In the beginning there was nothing but the unlimited potentiality of the Void.
Before creation takes place, nothing and everything is in stasis. The ZERO represents infinite potentiality—a boundless sea of universal possibilities—where nothing has been selected or chosen. Zero is the first of the even numbers and, like all even numbers, it seeks balance.
In the English language, “0” is called zero, nought, naught, and nil. Ought or aught have also been used historically. Informal or slang terms for zero include zilch and zip. There are different words used for the number or concept of zero depending on the context. For the simple notion of lacking, the words nothingand none are used more often. Several sports use certain words for zero, such as nilin football, love in tennis and a duck in cricket. In the context of telephone numbers, it is often called oh. Other slang words for zero include nada, scratch and even duck egg or goose egg.
Have you ever noticed that when you turn on a calculator that it always starts with a “0”? This seems support the concept that in the beginning there was nothing and yet out of this nothingness is the potential for everything. Records show that even the ancient Greeks seemed unsure about the status of zero as a number. They asked, "How can nothing be something?" This poignant question led to the continuing philosophical and religious arguments about the nature and existence of zero.
In Cardology, the number Zero is actually the first number in the deck and means “all things” and also means “no thing”. In the Tarot deck, the Fool Card is the first card of the Major Arcana and designated as the Zero card. The Fool Card is often referred to as the card of God. The Tarot depiction of the Fool includes a man (or less often, a woman) juggling unconcernedly or otherwise distracted, with a dog (sometimes cat) at his heels. The fool is in the act of unknowingly walking off the edge of a cliff, precipice or other high place. Another Tarot character is Death. In the Middle Ages, Death is often shown in Jester’s garb because “The last laugh is reserved for death.”
Similarly, the Joker is the Zero value card in the deck of playing cards and he is nothing and everything. The Joker can become any card in any suit that he chooses, wear any mask he wants and at any time. How is this possible? The unmanifested universe, as represented by the Zero, is the source of all things and this, too, is the significance of the Joker and the Zero.
From the void of the ZERO comes the individuality of the ONE.
In the Cards of Life, ONE is called the ACE and represents the beginning. It feels its supreme importance as the ego and says: “I AM.” As we saw with the Zero, represented by the Joker, there was originally “no-thing.” Using basic arithmetic, we know the sum of “no-thing” (0) and one is one. (0+1=1) In the science of the cards, Ones are represented by the Aces. They have the power to create and to manifest. Everything was in stasis with the Zero. When we add 1, things become out of balance, just like the see-saw example (see image).
The Ace represents the most primary of the masculine, creative principal. All Aces, regardless of their sex, will have a somewhat masculine nature, either physically or just as part of their personality. The number “1” phallic shape reveals this masculine energy. Aces can be quite forceful and their “giving” energy is felt in their lives and relationships.
Ones have the power of manifestation. Each time we move from one number to the next, we have added a One to it. One is the masculine energy that must go and do something new. They never rest for very long as they always have the desire to start something new. The Ace, like all the odd-numbered cards, is a specifier and goes after what it desires. Aces create new ideas, new energies, new thoughts, and new desires. They are able to manifest so easily because they have just emerged from the void of the unmanifested. They are closest to the Zero, which represents unlimited potentiality.
The life of an Ace can be a constant chain of one creation after another. They are always creating and manifesting and exemplify the creative masculine force. They are conduits of new ideas and projects and seem to be constantly receiving (channeling) input from some higher force. They love new beginnings and to go forth and create something new and see their ideas come into materialization. Seeing, hearing, tasting or touching something they have created is their ultimate reward. Bringing something into manifest, something that was not here before, is the Aces greatest satisfaction and their greatest challenge. Because Aces are great initiators, they can start more things than they can finish. You will find them working on a project for a while and then suddenly start working on a new idea. They get bored quickly and want something new to do or someone new to interact with. Most Aces excel at communications and their lives are often an endless flow of phone calls, e-mail and letters.
