MAJOR ARCANA #2: USING THE MAJOR ARCANA IN READINGS
This lesson covers important things you need to know when working with Trumps in a reading, including what it means to get a trump in a reading, and how to fit the trumps into some of the numerological and elemental cycles we have already learned. Astrological uses of the trumps are also covered, for those with an interest in and knowledge of astrology.
What Does it Mean to Receive a Trump in a Reading?
Trumps are special and important cards, and they deserve a prominent spot in our readings. One of the first things we should do when scanning a reading of any size is to notice whether there are any trumps, what reading positions they fall into, and what proportion of the cards received are trumps. Here are some ideas about what it means to receive one or more trumps in a reading:
- Majority of Trumps: If
all or most of the cards in your reading are trumps, this is usually an indication that the question itself is a very important one to the client, or that it contains significant spiritual or psychological overtones, or
that this decision or question represents a major turning point in his or her life or spiritual path. Conversely, if there are few or no trumps in the reading, the question is a more mundane and everyday question for
this particular client. In very large readings, half or more than half trumps is enough to be considered significant, since trumps make up about 1/4 of the deck.
- Control: Some older
tarot books you may read will state that the Trumps represent powerful influences that are not in the client's control.
I do not adhere to this belief – quite the contrary. This is a "fortune-telling" type of attitude, in which people are moved around like pawns on destiny's chess-board, and only the smaller things in life are in our control. However, as we have seen in the previous lesson, the Major Arcana are about our own personal spiritual path and our psychological health and well-being. These things are definitely in our hands. While it may be more difficult and time-consuming to alter one's spiritual path than to take a course of action suggested by the minor arcana, it is even more critical that we recognize that it is in our control and we become responsible for our own spiritual and mental health.
- Timing: Occasionally, you will read that trumps are indications of things happening very quickly, again, in older, more deterministic tarot books. I do not know why this is, or what the rationale for this idea may be. In my timing system, trumps indicate major issues that must be resolved by the client before the situation they are asking about can make progress. Since it is entirely up to the client to work through this issue, and since it is normally a significant, life-changing issue, the timing of this is not predictable by the reader, and may take weeks to years (or lifetimes) to work through. I feel this is more consistent with the basic nature of the Major Arcana.
Whenever you receive one or more trumps in a reading, be sure and look at what positions they are in as this may tell you a lot about the situation. If the trumps are in the past, then the most difficult decisions, issues, or turning points may already be over. If they are in the present or future, this also gives valuable information. If they are in one position of a mind-body-spirit reading, then that area may be the most important to focus on, or if a very positive card, it may be an area that the client can draw a lot of strength from.
Another thing to keep in mind is that occasionally, a trump may be no more significant than the other cards. This may happen when you have built an association with that trump that is not represented by any of the minor cards. Then if you need that particular message, the tarot will give you that card because no other card fits. Here is one example of this effect, using a Mind-Body-Spirit reading about the health of a woman in her middle 40s.
If I were to receive a reversed Queen of Swords in the Mind position, a reversed Moon in the Body position, and the Nine of Swords in the Spirit position, the "health" associations I have built with these cards over the years would lead me to read this as migraines, hormonal imbalances, and insomnia/anxiety, respectively. The hormonal imbalances may or may not be any more important than the other two, in terms of her overall health, but since there is no minor card that I can associate with hormonal cycles, I received the Moon. I know this is a physical hormone issue because it was present in the Body position, so it may be a relatively straight-forward symptom of menopause, rather than a major spiritual or psychological crisis. However, this physical change can cause mood swings and other related symptoms, so it would still be worth discussing these Moon-related meanings with the client.
Exercise #1. A client asks: "I have been offered a new job in an architectural design firm – how will this work out for me?". The spread chosen is Intellectual/Emotional/Financial, and the cards received are as follows:
Intellectual: Hanged Man
Emotional: Four of Cups
Financial: Nine of Pentacles
Do an interpretation of this spread that gives the appropriate weight to the Major Arcana card, and also uses any additional active/passive, elemental, suit, or numerological meanings you feel are appropriate and useful.
Exercise #2. Using a 3-card spread of your choice, design a reading for the following question, "Two men have asked me to marry them, and I love them both in different ways. How can I make the right decision for my future?" Place special emphasis on any major arcana cards that arise, and use all the tools we have learned so far in interpreting this reading.
Numerological and Elemental Associations
In the lessons above, we have learned about the numerological cycle and the elemental associations with different cards. The next step in learning to use the Trumps is to figure out how they fit into these cycles. Trumps also have numerological and elemental attributes that can be used as dignities and in certain kinds of timing readings. The numerological associations between the first 10 major arcana (Magician through Wheel) and the minor cards of the same number are very strong. Therefore, if you receive one of these 10 trumps along with minor cards of the same number, these cards strengthen that numerological energy in the reading – for example, any Three along with the Empress or any Seven along with the Chariot. Higher-numbered trumps are more stand-alone cards, but may also have a weak association with the number that they reduce to, for example, Justice (11 – 1+1=2) with the High Priestess and the Twos.
If you are using elemental or active/passive associations in order to read elemental dignities or in timing readings, it is helpful to know the elemental associations of the Trumps. These are listed below, and are primarily derived from the astrological sign or planet associated with that trump.
