The divinatory meanings of the card tell the reader what is happening, while the astrological attributions, when appropriate, tell the reader when it will happen.
As well as the divinatory meanings for each card, there is also an association with the signs and decanates, which is very useful for when making predictions. The associations are based upon the letter attributions in the Sepher Yetsirah. There are several versions, but we use the Golden Dawn system for consistency.
The Table below is divided into three main sections. The Zodiac column has the signs in the usual order starting with Aries. The 'Major' column gives the twelve Major cards associated with sun signs. The Court column shows how the attributions of the court cards (not the Princesses which rule around the Pole Star) are 'offset' by ten degrees, which equates to around ten days. The 'Minor' column lists the Minor cards in the astrological order, not the sephirotic sequence; the Aces are omitted as they rule the quadrant around the Pole Star with the Princesses. Note that the column starts with 10 Cups, which is part of the end of the sequence, not Aries. The Decanate column gives the degrees ruled by each card. The 'Dates' column has a multifunction, depending on what card you are looking at. For example, Aries/Emperor rules from 0 Aries to 30 Aries, while the Queen Wands rules from 20 degrees Pisces to 20 degrees Aries.
The astrological order of the four elements is: Fire, Earth, Air then Water, which is repeated three times. The YHVH sequence is hidden within the astrological order, if the direction is reversed, for example starting with Leo we have:
The astrological attributions of the Tarot cards need to be memorised. The dates are not so important to begin with, but do try to remember them as you work with the system.
| Zodiac | Major | Court | Minor | Dec | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Aries | Emperor | Queen Wands | 2 Wands | 0 - 10 | Mar 21 - 30 |
| 02 | Aries | Emperor | Queen Wands | 3 Wands | 10 - 20 | Mar 31 - Apr 10 |
| 03 | Aries | Emperor | Prince Disks | 4 Wands | 20 - 30 | Apr 11- 20 |
| 04 | Taurus | Hierophant | Prince Disks | 5 Disks | 0 -10 | Apr 21- 30 |
| 05 | Taurus | Hierophant | Prince Disks | 6 Disks | 10 - 20 | May 1 - 10 |
| 06 | Taurus | Hierophant | Knight Swords | 7 Disks | 20 - 30 | May 11 - 20 |
| 07 | Gemini | Lovers | Knight Swords | 8 Swords | 0 -10 | May 21 - 31 |
| 08 | Gemini | Lovers | Knight Swords | 9 Swords | 10 - 20 | Jun 1 - 10 |
| 09 | Gemini | Lovers | Queen Cups | 10 Swords | 20 - 30 | Jun 11 - 20 |
| 10 | Cancer | Chariot | Queen Cups | 2 Cups | 0 -10 | Jun 21 - Jul 1 |
| 11 | Cancer | Chariot | Queen Cups | 3 Cups | 10 - 20 | Jul 2 - 11 |
| 12 | Cancer | Chariot | Prince Wands | 4 Cups | 20 - 30 | Jul 12 - 21 |
| 13 | Leo | Lust | Prince Wands | 5 Wands | 0 - 10 | Jul 22 - Aug 1 |
| 14 | Leo | Lust | Prince Wands | 6 Wands | 10 - 20 | Aug 2 - 11 |
| 15 | Leo | Lust | Knight Disks | 7 Wands | 20 - 30 | Aug 12 - 22 |
| 16 | Virgo | Hermit | Knight Disks | 8 Disks | 0 - 10 | Aug 23 - Sep 1 |
| 17 | Virgo | Hermit | Knight Disks | 9 Disks | 10 - 20 | Sep 2 - 11 |
| 18 | Virgo | Hermit | Queen Swords | 10 Disks | 20 - 30 | Sep 12 - 22 |
| 19 | Libra | Justice | Queen Swords | 2 Swords | 0 - 10 | Sep 23 - Oct 2 |
| 20 | Libra | Justice | Queen Swords | 3 Swords | 10 - 20 | Oct 3 - 12 |
| 21 | Libra | Justice | Prince Cups | 4 Swords | 20 - 30 | Oct 13 - 22 |
| 22 | Scorpio | Death | Prince Cups | 5 Cups | 0 - 10 | Oct 23 - Nov 2 |
| 23 | Scorpio | Death | Prince Cups | 6 Cups | 10 - 20 | Nov 3 - 12 |
| 24 | Scorpio | Death | Knight Wands | 7 Cups | 20 - 30 | Nov 13 - 22 |
| 25 | Sagittarius | Art | Knight Wands | 8 Wands | 0 - 10 | Nov 23 - Dec 2 |
| 26 | Sagittarius | Art | Knight Wands | 9 Wands | 10 - 20 | Dec 3 - 12 |
| 27 | Sagittarius | Art | Queen Disks | 10 Wands | 20 - 30 | Dec 13 - 21 |
| 28 | Capricorn | Devil | Queen Disks | 2 Disks | 0 - 10 | Dec 22 - 30 |
| 29 | Capricorn | Devil | Queen Disks | 3 Disks | 10 - 20 | Dec 31 - Jan 9 |
| 30 | Capricorn | Devil | Prince Swords | 4 Disks | 20 - 30 | Jan 10 -19 |
| 31 | Aquarius | Star | Prince Swords | 5 Swords | 0 - 10 | Jan 20 - 29 |
| 32 | Aquarius | Star | Prince Swords | 6 Swords | 10 - 20 | Jan 30 - Feb 8 |
| 33 | Aquarius | Star | Knight Cups | 7 Swords | 20 - 30 | Feb 9 - 18 |
| 34 | Pisces | Moon | Knight Cups | 8 Cups | 0 - 10 | Feb 19 - 28 |
| 35 | Pisces | Moon | Knight Cups | 9 Cups | 10 - 20 | Mar 1 - 10 |
| 36 | Pisces | Moon | Queen Wands | 10 Cups | 20 - 30 | Mar 11 - 20 |
The attributions of the Major cards to the planets are:
Working with a partner, take turns to hold up a card. The other person should state the dates or periods of time represented by the card.
One person calls out 'Leo', for example, and the other person should state the cards associated with this sign (the answer is Lust, partly Prince Wands, partly Knight Disks, and 5, 6, 7 Wands.
One student calls out a day of the year, and the other student has to announce the cards associated with it.
The system of Elemental Dignities (ED's) does not apply when looking at astrology, nor do we need to look at the divinatory meanings, such as Ruin for the 10 Swords or Love for the 2 Cups. The important aspect is that of time, the number of days associated with the cards. This system is very useful when the querent asks about a partner, and if they know their sun sign (they usually do), you can scan through the spread to find the associated cards. The advantage of this system is that you do not have to rely on hair colour etc from the traditional tarot system. Knowing and expressing the astrological attributions where necessary in a reading usually impresses the querent, and gives them confidence in your abilities.