Aces are definitely not known for their patience. They want it right now. They want it right away and with no excuses or delays. Many pay the price for having it now. Aces seem to have an unconscious knowing about their ability of manifestation, which could possibly be the reason for their impatience. With so much to accomplish and so little time to do it, they don’t like to waste standing in line, sitting in traffic or waiting for others to finish talking. Overflowing with desire and ideas on how to make something happen, it is not their nature to wait for something to happen. Remember this if you are dealing with an Ace. If they seem impatient, it is because they have something important that they want to get done. It is not that they don't like you. All Aces are self-absorbed to a certain degree. If you are not contributing something to them in a tangible way or giving them something they want or need, then your relationship with them has probably outlived its usefulness and will be over quickly.
Like the number one, Aces represent the individual, a singular person. Aces can be very private and are often loners. Many Aces feel alone even in relationships or when they are around others. While Ace people do function well by themselves, they can be found in groups, too.
Three out of four of the Aces in the deck have a Two as a Karma Card.
Ace of Clubs♣ has a Two of Hearts♥
Ace of Diamonds♦ has a Two of Diamonds♦
Ace of Spades♠ has a Two of Clubs♣
Twos represent a union of two people, a couple or pair. Remember the Aces have just left Zero and subconsciously have the desire to come back into balance. They want to be satisfied with the Two, to bind with another, to bond with someone, and be in balance again. Aces can be quite charming and even caring.
The hidden influence of these karma cards brings a certain amount of concern and consideration for others. On some level, they do feel the need of other people in order to feel complete. This is a paradox for the Ace person who often feels the need to be by themselves while at the same time has an eternal longing for the perfect mate or companion.
Above all else, Aces are individuals and need time to themselves to explore who they are on a basic level. Yet, with an abundance of masculine energy expressed as action and accomplishment, Aces tend to find themselves in the reflection of their accomplishments and awards instead of looking within. They are here to learn self-acceptance. Aces need to sit still long enough to look in the mirror and discover what they have been yearning for all along was always inside them.
From the individuality of the ONE comes the unity of the TWO.
The number TWO is represented in many ancient languages with two parallel and equal lines, for example, the Roman numeral ll. The number 2 can be traced back to the Brahmin Indians, who wrote "2" as two horizontal lines. The modern Chinese and Japanese languages still use this method.
This number of unity was so important that in the Old Testament of the Bible, God ordered Noah to put two of every animal in his ark. As so it goes in the face value of the Cards of Life. Twos seek union and want to harmonize and merge with another. Twos like companionship, relationships, and cooperation. The “deuce” also symbolizes contracts, meetings, and partnerships.
Look around, our world is a divine play of union and duality. Our reality is a matrix of opposites, like black or white, positive or negative, good or bad, blended together in varying amounts that creates our living universe. In nature we see duality expressed in numerous ways:
♦ Day/Night
♦ Hot/Cold
♦ Male/Female
♦ Yin/Yang
♦ Life/Death
♦ Peace/ War
♦ Up/Down
♦ Young/ Old
♦ Poverty/Wealth
♦ Friend/Enemy
♦ Joy/Sorrow
Two is not only a number of duality but is also of balance. For example, duality is expressed in the sexual energy as males and females seek to find balance by being with someone who is a complement to themselves. When we add One to One, we get Two and things come back into balance and are equal. With the Two, the drive and passion of the Ace find its complement and balance. Finding balance is what Twos are all about.
Twos are very interesting people as most would much rather be with anyone than to be alone. While Aces enjoy time alone, Twos will seek out a friend or partner at every opportunity to fulfill their desire for companionship and the closeness that relationships with another can offer. This brings their life back into balance.
Twos love to create relationships. They bond with others and make them feel part of their lives. In the process, people feel accepted and wanted; they feel that they have found a place in their life, a home of sorts, where they feel at ease and cared for. Successful relationships are where Twos find the most satisfaction. If their relationships suffer, they usually suffer as well. Twos have a hard time separating themselves from their relationships. If things get out of balance, a Two might smother and manipulate those they care for. If they are not aware of their deep drive for completion with others, they play out this behavior subconsciously.
This is where the low side of the Twos reveals itself—their fear. They need someone to be there with them or they don't feel complete. This fear shows up from their feeling of not being whole and complete without another. Their personal identity is lost without a best friend, spouse or partner. This fear of being alone and not having someone in their life can lead to co-dependent behavior. Many Twos will stay in a relationship even if it is abusive and detrimental to their own well-being. Their fear of being alone, and of the unknown, far outweighs their fear of being abused, betrayed, hurt or abandoned.
