Birthcard Astrology - The Playing Cards and More About Their Meanings
The Aces
All Aces regardless of their sex, will have a somewhat masculine nature, either physically or just as part of their personality and will reflect this masculine, creative principle in their lives.
Aces know very well about creating and manifesting. Their lives are a constant chain of one creation after another. They exemplify the creative force and are conduits of many new ideas and projects. One might say that they are constantly receiving input from some higher force to go forth and create something new. They love new beginnings and they love to see their ideas come into materialization. Seeing, hearing, tasting or touching something they have created brings them great pleasure. It is part of their birthright to bring many things into being which were not there before. This brings them the greatest satisfaction and the greatest challenge.
Aces are not usually known for their patience. With so much to accomplish in this lifetime and so little time to do it, they hardly have any time to waste standing in line or waiting for others to finish their sentences. They are bubbling over with the desire to make something happen. It is not in their nature to wait for something to happen. They often dislike waiting in lines, either of people or in traffic. If they seem a little short with you, it is because they have something important that they want to get done, not that they don't like you.
However, they can also be charming and caring. Three of the Aces ...the Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs and Ace of Spades each have a Two as one of their Karma Cards. This hidden influence brings a certain amount of caring and consideration for others, mostly because, on some level, they need the presence of other people in order to feel complete. It is a paradox that the cards that often feel the need to be by themselves also have a great longing for the perfect mate or companion. They also excel at communications for the most part. Their lives are often an endless flow of phone calls, e-mail and letters. They are surrounded by people most of the time. Don't be fooled by this appearance, however. Aces are individuals above all else. They need time to themselves to explore who they are on a basic level. Being an Ace means being self-absorbed to a certain degree and many of them can be categorized as loners, even self-engrossed. In spite of the Two influence, nothing means anything in their life if it is not contributing something to them in a tangible way. If their relationship with you has outlived its ability to give them something they want or need, you may be history.
The Ace of Hearts personifies the “Search for Self” in more ways than the other Aces, though they all have undertaken this search in one way or another. Their suit tells us in which basic area of life they emphasize this search. Ace of Hearts people search for themselves in their relationships. This includes not only lovers and mates, but family and friends as well. The Ace of Clubs searches for his or her own meaning through the books they read and things they learn in other ways. Like the Ace of Hearts, they too seek the perfect love relationship that will fulfill their deep yearnings for completion. The Ace of Diamonds finds conflict between their driving ambition and the desire for companionship and marriage. They cannot seem to have both at the same time. Like all Diamonds, they tend to value themselves based upon what they have or how successful they are financially, they seek to acquire or attain something that is so valuable that it will make them the valuable person that they want to be. The Ace of Hearts person usually has difficulties in love that make finding happiness seem impossible. They often abandon the idea completely and let all of their passion express itself in their work and careers. Perfection in their work, either through quality or quantity is their means of finding the love for themselves that they seek. They are considered one of the most ambitious cards in the entire deck.
In all cases, the hidden motive for the Aces is self-acceptance. However, since there is so much masculine energy being expressed as action and accomplishment, they seek to find themselves in the reflection of their accomplishments instead of just stopping and looking within. Hopefully they will love what they have created and complete the circle, discovering that what they were looking for is already within them. They are the prodigal sons and daughters seeking to come home.
The Twos
In the number Two, the drive and passion of the Ace finds its complement and balance. Sexual energy in males and females finds balance in being with someone who is a complement to themselves. It is this balance, achieved by finding our counterpart, that Twos are all about. Our world is a play of duality far more than most of us realize. Everything in our life is really nothing more than a mish-mash of opposites blended together in different amounts to create all the textures of color, feeling, sounds and ideas that we call our living universe. Twos have a natural understanding of the laws of balance and harmony. They seek to create balance in their own lives and in the lives of those around them. They are forever seeking their complement as much as thecae is seeking to create something new. It is as a part of a successful relationship that Twos find satisfaction. If their relationships suffer, they usually suffer as well. They have a hard time separating themselves from their relationships.
Many Twos are accused of being afraid of being alone, but this is just one way of looking at it. We could just as easily say that the Aces are afraid of balance and stasis, or that they are afraid that they will not create anything new. Twos create relationships with others. They bond with us and make us feel part of their lives. In the process, we feel accepted and wanted. We find we have a place in their life, a home of sorts. Twos can be the very best at making us feel at ease and cared for.
The Two might make us feel smothered and manipulated as well. If a Two person is not aware of their deep drive for completion with others, they may try to tell themselves the opposite and execute most of their actions subconsciously. On the surface they may pretend to be aloof and uncaring. They may act as though they don't need anyone and that they would be just as happy alone as with a partner. Nothing could be further from the truth. No matter what they say or how they act, one of their primary motives is to find this completion. If it is not acknowledged openly and honestly, it can deviate into unhealthy emotional patterns and all sorts of undesirable behavior. All Twos are smart and they can create elaborate intellectual defenses against anyone trying to find out their true needs and motives. They can be the best and worst arguers. They are the best arguers in that their explanations and conclusions seem impenetrable. You may never win an argument with one of them. They are the worst arguers in that they deprive themselves of so much by building strong walls around themselves and alienating those around them.
Many of them go to extremes in love often alternating between long periods of having no one and then falling head over heels in love. When they do fall in love in this manner, it is usually with someone who does not deserve such love or someone who cannot return it. Their zeal and enthusiasm tries to make up for what their partner is lacking. Unfortunately, who their partner really is wins out in the end and their high hopes fall far and fast. The pain of such lessons explains why many Twos avoid love for such long time periods. Humans will usually do more to avoid pain than we will to pursue pleasure.
