The relationship between the tarot and astrology is long and intertwined. In fact, each of the 22 major arcana cards is aligned to either a zodiac sign or a planet, which means that there is a specific tarot card to represent each of the placements in your chart.
The Major Arcana
A tarot deck has 78 cards which can be split into two main categories: the major and minor arcana. There are 22 major arcana cards and 56 minors. The major arcana is filled with named cards, ones you’ve probably seen in movies and TV shows, such as Death and the Devil.
The major arcana covers the larger themes in life such as falling in love, moving to a new country, the death of a loved one, the death of your younger self, etc. The minor arcana is more so about the details, the minutiae of everyday life (which is the fodder for those larger stories).
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The major arcana also follows the archetypal hero’s journey, a literary storytelling tool first outlined by Joseph Campbell in his 1949 book The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Most epic stories follow this hero’s journey from the first step (The Fool card) to epilogue (The World card) and, while our lives may not often follow this journey in the most literal or linear sense, we can still find semblances of our own life’s journey when we study this.
This card is a big reminder to take up space. Allow yourself to grow strong and tall, but never apologize for it.
Taurus: Hierophant
This card is about the tried and true path. The Hierophant is the guide who leads us down the path to enlightenment.
Gemini: Lovers
This is the card of two separate things coming together to forge a union. It represents the need for independence merging with the powers of teamwork.
Cancer: Chariot
This card represents the journey, as opposed to the destination. The Chariot is a reminder to enjoy the ride.
Leo: Strength
This is the card of taming the wild beast within. This is about learning to cool one’s anger in order to turn it into a malleable force for good.
Virgo: Hermit
This card represents the wisdom you gain when you retreat into yourself and close out the world around you. When doing so spiritually, this is one pathway to God.
Libra: Justice
This is the card which represents the will of Man. This is our earthly sense of law and order, the structures we need in place in order to flourish.
Scorpio: Death
While this card can sometimes represent literal death, it is more so about the transformation one goes through when pursuing personal growth. This is the goodbyes you say to older, outdated versions of yourself.
Sagittarius: Temperance
This card represents the flow state you get in when you are able to make the necessary changes towards becoming your favorite version of yourself.
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Capricorn: Devil
This card represents the delicate game of push and pull we experience in our relationships and indulgences. When we become enslaved to our pleasure or pain we are in the throws of this card.
Aquarius: Star
This card is about finding yourself again after a period of darkness and decay. It’s about following your north star home.
Pisces: Moon
This card is about the “dark night of the soul” AKA the times in your life that are shrouded in mystery and darkness, before the rebirth.
There are 22 major arcana cards but only 12 zodiac signs, so the following cards represent the 10 planets used in an astrology chart.
Sun: Sun
This card represents the dawn rising after a dark night. It is about the times in our lives when things become illuminated and we are better able to self actualize.
Moon: High Priestess
This card represents our innate feminine energy. This is the part of us that sees, senses, observes and intuits.
Mercury: Magician
This card represents the moments in your life where you have everything at the tips of your fingers. It is a moment of beginning.
Venus: Empress
The Empress is a mother, giving birth to creations that span from children to art, and so much more! This is a card of abundance.
Mars: Tower
The brutal punch of the Tower is the sudden realization that everything you’ve been building has been on faulty foundations. This card is the harsh truths we all must face from time to time.
Jupiter: Wheel of Fortune
This card is about relinquishing control to forces outside your command. This is about trusting what the universe has in store for you.
Saturn: World
This is the final card of the Hero’s Journey and it represents both the end as well as the beginning. It’s the understanding that once we’ve climbed the mountain we’ll have to climb back down (and probably climb another one).
Uranus: Fool
This is the very first step on your journey. It has a bit of beginner’s luck and just enough naivete to get you started.
Neptune: Hanged Man
The Hanged Man is about flipping things upside down and reexamining them with a fresh perspective.
Pluto: Judgment
This is a card of spiritual connection and mediumship. Judgment references the Christian concept of Judgment Day, when the heavens open up and we are one with the spiritual world.
How Your Tarot Cards Can Explain Your Life’s Purpose
If you have a tarot deck (or two) try pulling out the cards that represent your astrology chart. For instance, if you are a Scorpio Sun, pull out the Sun card and place it next to the Death card. If you’re an Aries Mercury then you’ll put the Magician card next to the Emperor, etc.
Tarot is a deeply intuitive art, so spend some time looking at the cards and imagining how they relate to one another. Do you see any patterns? Is there anything that just makes sense, or perhaps a pair that seems to negate one another?
The truth is that your purpose is what you make it, and if you return to this practice in 5 years, 15 years, 50 years you may find that you discover something new every time. The greatest gift tarot can give you is the ability to trust yourself, so look at the cards and trust that they will tell you exactly what you need to hear in order to move forward on your life’s journey with certainty today.
