Exploring the Minor Arcana through Astrology, Part 2B
This post is a direct follow-up to the previous, Exploring the Minor Arcana through Astrology, Part 2A. The only reason that it’s a separate post is because that post was more than 3,000 words long, and it is what will benefit most folks. This post goes deeper, so it’s going to be more useful to fewer people. Also, it’s more than 3,000 words long as well. Originally these two posts were one giant-ass post, and that helps no one.
Adding in Planetary Dignities and Elements for Amplifying Card Meanings
If you want to bring in even deeper parts of astrology to the card meanings discussed in the previous post, you can do so by considering planetary dignities and elemental connections between planets and signs.
What are planetary dignities? They’re signs where a planet is at its best or worst. For most of the planets, there are two or three “good” signs and two or three “bad” signs while the rest are neutral. The good positions are domicile and exaltation. When a planet is in its domicile, it’s at home, so it’s comfortable for good and sometimes bad (it can become lazy). When a planet is in its exaltation, it’s in the best position to help us mere mortals because it’s doing what it does best in a way we can’t really dislike. The “bad” positions are detriment and fall. These are opposite the domicile and exaltation positions, respectively. Both can seem bad, but fall seems worse to me than detriment just as exaltation seems better than domicile. I’m not an expert astrologer by any means, so go with whatever meanings you have learned and prefer. And know that some systems don’t use detriment at all because it contradicts earlier astrological interpretations. My advice with all of this is to see if it’s useful to your interpretation and, if so, use it. If not, don’t try to force it.
There is some pattern to them with planets often being “at home” in the signs they rule, but it’s not perfect since some home signs are also the exalted signs. I’ve seen conflicting charts too, so you may just have to memorize the ones you like. The good news is that not all planet and sign combinations are represented, so not all minor arcana need to worry about planetary dignity. For those, you can consider elemental associations if you want.
We’ll start with the Moon since it’s closest and go in the distance order of the decans (reversed).
The Moon is at home in Cancer and in exaltation in Taurus. That means that it’s in detriment in Capricorn and fall in Scorpio. Look to your tarot cards: Moon in Cancer is there, so the 4 of Cups is showing the Moon at home being all emotional in Cancer. That can provide a more positive spin on the emotional calm of that card while also encouraging the lazy or overly comfortable feeling (moodiness) of the card. Moon in Taurus is also there, so the 6 of Pentacles/Disks takes on a more positive tone, and to me the exaltation suggests that success is more likely than hardship. The Moon’s bad positions are not shown in the cards: lucky us!
Mercury is at home in Gemini and exalted in Virgo, which it also rules. That means that it’s in detriment in Sagittarius and in fall in Pisces. Mercury in Gemini is not represented by a tarot card, but Mercury in Virgo is: 10 of Pentacles/Disks. Here it’s good news on the material front, but it’s also important that money moves so that it doesn’t get stagnant: spread that wealth to see it grow. Mercury in Sagittarius is the fast-moving 8 of Wands. The force of this card can be a bit overwhelming and untameable, so its detrimental position reinforces the potential problem of such a dynamic duo. Mercury in Pisces not represented in the minors.
Venus is at home in Taurus and Libra, which it rules, and it’s exalted in Pisces. That means that it’s in detriment in Scorpio and Aries, and it’s in fall in Virgo. Poor Venus. All of her worst days come out in the minors, but somehow they don’t seem so bad because Venus will always come out smelling like a rose. (Ba-dum-ching. Thank you.) Venus is not shown in her good positions in tarot, but the 7 of Cups (Venus in Scorpio), 4 of Wands (Venus in Aries), and 9 of Pentacles/Disks (Venus in Virgo) are all there. The 7 of Cups is the only really questionable card in the trio, and it’s more about there being too much of a similar energy between Venus and Scorpio in that card, much like Mercury in Sagittarius. With the 4 of Wands, I always see the detrimental position as a reminder that this happy picture is just a brief snapshot. Venus has been tied down into marriage, which is all well and good, but mythologically speaking, Venus was a much better lover than wife. And with the 9 of Pentacles, there can be an obsession with the surface of all the beautiful things that money can buy and about keeping all that gold polished. I think, frankly, that there’s also something misogynistic about fearing a woman who is happy on her own that’s come into the depiction, but I get that Virgo’s fastidiousness really limits Venus’s potential to shine.
The Sun is at home in Leo and in exaltation in Aries. That means that it’s in detriment in Aquarius and in fall in Libra. The good card makes perfect sense here: the 3 of Wands (Sun in Aries) shows all the good fortune of a merchant on the rise. It’s hard to see such cards as anything but positive except when they become unbalanced and their energies become excessive (easy for the Sun with its tendency to burn bright). Neither of the Sun’s bad positions makes an appearance in the minors.