Intelligent and often physically beautiful, Twos seem to have everything that one would want for happiness. But until they reach inside themselves to see and accept who they really are, their patterns of unhappiness will continue. Their eternal tug of war between being in a relationship and out of a relationship will continue. Their desperate needs for friendship and affection, love and touching, will go unfulfilled. The happy Two is the one who accepts his or her needs for a complementary relationship and goes about creating it. Why not just admit how important people and love are up front? Then they can accept this part of themselves and stop pretending to be something they are not, along with all the deviant behaviors that go along with it. In accepting, there comes a sort of freedom and peace. And as a special bonus, when they accept themselves just the way they are, they are no longer bound to be or act in that certain way. They are now free to choose to be one way or the other. The conscious Two understands and or accepts their Two-ness in a way that allows them the freedom to manifest it the way they like instead of being compelled into addictive behavior patterns. They find union in a loving and conscious way.
The Threes
Many threes are never satisfied with what they have, and this is especially true in their personal relationships. It is not a quality to be faulted or looked upon as a bad thing. It is just the way it is. All of us at one time or another will experience what it is like to be a Three person by having those cards show up in one of our Yearly Spreads. We may have a 3 of Hearts Long Range Card in one particular year and experience a great deal of variety or indecision about our romantic life. We may have a 3 of Diamonds Pluto Card another year and be challenged to transform our worries about money into positive, money-making ideas that we can implement for greater financial success. But for the Three person, this quality of leaving is basically a way of life that they must come to terms with at some point during their life if they are to have peace and contentment.
Peace and contentment are challenges for all the odd numbered Birth Cards. The odd numbers always represent an imbalance which is seeking balance through the creation of something else. These odd numbers are essentially masculine in nature - creative and always in motion. Whether a Three person is male or female, they will exhibit this creative drive that seeks expression. Their peace will only come through some form of action or accomplishment on the material level which will ultimately lead them back to themselves. For the Three, the urge is for self-expression and variety. They are generators of ideas, thoughts and feelings and must find a suitable outlet lest they suffer the consequence of worry and indecision.
Like Gemini sun sign people, Threes are versatile, and often quite talkative. They can relate to many different kinds of people, cultures and concepts because they are flexible. They are also quite resourceful and can come up with solutions to almost any problem that confronts them. If you need a good idea, talk to a Three. They usually have drawers full of ideas, some of which they are working on, but a multitude which they will never have the time or energy to start working on, much less complete. Art, music and writing are excellent outlets for a Three's abundant creativity. Many of them become successful in one or more of these fields and all of them need at least one of these outlets if they are to realize their birthright and achieve inner satisfaction. Many of them have several projects or jobs going at the same time. This gives them the variety they crave. When they start to get bored with one of the projects they are working on, they can switch to a second or third and keep going. This happens to be one of the successful strategies for Threes. Otherwise, many of them go from one job to another and never complete anything, which ultimately makes them depressed and miserable. They need to see at least some of their ideas come to fruition.
Threes love romance - both in creativity and in self-expression, along with love affairs. It stands to reason that those with the greatest creative gifts would also have the strongest needs for romantic involvement and sexual pleasure. Add to this the Three's natural curiosity and desire for new experiences and variety and you can see why many Threes make great lovers but not-so-great marriage partners. They are just as likely to get bored in their relationships as they are with one of their current creative projects. They may feel like having a new affair to remedy the situation, and then jump back into your arms again when that gets boring. Though this may be a slight exaggeration, this is a common concern for Three people.
Another thing that can contribute to Threes' infidelity is their worrisome nature. Most of them, but especially the 3 of Clubs and 3 of Diamonds, are worried about not having enough (love, money, good health, etc.). Though this usually manifests as worry about finances, it can spill over into their romantic lives too. The Three person might reason that if they have two or three lovers available to them, they will have less chance of running out of love when they need it. This can also explain why they might shy away from commitment and long-term relationships.
If you put all of these ingredients together, you can see why Threes can be very complicated people with a great potential for either happiness or unhappiness. The happiest are those who have found a place where they can express their creativity and get well paid for it. They are recognized for their ideas and ability to communicate them. Many of them will make a real impact on the world with their creative gifts and we will admire them for their contributions.
The Fours
Home, family, stability, security, contentment, foundation, good supply of things needed for life - these are the keywords of the number Four and the people who bear this number on their Birth Card. Four people often look rounded or squarish in physical appearance. This applies both to Four Birth Cards as well as those with a Four as their Planetary Ruling Card. They look and seem like solid, grounded people. It inspires one with a sense of safety and security to be with them. All Fours, but certainly some more than others, are interested in security and stability in their lives. In whatever they are doing, we can see them creating this order and stability in their lives and in the lives of those they have
chosen to protect.
Protection is another keyword for the number Four. And protection is their birthright. However, this protection only manifests itself to the Four person who is willing to work for things in their life. Through work all of their dreams are realized. Avoidance or ignorance of this single principle is probably the biggest cause of unhappiness in the life of a Four. Without this willingness to put in the effort, everything turns against them to varying degrees. With the application of commitment and effort, they can accomplish most anything they desire. The unhappy Four person is invariably the one who either avoids or resents how much work they must do.
Many Fours are also overly security conscious. It is the Four person who is not meeting up to their own inner requirements of work and commitment that becomes the controller who tries to keep everyone from doing anything that might upset their little box of a world they have created. The mother or father who controls their children and keeps them sheltered at home, not allowing them to develop any responsibility of their own, is often a Four. They will tell their friends and themselves that they are doing it to help their children, but in truth, it is stunting their development. They usually don't realize that their true motivations are the fears of losing their children, which represent a large part of their security system.
The boss who micro-manages his or her business may also be a Four. He may get so overly concerned with organization and details that he fails to see the big picture and actually does things that are counterproductive to the company's goals of serving its customers. He also may be blind to the possibilities that present themselves for expansion and growth. To a Four, too much growth can represent a threat to their security system. And no one can fight harder to keep things the way they are than a Four. In their eyes, if things are working well enough the way they are, why change them?
This does not mean that Fours dislike change for change's sake. No, they only fight against it if it seems to threaten their security system. As a matter of fact, the 4 of Diamonds and 4 of Clubs are fairly progressive in many ways. They also like to travel a lot, which is typical of a Five. Perhaps this is because both of them have Fives as their first Karma Cards. These Five connections also account for why these two Fours have the most difficulty just doing their work and being happy about it. The 4 of Diamonds and 4 of Clubs seem to have the most conflict between the happiness their work brings and the desire to just take off.
