The Birth Cards

The twenty two, in deck order

The Fool, card 0, reached by a total of 22. The one who steps off the edge trusting the road will appear, and keeps beginning again. The page is The Fool as a Birth Card.

The Magician, card 1. The one with every tool on the table and the will to use them, here to turn an idea into a thing. The Magician as a Birth Card.

The High Priestess, card 2. The one who knows without being told and keeps her own counsel, here to trust the quiet voice. The High Priestess as a Birth Card.

The Empress, card 3. The one who grows things, people, gardens, businesses, and makes a place feel like home. The Empress as a Birth Card.

The Emperor, card 4. The one who builds the structure and holds the line, here to learn that authority is a service. The Emperor as a Birth Card.

The Hierophant, card 5. The one who carries the teaching and the tradition, here to find out which rules are worth keeping. The Hierophant as a Birth Card.

The Lovers, card 6. The one who chooses with the whole heart and takes the mask off to do it. The Lovers as a Birth Card.

The Chariot, card 7. The one who holds two horses pulling different ways and still gets where they are going. The Chariot as a Birth Card.

Strength, card 8. The one who learns to be gentle with the lion inside, and finds that is the only strength that lasts. Strength as a Birth Card.

The Hermit, card 9. The one with the lantern, who needs the quiet hill and comes back down with something to give. The Hermit as a Birth Card.

The Wheel of Fortune, card 10. The one whose life turns in cycles and who learns to ride the turn rather than fight it. The Wheel of Fortune as a Birth Card.

Justice, card 11. The one who sees clearly, calls things by their names and feels an imbalance in the body before the mind catches up. Justice as a Birth Card.

The Hanged Man, card 12. The one who finds the answer by stopping, letting go and seeing the world upside down for a while. The Hanged Man as a Birth Card.

Death, card 13. The one who understands endings and helps others through them, and is more alive for it. Death as a Birth Card.

Temperance, card 14. The one who mixes what does not easily mix and finds the middle way that actually works. Temperance as a Birth Card.

The Devil, card 15. The one who meets desire and attachment head on and learns the chains were never locked. The Devil as a Birth Card.

The Tower, card 16. The one whose life knocks down what was built on sand so that something true can stand there. The Tower as a Birth Card.

The Star, card 17. The one who pours out hope after the storm and is a well that other people drink from. The Star as a Birth Card.

The Moon, card 18. The one who walks by the dim light of dreams and feeling and learns to trust what cannot be proved. The Moon as a Birth Card.

The Sun, card 19. The one who is warm, seen and glad to be alive, and gives other people permission to be the same. The Sun as a Birth Card.

Judgement, card 20. The one who hears the call to rise and answer for a life, and helps others wake up to theirs. Judgement as a Birth Card.

The World, card 21. The one who completes things and dances inside the finished circle, here to bring it all together. The World as a Birth Card.

The cards that share a number

Every two digit card reduces to a single digit, so the twenty two fall into nine families. Your birth cards always come from one family, reading downward from the number you landed on.

1, 10 and 19: The Magician, the Wheel of Fortune and The Sun.

2, 11 and 20: The High Priestess, Justice and Judgement.

3, 12 and 21: The Empress, The Hanged Man and The World.

4, 13 and 22: The Emperor, Death and The Fool.

5 and 14: The Hierophant and Temperance.

6 and 15: The Lovers and The Devil.

7 and 16: The Chariot and The Tower.

8 and 17: Strength and The Star.

9 and 18: The Hermit and The Moon.

So if you land on 17 you have The Star and then Strength. If you land on 8 you have Strength alone. Each card page has a section on its family and explains how the one, two or three card reading works for that card.

How these pages are built

Each page takes the card's meaning and reads it as the archetype for a whole life rather than as a card in a spread. You will find your life's archetype, who you are, the shadow side, how the card shows up in love and at work, what you are here to learn, the cards that share your number, the two cards either side of yours in the deck, and a short section on how the card sits across the tarot, numerology and astrology pages on this site.

The heavy cards, Death, The Devil, The Tower and The Hanged Man, are written as a mirror and a piece of work, because that is what they are. Nobody is dealt a bad birth card. Some people are dealt more homework.

How to use them

Read your first card's page slowly and notice what lands. Then read your second and third if you have them, as the quieter voices underneath. Then follow the links to the same card in The 78 Cards and to the number page it reduces to in The Numbers, and let the three descriptions argue with each other a little. The places where they disagree are usually where you are.

If you would like your own chart read, my readings are here.

In this section

• The Fool as a Birth Card
• The Magician as a Birth Card
• The High Priestess as a Birth Card
• The Empress as a Birth Card
• The Emperor as a Birth Card
• The Hierophant as a Birth Card
• The Lovers as a Birth Card
• The Chariot as a Birth Card
• Strength as a Birth Card
• The Hermit as a Birth Card
• The Wheel of Fortune as a Birth Card
• Justice as a Birth Card
• The Hanged Man as a Birth Card
• Death as a Birth Card
• Temperance as a Birth Card
• The Devil as a Birth Card
• The Tower as a Birth Card
• The Star as a Birth Card
• The Moon as a Birth Card
• The Sun as a Birth Card
• Judgement as a Birth Card
• The World as a Birth Card