The Number Seven In Tarot

Major Arcana, Numerology, Reincarnation, Tarot
The Seventh Seal, written and directed by Ingmar Bergman

And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. (Rev 8:1)

Providence has ordained that I should be the greatest liberator of humanity.  I am freeing man from the restraints of an intelligence that has taken charge, from the dirty and degrading self-mortification of a false vision called conscience and morality, and from the demands of a freedom and independence which only a very few can bear.  (Adolf Hitler)

In an earlier post talking about Name Numbers, I characterised the Number Seven thus: The Number of Mystery and Mysticism. A dreamer. May be a deep thinker, spiritually inclined; but just as likely to be materialistic and acquisitive, the dreams being of fame, glory and wealth; may be completely out of touch with reality.

And it is true, the number Seven has always been associated with the spiritual quest, the deep thinker, the seeker. But what do we find in the Tarot?

SEVENS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wands – defensiveness
Cups – dreams of wealth and glory

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swords – stealing
Pentacles – dissatisfaction

The number Seven is the number of unworldliness, but these cards are all materialistic and worldly. Why?

Before we try to answer this question let’s look at the cards from the Major Arcana with the numerical value of 7.

The Chariot – dreaming of conquest? This too seems very materialistic to me

The Tower – the end of worldliness – based on the myth of the Tower of Babel? Note that the Tower, 16, is also 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 – very much also part of what we called the 2 group.

So what is happening here? Is the unworldliness of a negative sort? An inability to accept reality, things as they actually are, as opposed to things as they seem to be or things as they should be (in the view of the person in question).

The 7 of Wands is paranoid.

The 7 of Cups is living in a world of day-dreams.

The 7 of Swords is attempting to get himself the life he believes he has a right to.

The 7 of Pentacles is never satisfied: the grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.

All of these are summed up in the Chariot, number VII. He may well be paranoid, he is certainly living in a world of dreams, he is in quest of something he feels he has a right to, and he is definitely not satisfied with things as they are here on this side of the hill.

In XVI, the Tower, the Moment of Truth, all this nonsense is shown up for what it is.

 

 

 

Thomas Henry Huxley on Reincarnation

Reincarnation

None but very hasty thinkers will reject it on the grounds of inherent absurdity. Like the doctrine of evolution itself, that of transmigration has its roots in the world of reality. (Thomas Henry Huxley)

Zoologist Thomas Henry Huxley was Charles Darwin’s right-hand man in the 19th-century struggle to get the doctrine of evolution accepted. In fact, he was the front man, Darwin himself being rather shy and retiring.

Incidentally, Huxley was also the man who coined the term “agnostic” – so much more sensible a word than “atheist”.


The Number Six in Tarot

Good and Evil, Major Arcana, Numerology, Tarot

Two well-known and very typical Sixes are George Harrison and Kate Beckinsale.

The biggest break in my career was getting into the Beatles in 1962. The second biggest break since then is getting out of them. (George Harrison)

If someone had told me years ago that sharing a sense of humour was so vital to partnerships, I could have avoided a lot of sex! (Kate Beckinsale)

I think I like playing the bad girl. I like complicated, I like flawed, messed up. It’s more interesting. (Kate Beckinsale)

That the number Six has a strong affinity with Threes and Twos probably explains its main significance when it comes to Tarot: There are two ways of looking at everything.

SIXES

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wands – Victory is someone else’s defeat; also winning a battle is not winning a war; also the war between Good and Evil is never over: that’s what Good and Evil are, the opposite sides in a never-ending conflict.

Cups – the magic of the past. It did not, could not, last

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swords – Now marks the end of the Past; it also marks the beginning of the Future

Pentacles – Is it more blessed to be poor than to be rich? And how do you rate what he is doing?

And are those from the Major Arcana with the numerical value of 6 the same?

The Lovers – leaving the Garden of Eden – the Fall, the loss of innocence, or the Fall up, the attainment of maturity and of the knowledge of good and evil? Certainly there are two ways of looking at this.

The Devil – Mammon? We are all in captivity to Mammon … And these two poor souls … But look. The chains round their – our – necks are loose (the Devil wants willing slaves, not prisoners) but we cannot, will not, take them off until we are on our death-bed. Are these two helpless prisoners in the hands of Fate, or are they enjoying every minute of it? Look at her. Would you trust her? Or him, come to that?

The Number Five In Tarot

Major Arcana, Numerology, Tarot

Two great and very typical Fives from the past are Isaac Newton and William Blake.

I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself I seem to have been only like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.
(Isaac Newton)

The fool who persists in his folly will become wise.
(William Blake)

The key to this number is Luck + Lack – lucky and often very successful, reaching the top! However, there is always something lacking, they always seem to miss the point in some respect.