A Four person is someone who is good at organization, setting boundaries, establishing foundations and managing and working. They are usually not found in positions of leadership, but tend to gravitate toward finding a suitable job where they can make their contribution without too much hassle from others. They are usually not the most creative people, nor are they the most far-sighted or broad-minded. But they personify an important and necessary element in our lives - the importance of security, stability and hard work.
They will have to work hard during the course of their lives, but as they get into their later years, they find themselves with more money and freedom to travel and enjoy their life without so much hard work. If they can let go of their 'struggle mentality,' they will see that sometimes good things just flow to us without so much effort.
In relationships, their fate is mixed overall. They tend to want to settle down, but some of them, especially the 4 of Diamonds, have difficult relationship issues to deal with and there can be no escaping the challenges in their romantic life.
Many of them are able to master certain skills and techniques in a way that is truly amazing. They rise to the top of their professions through the application of their organization and hard work. We can truly admire them for their accomplishments and we can trust them to deliver good products, ideas and services to us when we employ or hire them. 'Good' is a Four word and describes the qualities that they put forth most of the time in everything that they do.
The Fives
Five is one of the most important of all the numbers because it is what many call 'the number of man.' Five, more than any other number, symbolizes our race and the characteristics of those of us living here on Earth.
Five is the number of adventure and of seeking new experiences in the realm of duality. The Five constantly seeks to expand itself and to discover what else lies beyond the security of home. We, as a race of beings, have a dominant theme of constantly exploring different experiences and forms of personal expression. We are constantly in motion. Each generation seeks to improve on their parents' generation. Improvement and progress are words dear to the heart of our planet, but especially to Five people. It is interesting to conceive of a planet of beings with a different number as their base. What about a planet of Fours, whose main concern was security? Though your Birth Card may be a Four or a Two, you exhibit many Five characteristics just by the virtue of being a human.
Since we are all Fives on one level already, what happens when you are also a Five Birth Card? Now, we have a more or less exaggerated version of the Five energy. In many cases, Five Birth Cards exhibit such an extreme example of the quest for new experiences that it is difficult for those around them to understand their motives. Fives will often take great risks and endure hardships, all in the name of adventure. Whatever they are doing in their life, regardless of what their motivations may seem to be, their true motivation is that of gathering new experiences, ideas, relationships and value systems. They are explorers with an insatiable thirst to find out what lies beyond the horizon.
In general, Fives do better with occupations that afford travel and variety. Travel brings opportunities to meet new people and be exposed to entirely new situations and customs, which all Fives love and appreciate. Even if they are in one job for a while, they will be progressive and try to take it into new directions. Sales in one form or another seems to be a common Five occupation. There is something about their desire to understand and experience everything that makes them great salespeople. They seem to be able to relate to almost everyone on their own level, making them feel at ease and understood. These are some of the most important ingredients of a successful salesperson. Sales also fits them because it usually affords them the freedom to create their own schedule.
Along with being a Five comes a great deal of discontentedness and restlessness. Unlike other cards, even the odd-numbered ones, these people will often just get up and leave or move to a new location when a restless urge overtakes them. Though they vary from person to person, many of them are like the proverbial 'Wandering Jew' and often they feel as though they have no real home. Home is the domain of the Four, remember, and the Five is the number which evolved out of the Four. For them to seek security would be like going backwards in one's evolution. The Five is the one always seeking to leave the comfort and security of the known. To a Five, settling down into a normal home life can seem like a prison. Freedom is the most important word in their vocabulary. If anything seems to hamper their freedom, they will usually rebel or simply leave. Commitments in personal relationships may also seem to hamper their freedom as well, and this is why Fives as a group are some of the least marriageable of all the cards. They may actually live with a person for a number of years without any formal commitments or contracts. Some of them do get married, of course, but the usual expression of the Five always leaves some options open. The people that they are most attracted to are usually the other cards that dislike commitments as well, such as Threes, the Queen of Clubs and the Queen of Diamonds, for example. The question for a Five in relationship may be, 'Can one person truly satisfy my need for a well-rounded experience in the love department?' More often than not the answer is no.
For a Five to be happy, they must fully accept who they are. To go from one job, relationship or living situation to another, over and over again, is not what our society considers especially honorable. It often leaves one feeling insecure as well, because no one thing was pursued long enough to make a success of it. This can create an inner conflict with the Five person, many of whom also have urges for financial or romantic security. These urges conflict directly with Five energy and thus we find that many of them are constantly in conflict within. The happiest Fives are those who claim their birthright and understand that this world is nothing more than something for them to explore. Nothing is as important as what they are learning and getting from their experiences. Five in its highest expression is the number of wisdom. Wisdom only comes through direct experience and if we talk to a Five, we are talking to someone who has 'been there, done that.'
The Sixes
One of the symbols for the sign of Libra is the Scales of Justice, symbolizing that all things must ultimately be brought into balance. This symbol is another way of representing the ageless Law of Karma, the law of cause and effect that governs everything that happens in this world that we know. It is karma and the law that all Sixes are very familiar with. They are all aware of this law on some level and find various ways to integrate it within the fabric of their lives. Some are excessively aware of it, being overly cautious never to do or say anything that will upset the karmic balance in their lives. Many of them are concerned about ever having any debts to anyone that must later be repaid. They will go out of their way to avoid incurring any debts for just this reason. Others are aware of the law, but feel hampered and constricted by it to the point that they try and slip through life without having to pay their way. These are the ones who are irresponsible and continually meet up with problems when they try to get something for nothing, or when they expect others to take care of them. But in both extremes, and in all the various stages in between, all Six people are conscious on some level of the Law of Karma. That is their birth number and it will remain with them until they pass from this life to the next.
