We are Pleasant Gehman and Crystal Ravenwolf, a duo of divination divas, “spiritual sisters from another mister”. We’re life-long Tarotistas, obsessed with all things esoteric and paranormal. Look for our forthcoming book, “Walking The Tarot Path” in Summer, 2017.
We’ve created this blog to share our knowledge and to connect with the vibrant worldwide metaphysical and paranormal community. We hope it’s as fun for you to read as it is for us to write…Enjoy!
Once you start getting
familiar with Tarot, you’ll realize what
a multi-layered system it is. Eventually, you’ll want to dive a little deeper ,
and really start exploring all the
things that are happening on every card face. One of the
easiest correlations to look into – at least
initially- are the numbers of the cards themselves. Each number is there for a
reason…and once you grasp the foundations of numerology, you’ll realize just how much the numbers add to each card.
There are 78 cards in a standard
Tarot deck, and 62 of them are numbered. The numbers assigned to each of the cards
are patterned on the basic tenets of numerology, a divinatory or occult science,
which assigns traits and characteristics to numbers. In the context of interpreting the Tarot,
these numbers can provide insight on the various aspects of each card, so a
simple familiarity with numerology is a boon to readers of any level…even absolute
beginners.
Depending on how deep you want to go, these
numerological impressions can be applied to interpret a single card or to the reading as a whole. For example, many
readers look at the numbers to provide a timeline for a certain situation, with
lesser digits suggesting a more immediate course of action. Another illustration
could be the predominance of a certain number in a layout. The qualities
assigned to that particular number could be used to determine the underlying
feeling or flavor of the whole reading.
Let’s start by breaking down
the Minor Arcana in terms of numerology.
The four suits of the Minor
Arcana- Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, add up to 56 cards total. Each of
the suits contains 4 Court Cards: a King, Queen, Knight and Page. Though these 16
Court Cards are not numbered, the remaining 40 cards all have a numerical
association. These cards, sometimes known as “pips” or “pip cards” are numbered 1 through 10, and
like standard playing cards, the first card in each suit is an Ace.
Understanding the unique traits of the numbers
will help you to make association with the divinatory meaning of each card.
To get you started, here are some key concepts
for each number:
1. (Aces) Potential,
opportunities, ambition, dominance, a new beginning
2. Balance,
duality, unions, partnership, relationships
3. Growth, expansion, creativity, groups, realization
of goals
4. Stability, structure, manifestation, progress,
foundations
5. Changes, conflicts, instability, chaotic events,
ups and downs
6. Harmony,
healing, communication, balance, solutions
7. Wisdom,
knowledge, spirituality, assessment, choices
8. Manifestation, business, leadership, mastery,
accomplishments
9. Fruition,
fulfillment, attainment, compassion, courage
10. Completion,
results, renewal, recognition, endings
Moving on to the Major Arcana, each of the 22 cards
are assigned numbers, too-and you guessed it- every card has a specific
numerological correlation. They start at
0 (zero) with The Fool and end with 21, The World. But since many of the Majors have been
assigned double-digit numbers, simply reduce them. This is done by adding the digits
together so they can be interpreted as a single digit number.
As an example, The World is
the twenty first card. 2 +1=3.
So, 3 becomes the numerical value of The
World. Among other things, the number 3 signifies expansion and growth… which
could easily be shorthand for The World… As in “the world is your oyster”!
Try it with some of the other
cards of each Arcanum and you’ll notice how much sense the numbers make with
each card. Actually, it’s tons of fun once you get the hang of it…Not even close to being as brain-breaking as you
thought, right?
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| Crystal and Pleasant, photos by Maharet Hughes |
Visit us to book metaphysical and occult workshops, Tarot readings and healings, or to have us come out for a paranormal investigation: https://www.facebook.com/TheDivinationNation?fref=ts
Connect with us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TarotAlimah
To find out more about Pleasant or request a reading or healing session, click here: http://pleasantgehman.com/tarot.html
For more on Crystal’s background, or request a reading or healing session, click here: http://crystalravenwolf.com