Mars is at home in Aries and Scorpio, which it rules, and it’s exalted in Capricorn. As a result, it’s in detriment in Libra and Taurus, and it’s in fall in Cancer. Mars in Aries is the 2 of Wands, and that card is all about the potential for starting new things. It’s such a perfect encapsulation of its position as the first decan and of Mars and Aries energy working together, that you can only really see it go bad when either it expects everything to work out (the lazy side of the domicile) or it gets overly enthusiastic. The 5 of Cups (Mars in Scorpio) is a surprising pair because we have such negative depictions of it in many decks. But if you think about Mars as an active planet and Scorpio as a bit of a sultry quagmire, it’s easy to see where all of that bouncing around in the depths of desire and intensity can land you if you’re not careful. It also has real “soldier back at home” problems with the fiery planet in the uncomfortable place of emotional depths. Still, it makes me think that the 5 of Cups is much more amenable to a positive turn-about. You can let it run its course or you can try to tamp down the fire of Mars that’s just exacerbating the problems there. Mars is also doing just fine in Capricorn as the 3 of Pentacles/Disks, where the manly activity is put to work in the practical and pragmatic sign of the builder. A lot can be accomplished with the energy of this card. Thankfully, Mars is not shown in any of its bad positions, which is just as well since it’s a malefic planet to begin with.
Jupiter is at home in Sagittarius and Pisces, which it rules, and it’s exalted in Cancer. It’s in detriment in Gemini and Virgo, and it’s in fall in Capricorn. Only one of its good positions is shown in tarot, and it’s the goodest of the good, as you would expect from the great benefic in its house, the 9 of Cups (Jupiter in Pisces). What’s there to say about this card other than that it’s everything you’ve ever wanted. The only downside that we can take from the laziness of a planet in its sign is that seeing the “wish card,” as it’s called, can prevent you from actually taking action to achieve your dreams. And you might need to be careful what you wish for. Like Venus, Jupiter is a benefic planet, so it’s never really that bad even when we see it in its detriment and fall. Jupiter in Gemini is the 8 of Swords, and we’ve talked about the pros and cons. Perhaps the biggest downfall of this card is that the source of its problems, the rapid-fire thinking of Gemini, isn’t really helped by thinking about it more. Jupter isn’t in Virgo in the tarot, but it’s in Capricorn, where it brings fluctuation to the 2 of Pentacles/Disks. While Jupiter’s expansion in the realm of financial enterprise (Capricorn) should be really good news, Jupiter’s position in fall helps bring down that good news a bit to show that things are moving, but they can really go up and down, as is fitting for a 2 card and for Jupiter’s association with the Wheel of Fortune.
Saturn is at home in Capricorn and Aquarius, which it rules, and in exaltation in Libra. It’s in detriment in Cancer and Leo and in fall in Aries. Saturn is the greater malefic, so it’s often seen as bad news. Thankfully, it’s seen in its exalted position in Libra in the 3 of Swords. On the plus side, it’s doing what it does best for our best interests by offering some karmic lessons. But karmic lessons rarely feel good in the moment. At least we can see that there’s a good reason for our pain and that it has some purpose. And of course, seeing this positive position can help you rethink the card in its legal and bonding implications rather than just its heartache. Sadly, we also see Saturn at its not-so-brightest in Leo with the 5 of Wands. There’s the real potential for a beatdown and arrogance when self-interested Leo meets the wrath of responsible Saturn. In some ways, we can best understand this position as the weakening of regulation and responsibility in an area that should be really inspirational. In Pamela Colman Smith’s illustration, this is shown by the melee that ensues once order descends into chaos. No one is leading that gang, and they’re all just going at each other. It helps explain why the 5 of Wands is such a cluster-fuck in the midst of a pretty good run in the early half of the suit.
And if you like the idea of seeing how the astrological structure might work with cards that aren’t in domicile/exaltation or detriment/fall want more, you can always look to see how the elements interact. Just know that in the ancient astrological system, planets ruled signs of competing elements (e.g., Mercury with airy Gemini and earthy Virgo), so it can be hard to perfectly map a planet to an element. You may need to look at oppositions rather than your traditional elemental opposites, but you may find that non-ruled signs of an opposite element provides useful insight: for example, I see Mercury as airy, so it’s not great in Taurus (5 of Pentacles/Disks) even though it’s a neutral sign. Personally, I think that there’s plenty to go off of without adding more into it, but I’m never opposed to experimenting with these sorts of things, so if you’re eager to explore, explore away!
Timing with Decans
In the first post of this series, I talked about using this decanic minors system for timing-based questions because a decan narrows your timeframe down to a 10- or 11-day window. That’s pretty precise, and for some readers it’s a little … improbable. Really any timing might be improbable for some folks, which is why this is in Part 2B. But you can use the planet and sign combinations to find timing in a more general way that can give a little more wiggle room in most cases. And if you want precise, but you want it personalized to the querent, you can do that, too.