Sixes know about destiny and fate. Theirs is the number of fate. They sense that much of their life is destined because of their actions from lives past. They often wonder about what sorts of things, both good and bad, will come to them through the inevitable Law of Karma. They can be guilty of just waiting around for things to happen and it is known that all of them get into a rut every now and again. Some of them sense that terrible things may be in store for them in the future and they dread the prospect. Others sense that something good is coming, such as a windfall of money, for some good deeds they performed in past lives. It is surprising how many 64 play the lottery, for example. Fate does come to the Six, but often after long periods of waiting. Their lives seem to go a certain way for a long time and then finally change to a new condition. This long time can be up or down, financially, relationship-wise, or otherwise. In many cases, they must prod themselves out of their complacency to get themselves motivated to make the next step. Attempts to change them usually meet with failure. A Six person will budge only when they are ready.
Six is symbolized by the Star of David, the two, interlocking triangles, one pointing up, the other down. This symbolizes balance and peace. Sixes are definitely peace makers of a sort. They love peace and harmony and will go out of their way to promote it. But also like Librans, Sixes can be guilty of not accepting the aggressiveness and other emotional qualities that life often contains. They may try to avoid their own feelings and situations of conflict because that would upset their peace and balance. When this drive for peace becomes an escape from reality, it inevitably backfires and their own naturally aggressive side comes out for all to see. The Six person can be the one who ignores their own anger until it builds up and blows off like a volcano.
At heart, Sixes are fairly competitive, which seems like a paradox because of how much they like peace. It is interesting to note how many successful athletes are Sixes. Because of their balanced nature, when their competitors press on them, they press back with equal force. This is a key to their success in sports and in business, where they often excel. They have a sense of fairness and competition that can bring them success in the eyes of the world. Though we may think of the Sixes as being the most docile and quiet, they can be the most aggressive and competitive when they are stirred up.
Sixes are known to be some of the most psychic cards in the deck. Perhaps this is because they do achieve enough peace in their life that they are in a better position to hear 'the voice within.' Many Six people become professional psychics, and all will admit to receiving impressions from time to time. Many people who are Sixes have come to fulfill a special and unique purpose during the course of their life that will involve becoming a signpost to others of a better way of life. John the Baptist is a classic example. Though he himself was not Jesus, the son of God, he cleared the way for the coming of Jesus and led people to him. So it is with many of the Sixes. Some will become famous spiritual leaders and teachers, while others will practice their uplifting of souls among the members of their family or co-workers. It is those Sixes that listen to their inner voice who realize that they are here to bring others to the light. They find that their life has much more meaning than just getting by day-to-day and fulfilling their personal desires and ambitions.
The Sevens
Seven is the first of what I call the spiritual numbers, Nine being the other. Seven in some ways is the most significant. If we take all the cards from one suit of the deck and lay them out from the Ace to the King from left to right, the Seven will fall in the exact center. There are seven visible planets, seven days of the week, seven chakras in the body, and seven seals mentioned in the Book of Revelations in the Bible. The number Seven has great significance in the calculations used to create the Yearly Spreads and in other calculations involving esoteric mathematics and geometry. It has always been regarded as an important spiritual symbol and is found used in many religions and cultures.
As another of the odd numbers, Seven represents a state of imbalance and a movement away from stasis and balance. In this case, the movement is away from the stability of the Six. Because the Six can represent that state of receiving instructions and directions from a higher source, the Seven represents a stepping off from that place into what could be a scary place where nothing is known for sure. In the Seven, we step away from the security that comes from organization and harmony in the external world and are asked to find peace and contentment within ourselves in spite of external circumstances. To do this represents a high spiritual state of being, and one that is not easily obtained. Even Jesus said that it is more difficult for a man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle. The Seven is the gateway to the Kingdom of Heaven. At its very essence, the Seven represents faith.
People with Seven Birth Cards walk the line between the mundane and the spiritual and they get the chance to experience both during the course of their life. However, being a Seven, they are not truly content and happy unless they are in the spiritual side of life. When they are carefree and full of appreciation for the wonder and splendor of their life, they are happy and content. They are carefree because they live knowing that all of their needs are being provided for. They have a direct connection to a higher source that guarantees that they will be taken care of. They have no worries in the world and are actually experiencing higher states of consciousness: spiritual consciousness.
When the Seven person falls back into the material world, they meet with untold problems and concerns. They are afraid of not having enough. They feel insecure and unloved. They worry, and this worry tortures them. They try to manipulate others and their environment to protect themselves, but it just makes matters worse. They can become morose and depressed and, in some cases, develop very negative attitudes about life that seem to perpetuate their misery. Miserable or miserly is a good description of the Seven person who is operating on the mundane side of their personalities. They live in a world where there just isn't enough.
Having been born a Seven actually means that this life will be sort of a do-or-die crash course in spiritual lifestyle. The Seven person, probably more than any other card in the deck, will not be able to get away with any behavior that is less than 'living in the truth. The ultimate truth is that we are all loved and cared for by God, the Universe, or whatever you want to call it. The Seven person will have to walk and live in this truth or suffer greatly as a consequence. As a result, we find that Sevens often come in two varieties — those who are very happy and unattached about things in their life, and those who are unhappy and worried all the time. The ones that are unattached seem to live magical lives, where things just come to them when they need it. They are giving and understanding and, for the most part, carefree about their needs being met. They are often engaged in service to others and are capable of great deeds for the cause of humanity. The other Sevens are living in a world of lack and poverty, trickery and manipulation. They are rarely happy with their life.
It is interesting to note that most of the Sevens have power cards that are their first Karma Card. The 7 of Hearts has the 8 of Hearts, the 7 of Clubs has the 8 of Diamonds and the 7 of Hearts has the K of Diamonds. All of these connections indicate the misuse of power in a former incarnation. Many people of these cards come into this life with a tendency to force things to get their way, along with a habit of avoiding responsibility for their own fears and insecurities. Now, in this lifetime, each time they assert their power from the wrong place, they run into innumerable obstacles and suffer as a result. It is only when they learn the use of power to help others that they find that things work out in their favor.
So, the Seven is constantly challenged and it is not an easy path for most. But the possibilities for experiencing higher states of consciousness and being are also present. Many Sevens accomplish what no other card in the deck can — spiritual enlightenment and freedom from the cares of the world.