And the “something lacking in their lives” is often because they won’t listen, they have to do it their way.

Obviously here, for the Five also to be a Fourteen is going to be the exception rather than the rule. Of the 5s I have named so far here and in pevious posts, only Shakespeare was also a 14.

FIVES

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wands – a lack of organisation, thought, planning; may well succeed, though, by luck
Cups – a lack of will to go on; but two Cups still stand

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swords – winning by sheer luck
Pentacles – a lack of money – but may be lucky here
In all four cases it is the things of this world that matter above all else.

KINGS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wands – the King of Faerie; head in the clouds, out of touch with this world
Cups – the King of the Waves; ice cold, liked a carved iceberg afloat on a sea of emotion

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swords – the King of Justice, ultimate enforcer of the stone tablets of the Law; devoid of human sympathy
Pentacles – the King of the Forest; lack of time; it is coming to an end

The cards of the Major Arcana which have the numerical value of Five are, The Pope/Hierophant, and Temperance (which like the KIngs – above – is a 14 (1+4=5).

The Pope – a lack of spirituality; all is done by the book – and he is aware of that!


Temperance – the angel here is watering the wine (perhaps; or maybe this is alchemy) but he is missing the point; behind his back, ignored, lies the path that leads to the golden crown – a path where the wine is not watered?

I must say though that here I like the idea of this card as representing more overtly The Art (ie Alchemy – note the connection between 14 and 7): the alchemist, working on his own system may be blinding himself to the truth, may be missing the point. And note that Isaac Newton, so famous as an orthodox mathematician and astronomer and founder of modern physics, was at heart an alchemist.

Tarot and the Cancer Moon

Major Arcana, Moon Signs, Numerology, Tarot

Cancer is a Cardinal Water Sign, its number is 7, it is associated with the planet Saturn, and its opposite Sign is Capricorn: wherever it is a factor in the horoscope it will always indicate an implacable determination to maintain order and get things done. 

The three key words here are: Maternal, Sensitive, Imaginative.

Believe it or not, both Prince William and Princess Kate, and both Curt Cobain and Courtney Love, are Cancer Moons. Which means that these two pictures sum up what this Moon sign is all about: the key characteristic of people born under this Moon Sign (whether they are male or female) is the desire to nurture and protect. They need to be needed, to be carers and home-makers. If they are not, they may comfort themselves with sweet things or alcohol.

Second comes Sensitivity. They are super-sensitive, sensitive to the needs of their partners and all those around them, and not only that but to the heartache and sufferings of the rest of the world. Obviously they are suckers for a sob-story. Equally obviously, they are easily hurt and have a deep-seated fear of rejection. As a defence mechanism, many of them have carried about with them since they were first hurt as kids a hermit-crab’s shell to retreat into when people they love turn nasty.

And then there is the Imagination. Most people born when the Moon is in Cancer are extremely artistic.  They may be professional artists of one kind or another, but if not their artistic streak will come out in their beautiful (but often cluttered and usually traditional) homes and gardens. Their vivid imaginations, too, may lead to them conjuring worst-case scenarios. Or great tragic stories, like Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights.

The archetype for this Moon Sign is the Mother, and this soul, though perhaps a man in this life (like me – my Moon Sign is Cancer) will surely have had multiple incarnations as a woman and a mother, including  living out lives as the Mother, the matriarch, the midwife, the wise woman, the witch and/or the queen.

The Moon Signs and compatibility: Cancer is a Water Sign and while it would be compatible (in a sluggish way) with a Taurus Moon or a Virgo Moon, it would certainly not be a good match with the other Earth Sign, a Capricorn Moon. In fact, Cancer Moons are usually best with people born when the Moon was in one of the other Water Signs, either Scorpio or Pisces; however, a lot will depend on other features of the two Birth Charts.

Health and diet for different Moon Signs. Understanding the peculiarities of your particular Moon Sign can help you decide on what constitutes a good diet for you. Remember, ONE MAN’S MEAT IS ANOTHER MAN’S POISON, and generalisations about what constitutes “healthy food” for everyone are not only unhelpful but downright dangerous.

Those born when the Moon was in Cancer are prone to indulge in alcohol or chocolate or some such thing if they are not emotionally fulfilled – which means, basically, if they have no one to care for, to look out for and look after. They also need to find an outlet for that powerful imagination or it may turn in on itself and cause psychological problems.

The Tarot Trump for this Moon Sign is the Tower, Number 16 of the Major Arcana.

