Some writers make much of the fact that the court cards are unnumbered and therefore can't be used in any way associated with numerology. Personally, I consider them to be part of the suit sequence and to have an implied numeration, 11 through 14. I've been having some fun linking them through numerical correspondence to … Continue reading The Knights and the Empress: Fealty and Favor
Numerology
The Queens and the Emperor: The Power Behind the Throne?
Continuing my thoughts on the veiled connection between the court cards and the "higher court" represented by the "noble" trumps, I'm now looking at the Queens and the Emperor. The Queens are the thirteenth card in each suit, which number reduces numerologically to Four, the number of the Emperor. This suggests that they can act … Continue reading The Queens and the Emperor: The Power Behind the Throne?
The Kings and the Hierophant: An Unholy Alliance?
In historical times there was little separation between Church and State, with secular rulers relying on the sway that the clergy held over the pious to keep them tractable. When you're praying you can't be fomenting unrest (unless you're Martin Luther). The clergy, in turn, relied on the King's protection and largess. Tarot shows us … Continue reading The Kings and the Hierophant: An Unholy Alliance?
Numerological Counterparts: “Pips-as-Trumps” Revisited
Although I posted my original thoughts on this subject some time ago, I have since come across further discussion in the literature on the concept of numerological counterparts for the trump cards, both within the 22-card major series and among the 40-card minor population. This model was first proposed as a way to make sense … Continue reading Numerological Counterparts: “Pips-as-Trumps” Revisited
The Fours, Fives and Sixes
In the realm of esoteric number theory, this is one of the most fascinating transitions in the entire "One-to-Ten" sequence. The Four represents the initial fulfillment of the evolving energy of an element; the One is self-contained and stationary, while the Twos and Threes are restless, one constantly oscillating between opposite poles and the other … Continue reading The Fours, Fives and Sixes
The Tarot Salad Bar
For those of us who use esoteric correspondences in reading the tarot, pulling cards for a reading is like ordering a "tarot salad" with special dressing This is especially true if there are several cards of a similar "flavor," whether elemental, astrological or numerical. Many writers have addressed what happens when you have an abundance … Continue reading The Tarot Salad Bar
2004 Cold Case: Where Is Maura?
Update: There may be new evidence in this case suggesting she was kept in a basement near the crash scene. Here is a recent news article. https://www.wmur.com/article/maura-murray-family-woodsville-disappearance/26241858 Original Post: In 2004 a young Massachusetts woman crashed her car in New Hampshire and disappeared. She had a run-in with the law shortly before her disappearance but … Continue reading 2004 Cold Case: Where Is Maura?
Number Theory in Action
Occult number theory - whether Pythagorean or qabalistic - is one of my favorite ways to extract additional information from the cards in a spread. The geometric axioms of Pythagoras evolve from the Monad (the Point, or Number One) to the Decad (the Decahedron, or Number Ten), while the qabalistic approach follows the descending flow … Continue reading Number Theory in Action
Numerological Fun with the Trumps
I was thinking today about the ways that the Major Arcana cards tie together numerologically. Except for the Fool, all of them have what Phillip and Stephanie Carr-Gomm call "numerological counterparts:" trump cards whose numbers when subject to mathematical reduction result in a lower-numbered card with which the original card can be seen as having … Continue reading Numerological Fun with the Trumps
Air Travel by the Numbers
In addition to casting astrological event charts, one thing I like to do when flying is to numerologically massage the flight numbers to see which Major Arcanum card will set the tone for travel safety on each leg of a trip. For our recent journey, the outbound flight numbers were 2606 and 2615. Both of … Continue reading Air Travel by the Numbers
Parsifal's Wheel Tarot & Astrology 