AUTHOR’S NOTE: The hierarchy of cards in a tarot reading is one feature that can be used in crafting a narrative, but it isn’t always clear how they interrelate for that purpose since there can be a considerable gap in their perceived significance. The nature of an exalted trump card may have little or nothing to do with the prosaic message in a lowly pip card, and the court cards can go off on an entirely different tangent. The more cards there are in a spread, the more it can resemble a patchwork quilt. This post completes an effort to impose some order on the chaos that began several years ago.

At that time I performed an elaborate exercise in which I attempted to align the court cards and a few of the pip cards with trump cards of a sympathetic nature (for example, the King of Wands became the “little brother” of the Emperor; see the table below for more). In this essay I will try to bring the rest of the pip cards under the same umbrella, such as joining the 2 of Wands (Dominion; Mars in Aries) and the 4 of Disks (Power; Sun in Capricorn) with the two patriarchal cards just mentioned. Due to the population mismatch (22, 16 and 40), I may have to link more than one pip to each trump-and-court-card pair, and it will be useful to bring in astrological correspondences (as I did above) to accomplish this. (I’ll acknowledge in advance that some of these combinations will present a conceptual paradigm-shift, but none should be too far-fetched.)

Note that the original work was based on the Waite-Smith tarot, so whenever a King or Page is mentioned herein, it should also be construed as describing the Thoth Knight or Princess, respectively, and reference to a Knight is also applicable to the Thoth Prince. Similarly, whenever the suit of Pentacles is ascribed to a card, it should be assumed to apply equally to the Thoth suit of Disks, and vice versa particularly where Thoth titles are included in parentheses.

Detailed Analysis:

Because the Fool is a “primal element” trump card representing Air and the impalpable “zero,” the Ace of Swords was the closest I could come to a pip-card counterpart since it represents the theoretical “Point” that is closely allied with the cipher, and the rest of the Aces partake of the same principle even though they have been assigned to the other three “elemental” trumps. There is no direct court-card match, but it is reasonable to assume that the four Pages are similarly aligned with the Fool as a group.

To the Magician and its Knight of Swords sidekick I’m adding the equally nimble Mercury-related pip card, 8 of Wands (Swiftness; Mercury in Sagittarius).

The High Priestess is related to the Moon, so I previously chose the Queen of Cups, a predominantly Lunar card, as her “little sister.” Two of the Moon-associated pip cards that fit well here would be the 4 of Cups (Luxury; Moon in Cancer, sign of its rulership) and the 6 of Disks (Success; Moon in Taurus, sign of its exaltation).

The “little sister” of the Empress is the Queen of Pentacles, and appropriate “Venus” pip cards to accompany them would be the 2 of Cups (Love; Venus in Cancer) and the 9 of Disks (Gain; Venus in Virgo).

The Aries-related Emperor, the King of Wands and the 2 of Wands have already been mentioned, although it seemed reasonable to add the 4 of Disks (Power; Sun in Capricorn) to their retinue.

The Hierophant was previously assigned the Page of Pentacles, and to this I would append the 8 of Disks (Prudence; Sun in Virgo), since it is one of the “Virtues.”

In my earlier model, the Page of Swords joined the Gemini-related Lovers, for which the corresponding Hebrew letter means “sword.” I’m steering clear of the “major decision” definition here and sticking with relationships, so suitable pip cards would be the 6 of Cups (Pleasure; Sun in Scorpio) and the 10 of Wands (Oppression; Saturn in Sagittarius) to capture both sides of the conjugal coin.

The Cancer-connected Chariot was matched with the Knight of Cups because both represent the power of Water in action. I decided that a productive Earth pip would be a better choice than a Water card, so I picked the 3 of Disks (Work; Mars in Capricorn), to represent the “controlled combustion” that generates momentum.

Strength (Thoth Lust) as Leo was paired with the Queen of Wands in her Aries mode, bringing together the two preeminent female Fire cards. To this righteous combination I’m adding a solar card, the 3 of Wands (Virtue; Sun in Aries).

The Hermit is the Mercury-ruled Virgo trump card, and I assigned the King of Pentacles to it in my original court-card mashup. I’m adding a Mercury pip card, the 10 of Disks (Wealth; Mercury in Virgo), to the group although the Hermit’s riches may be more philosophical than material.

