adding the birthdate numbers do not go beyond 22 because there are 22 Major Arcana. 22 is equated with 0-The Fool. 22 is considered a Master Number as is 11. Certain 1-digit numbers are "singles"; that is, the number serves as both the Personality & Soul Cards. Those numbers have Shadow Cards, as some others will. If the birthdate adds up to 4, then 4 is both the Personality & Soul Number. 4 is 1+3 or 13; hence, 13-Death is the Shadow Card. Or 4 is 2+2 or 22/0-The Fool. Mary K. Greer seems to apply 13-Death & 22-The Fool interchangeably as Shadow Cards for single 4, 22-4, or 13-4. There is a lot more to this that I do not see can be properly addressed here, so I recommend her book "Tarot Constellations" for an in-depth examination.

KyrieSummer	07 Aug 2001
Thanks MeeWah, that helps quite a bit. I knew that you likely knew the answer! ;)

Rhiannon	07 Aug 2001
Ok, so I've meditated on it a bit and I think the Lovers this year is trying to tell me to get back in touch with my mate and to gain control of some of my obsessions (this forum excluded, of course!). Also, interestingly, I have sort of looked at the cards that will be in my future. It seems that the year my oldest (daughter) turns 18 I will be in my Death card year and when my baby (son) turns 18 I will be in my Tower year. I found that to be very enlightening. And in spite of the fact that tower means very sudden and definite (scary) change, I am looking forward to it. I will finally be alone with my husband. And the following year is the Star, after all, so it can't be that bad! LOL Thanks again for all this info. I just wanted to share my insights on it. Rhiannon :)

.dc	07 Aug 2001
Quote: Kyriesummer (06 Aug, 2001 16:23): Ugggggghhhh! Then the double whammy is coming up! My birthday is this Wednesday and thus would start up a year of the Sun being my personal card and my year card. Why oh why me! The sun card is one of my problem cards, of course! Need to learn those lessons, whether we are always ready to learn them however, . . . . no way!!! another Leo!?!??! LMAO damn... i should've guessed kyrie. something about us eh? i know what you mean on the whammy. except mine seems to be the saturn returns thingy...and oh my is it getting fun. i don't think i have ever felt so full of happiness and joy in my entire life. and much of it is coming from within which is the very odd part. last week, my friend rose even remarked about how changed my aura felt to her and how she just got done with her returns. if mine ends as eloquently as hers did... i'll be ONE happy chica. i'll tell ya more next time we get to chat on AohelL im. =) well happy bday, and mine's this friday. hehehe... we should go out for lunch or something sometime and celebrate. blessed be and sunshine smiles, .dc

joya250	07 Aug 2001
. .[/quote] ..... except mine seems to be the saturn returns thingy...and oh my is it getting fun. i don't think i have ever felt so full of happiness and joy in my entire life ..... and how she just got done with her returns. .dc[/quote]\\ Hey dc! :) Hope I did this quote thing right... just wanted to repost the gist of what I had a question about.... What is this Saturn returns thing? I need some good stuff too! :) Really, though I am curious... anything you could share about it would be great. I know Saturn is the "Lord of Karma"... haha, actually, when I calculated my year card is turns out to be Justice. very fitting. any info would be great. thanks!

MeeWah	07 Aug 2001
Rhiannon: I think you can safely assume that in your Death Year, life as you've known it will end or undergo a transformation :D One's child coming of age tends to do that, as well as precipitate the proliferation of white hair, etc! It can literally precede or usher in a "change of life"; represent a growth period. Ditto for The Tower Year, which is associated with more of a sudden event that is out of one's control or desires. Due to the energy of this card, it's a good idea to be especially careful when out or about or even at home. Despite the sense of a lack of control, there are also opportunities to take control as well--the flip side of The Tower is The Chariot. Kyrie & .dc: The "double whammy" I referred to is actually the heightened vibrations such a configuration holds, similar to a double Sun sign. It pertains to greater than usual possibilities; the potential for extremes. It can be a very emotional period with a lot happening at once. It is an exciting time--though what may be exciting for one may be boring for another. It would be interesting to see what kind of cards appear on a daily basis as well as through the months during such a year.

MeeWah	07 Aug 2001
OOPS I nearly forgot-- Kyrie & .dc: HAPPY BIRTHDAY to both of you Leo's!! May God/dess guide ye daily; grant ye abundance in all the joys of this world, now & always!

KyrieSummer	07 Aug 2001
Thanks MeeWah! And happy birthday to you as well .dc! We do need to hook up, but after this week, still in class . . . Saturn Return. I had a good one as well when I went through it. Basically, once every 29 years or so Saturn comes back into your life in the same position it was when you were born. It can mean major life changes, upheavels etc. Saturn Return right now is supposed to be quite intense. I will go on the astrology forum section and post a very interesting site. I would post it here, but think it would get too off topic, and as it is more astrology related than tarot . . . So go there and get the web site.

Rhiannon	07 Aug 2001
Thanks again for the great info. and advice MeeWah! and *singing* Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you.... ... and we won't get into the monkey part of the song for you 2, ok? ;) Rhiannon :)

.dc	08 Aug 2001
MeeWah and Rhiannon... Thanks for the bday greetings...hehe... yeah, let's skip the monkey bit or was that supposed to be money? =) i digress. kyrie, thanks for the astrology link. yes, i'd hafta say that minus a few bumps in the road (like today, and it's not even 8am yet) i've had a very intense rising. Joya, i'd recommend asking the What is a Saturn Returns question in the astrology part of the forum since i dont really quite understand it myself, but i love your description of it as that is pretty much what i feel is going on...almost like the great karmic balancer. whee...i hope today gets better, cos man, i hate this feeling. blessed be and HAPPY BDAY KYRIE! =) .dc

purplelady	08 Aug 2001
My 2 cents , for what it's worth again: Kyriesummer,I strongly feel that your personal card is #1 magician first. And your birthday Does add up to 19=1. Maybe #19 the sun , and #10 wheel of fortune do count in there also,if you want to look at it that way. And the sun is your personal year card if that added up that way. But I still believe the magician is your personal card overall.

purplelady	08 Aug 2001
posting problum ??? :-o !

purplelady	08 Aug 2001
sorry, did not see there was a Page 2 of this thread and thought my post wasn't coming out!! :o ;P :-D :D !

The Personal Card thread was originally posted on 05 Aug 2001 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.