tarot gematria

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 22 Jul 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

isthmus nekoi	22 Jul 2002
There's this interesting article by Rachel Pollack in the 2002 Llewellyn calendar about the major arcana and gematria... Basically, you add up numbers together and see who corresponds w/the sum. ie. the common 1+5/devil = 6/lovers which is why they look so similar... I didn't think very much of this til I got a reading w/the Empress (3), the Chariot (7), the Tower (16), the Sun (19) and the World (21). For some reason the numbers were like, demanding my attn so I figured, easy enough, 1+6=7 and 16+3=19 and 2+1=3 and 7*3=21. But then, something about the numbers kept drawing me back and I realized: 1+9=10 (Sun) 3+7=10 (Empress/Chariot) 7+2+1=10 (Chariot/World) 7+21= 2+8=10 (Chariot/World) 1+6+3=10 (Tower/Empress) 1+6+2+1=1+9=10 (Tower/World) 16+2+1=10 (Tower/World) 16+21=3+7=10 (Tower/World) also, 3+7+16+19+21=6+6=1+2=3 Kinda weird. The weirdest part was that I have a habit of looking at the bottom of my deck before each reading. I do this b/c I want some continuity w/my Vertigo deck as I use it only once a week. That card was of course, the Wheel of Fortune. Give it a shot! It could help throw some light on the reading :)

RedWood	22 Jul 2002
That is interesting..i will have to check that out...Thanks for posting abou it..

MeeWah	22 Jul 2002
Isthmus Nekoi: It seems then 10-Wheel of Fortune is the "missing card" or factor. It represents the "hidden opportunities" that lie in every experience of the life. Also possibly a karmic patterning, which is not necessarily a negative influence but serving as a vehicle for life's lessons. I am curious if the order in which you initially list the cards is the order in which they appeared, or if that order was for convenience. If you look at the cards in numeric order, 10 could conceivably be between 7 (The Chariot) & 16 (The Tower). I do see a sort of sequence. Assuming those cards appeared in the order you listed them (though I am not sure that it may matter): 3 (The Empress) + 7 (The Chariot) = 10 (Wheel of Fortune) 'Tis in calling upon one's creativity & setting it in motion, applying same constructively that opportunities can be accessed & manifested. 16 (The Tower), 19 (The Sun), 21 (The World) 16 (The Tower) refers to 7 (The Chariot); they are also each other's opposing or flip sides. The energy of The Chariot is a dual one. It can precipitate change or growth which does not come easily--hence The Tower. It teaches that success in an endeavor is dependent on how one harnesses one's creativity or energy & directs same. If the effort is based on an unsound or out-dated foundation, chaos may ensue. Indeed, oft 'tis through a chain reaction of accumulated energies (thoughts & actions) that change is precipitated. Thus, besides a willingness to grow/change, an understanding of how one can control or direct oneself will determine one's path. 19 (The Sun) + 21 (The World) = 10 + 3 (or *13*--sorry, could not resist throwing that in. The two cards can be seen as contributing to transforming the life cycle to a new age.) This refers to the path which leads to fulfillment or completion. After the storm of The Tower, The Sun still rises & Life goes on. In taking the "high" road, or adhering to those spiritual ideals, one will accomplish the goals. There is a sense of things coming to fruition or full circle, as 21 (The World) is the flip side of 3 (The Empress) & vice versa. It would be interesting to see if Wheel of Fortune is one of your Lifetime Cards; or a Year Card.