Option 1: Planet in Sign
You can use the planet and sign combination to determine a time period when that planet is in that sign. That could last a couple days (for the Moon) or a couple years (for Saturn), depending on the planet. As I said, it’s pretty straightforward. But it can be harder to put in practice since you’ll need to determine the time based on actual sky charts. Some websites and apps can calculate planetary position, but many will charge a fee. And some sites may use a system that’s different from yours. So your best bet for a free option would to find an ephemeris table online that matches your preferred system and learn how to look all the information up for yourself. (If you’re unsure, ask me—we can definitely go through it as part of a private tarot lesson where we’re covering other tarot–astrology overlap.) You could also follow an astrologer who will give you some idea of what’s coming in the near future or the upcoming year. My friend Jynnette of Inner Sun Alchemy has an incredibly informative free newsletter and my friend Chris of Moon and Cactus often posts important dates to her Instagram feed, but you can find whoever works for you. And Benebell Wen sells a Metaphysician’s Planner for the year mapped to your own natal chart, but depending on when you’re reading this, you might not be able to get one.
Option 2: Planet in an Easy Aspect of the Sign
If you’re looking at Jupiter or Saturn, the timeframe might be too far away for you to wait. In that case, you may choose to look for a complementary sign. Don’t want to wait for Saturn in Sagittarius when you see the 10 of Wands? What about Saturn in another fire sign, such as Aries? Signs of the same element form natural trines (1/3 of the Wheel, or four signs, away); a trine is an “easy aspect” because signs of the same element flow together naturally. You could also look at a position two signs away, which would make a sextile (1/6 of the Wheel). A sextile is also an easy, or beneficial, aspect even though the signs are of different elements or modality (the signs are of the same binary yin/yang quality). Depending on your view of oppositions, you might choose that aspect as well, but I would only do that if the card were reversed. However you choose to remap the planet and sign, this kind of interpretation plays a little fast and loose with the purpose of predicting a time, but I won’t chastise you for wanting to take control of your own destiny.
Option 3: Planet in the Sign’s Natural House
And if you don’t like the second option since it’s not quite right, and you really don’t want to wait, you can always use the sign as an indication of House position. Each of the twelve astrological signs is the natural ruler of one of the twelve astrological Houses (Aries, the first sign, rules House I; Taurus, the second sign, rules House II; … Pisces, the twelfth sign, rules House XII), so you could just use House position instead. For example, 2 of Wands (Mars in Aries) becomes Mars in House I. The current House positions are based on what sign is rising over the eastern horizon at any given moment, so in 24 hours, your planet will be in all of the twelve Houses for a couple hours. You can refer to a free app like TimePassages (I don’t know if there are better apps; it works just fine for me). Or if you’re pretty hip to astrology already, you can take the current Sun sign, the time of sunrise in your location, and the current planetary placements at sunrise to do a little math to figure out what time your planet will be in the related House (I would just use an app). Whatever you choose, the timeframe is much different from the first two options, a few hours every day. That means that this isn’t a great option if you’re asking when something will naturally come to pass, but most tarot readers I know don’t think that’s a useful question anyway. The positive spin is that this really puts the power in your own hands. I recommend that this option only be used for things that you personally believe you can control. A good question for this method might be “When would it be most auspicious for me to start working toward [Goal X] with new purpose?” But be reasonable: if you get a card that tells you to contact a potential new employer when Planet A is in House B and that’s at 3AM, you probably need to rethink your interpretation. If you’re already using astrology, you may not need tarot to determine this, but it can be a useful option if you’re looking at a particularly complex issue where the astrology is complicated and/or you don’t want to wait a few years for the astrologically right time.
Option 4: Planet in the Querent’s Sign’s House
If Option 3 feels too arbitrary, then you can do the same thing but map to the querent’s natal Houses rather than each sign’s natural House. So instead of seeing the 2 of Wands as Mars in House I, it would be whatever House starts in Aries. This allows a short timeframe as in Option 3, but it’s specialized. You need the querent’s natal chart, and it takes extra work to figure out, but it’s not hard if you know the chart. The only trouble would arise from the House system you use. If you use a different system from the querent’s natal chart or if you use a system that allows intercepted Houses, you have to modify accordingly. But if you know what I mean by saying that, you probably have enough astrology knowledge to work around those issues.
Option 5: Something’s Better Than Nothing
If none of the above works for you and your querent, and you have the querent’s natal chart, you could choose to ignore either the sign or the planet and just look to see when there is a positive aspect between that planet/sign and a point in the querent’s own chart. It could be the a positive aspect between the planet and that same planet in the querent’s chart. It could be a positive aspect between the planet and whatever is in that decan of the querent’s chart, if anything. It could even be a positive aspect between the planet and that decan, regardless of the querent’s chart. Just know that this kind of thing can quickly spiral out of control, so set your intentions beforehand and take it one step at a time. You don’t want to add in so much at once that you just throw your hands up in frustration.
It may be a little while before I get to Part 3, where I will discuss the Court Cards and the Aces, but this should be plenty for you to practice with until then.