0 The Fool – Air or Spirit. Air is the element traditionally associated with the Fool and is also the element associated with Uranus. However, I think of the Fool as the Origin, and having a direct link to the Universal Spirit. Therefore, I prefer to think of the Fool as falling in the fifth element of Spirit. Some authors similarly assign the Fool to none of the four elements, appropriate for the number zero.
1 The Magician – Air, from his ruling planet of Mercury and association with Hermes.
2 High Priestess – Water, from her ruling planet of the Moon.
3 Empress –
Earth, from her ruling planet of Venus.
4 Emperor – Fire, from his ruling sign of Aries
5 Hierophant – Earth or Spirit.
The Hierophant is associated with Earth, because of his ruling sign of Taurus. However his number, 5, and his traditional meaning of the Voice of Heaven on Earth, suggests a higher association with the fifth element of Spirit.
6 Lovers – Air, from the ruling sign of Gemini.
7 Chariot – Water or Fire, depending on whether you prefer the association with Cancer or that of Aries and Mars.
8 Strength –
Fire, from the ruling sign of Leo.
9 Hermit – Earth, from the ruling sign of Virgo.
10 Wheel of Fortune – Earth or All, earth from the ruling planet of Saturn, but I believe that both the Wheel of Fortune
and the World clearly are meant to encompass all four elements.
11 Justice – Air, from the ruling sign of Libra.
12 Hanged Man – Water, from the ruling planet of Neptune and the traditional association of
this card with the element Water.
13 Death – Water, from the ruling sign of Scorpio.
14 Temperance – Fire, from the ruling sign of Sagittarius.
15 Devil – Earth, from the ruling sign of Capricorn.
16 Tower – Fire, from the ruling planet of Mars.
17 Star – Air, from the ruling sign of Aquarius.
18 Moon – Water, from the ruling sign of Pisces.
19 Sun –
Fire, from the ruling planet of the Sun.
20 Judgment – Fire, from this card's traditional association with the element Fire.
21 The World – Earth or All, earth
from the ruling planet of Jupiter, or use all four elements.
As with all such attributions, it is OK to change them or work out attributions of your own, depending on how you view and understand each card, in addition to the options described above. Note that the elemental associations of the trumps may lead them to have closer associations with the number of that suit, for example, the Empress may be most strongly linked to the Three of Pentacles, or the Emperor with the Four of Wands. They will still resonate with the other cards of the same number, but perhaps less strongly so.
Exercise #5. A client asks the question "When will I be able to get the money together to visit my mother in England?". Use one of the timing methods learned previously along with a 3-card spread of your choice to answer this question. Before starting the reading, decide how you will handle trumps as part of this timing method. If you receive no trumps the first time, reshuffle and try again until you receive at least one trump. Interpret the reading with particular attention to the trumps and any elemental or numerical interactions with the other cards.
Exercise #4. Do a five-card "whole person" reading for yourself, as follows:
1 2
5
2 4
Card 1: My emotions (Cups)
Card 2: My thoughts (Swords)
Card 3: My health (Pentacles)
Card 4: My actions (Wands)
Card 5: My spirit (Trumps)
Notice how the elementally opposite positions are placed opposite one another, and the central Spirit card binds and balances all of the cards. Write out this reading, looking at the following issues:
1) how well each card fits the natural suit for that position (strengthened or weakened)
2) which suits predominate in the reading, and whether there is a balance of energies
3) whether there are any numerical patterns or repeated numbers
4) which positions the trumps fall into
5) whether the trumps are related to any of the other cards numerically or elementally
6) how each card relates to those that they connect with in the diagram, numerically and elementally
Astrological Associations
Using the astrological (or mythological) associations along with the Trumps can add a new dimension to your readings, but should generally only be attempted if you are quite familiar with astrology or the mythology represented by the trumps in your deck. If you have studied these areas, these associations will suggest additional meanings that may be relevant in some readings, and you should feel free to make these associations if they seem appropriate. For example, if a question is about the type of man that would be the best partner for the client, and you receive the Emperor, you may comment that the Emperor is often associated with the astrological sign of Aries. Or if you receive the Hermit as a possible approach to a problem, and you know that the Hermit is associated with Virgo and that Virgo is associated with the phrase "I analyze", this may allow you to suggest that the client take an analytical approach to his or her problem, an addition to the course of action that would normally be suggested by the Hermit.
I often use these astrological associations in larger readings, particularly one called the Horoscope reading, where one card is placed in each of the astrological houses. In this case, if you receive the Tower in the tenth position, this is similar to having Mars in the Tenth house in an astrological chart. To an astrologer, this would bring up immediate associations and could add depth to the reading. Lastly, because I find most of the astrological associations to be fairly intuitive, I use them simply as a memory aid to remember the elemental associations of the Trumps. These are just a few examples of how the astrological associations may be used, and I am sure there are many other creative ways :-). The main point here is that the more associations you know, the more you can draw on them during readings to add depth and meaning to the interpretation. However, they should be built slowly through experience – it is possible to be overwhelmed at the beginning by having too many associations and not knowing when to use them.