The Eights
"Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely."
—Adiai Stevenson
Having passed through the challenge imposed by the Seven, the Eight represents a multiplication of energy, twice that of the Four. Where the Four represents good supply, security and foundation, the Eight symbolizes all that plus more. This translates as power — the ability to effect change in whatever direction they choose by focusing their energies. The number eight, in the cycle from one to ten, represents the point of fullness and the time of harvest. With Eights we see one of the strongest manifestations of their suit, shining examples of what that suit can produce or create. Most Eights are producers and hard workers. They enjoy watching their power manifest things so well and so quickly. But like any of the other gifts represented by our Birth Card, power can be used or abused. Eights are faced with this choice throughout their life, and it is a dominant theme that many of them are here to get clear about. Power can be used to help others and to create more goodwill and prosperity, or it can become an addiction and a means to escape from inner fears and insecurities.
Power stems from the highest power, and the highest power is that of God or the Creator. If it is true that all things happen only by the will of God, then when we are given some power to play with, we tend to feel as though we have a divine right to its use. However, just because we have been given the commission of power doesn't mean that we have become perfect and incapable of making mistakes. This is the misconception that people in positions of power sometimes have. Instead of seeing themselves as vessels of Gods will, they begin to see themselves in distorted ways. They begin to think that they are perfect and infallible. They begin to imagine they are God-like or, in some cases, immortal. This is when power becomes dangerous, like giving a real gun to a child. If an Eight person is not aware enough to realize that they are only vessels of Gods power, they will make the mistakes associated with the misuse of it.
In the astrological natal charts of most, if not all, Eights, you will find a strong element of Scorpio, Pluto or Eight House energy. All Eights will behave a little like Scorpios, regardless of their sun sign. Pluto is the overall ruler of this element. He is the planet of death and destruction, and this Pluto influence has profound meanings to the Eight person. The essential meaning of Pluto and Scorpio is self-transformation. When the Pluto or Scorpio influence is strong within a person's makeup, as it is with Eights, there will inevitably be some major changes in the person's lire from time to time. These changes can range from the way they approach relationships to the way they think or deal with money. We might say that all Eights will pass through several 'personal deaths' during the course of their life. Some part of their personality will die, making way for the new. Like the Phoenix, the Eight person will arise from the ashes of their own burial to fly again with new wings. The eagle is the symbol for Scorpio, but it only represents the Scorpio that has undergone this essential transformation. This will be the same for the Eight.
They usually attract powerful people into their lives that match their own power. There will be some degree of power struggles or attempts to control or manipulate until the Eight person learns that the change that is really needed is within themselves. When the Eight turns their tremendous power back onto themselves in an effort to make internal changes, they access some of their highest power. Most of the Eights have powerful, spiritual cards as their Karma Cards. These represent the presence of potent spiritual energy. When the 'little deaths' occur for the Eight person, they are assisted by these spiritual energies and are reborn with even more power than before. The new person they become often bears little resemblance to the person they were before. Some people may even have difficulty recognizing them. It is much like the snake shedding its skin.
Eights all share this scorpionic legacy to some extent. They are the people that shine forth with all the brilliance of their suit to exemplify the best of what that suit can manifest.
Because the 8th house and Scorpio deal with the goods and possessions of others, by necessity Eights get involved with the finances of others at certain points in their life, often inheriting the responsibility of handling the estates of their parents and others. As a rule, they do well with this and can be trusted to fairly and honestly manage funds. Whether it involves the care of the family estate or managing the finances of a family-run business, they perform their duty in a way that is to be admired. The enlightened Eight person stands as an example of someone who has passed through the fires of self-transformation. The power that at one time was turned upon the world outside of them has been turned within and has effected a truly inspired change in them. They become reminders to us of our own divinity.
The Nines
"All good things must to come to an end."
In the natural course of the cycle of all things, both living and inanimate, there comes the time of dissolution, of ending. In the course of a lifetime, we will pass through many such cycles with things such as relationships, ideas, jobs, living locations and personal possessions. In all these things will be a beginning, represented by an Ace, and an ending, represented by the Nine. Nine represents that stage of experience where that which was is now ending. It is much like our graduation year in high school. During that year, we are still in school, but there is a knowledge that everything that has been will be gone after that year is up. It is as much a year of farewells as it is a year to celebrate our accomplishments. Graduation can be cause for celebration or for sadness and concern for our future. As with all things, our personal attitude determines how it will be experienced by each of us.
Being born a Nine is like having an entire lifetime that is like your senior year in high school. The lifetime of a Nine marks the ending of a great cycle in the persons evolution, one in which much was learned and gained by the individual, but also one which is now complete and must be allowed to fade out in preparation for a new cycle to begin. During their lifetime, Nines will inevitably have to say good-bye to people, things, ideas, lifestyles and ways of communicating that have reached the end of their usefulness in their lives. But whether this lifetime is looked upon with joy and celebration, or with sadness and feelings of loss and trepidation about the future, will again depend upon the individual.
Nine follows the eight numerologically. Eight represents the point of fullness, the harvest season in the cycle from one to nine. Once we have tasted the fullness of the eight and harvested it for all its value to us, we enter the nine stage of death and decay. Being a Nine is sort of like the field of wheat that has already been harvested. There is nothing there but the remains of a bountiful crop.
The suit of the Nine person will give us insight into the area in which they have reached a point of fulfillment. For the 9 of Hearts, there is completion with key relationships and ways of loving others. The 9 of Clubs will let go of beliefs, ideas about life and themselves and ways of communicating with others. The 9 of Diamonds will find that things and people they value will be taken away or at least need to be released. The 9 of Spades in many ways has the strongest burden. They need to sublimate their will to the will of God. They will have to let go of power struggles with others as well as things related to their lifestyle, health and occupation.