You will find that other Twos will go to extremes in love, often alternating between long periods of having no one and then falling head over heels in love with someone new. When they do fall in love in this manner, it is usually with someone who does not deserve or even want so much love. Many Twos attract someone who simply cannot return their love, so the Two will try to make up for what their partner lacks. Unfortunately, it’s the partner who benefits in the end and the Twos high hopes fall short and they feel cheated. The pain of such lessons is why some Twos avoid love for long time periods.
Another interesting facet of Twos is they think like computers that operate on a binary system. Twos can be logical and very mental in their relationships. We find that all Twos are smart and create elaborate intellectual defenses against anyone trying to find out their true needs and motives. Twos are argumentative and use their logic like a weapon. They can pick someone apart, reminding them of all their shortcomings. Twos can be the best and worst arguers. The best in that their explanations and conclusions seem impenetrable; the worst in that they deprive themselves by building strong walls around themselves, alienating those around them.
This argumentative behavior allows Twos to place blame on their partner and to avoid their own feelings, which is where the answers to their problems lie. The Two of Clubs♣ and Two of Diamonds♦ are commonly known for this behavior. We can also see how this Two energy operates with the King of Hearts♥, as their Challenging Karma Card (-KC) is the Two of Clubs♣.
So why is the Two of Clubs♣ so fearful? Their Challenging Karma Card (-KC) is the Ace of Spades♠, commonly referred to as the “death” card. There is something in a past life regarding death and dying that created a fear so strong that they are here in this lifetime to resolve. This fear is their karma in this lifetime. Two of Clubs♣ people can be so afraid of death that it can ruin their life. Some are fearful of germs, causing them to wash their hands compulsively; some will not even use public restrooms. Others have a fear of flying and cannot travel on vacations or visit friends and family.
This behavior can be quite perplexing as the Two of Clubs♣ is usually very outgoing and very friendly because they want you to be with them. Yet, once they have you, they want to argue. The Two of Clubs♣ fear runs very deep. Remember the Ace of Spades♠ is a card of secrets and hidden things. On the outside, Two of Clubs♣ people appear that they have their life completely together and are fearless. On the inside, they don’t know why they behave this way and it drives them crazy. Imagine a logical computer trying to figure out why it is acting illogically. When you meet Two of Clubs♣ people, they will try to fool you and keep their secret hidden from you. Only they know the private hell they go through.
Ironically, not all Two of Clubs♣ are in relationships. They may need or even want a relationship but are afraid to go out and start one. They don't want to deal with their fears because most don’t understand why they act the way they do. They can't make sense of it and it scares them. Their logical mind kicks in and convinces them that they don’t need a relationship. They try to justify their behavior believing that they do not really need a relationship. Nothing could be further from the truth. No matter what they say or how they act, their primary urge in this lifetime is to find completion and union with another.
When they finally reach inside themselves to see their patterns of unhappiness and accept who they really are, inner peace and happiness can be achieved. Their eternal tug of war between being in a relationship and out of a relationship can end. Their desperate need for friendship and affection, love and touching, can be openly acknowledged. We find that the happy Two is the one who accepts his or her needs for a complementary relationship and goes about creating it in a healthy, balanced way.
Once the Two of Clubs♣ person looks closely at themselves, overcomes their fears, and willing faces the Ace of Spades♠ that has haunted them, they can use that same card, like a spade in the garden of life, to dig deeper. One particular Two of Clubs♣ woman overcame her fear of death by doing hospice work and helping people as they "die." If Two of Clubs♣ people are willing to dig deep enough, they can become enlightened and discover the secrets of the universe.
From the unity of the TWO comes the opportunities and creativity of the THREE.
As the evolution of numbers in playing cards continues, we add the One to the Two to derive the THREE (1+2=3). In the Cards of Life, the magic of the Three is revealed in its dimensions of fate: past, present, and future; and in its facets with the deck of playing cards: color, suit, and number.
