With this post, Ocean explains more about how to find your own Year Card. At the end of the post are links to additional posts that will explain the interpretations of the various cards, so that you can look up your own Year Card and discover what it means…
Merry Meet, Crossroads Readers!
I thought I would take a break from examining my own Year Card to help those of you who would like to learn more about your Year Cards. I shared a little about this in my first year card post, but let’s discuss it a bit further…
Most tarot decks are made up of 78 cards, divided into the Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana. The Minor Arcana is much like today’s standard playing deck – it has four suits to it. Although they go by different names in different decks, these suits are most commonly known as Wands, Swords, Cups, and Pentacles. Over the years, they changed into today’s modern suits of Clubs (wands), Spades (swords), Hearts (cups) and Diamonds (pentacles). These four suits represent the four directions of East, South, West, and North…and the four elements of Air, Fire, Water, and Earth. Each suit also has four face cards – the standard King and Queen, and then the Knight and the Page. In today’s playing deck, these last two have been merged together to create the Jack. Thus in a tarot deck each suit will have 14 cards rather than 13, and the entire Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards.
The Major Arcana is made up of 22 cards, numbered from 1 – 21, and then the 22nd card is the card of The Fool, who is said to have no number…he is everywhere and nowhere, wandering amongst the other cards. Indeed, the Major Arcana is sometimes known as “The Journey of the Fool” and tells the story of the Fool’s travels through the cards, what each card has to teach him, and the lessons he learns at each step along the path.
Each Major Arcana card shows a picture that represents that card and its meaning. Some of the cards will show a person (the High Priestess); some of the cards will show an object (the Wheel of Fortune). Often they will show both – a person holding a specific object, such as the Magician holding a wand, or the Hermit holding a lamp. The images on the cards are often symbolic, and have specific meanings that are important to understanding and interpreting that card.
It is the Major Arcana cards that are used for determining your own Year Card.
So how do you find your year card?
By using your date of birth – the month that you were born, and the day that you were born. You will add the month and day to the year that you are wanting to study.
For example: let’s say that you are considering making some major changes in your life next year, and you’re wanting to find out more about what the year might hold for you. You were born on April 23. April is the 4th month of the year, you were born on the 23rd day, and next year is 2012. Thus you would add these three numbers together:
4 + 23 + 2012 = 2039.
Now take the 2039 and reduce it down by adding up each of the digits… 2 + 0 + 3 + 9 = 14.
Your Year Card for 2012 would be the 14th card of the Major Arcana, which is the card of Temperance. Thus you would want to study the Temperance card to discover what lessons it might have to teach you for the year.
Now, if you are wanting to discover your card for THIS year, you would use the number 2011, since this is year 2011. To this you would add your month and day of birth.
Let’s take my Spirit Sister, Crystal Dolphin. She was born on September 27th. So to find her Year Card for this year, I would add up all the digits… 9 + 27 + 2011 = 2047…2 + 0 + 4 + 7 = 13. Thus her card is the 13th card of the Major Arcana, which is the Death card.
I would like to take a moment here to clarify that the Death card – contrary to what Hollywood might have you believe – does NOT represent actual death. Crystal does not need to worry that she’s going to die this year. Rather, it refers to change and transformation; the idea that something old must die in order for something new to take its place. It is actually a good card to receive, as it represents new beginnings and positive changes. This could end up being a very good year for Crystal.
But Ocean…I don’t really know much about the tarot. How do I find out what my Year Card actually is, and what it means?
Yes… this can be a challenge if you’re not familiar with the tarot.
So I have posted the traditional listing of the Major Arcana; and without going too deeply into individual meanings and symbolisms, the basic meaning and interpretation of each card – the “theme” of that card that sets the foundation for your own theme of the year. You will find links to these meanings at the end of this post…because of the length, I have separated them into two – one for Year Cards 1 through 11, and another for Year Cards 12 through 22.
So go ahead, readers…do the numerology part here and now. Add up your month, date, and year and find your number for 2011 (or any other year, for that matter). Then go to one of these posts to find out what your specific card is, and what it means.
If your Year Number adds up to 1 – 11, click HERE
If your Year Number adds up to 12 – 22, click HERE
Perhaps in doing so you will gain some insight that will help you with the year!
So what is YOUR Year Card for 2011? How do you interpret it? What lessons do you feel it has to teach you for this year? Feel free to share in the comments below!
Special thanks to Mary K. Greer, tarot writer/teacher extraordinaire, for introducing me to the concept of Tarot Year Cards. I encourage my readers to check out her blog, and buy her books – this lady knows her stuff.
