Numbers do have different meanings, and depending which system or book or whoever you talk to, you'll find they mean similar but different things. You have to eventually find a way to, just like with the card meanings themselves, see which meaning fits that particular situation.
One exercise is to take all the cards of each suit, say all the ones, twos, threes, etc., and look at them all together and see the similarities in their meanings. For example: Twos. Two of cups shows the coming together of two emotions, people, relationship, attraction, agreement. Two of pentacles shows the attempt to balance two things, keeping things prioritized, deciding which is more important without letting the other go. Two of swords shows a stalemate of sorts, two ideas that conflict and yet are held simultanously in the mind. Two of wands shows two ideas/actions as being held, maybe trying to choose between them or maybe figuring out how to use both to reach the goal. In each case you see the attempt to balance, to bring together two things, to hold two things, to divide between two things.
Numbers progress, 1-10, in each suit. So you can view the number on the card in relation to where it is in that progression.
Ones denote beginnings, and have the power to bring something new into being. So while they are powerful, they are unfocused. It is the number of the Magician.
Twos are about balance and/or struggle between opposing forces. Two is the number of the High Priestess and as you see her with her two opposing pillars, and she is the doorway between two worlds.
Threes are a kind of reconciliation between the tension of the two. A third element is introduced that stabilizes the situation. Think of a three legged stool -- two legs can't support the weight, but three can. It is the number of the Empress, the creative force. Something has been created here.
Fours are really stable. Four legs on a chair can support a great amount of weight. Fours can be so stable they are stagnant. Movement stops, if only for a time. It can represent a welcome respite or a frustrating one, depending on the card, but it shows a lack of forward movement. The Emperor also represents stability and strength.
Fives are about change. After the stasis of the four, another element brings about a dynamic that moves the situation in a different direction. Whether this is a positive or a negative change depends on the card and the situation at hand, but there is now movement and dynamic change.
Sixes are about give and take. Even the six of swords, which shows a departure, shows the swords being taken in the boat. Although one may be leaving a situation, they take the thoughts and memories and what they've learned with them. Six is also about balance because it relates to Justice and about what's fair and right and just.
Seven is a dreamer's number and often represents times of standing for high ideals, fighting for or pursuing a dream, creative thinking, thinking outside the box, doing things differently than the crowd.
Eight is made up of two fours and so is about structure and stability, too, but it's a building card, things are not so much about stasis, but about doing what needs to be done to finish the project.
Nines are actually when things are finished or just about done. The baby has gestated for nine months and is about to be born. It's that last push, that least burst of energy needed to complete the cycle. It's an overcoming card that brings forth the next final step
Tens are completions but only a hair's breadth away from the Ace which means a new beginning. They embody both the Wheel of Fortune (cycles) and The Magician (1 + 0 = 1) which means power to start something new or bring something into being that didn't exist before. By completing the cycle, you have brought something into fullness that wasn't there at the beginning and now you're in the position to do that again.
So it's a progression, the numbers are related to their Major Arcana counterparts, they relate to each card in the different suits, and they help describe what is happening in each card.
~Mercy
