1:1 Correspondences
SO, still puzzling over astrological correspondences, I thought I'd peek into my excellent new book ("Holistic Tarot" by Benebell Wen - very highly recommended) and see what I could find. In appendix B, I discovered a chart that provides 1:1 correspondences for each sign of the zodiac and each of the Planetary designations (Eight planets excluding Earth, plus the Sun and Moon. ) This totals Twenty two (21 Majors plus The Fool). I find this very satisfying.
As referenced by Wen, this system was originally published in 1930 by A.E. Thierens in "The General Book of the Tarot" - and you can find the entire text online at:
http://sacred-texts.com/tarot/gbt/index.htm.
Thierens states in the first chapter: " As far as we know the idea of analogy with the zodiacal mysteries has, until now, found no further practical realisation than a rather diffuse comparison of the four 'colours' or suits in the Lesser Arcana with the Four Elements in the Cosmos, as we find them in astrology."
Somehow, over the years, I have seen astrological correspondences for Majors, but I never got the memo that they could all be mapped out so neatly.
Here, then, are the 22 correspondences described:
0) The Fool: Uranus
1) The Magician: Mercury
2) The High Priestess: The 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: Saggitarius
15) The Devil: Capricorn
16) The Tower: Mars
17) The Star: Aquarius
18) Pisces: The Moon
19) The Sun: The Sun
20) Judgment: Pluto
21) The World: Saturn
Now, I don't know much about astrology, but a number of these jumped out at me: Empress=Venus, Strength=Leo, Justice=Libra, Death, Tower, Star... ALL pretty obvious to me. I'm sure many people reading know all this, but I didn't.
Now, when I look at the seven stations grid, the elemental correspondences for the cards don't seem to line up all that well (I may describe the patterns I DO see a little later).
However, at least on the surface, the Cardinal/Fixed/Mutable lens looks like it's starting to line up nicely, at least starting at Key 4 The Emperor. I need to chart the rest of this out, too.
One thing I'd like to note is that the whole Seven Stations perspective started out as a thought experiment. It's not set in stone, and I don't own it. My original question was always, "What was the reasoning behind the order that the trumps are placed in? Does it correspond to some ancient mystery religion or esoteric school of thought?" I simply formulated, "discovered" if you want to be generous, that there do seem to be some universal principles of the human condition, and some historical symbolism, that lines up rather neatly with this set of images.
If anybody uses this way of thinking to enhance their own exploration of the many schools of esoteric thought, then I think I've done my job.