This sculpture shows the sign for "connect"...and that is what Deaf Pagan Crossroads is all about - making connections. Connections between Deafhood and Paganism, connections between the Deaf Community and the Hearing Community, connections between myself as the writer and you as the reader. I hope you will take the time to read my various posts, some of which are listed below. Welcome to the Crossroads, and I hope you make some connections here!
Deaf Pagan Crossroads 
Not surprising, my card for 2011 is Temperance. With the book coming out, I will, indeed, have to deal with connections. This is a word that came up in my meditations, and has now been made even more clear to me.
I think this is an excellent card for you to have this year, Quinn… much for the reason you give. This is a year of RE – restoring, rejuvenating, redistributing, reviving. And in the process of doing that, you will find new REsources that you can tap into… both within yourself and from others.
13 Death – rebirth; transformation; emotional growth; new beginnings; welcomed change; new way of life; hope for tomorrow; letting go of old habits; new energy; getting rid of all that is unnecessary; liberation; investigating hidden things; research; living on the edge
Hmmm… Ought to be an interesting year, eh? 🙂
Hmmm…does look to be a year of change for you, Fyre. Will be interesting to see what kind of transformations do take place for you this year!
Osh, I have to say that this is totally in line with what both recent experience and my intuition are both telling me. I just have to remember… Change is mandatory – actively steering the direction of those changes is optional. (and well-advised!) 🙂
Much Love,
Fyre
Hey! or should I say Howl?
My card was 10, The wheel of Fortune. Not sure what to think of this one. hmmm…..
My husband and I both have The Chariot for 2011. This is fascinating and really a great card for us.
For some reason, The Chariot as a Year Card makes me think of the chariot race from Ben-Hur. The whole story-line of that race… the planning involved, the practice, the changing to horses around to utilize each of their individual strengths while at the same time teaching them to function as a team. The reasons for participating in the race, the race itself, the results.
This can be an analogy for how one can look at their Chariot Year. What race (project, goal, etc.) are you preparing for this year? What strengths can you bring to accomplishing it? What changes need to be made in order to achieve the goal? Why do you wish to accomplish it, and what would you gain by doing so?And since both your husband and you are in your Chariot Year, how can you function as a team to in order to make it to the finish line?
This might be one way of looking at your Year Card, and the lessons it has to teach you.
I agree with you. We both already know the “race” we are in this year and we are both, always team players. I am looking forward to this year and the rewards of it once we reach that finish line.
Hmmm… interesting. My card is 5. The Hierophant, in the traditional Tarot.
I’ve been working with Rachel Pollack’s The Shining Tribe Tarot lately. Card 5 in that deck is Tradition. Depicted on the card is a circle of 5 rocks which Pollack describes as “Spirits disguised as rocks to avoid the stares of humans… They meet to uphold the world and protect all their troubled children.” They are The Shining Tribe (secret beings, enlightened humans, Spirits who maintain the world, etc., any of the traditional “secret” beings), and as with the Hierophant, it is linked with religious teaches and traditions.
“The Shining Tribe open paths for their children. These are pathways of life as well as of knowledge. The green pathways symbolize the physical world; the gold, the spiritual. In one direction the material world travels into the circle, where the Shining Tribe transform it into sacred energy. But the paths also go outward, that is, Spirit energy sent out into the ordinary world of our daily lives. That too is transformation.
The flower in the center gives us an image of nurturing. In times of fear or stress we can meditate with this card, placing ourselves in the circle to feel protected. The flower grows in the desert. Similarly, a fish leaps from the dead waters. When we join ourselves to sacred energy our lives change, and what seems dead comes alive with joy. Simple trust may sustain us, and hope, but we also benefit from ancient wisdom and the vitality of traditional teachings and rituals…
Divinatory meanings: Finding your path, either through tradition or your own searching. A sense of protection, of trust and hope. Wisdom, also responsibility. Secret actions to help others. Sometimes social institutions, especially marriage.”
The idea of opening paths was particularly interesting to me as I continue my outdoor challenge (getting outside for a minimum of 30 minutes every day for a year — I’m on day 127). I have been physically walking paths — through the woods, around the pond, hiking trails nearby as well as in my travels — but I find it is changing me on other levels, being in such close contact with Mother Nature on a daily basis.
My word for this year is Declutter, and I have taken that on in many ways. Physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It’s early in the year but I’m already experiencing an opening as I clear out the old and unnecessary, and a sense of lightness and freedom. It will be interesting to see how the word and the card work together throughout the year.
