using astro signs while reading?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 10 Oct 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

dawns_eve	10 Oct 2004
Ok, I know the title sounds funky but I really dont know how to phrase this. I was doing a reading tonight and it was so dead on it was scray. Anyway, I wanted to find out if the cards were portraying someone in particular so I started looking at the numbers and suits for zodiac signs. For instance, cups can represent cancer, scorps, pisces and the number 2 an represent cancer also. Anyhow, I am not sure what to do if I get a card like maybe the 8 of cups where the 8 can represent caps and the cups cancer, scorp or pisces. Does anyone get what I mean? Its hard to try to describe but I am doing my best. How do you choose what method to go by? I hope I haven't confused the situation more :(

WalesWoman	15 Oct 2004
I'm not an astrological buff, but I do think there can be some very strong correspondences between astrology and Tarot. So are you looking the card as the someone's birthday? I suppose you could do that. I'm going to have to do some searching, I used to have a link to a site that had the astrological signs/ times with their corresponding Tarot cards, but most of my links crashed with my hard drive. Mostly I go by the court cards, but hey... I think it's in the eye of the reader. This isn't the link I was looking for but it has a fun automated court card astrological finder, just type in the person's birthday and there it is. I always thought of myself as Queen of Wands, but guess I'm a Prince of Wands. Is that the Knight? It helps if I put in the link, yes? http://www.corax.com/tarot/index.html

lunalafey	15 Oct 2004
It was a few years of using taort before I applied anything astrological into my readings. Once I did I found that it opened a dorr to a new lever of reading. I was picking up of the signs of people being read for or about. The cards of the Major Arcana, each has a Planet or Sign associated to it. There are a few threads around that show this listing. For the courts, there are signs applied to the Knights, Queens & Kings. There are different ideas as to which sign to what card. I just fill in the blanks when those kind of situations arise. For example, I do a reading and the King of Cups shows up. I get a sense that this is refering to a Cancer. But in another reading I may get the Queen of Cups and feel that she is a Cancer as well. It really depends upon intuition with me. Some times readings will through in an extra card that helps to determine what sign the court card could be representing. Say I get a Kinght of Wands and the Strength card. I would then feel that this reading speeks of a Leo. Card positions are important- this pair, in another throw may not always be placed right to indicate a particular sign. Another indication may be the amount of a particular suit surrounding a card. There are so may variables to astrology and tarot. It's really something I think that, with time, a reader will work out thier own method of knowing what sign.

ros	15 Oct 2004
I use Zodiac signs for the Court people. Also the Majors I use the planets and zodiac . For the minors, sometimes it gets to be too much information. I just use the number and elements for them.

BlueLotus	15 Oct 2004
If you are really into astrology/tarot corrolations, an interesting addition to your tarot library may be The Crowley Tarot, The Handbook to the Cards. It has loads of astrological connotations, that go far beyond the Sun Sign/Tarot card relationships, merging other planets into signs, e.g. 5 of Cups is Mars in Scorpio, 2 of Wands is Mars in Aries, Ace of Cups is Venus in Cancer, 4 of Swords is Jupiter in Libra, The Queen of Swords is Late degrees of Virgo, and the first two decantes in Libra, 5 of Disks is Moon in Taurus. 10 of Swords is Sun in Gemini, and so on. Although I do not necessarily agree with every astorological pertainance, I think it is well worth your time and money.

Phoenix Rising	16 Oct 2004
I'm not up with astrology either. But the quest tarot has all the astrological correspondences on it, as well as runes and hebrew letters. Although the knights in alot of books don't have a astrological correspondence for them. I just use the elements of the suits, at the moment.

kwaw	17 Oct 2004
It seems to me that the most straightforward reason behind the structure of the cards lay in their correspondence to the calendar and to navigation. As our concepts of time and space were so inextribably linked with astronomy, astrological associations with the cards were an inherent factor from an early period, probably as far back as the arrival of the Mamluk into Europe. I have developed my own set of correspondences with the minor arcana, according to their placement upon a square format horoscope. Kwaw

Fulgour	17 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by dawns_eve ...I am not sure what to do if I get a card like maybe the 8 of cups where the 8 can represent caps... Do you mean "Capricorn" here, being derived from "8"? If so, how so...? Free association, 8 of Cups: 8th house= Scorpio. Chaldean decanate attribution: Saturn in Pisces.

kwaw	17 Oct 2004
Quote: Originally posted by dawns_eve Ok, I know the title sounds funky but I really dont know how to phrase this. Anyhow, I am not sure what to do if I get a card like maybe the 8 of cups where the 8 can represent caps and the cups cancer, scorp or pisces. Does anyone get what I mean? Its hard to try to describe but I am doing my best. How do you choose what method to go by? I hope I haven't confused the situation more :( Either choose the correspondences of the deck you are going by, or your own [in which case i recommend a deck without overt symbolism of the author[s]]. I Understand [i think] the standard 'cups-cancer' but not the 8-caps? While understanding the standard 'cups-water-cancer', there is the association of cups with 'the cup of grace' [ever seen the image of a cup with a dove flying down towards it?]. In christian terms associated with the dove, holy spirit [thus air], the dwelling place of grace and life [thus again ruach: air, holy spirit, life], the west and death ["let this cup pass from my lips, but not mine will but thine be done", the going down of the sun, associated with the king of cups, on the wheel of fortune the figure who'did rule', thus thanksgiving and remembrance (ie, eucharist)?] and the sacrifice of life ["the going down of the so[u]n"]. Also associated with the sacrament of marriage [mary, bride of the holy spirit = 7th house, West, Cup of Grace, all the mysteries of Bride and Groom (Christ and Church) = 1st-7th house, east and west?]. Not sure what you mean by '8 caps' though, so my associative thinking is probably way of path? Are you associated 8 with 'caps' [i assume capricorn?] through Saturn [in some numerological systems i am aware of 8 is associated with saturn, ruler of capricorn]? Kwaw

WhiteRaven	17 Oct 2004
I'm only starting to use astrology in my readings and usually focus only on the Majors for this. Court cards are usually interpreted by character and physical descriptions.

Phoenix Rising	09 Jan 2005
Astrological correspondences to cards I've posted in another thread http//www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?t=35688 You'll see that there are 3(pip) cards & a court in each group of the 4 suits 2,3,4,Kings (all suits) 5,6,7,Queens (all suits) 8,9,10, Knights or pages(all suits) Therefore 2,3,4 and King of cups will be in house of Cancer, 5,6,7 and Queen of cups will be in Scorpio 8,9,10 and Jack of Cups will be in Pisces. 8,9,10, Jack Pentacles would be Virgo. Each card in the 3 card grouping(pips only) could be a decan. Although the numbers have planets ruling for them too. 1-sun, 2-moon, 3-jupiter, 4-uranus, 5-mercury, 6-venus, 7-neptune, 8-saturn, 9-pluto. Although it seems as the ruling planets(of numbers) aren't associated with the cards.

The using astro signs while reading? thread was originally posted on 10 Oct 2004 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.