AUTHOR’S NOTE: “Movement” and “change” are recurring themes in tarot reading and some cards express it more eloquently than others. Aleister Crowley believed that any request for divination means that something needs to change for the better, so the message in these cards is one of encouragement for the seeker. (There are other cards to show “loss through change.”) I examined all of the cards in light of their common usage in this regard and came up with three loosely-defined categories.

The Chariot was defined as a card of triumph in physical or rational matters by A.E. Waite (who noted that its action is purely mundane with no recourse to spiritual inspiration). However, the modern viewpoint is that it merely represents some kind of “movement” in the subject of the reading. Blending the two, I’ve always felt that it implies “movement toward a goal” with a likelihood of success.

Similarly, the Wheel of Fortune was associated with Jupiter, the “Greater Benefic” of astrology, so it was assumed to promise fortunate developments in one’s affairs. But current thinking is that it can rotate in either direction, toward satisfaction or disappointment, so it is a mixed bag. In my own practice I anticipate a “net positive” result when it shows up in a spread due to the Jupiter influence; I agree with Crowley that there may be “nowhere to go but up.”

I have also added the Knights (RWS Kings) of Wands and Swords to this population for their irrepressible dynamism. The “lesser royalty” of the two suits can be factored in at a reduced level of potency, along with the 2 of Disks (“Change” personified) and the 8 of Wands (“Swiftness”). Cups and Disks mainly favor the status quo,

In esoteric number theory, Three is a number of growth, expansion and opportunity. The Empress and three of the Minor Arcana align perfectly with this premise, while the 3 of Swords is more of a “no pain, no gain” proposition. The 9 of Disks (3×3) is titled “Gain,” so it fits well into this model. The Knight (RWS King) and Queen of Disks are both connected to agriculture and cultivation of “growing things.”

In the “Transformation” sub-group, the Fool kicks off the “journey of self-discovery” and the Universe (aka World) ideally concludes it on a high note. Between them, Death is the harbinger of major reform while Temperance (aka Art) takes what Death delivers and balances or harmonizes it in constructive ways. Judgement (aka the Aeon) is the “offer that can’t be refused” card in the sense that there is no turning back from the reawakening and regeneration it portends once underway. It basically says “Here I come, ready or not!”

Reversal of these cards can discharge their energy in less straightforward ways. For example, I once quipped about the reversed Chariot that “the wheels came off,” and the same could be said about any of the Thoth Princes when reversed. In thinking about it now, I envision taking the “dying cockroach” position and waving one’s naked axles futilely in the air. In the reversed Wheel of Fortune, what was once ascending is now descending such that the benign Sphinx is demoted and the fierce Typhon aspires to take her place, thus promoting unstable change.