Like a person who is moving to a new house and holding a garage or yard sale where they sell their possessions at a fraction of what they are worth, the Nine person will be seen giving things away throughout their life. Indeed, a Nine is never truly fulfilled unless they find ways to give of them selves to others. Many of them take this to the highest level and become saviors of humanity. Many great spiritual leaders and teachers have Nines as their Birth Cards. Often it is the utter frustration with all the disappointments in their personal lives that motivates Nines to take on such cosmic or universal work. In many ways, the Nine is the opposite of the Ace. Whereas the Ace actually needs to be selfish and self-centered, the Nine cannot. Each time the Nine tries to do things just for themselves, they reap untold misery and pain. It simply goes against the grain of their soul's essence. Nine is the second and last of the spiritual numbers, Seven being the first. Like the Seven, the Nine must follow a higher path to be completely fulfilled. And often this path is the exact opposite of what is believed and taught in our society. Thus, early life can be very confusing for the Nine person, who tries to approach life in the traditional manner and meets up with repeated failure. The conscious ones catch on quickly and realize that they are different and need different motivations in order to have a successful life.
Nines can develop strong victim-savior complexes and all of them exhibit this to some degree. Nine represents the letting go of our personal desires and identity and merging ourselves into the universal consciousness. In this regard, the Nine person often identifies themselves with a great purpose - that of saving the world in some way. Instead of just thinking of themselves and their own personal needs, the Nine person now identifies with the world at large. In their 'nine-ness' Piscean manner, they go about trying to save people in their world. They are softhearted and gentle and are there for you if you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to sympathize with your problems. They will nurse you back to health and will accept you when no one else will.
However, there are two big problems with the savior complex that many Nines exhibit. First of all, it represents a complete denial of our personal power. If a Nine person is out to save you, they are, in effect, telling you that you are incapable of taking care of yourself. Whether those words are actually used or not, that is the underlying message of saviors of all kinds. Secondly, in most of the cases, the Nine person has not yet resolved their internal conflict about their own personal needs and the needs of the world that they feel compelled to resolve as part of their life's work. A lot of confusion can occur for the Nine person because they have a hard time separating their personal motives from their universal motives. This often creates a scenario where the Nine person professes to be motivated from the purest of intentions, such as saving the world or saving individuals, when in truth they are often selfishly motivated. Just like the rest of us, Nines get afraid, and some of them thirst for power or fame or wealth. Ultimately their true motivations are revealed, or the person they are trying to save resents being labeled a failure and rebels against them. There have been some Nines who genuinely make a selfless contribution to the lives of others, and all of them experience truly selfless acts at times during their life. It is the Nines personal challenge to make the clear distinction between their selfish and selfless actions, thoughts and words. This is especially true right now, as we see the end of the Age of Pisces and the beginning of the Age of Aquarius. The Nine energy and the Pisces energy are one in the same. The clarity of the Aquarian energy will help all Nines make these important distinctions in their life.
Nines that are accessing the power of letting go that is inherent in their Birth Card are happy and somewhat carefree. They are giving and less attached to people and things in their life. They have a look of wisdom on their face. They understand life as no others can because they can see well beyond their personal identity to the broad picture of the universe. The compassion they exude is real and comes from having consciously passed through many endings. Their happiness is real because it is not based on the acquisition of any thing or person. It is based on the knowledge that they are in tune with the will of God and the cosmic flow.
The Tens
To truly understand the Tens, we must also be familiar with the Aces, because these two cards are very much alike and share important qualities. The Ten even has the familiar One in the front of its name. This alone should be a clue to the student of the cards as to the nature of the people of these cards. Like the Aces, Tens possess a lot of drive and ambition. Also like the Aces, Tens can be very self-centered or selfish. This can be evidenced further by the realization that all of the Tens have at least one Ace in a prominent position in their Life Spread. The10 of Hearts and the ten of Diamonds both have the Ace of Hearts and the Ace of Diamonds in their Life Spread. The 10 of Clubs has the A of Clubs and the 10 of Hearts has the Ace of Hearts. These Aces cause the Tens to be on a soul search over the course of their life. They turn their attention upon themselves to find answers and reasons for the value of their life. To others, this can show up as selfishness. While they are focused upon their own feelings, thoughts, needs and desires, the Ten may not pay much attention to others in their environment. Indeed, many Tens look upon themselves as selfish, and it is an important personal issue that they must come to terms with during the course of their lifetime. Are they truly selfish? Is being selfish really a bad thing? Is there such a thing as good selfishness? Is there a way to balance out the needs of others with their own? These are all questions they must answer for themselves.
The main difference between Tens and Aces is the Zero after the One and what that represents. Just as an Eight is two Fours, the Ten can be looked upon as two Fives. Five being the number of experience, the Ten person has a great deal of experience they can draw upon for success. This Zero represents the experience of completing a major cycle of evolution, going all the way from the Ace through the Nine and now to the Ten,where a new cycle begins. However, in this new cycle, the Ten will carry with it all of the wisdom that was acquired in the previous cycle. This explains why the Tens have such a capacity for success in their life. All Tens have great success potential and many rise to prominence if that is what they desire. Their suit will tell us the main area of their wisdom and success in this lifetime. The 10 of Hearts has a command over people or children. The 10 of Clubs arrived here with a head full of knowledge to share with the world. The 10 of Diamonds can handle a business with ease, the larger the better, and the 10 of Spades has the drive to accomplish anything they set their minds to. They are unparalleled workers and achievers. Unlike the Aces, the Tens don't have to learn very much to achieve success. They do like to learn new things, but they already possess a great deal of experience which they discover as they apply themselves to their careers.
The Zero is also the number we associate with the Joker. The Joker is the only card in the deck which has no personal identity of its own. Instead, the Joker borrows identities from other cards and can essentially become that card for whatever length of time he or she chooses. The Ten person also has this capacity to some extent. They have all the numbers from Ace through Nine already under their belt. They understand all the principles and abilities of these numbers and can implement their qualities at will. It is interesting to note that two of the Tens, the 10 of Clubs and 10 of Hearts have Jacks as their first Karma Cards. These Jacks act much like the Joker, the Joker being the Jack of all Jacks in the deck, or the super Jack. With Jacks as Karma Cards, and with the other Tens having Jacks in their Life Path, we see that Tens and Jacks have some strong connection that may further connect them to the Joker and its propensity for multiple personalities.
