AUTHOR’S NOTE: Although I’ve studied and worked with the pattern for over fifty years, I’ve never found much practical (i.e. divinatory) use for the assignment of the tarot’s Major Arcana to the paths of the Qabalistic Tree of Life outside of astral pathworking (at which I’m not particularly adept). The alignment of the ten sephiroth with the forty Minor Arcana and the seven classical planets of astrology is another matter, and I’ve often thought that the trump cards should be brought into the equation. So “here goes nothing!”

The placement of the seven planets on the Tree of Life is as follows: Saturn on the third sephira, Binah; Jupiter on the fourth sephira, Chesed; Mars on the fifth sephira, Geburah; Sun on the sixth sephira, Tiphareth; Venus on the seventh sephira, Netzach; Mercury on the eighth sephira, Hod; Moon on the ninth sephira, Yesod. In the Golden Dawn’s system of correspondences, the planets are directly associated with the Major Arcana in the following sequence: Saturn = World; Jupiter = Wheel of Fortune; Mars = Tower; Sun = Sun; Venus = Empress; Mercury = Magician; Moon = High Priestess. However, each planet can also be paired with one or more of the zodiacal trump cards according to rulership: Saturn (Capricorn) = Devil; Jupiter (Sagittarius) = Temperance; Mars (Aries) = Emperor; Sun (Leo) = Strength; Venus (Taurus and Libra) = Hierophant and Justice; Mercury (Gemini and Virgo) = Lovers and Hermit; Moon (Cancer) = Chariot.

Working from this premise, I’ve situated the planetary and zodiacal trump cards together on the related sephiroth, with the former sitting on top of the latter to suggest that the zodiacal trump “rides on the coattails” of the planetary trump but also “holds the reins” or “pulls the strings” on its operation. For example, the Devil underlies the mundane preoccupations of the World, and that – if one believes the preachers – may not be far from the truth (although I find Aleister Crowley’s definition of “creative energy in its most material form” much more agreeable) . The Emperor is the authority behind the Tower in a “might-makes-right” sense and is not reluctant to apply its influence forcefully, and Leo is the personal – or “applied” – ego tapping into the universal Ego of the Sun. The “juggling act” of Temperance is not foreign to the give-and-take of the Wheel of Fortune, while Justice as a feminine archetype is generally a better match than the Hierophant for the Empress and the masculine Hermit aligns more effectively with the Magician than does the bilateral Lovers. That leaves the Chariot and the High Priestess to correlate, and – although Waite made a clear distinction between the exalted nature of the Priestess and the more utilitarian modus operandi of the Chariot, there is a versatile strength of character to the Moon that can ably serve both masters, one subtle and the other stalwart.

I can see some pragmatic applications for these “dynamic duos,” specifically by bringing the zodiacal counterpart into the picture when its planetary partner appears in a reading, and vice versa. I wouldn’t treat it as an equal contributor to the narrative, but more as a sidelight that broadens the perspective and adds nuance to the interpretation. The astrological connections are already there so it’s just a matter of pressing them into service as secondary motivators or powers “held in reserve” that might be enlisted if the opportunity arises. In astrology, the planets convey active intent (the “what will happen” focus of the delineation) while the signs describe the modes of execution (the “how it will happen”) that define and direct their functionality, and the houses (which are emulated by spread positions in the tarot) show the “field of operation” (the “where it will happen”) in which the consequences of the other two play out.

I’m thinking that it could be instructive to create a “layered” presentation in any affected spread position that brings the planetary and zodiacal trumps together as “vehicle” (or “engine”) and “driver” (or “engineer”). The zodiacal trumps could aid in getting a handle on the planetary trumps, as in the Emperor with his firm hand reining in the unruly behavior of the Tower, or Strength offering purposeful structure to the featureless radiance of the Sun. This two-part analysis could conceivably show both the potential impact and the advice for mitigating it, with some interesting possibilities such as the Mars axis cautioning against being too reckless (Tower) and at the same time recommending a more disciplined “controlled burn” (Emperor) in pursuing one’s passions. The Tower embodies the irrational, explosive side of Mars and the Emperor displays the intractable, driven side. but both are necessary at one time or another during life.

There is always room to expand our interpretive palette as long as there is a sound rationale for doing so. Esoteric traditionalists are likely to find the above “wrong-headed,” but I’ve been at this stuff long enough to realize that none of it is absolute so I’m not averse to pushing the philosophical boundaries where it makes sense.