The optimistic Wheel of Fortune is the Jupiter-aligned trump card, and I gave it the 6 of Wands (Victory; Jupiter in Leo) as its counterpart. There was no available court card to support it, but I’m thinking that the 9 of Cups (Happiness; Jupiter in Pisces) and the 2 of Disks (Change; Jupiter in Capricorn) would be good pip-card additions.

The Lady of Justice (Thoth Adjustment) clearly welcomes the critical Queen of Swords as her “little sister,” and I’m including the 2 of Swords (Peace; Moon in Libra) due to its calm deliberation and the obviously-compatible imagery.

The Hanged Man is the “primal” Water trump that I connected to the Ace of Cups in my table. I’m thinking that the 8 of Cups (Indolence; Saturn in self-sacrificing Pisces) would be an ideal pip-card partner.

I gave the King of Cups to the Scorpio-aligned Death trump, and here I’m adding the 5 of Cups (Disappointment; Mars in Scorpio) the 5 of Swords (Defeat; Venus in Aquarius) and the 5 of Disks (Worry; Mercury in Taurus). This covers the “mortality malaise” of all the “personal” planets quite neatly, except the Sun and Moon (which don’t sweat the small stuff).

Temperance (Thoth Art) was previously assigned the 9 of Wands (Strength; Moon in Sagittarius) with no court-card correspondence. It relates to Jupiter-ruled Sagittarius, and I’m adding two neutral Jupiter cards to the set: the 4 of Swords (Truce; Jupiter in Libra) and the 8 of Swords (Interference; Jupiter in Gemini).

The Devil is the Capricorn trump card, and I assigned the Knight of Pentacles to it as an exponent of active Earth power. I’m allotting Saturn pip cards to them: 3 of Swords (Sorrow; Saturn in Libra) and 5 of Wands (Strife; Saturn in Leo).

The Tower corresponds to Mars and was accorded the Knight of Wands. Pip cards related to the “Greater and Lesser Malefics,” Saturn and Mars, belong here: the 7 of Disks (Failure; Saturn in Taurus) and the 9 of Swords (Cruelty; Mars in Gemini).

The Star, trump card of Aquarius, was linked to the King of Swords, and here I’m including the following pip cards: the 6 of Swords (Science; Mercury in Aquarius) for its crystal-clear discernment and the 7 of Swords (Futility; Moon in Aquarius) due to the Star’s daunting remoteness.

The Moon is associated with Pisces and was previously given the Page of Cups. Since the Moon and the Page are both prone to self-indulgence, I’m assigning them the 10 of Cups (Satiety; Mars in Pisces) and the 7 of Cups (Debauch; Venus in Scorpio).

The Sun is its eponymous self among the trumps, and is aligned with the Page of Wands. Pip cards that fit are the 7 of Wands (Valour; Mars in the Sun’s sign of Leo) for its hearty enthusiasm and the 10 of Swords (Ruin; Sun in Gemini) for the “toxic positivity” aspect of its alter-ego.

Judgement (Thoth Aeon) is the “primal” trump card of elemental Fire, and it was previously mated with the Ace of Wands. The 4 of Wands (Completion; Venus in Aries), seems like a valid addition because it can be envisioned as Aleister Crowley’s “Final decision in respect of the past,” one definition of his Aeon card, that is superseded by his “new current in respect of the future” when the angelic trumpet blows to summon the souls of the faithful.

The World (Thoth Universe) corresponds to both Earth and Saturn, and in the past I connected it to the Ace of Pentacles. Because it represents the successful conclusion of the matter at hand, I’m making a pip-card connection to the 3 of Cups (Abundance, Mercury in Cancer) and its allusion to a “cornucopia.”

I suggest laying out these ensembles and making a visual assessment of their correlation to see how well my assumptions hang together. The Thoth deck would be the best choice for this effort. If any multi-card set appears as a group in a single reading, I would look for the collective impact on: a) the prevailing atmosphere in the situation (trump card); 2) any likely human interactions or psychological implications (court card); and 3) any mundane events and circumstances that might transpire (minor card[s]). Their qualitative similarities will ideally stand out in the narrative when this occurs.

I just updated the original table with the above references and appended it below in two parts.