Okay, so today I’m gonna break down how I finally got a handle on the numbers in tarot cards. It was a journey, lemme tell ya.
First off, I was all over the place. I knew the major arcana pretty well, but when it came to the minor arcana, especially the number cards, my brain just turned to mush. Like, what’s the difference between a Five of Swords and a Seven of Wands again? Seriously, they all just blurred together.
So, I started with the basics. I figured I needed to drill down to the core meaning of each number, independent of the suit. This is what I did:
- One: I wrote down “beginnings, new opportunities, individuality” on a sticky note. Stuck it right on my desk. Anytime I saw a ‘One’ card, that’s what I tried to think about first.
- Two: Two was all about “duality, partnerships, choices.” Another sticky note. Starting to see a pattern here?
- Three: “Growth, creativity, communities.” Getting the hang of it.
- Four: “Structure, stability, foundations.” Like building a house, brick by brick.
- Five: “Conflict, challenge, change.” Uh oh, things are getting interesting.
- Six: “Harmony, cooperation, solutions.” A little bit of relief after the Five!
- Seven: “Reflection, assessment, inner wisdom.” Time to chill and think.
- Eight: “Action, movement, power.” Get back in the game!
- Nine: “Completion, near the end, almost there.” Almost there! You can feel it!
- Ten: “Endings, cycles, culmination.” The end of the road…or the beginning of a new one?
Next step: I got myself a cheap deck of tarot cards. A really cheap one. I didn’t want to mess up my good deck with all the practice I was planning on doing.
Then, I just started pulling cards. I’d pull a card, say the Three of Cups. First, I’d think about the number – Three means growth, communities, celebration. Then, I’d think about the suit – Cups are emotions, relationships, feelings. I’d put those two together. Okay, so the Three of Cups is about celebrating good times with friends, shared joy, happy relationships.
I kept doing this, over and over. I would pull a card in the morning with my coffee. I pulled a card during lunch break. I even pulled a card before bed. My cat was starting to give me weird looks.
And I kept notes! I made a little notebook where I wrote down the card, what the number felt like, what the suit felt like, and then my interpretation. It was messy, it was all over the place, but it was mine. This helped me solidify the meanings in my head in a way that just reading about them never could.
I messed up…a lot. I’d get cards completely wrong, or mix up the meanings. But that’s okay! That’s part of the process. The point wasn’t to be perfect, it was to learn. Each wrong interpretation was a chance to understand it better next time.
Finally, it started to click. I started to feel the numbers and the suits in my gut. I could look at a card and the meaning would just pop into my head. It wasn’t memorization anymore, it was understanding.
Now, I’m not saying I’m a tarot expert. I still have a lot to learn. But I’ve definitely got a much better handle on the number cards than I did before. And the best part is, I feel more confident in my readings, and I’m actually enjoying the process more!
So, that’s my story. If you’re struggling with the number cards, just remember to break it down, practice, and don’t be afraid to mess up. You’ll get there!