Thanks for sharing, Robin.
One thing that I really like about your comment is that you pointed out that different decks may have different interpretations for the Major Arcana. This is perfectly fine. If you have a special deck that you work with, then use that deck’s Major Arcana and apply it to your Year Card, and follow its interpretations.
Don’t feel that you are bound to the order or interpretations that I have used here. I’m going with the traditional Rider-Waite order and meanings…but even my own favorite deck does not totally follow this order or interpretation.
The important thing is…now that you know how to find your Year Card, you can apply the numerical system to any deck you wish. Whatever card matches your number, that’s the card to use.
Once you discover your card, this opens up a whole world of possibilities as far as how you wish to interpret it and apply such interpretations to your life and to the lessons you need to learn.
Only you know how best your Year Card applies to you and your situation.
I do wish you all the best as you continue to open paths and establish new traditions.
My card was 9, The Hermit.
“individual journey; spiritual enlightenment; wisdom; balancing opposites; service to people; healer or counselor; selfless giving; inner guidance; wise advice; independence; trust inner judgment; receiving counsel; withdrawal; example and guide; personal development & transformation; transition; inner needs; introspection; humanitarianism”
I find it interesting that this would be my card of the year. I’m at such a turning point with all my goals being achieved, I’m at a lost of what I want to do next- and am doing a lot of searching, as well as looking at different people and paths to listen and explore and add my own input.
There are so many possibilities, I really have to look deep to find what my next choice will be.
Thanks, Mum!
-Muirin
You’re welcome, kiddo.
The sense that comes across to me is to see the Hermit as that guiding light to help you make choices regarding those possibilities. Don’t be afraid to ask for advice… but remember that part of receiving that advice is actually listening to it and acting upon it.
As you’re looking deep and doing that searching – which is certainly good and healthy! – remember to reach out to those around you who can provide that wise counsel.
I think it will be interesting to see how the year develops for you.
Great to see the responses and sharing here. Since Osh used me as an example in the post, we all know I share with Fyre in the Death trump.
I welcome the messages this card brings me with open arms. During 2010, inner-work was a key focus for me, positive change was the goal, and it is good to see that work will pay off with some welcome changes in my life in the year ahead. 🙂
9+27+2011 is my card! That’s creepy! But I’m glad to know it means transformation… but not sure how to consider it in context since I’m always changing- I’m always moving, doing new things, etc. hmmm.
Looks like there’s now two people I know both born on September 27th. I think that’s kinda cool!
I think transformation – as defined by the Death card – goes a bit deeper than mere change. It’s a process…in which the journey itself becomes even more important than the destination. In fact, transformation is about that journey – the whole process of realization, recognition, releasing, reorganizing, rebirthing, rejuvenating, restoring, reviving, realigning, reestablishing.
There’s a lot of RE involved with the process of transformation. Death does not occur alone… it occurs as part of the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth.
This is the year to reassess where you are in that process. You’re right – we are constantly in a state of change. Nothing stays the same. But when the Death card comes into your life, it’s a reminder… a gentle tap on the shoulder to take a look at that whole cycle and at your own personal relationship with all those REs.
I happened to stumble across this blog post while working on a Tarot-inspired background for my blog…I am so glad I did. Awesome blog post, and very informative. Turns out that my card for 2013 is The Hanged Man (how fitting, given the circumstances–having to let go of a lot of negative emotions). Out of curiosity, I also put in a little time with a calculator and noticed a pattern throughout the years of my life…the cards going in sequential order for ten years, then reverting back to a card closer to the beginning of the Major Arcana before repeating the pattern (sequential order until the next eleventh year before reverting back to a card closer to the beginning of the Major Arcana…but one card further along than the last revert). It almost seems as if every ten years we (in theory, at least!) move along one step farther along The Fool’s Journey to retrace those steps we haven’t quite learned from…or could learn more from.
Thank you again for such an interesting and informative blog post; this definitely blew my mind. 🙂
Hello Alex, and welcome to the Crossroads!
Glad you enjoyed this post, and that you were able to gain something from it. I’m also happy that you did mention that pattern – you are right, there is a pattern that gets established, and you will have those sequential years for ten years until it reverts. I like how you phrased it as being that we move one step further along The Fool’s Journey…that’s a nice way of putting it, and I will have to remember that as I continue my own path! I’ve got Temperance this year, so it will be interesting to see how it works for me.
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