First, though, let’s glance at the other Sevens (remember that 16 is equivalent to 7 (1+6=7) in numerology). In occult tradition, the number Seven has always been associated with the spiritual quest, the deep thinker, the seeker. But what do we find in the Tarot?

 

 

 

 

 

  • Wands – defensiveness, paranoia
  • Cups – dreams of wealth and glory
  • Swords – stealth, dishonesty
  • Pentacles – dissatisfaction, frustration

The number Seven is the number of unworldliness, but these cards don’t represent unworldliness so much as a refusal to deal with reality. And the motivations of the four characters depicted in them seem materialistic and worldly.

And then there are the cards from the Major Arcana with the numerical value of 7. The Tower we have already seen. The other one is the Chariot.

The Chariot – dreaming of conquest? This too seems very materialistic to me

The Tower – the end of worldliness – probably based on the myth of the Tower of Babel (see the images below). Note that the Tower, 16, is also 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 – not just a Seven but very much also part of what we call the Two group (2, 4, (6) and 8).

So what is happening here? Is the unworldliness of a negative sort? An inability to accept reality, to deal with things as they actually are (as opposed to things as they seem to be or things as they should be in the view of the Cancer Moon in question)?

The 7 of Wands is paranoid.

The 7 of Cups is living in a world of day-dreams.

The 7 of Swords is attempting to get himself the life he believes he has a right to.

The 7 of Pentacles is never satisfied: the grass is always greener on the other side of the hill.

All of these are summed up in the Chariot, number VII. He may well be paranoid, he is certainly living in a world of dreams, he is in quest of something he feels he has a right to, and he is definitely not satisfied with things as they are here on this side of the hill.

In XVI, the Tower, the Moment of Truth, all this self-important nonsense is shown up for what it is – as you can see clearly in these two other Tower cards:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Cancers are Care-givers, but Cancer Moons, because of frustration, or because of their inability to accept things as they are (as opposed to things as they “should” be), do have a tendency to live in a fantasy world, and this may have unfortunate consequences.

 

The Number Four In Tarot

Major Arcana, Numerology, Reincarnation, Tarot

Two of the greatest Scottish writers both happened to be Fours.

“Everyone, at some time or another, sits down to a banquet of consequences.”
Robert Louis Stevenson

Four is the first number to produce a solid figure, a tetrahedron, as opposed to a plane figure. It is therefore the number of solidity, of earth. But is also made up of two twos, making it also, at least on occasion, a number of evil and ill-luck. Simply put, it represents not only the completion but also the consequences of the activiities, processes, actions, symbolised in the 1s, 2s and the decisions made in the 3s.

FOURS

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wands – marriage; marriages can break up
Cups – mission accomplished; there’s always another mission

 

 

 

 

 

 

Swords – life completed; the next generation seek revenge
Pentacles – we’re rich; markets crash (and anyway, you can’t take it with you!)

QUEENS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All the Queens are mothers of grown-up children. All are mature and wise and firm in their purpose. But they are far from finished: in each case there are hidden fires that could break out at any time in their respective elements, seasons and spheres of interest.

Now the cards of the Major Arcana which have the numerical value of four.

The Emperor – He has achieved everything. Now what?

Death – This is the Emperor’s “Now what”. Nowhere to go but death, rebirth, reincarnation.

Notice that there is a strong affinity with 2 here, a feeling of helplessness in the hands of Fate. A 4 (and even a Queen!) may indicate a Past Life and Past Life memories that will crop up in dreams and when exercising the creative imagination.

Talking Dog for Sale

I find this funny

A guy sees a sign in front of a house: “Talking Dog for Sale.”

He rings the bell and the owner tells him the dog is in the backyard. The guy goes into the backyard and sees a black mutt just sitting there.

“You talk?” he asks.

“Sure do,” the dog replies.

“So, what’s your story?”

The dog looks up and begins telling his story, “Well, I discovered my gift of talking pretty young and I wanted to help the government, so I told the CIA about my gift, and in no time they had me jetting from country to country, sitting in rooms with spies and world leaders, because no one figured a dog would be eavesdropping. I was one of their most valuable spies eight years running.

“The jetting around really tired me out, and I knew I wasn’t getting any younger and I wanted to settle down. So I signed up for a job at the airport to do some undercover security work, mostly wandering near suspicious characters and listening in. I uncovered some incredible dealings there and was awarded a batch of medals.”

“Had a wife, a mess of puppies, and now I’m just retired.”

The guy is amazed. He goes back in and asks the owner how much he wants for the dog.

The owner says, “Ten dollars.”

The guy says, “This dog is amazing. Why on earth are you selling him so cheap?”

“Cause he’s a liar. He didn’t do any of that stuff!”