AUTHOR’S NOTE: During a recent online conversation I mentioned the fact that, when provoked, the element of Earth in the sign of Virgo can be fidgety, rising one notch above in “twitchy” angst from Virgo’s trademark anal fussiness. This got me thinking about how the elements of the Chaldean zodiac react with the Minor Arcana of the tarot in a natural (i.e. unconditioned) way; here I’m contemplating the automatic or unthinking “knee-jerk” response that fulfills the premise of the title. Note that each element encompasses three signs of three decans each for a total of 12 signs and 36 cards; the Twos Threes and Fours of the tarot are Cardinal; the Fives, Sixes and Sevens are Fixed and the Eights, Nines and Tens are Mutable. (In the early days of psychological astrology, Cardinality was thought to be “action-oriented” [that is, engaging in action for its own sake]; Fixity was “security-oriented” [e.g. intent on self-preservation]; and Mutability was “people-oriented,” always on the prowl socially.)

Continuing with Earth in its “native” or instinctive mode, Taurus would normally impart a bland stoicism (as John Cleese famously said in Monty Python’s Parrot Sketch, it “wouldn’t vroom if you put 40,000 volts to it”); Virgo introduces steadiness and hard-working honesty; Capricorn can bring an austere rigidity of outlook that is both eminently reliable and insufferably stiff. The cards embodying these elements would partake of their intrinsic nature as a supplement to standard suit and number definitions:

Taurus (Fixed): 5, 6 and 7 of Pentacles – Worry, Success and Failure (the main concerns of fiscal security)*

Virgo (Mutable): 8, 9 and 10 of Pentacles – Prudence, Gain and Wealth (Benjamin Franklin had a good feel for these potent motivators of the upwardly-mobile)

Capricorn (Cardinal): 2, 3 and 4 of Pentacles – Change, Work and Power (making the most of industrious materialism)

In Fire, Aries is headstrong and relentless; Leo is confident with a flair for the dramatic; Sagittarius is candid and ethical. The cards so affected are:

Aries (Cardinal): 2, 3 and 4 of Wands – Dominion, Virtue and Completion (the “might makes right” paradigm of empire-building)

Leo (Fixed): 5, 6 and 7 of Wands – Strife, Victory and Valour (strife, as in “striving” rather than “antagonism,” is conducive to success and the most intrepid tenacity; winning something through effort and then fighting to hold onto it)

Sagittarius (Mutable): 8, 9 and 10 of Wands – Swiftness, Strength and Oppression (flashy brawn that eventually degenerates into abuse of power)

In Water, Cancer runs deep and is generally placid; Scorpio is secretive and manipulative; Pisces is mystically elusive and passive. The cards involved are:

Cancer (Cardinal): 2, 3 and 4 of Cups – Love, Abundance and Luxury (wallowing in emotional fulfillment)

Scorpio (Fixed): 5, 6 and 7 of Cups – Disappointment, Pleasure and Debauch (famine followed by feast leading to the pursuit of unhealthy excess; encountering one’s emotional saturation point)

Pisces (Mutable): 8, 9 and 10 of Cups – Indolence, Happiness and Satiety (all good things come to those who . . . someone turn off the spigot!)

In Air, Gemini is sociable to a fault and can be flighty; Libra is poised and impartial; Aquarius is laid-back and visionary. The relevant cards are:

Gemini (Mutable): 8, 9 and 10 of Swords – Interference, Cruelty and Ruin (sticking one’s busybody nose where it’s not welcome will get it broken)

Libra (Cardinal): 2, 3 and 4 of Swords – Peace, Sorrow and Truce (the wages of appeasement can be misfortune followed by wary détente; “once bittern, twice shy”)

Aquarius (Fixed): 5, 6 and 7 of Swords – Defeat, Science and Futility (there is no guarantee of success no matter how we try to stack the deck)

*The best deck to use with these attributes is probably the Thoth because it has evocative titles to go with its compelling imagery, rather than the prosaic narrative vignettes of the Waite-Smith tarot that sometimes send the wrong message from an elemental perspective (3 of Swords is a good example).