The downside of being a Ten is that they can become obsessive with respect to something about their suit. The 10 of Hearts can be obsessed with their families, or with their audiences if they are performers. The 10 of Clubs have difficulty sleeping at night because their heads are so full of thoughts and ideas. The 10 of Diamonds can make money the most important thing in their life and the 10 of Spades can be the world's worst workaholic and type 'A personality. This obsession can become destructive in some cases. Tens can be very 'all or nothing kinds of people. When they pursue something, they go full tilt. Then they crash as they go to the opposite extreme. They can get hooked on harmful things because ‘all or nothing’ is an addictive-prone personality type.
We can relate Tens to the 10th house of the Astrological chart. The 10th house is governed by Saturn and is concerned with reputation and career. Many Tens, it will be noted, have either strong 10th house planets or planets in Capricorn, or they are aspected by Saturn in their natal charts. This creates a drive for prominence and achievement, and in some cases an emotional need for attention and recognition. It is part of the Ten's life work to understand this drive and to come to terms with it. Yes, Tens can achieve great things, things that we may applaud them for, but the real question they must answer is whether they did it for the right reasons. Only they know the answer to this. If approached consciously, their work will bring additional happiness to them and those around them. If not, it will cause one problem after another and deprive them of the real goal for which they were working. Tens, like the rest of us, are seeking inner contentment and peace. In their case, this seems to come through the avenue of achievement, success, recognition and respect. Over the course of their life they will learn that even these qualities must come from within.
The Jacks
"I won't grow up!"
— Peter Pan
The Jack is the youngest member of the royal family. He can be looked upon in several ways, all of them meaningful. First, he can be seen as the Prince who will someday become the King. As the Prince, he is youthful, romantic, creative, witty and charming. However, he has not yet been given the responsibility and power that comes from being the King. Nor does he want so much responsibility. Jacks just want to have fun and play. At the same time, they want to be treated with respect and some measure of admiration. Someday, perhaps, they will become Kings. The transformation from youthfulness to responsibility is one of the most important life-long themes for the Jack person.
Another way to see a Jack is as the counsel to the King. He has influence with the King, but has his own interests at heart. He sits in the royal court, but assumes none of the overall responsibility for what happens. He can be bribed if you want him to act on your behalf in influencing the King in a certain way. Overall, he is somewhat dishonest but very creative and resourceful in keeping all of his affairs in balance without getting caught. He is a master of deception and stealth and can never truly be trusted.
These two pictures just about sum up the usual qualities of Jack Birth Cards. The youthful creativity is there in overwhelming abundance. Along with that is the temptation to misuse that creative energy for fun or profit, or simply to avoid unpleasant situations that one may have to face as a result of being 100 percent honest. The Jack of Hearts stands out as the only exception to this, but in truth many of these people also succumb to the misuse of their creative forces. However, overall, the Jack of Hearts has such a spiritual connection that they tend to focus more of their energy on being the martyr or savior and don't have much time for the craftiness of the other Jacks. Still, they are Jacks, and every once in awhile even they get that mischievous gleam in their eyes that tells you they are up to something.
But Jacks are also deemed the initiates of the deck. Initiation implies rising to a new, usually higher level. It is this new beginning that implies ending of some past ways of being. For the Jack, many of them are here to show that they can rise above their material nature to one that is more spiritual and less attached to worldly goods and matters. For a Jack to be truly self-realized, they will have to access the higher qualities of their suit in some fashion. This would mean the J of Hearts becoming a vessel for spiritual love, the Jack of Clubs for spiritual knowledge, the Jack of Diamonds a representative of higher values and the Jack of Spades an example of one whose life is lived on higher, spiritual principles. Many Jacks achieve this and many do not. In their highest expression, they represent that person who has lifted him or herself up to a higher level of self expression. This also implies letting go of their lower natures, which in many cases are quite strong and difficult to renounce.
Jacks are always tempted to misuse their tremendous gifts and many of them will never rise up to anything but a thief. They have such a creative mind that they can tell lies that anyone would believe without question. This mind represents a great gift, but it is up to them to put it to a positive use. Those that do can achieve much.
Their naturally mental nature also makes it more difficult for them to know their own feelings. When they have so much success using their minds, their hearts are rarely used in getting what they want. All of these qualities combine in the Jack person to give them their life's biggest challenge - to seek the solutions to their problems by looking within, instead of using their wits and craftiness to get by. This turning within is the initiation that all Jacks represent.
The Queens
The Queen is a very powerful card. She is second in authority only to the King and in many ways is just as powerful, if not more powerful, than he. For this reason, a Queen person, regardless of sex, is aware of a certain power and responsibility they have in their life, one that can be used in positive ways or abused. The Queen is quite capable of ruling the kingdom, but would do it differently than the King. Her rulership would be more service-oriented and she would display more compassion as a rule. All Queens possess wisdom from having experienced so much in past lives. There are always some areas in life they will master with little effort. But those areas will usually not be personal relationships and marriage. Collectively, the Queens possess some of the most difficult love karma of any of the cards in the deck, especially the Queen of Diamonds and Queen of Clubs.
Queens are motherly by nature. Regardless of their occupation, they are mothering people through their work. They excel in helping others nurture and develop themselves. They have a natural desire to reach out to those in need of direction and support at certain stages in their evolution. They take great pleasure in knowing that they have contributed something to another's sense of well-being. They will feed you and offer you protection. The men and women of this card usually get along famously with children, whether or not they themselves have any.
But one of their faults is that they often hold on to those they love and actually prevent them from leaving the nest when they are ready. This habit comes from their strong identity as mothers. If there is no one to mother, they feel as though their life has no purpose. After all, what is a mother if there are no children to raise? So, when their fears of losing their identity become stronger than their love for their children, they hold back the growth of their children and do exactly the opposite of what they intend.