isthmus nekoi	23 Jul 2002
You're very welcome, RedWood. Even w/o doing a reading, it's interesting to think about the possible combinations. For example, because Fool is 0, you can add it to anyone. It implies that inherent w/i each card is this initial spark towards a greater consciousness... Thanks so much for the long post, Meewah! I'm sort of digesting it now :) You know what? I did the calendar spread in the beginning of the year and the year card was the Wheel. I listed the cards in chronological order... It was a c/c spread: Empress in outcome, Chariot in the unconscious mind, Tower in future influences, Sun in the 9th (not sure the 'official' name, I tend to think of it as the wild position instead of hopes/fears), World in the conscious mind. It makes a lot of sense, Chariot/Tower being related and being in positions of development, meaning I don't fully consciously understand these yet, or that the changes that I'm experiencing are just in the beginning stages. That and I'm putting up some resistance. The trick is not going through the whole process, but surviving it. I'd been thinking a lot about like, the *Mother*, so I saw the Empress as giving birth to the Sun (Son) b/c it was placed right below her. Then I noticed that the Empress was represented by Venus, the Tower by Mars (at least in Vertigo. I know it does astrology differently), so it's like they're the parents and indeed, 3+16=19 so it works out numerically as well. I think there's a need to hold both opposites (creation and destruction) in the same space. Tower and Empress are also in future related positions. The parallel b/w the conscious/unconscious mind> World and Chariot, hopefully working in tandem w/the Wheel. I see World as the Self archetype, the totality. Chariot in the unconscious is the drive coming from beyond. Together they equal the totality and movement of the Wheel, or a connection w/fate. They're all very mandala-like as the Chariot runs on wheels. I like this b/c it can be easy to think of the Self as static b/c it is unchanging and eternal. But this shows that it holds a lot of energy, drive and is always shifting. And *thanks* for the final addition (pun intended :P) - that makes a lot of sense too, esp in the context of the other cards. Sun and World = Wheel of Fortune and Empress = Death. It's like these images of totality stem from fate and the great *mother* which of course ties it to death. I know our society doesn't really link motherhood to death, and I've never been pregnant myself, but I get this feeling that they are *very* related - motherhood creates life, but also risks death. Even the whole menses cycle is like a monthly reminder of the link b/w life and mortality. I have my own personal associations as well which work quite well w/that equation :) I've been telling my close friends that a death has been coming since the summer of last year - a cat afterall, has nine lives (nekoi=japanese word for cat). (But not to scare anyone, I don't mean an actual physical death!)

MeeWah	24 Jul 2002
Isthmus Nekoi: You have a good understanding of the scope of those cards. I like how you see the "pairs" or opposing energies. & yes, I also see the concept of motherhood as having a connection to death both figuratively & literally. One risks death with every birth & there is much that can occur within the birth process. Metaphorically speaking, giving birth to something involves the passing on of something else; or a transformation of existing circumstance. There is a type of duality; opposing energies that may work together in the creation of a new order; a "give & take". Ultimately, it speaks of a balance that is achieved when opposing energies may work together to form a whole. I suspected a Year Card aspect--is it not wonderful that cosmic order & "omens" (not necessarily negative) are revealed in this fashion? I would also pay attention to any minor arcana of Ones & Tens--beginnings & endings. Possibly also Fours as Fours are aspects of 13.

isthmus nekoi	24 Jul 2002
Meewah> It's very wonderful! It's like those too brief moments in time where *everything* makes sense, even if it doesn't make sense :P Thanks a bunch for the advice, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled!

RedWood	24 Jul 2002
question-- Can you only do this with the majors?

MeeWah	24 Jul 2002
RedWood: Since the minor arcana are aspects of Major Arcana, the approach could conceivably be applied to same. In general, the Majors are the various stages or cycles; the lessons/chapters of a book. Minors describe the nature of the aspects by their elements or suits; deal with the details. Therefore, some adjustment may be required to see the whole picture.

isthmus nekoi	24 Jul 2002
Don't have the article at hand w/me at the moment, RedWood - but if I recall correctly, Pollack only discussed the majors. I think it would be easier to do w/the majors, since there is no numerical designation for the minor's suits, or the courts. However, the numbers 1 - 10 have a very 'archetypal' quality... 2=duality, decision, balance... I mean that just makes sense. (At least more sense than ascribing these traits to 1.) So like Meewah said, you can relate say, 4s to Death (completion, rest) and so on. And if something works out or gives you insight when you add the numbers of minor and major cards, that would be pretty cool too! Maybe too much number crunching for the likes of me :P

RedWood	25 Jul 2002
I agree on to much number crunching..I might just stick with majors LOL :)

MeeWah	25 Jul 2002
Isthmus Nekoi & RedWood: Personally, I do not "add" numbers of minors as they represent *aspects* of Majors; therefore represent the definitive energy of their cards.

The tarot gematria thread was originally posted on 22 Jul 2002 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.