One challenge of the Queen is to translate this maternal desire to a broader level, away from their own families and onto the world at large. Queens can make excellent counselors, teachers and promoters of good. They can play an instrumental part in helping large groups of people better their lives. They have a lot of natural leadership ability and are able to gather people together for a good purpose. The ones that direct their loving energies toward those outside of their immediate family find much success and satisfaction from their interactions.
This same desire to mother others can cause innumerable problems in their intimate relationships. If they are looking for someone to mother or someone who could mother them, they set themselves up for a very difficult relationship. A co-dependent mire of unclarity and unrealized dreams and needs is often the result of such a union. They invariably attract those who will take advantage of their need to be needed, or they themselves will be uncertain about where their true happiness lies. The Queen is a Twelve, which reduces numerologically to a Three. The Queen of Clubs and the Queen of Diamonds have Threes as their first Karma Card and Threes in Mars. All this Three energy' promotes indecision and insecurity in personal relationships, but the Queen of Clubs and the Queen of Diamonds have the worst time of it. At least the Queen of Spades and the Queen of Hearts have even-numbered Karma Cards, which gives them much more stability and peace. But even so, all of them have that creative Three urge that can lead to doubtful associations and indecision in their personal choices. Either that, or they attract others who display these characteristics. The Queen would sooner or later wan to use some of her power to have romantic fun and adventure. In doing so, she will often create much uncertainty in her life.
The Queens represent some of the essential feminine archetypes. Whether a Queen is male or female, they will exhibit many of these basic feminine qualities. The Queen of Hearts is the dreamy Aphrodite, the goddess of love and pleasure, who has a love for humanity that is very spiritual in nature. She is the woman all men dream of. The Queen of Clubs is very much a businesswoman and organizer. She is highly intuitive, quick-tempered and usually industrious. But she is also Mary, mother of Jesus, who makes great sacrifices on behalf of her children. She also possesses the highest spiritual gift — intuition. The Queen of Diamonds is the collector of things - usually money and relationships. She enjoys the things of the earth, much like the Queen of Hearts, but she is also very much involved in earning this wealth. She shares a higher sense of values with her children, who are not necessarily her biological children. These 'children' may be people that she works with. The Queen of Spades is Martha of the Bible, the tireless worker who knows the value of service and work. She is an organizer supreme and makes a tough boss. But inside she possesses the potential for the highest of spiritual accomplishments - mastery of the self.
The Kings
The King is the last card in each suit, representing the last stage of development. Within the King is the wisdom of having passed through every number below him in his evolution to the pinnacle of power. The King is the masculine archetype of leadership and power, accompanied by the wisdom of experience. All Kings know the right thing to do. However, they do not always act upon that wisdom, which is how we account for those Kings who are a discredit to their symbol. The problem lies primarily in the misuse of power, which is a very alluring and easily misused thing for all of us. You should also read about the Eights as you study the Kings because they share this power. Hopefully, the King has already learned about the misuse of power during his or her evolution and will not abuse it again. But there are always enough variations that we will eventually run across a King who personifies all that is bad and undesirable in a powerful person.
All Kings have a certain amount of pride. Because they are natural born leaders, they tend to set themselves apart from the world at large and see themselves as part of a special group of leaders. Even those who do not directly recognize this quality within themselves will exhibit some pride or aversion to being given direction by others in spite of themselves. Many Kings do not recognize the power they already have and are using in their life. Some actually believe they are somewhat powerless in their world, but a close examination of their life always reveals that they are stubbornly persistent in doing things their own way. Usually others respect them or fear them, even if they themselves are unaware of it because of their damaged self-image. For many Kings, all they need to know is that they are a King, one who is meant to lead. Often, this by itself is all they need to get their minds in sync with who they really are.
Any King's power is defined primarily by their birth suit. The King of Hearts has power with people and personal relationships. They are charming and very intelligent. The King of Clubs has mental power that can be applied in a multitude of professions or situations. They make the fine distinctions that separate truth from untruth. The King of Diamonds is the powerful and often ruthless business person. When they decide to take over, there isn't much they cannot accomplish on the material level, though their personal happiness may be lost in the process. The King of Spades has the power of the will backed by a deep wisdom. Their mind will never be swayed by others since their own wisdom is constantly telling them the truth.
Female Kings are an interesting quirk in the cosmic plan. Here is a soul in a woman's body which has definite leadership ability, decisiveness and usually a bit of aggressiveness to match. Women like Sharon Stone, Faye Dunaway, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Janet Jackson, Queen Elizabeth II and Bridget Fonda all personify women who are strong leaders of men. A King is not an easy card to be for anyone because of the tremendous responsibility implied. The women have the added burden of balancing their male and female sides in personal relationships. This hurdle alone can take most of a lifetime to conquer.
Being a King implies responsibility, and perhaps this is another of the real reasons that some Kings never achieve their potential. Responsibility can be either distasteful or fearful for some Kings and they may make a decision early on to avoid this part of their life at all costs. When they do, they take off their crown and become either the Jack or Queen of their suit, throwing away most of their power and potential. Few King of Spades are ready to wear their crowns. Since they are literally the King of Kings, their crown holds the most power, but also the most burden. Most King of Spades feel more comfortable as a Jack or Queen. They make great artists, musicians and actors, but few achieve the full potential of the most powerful card in the entire deck. However, the other Kings are also guilty of this same choice. Though it doesn't happen as often, other Kings will shy away from the responsibility of living up to their birthright. They just decide to have fun instead. In doing so, they throw away their power and then wonder why their life doesn't seem to make them happy. All Kings have an inner voice that tells them they are fit to be leaders. Until they fulfill this aspect of their destiny, they cannot truly be at peace with themselves.
Other Kings will abuse their power, forsaking their inherent wisdom and giving in to their fears. They will bully, dominate and use others, but often claim that it is they who are being abused. These are the Kings that have lost their authority. However, this is not a common occurrence. Though we will find those that use their power unwisely, this is not the rule. Most Kings are aware of their power and have the wisdom and patience to know that it must be used with care and responsibility if it is to do any good to them or in the world. We can usually trust them to lead us to things that better our lives in many ways. |