In real life, the Three shows us new ways to doings things and new avenues to take us there. Each time we add One to a Two, it upsets the balance. Two was perfect before. It is much like a couple who decide to have a baby—it upsets the balance. For a Three person, Two is not enough; there is never enough. The Three shows up and wants to add to what already was. They want to offer new ways of doings things, new ways of thinking, and want something different. This is how a Three person is. They are always looking for something new, something better—be it a different flavor, a different scent, a different color. They are the very expression of creation and are very easily bored. Threes never settle for the status quo.
As the twelfth card of the deck, Queens are also Threes numerologically (Queen = 12 = 1 + 2 = 3). They, too, have a lot of Three energy and bore quite easily. Between the Queen of Diamonds♦ and the Queen of Clubs♣, they have all of the Threes in the deck in their life scripts.
Peace and contentment are challenges for all the odd-numbered Life Cards. Since they evolve from evenness of the number preceding them, balance and stability is disrupted. The Three emerges from the completion of the Two, leaving many of them dissatisfied with what they have. This dissatisfaction is especially true in their personal relationships. This characteristic should not be looked at as a quality that is defective or to be faulted. This is just the way it is for Three people because of the evolution of the numbers. A Three never wants to return to the Two. No matter how hard they try, a Three is never totally happy going back to the pair. Keep in mind that everyone at some point will experience what it is like to be a Three when the 3♥, 3♣, 3♦ and 3♠ cards show up their weekly, yearly and 7-year scripts.
The odd numbers of the deck always represent an imbalance and seek balance through the creation of something else. The odd numbers are essentially masculine in nature. They are restless, flexible, resourceful, innovative and highly creative, and always in motion. Whether male or female, a Three will exhibit this creative drive that seeks expression. Peace and satisfaction for them come through some form of action or accomplishment on the material level.
Like the Ace, the Three, is a number of creative expression. The Ace is seeking its identity and asks, “Who am I?” as it is in search of self. Threes are similar but they want to express new things all the time. They can’t settle on one thing as they are meant to explore new ideas and experiment. Threes are here to gain experience. They say, “Look at all the things I can create and produce. Look at the new ideas I came up with!” Threes want to be acknowledged for their creativity and coming up with new ideas.
Three of Hearts 3♥ is creative expression with relationships.
Three of Clubs 3♣ is creative expression with communication.
Three of Diamonds 3♦ is creative expression with finances.
Three of Spades 3♠ is creative expression in the arts.
Perfect outlets for a Three's abundant creativity includes art, music and writing. Many of them become successful in one or more of these fields. Threes need at least one of these outlets if they are to achieve inner satisfaction or realize their birthright. For the Three, the urge is for self-expression and variety is very strong. It allows them to have several projects or jobs going at the same time. They crave variety and are well adapted to leave one project they are working on to switch to a second or third if they get bored and keep going. This method happens to be one of the successful strategies for Threes.
Threes are quite resourceful and can come up with answers and solutions to almost any problem that confronts them. If you need a good idea, talk to a Three. Because they are generators of ideas, thoughts and feelings, Threes are usually working on several projects at one time, but a multitude of their concepts will see the light of day. The Three person just doesn’t have the time or energy to start working on them all, much less complete them. However, the Three needs to see at least some of their ideas come to fruition or they just end up going from one job to another and never finish anything. Lack of accomplishment ultimately leads to misery and depression.
Threes are flirtatious and often quite talkative. They can relate to many different types of people, cultures and concepts because they are so flexible. Yet Threes tend to have trouble staying with a partner in their personal relationships because they usually get bored. They demand freedom to explore possibilities that life offers and like to experience a great deal of variety in partners. They also experience indecision about their romantic life. If a Three does not play out this behavior themselves, then they attract others who will. Threes love their freedom and may subconsciously choose partners that won’t commit because it is really them that don’t want to commit.
Interestingly, Threes love romance and love affairs because of their creativity and self-expression. Worried about not having enough love in their life can contribute to Threes' infidelity. Their worrisome nature, especially the Three of Hearts♥ person, causes them to feel that there is just not enough love, money, good health, etc. in the world. For the Three of Diamonds♦, this usually manifests as worry about finances, but can include their romantic lives as well. The worried Three may reason that if they have two or more lovers, they will have less chance of running out of love when they need it. This type of thinking explains why they tend to shy away from commitment and long-term relationships.
We saw in the previous chapter that the low side of the Two is fear. The low side for the Three is indecision and worry, which manifests when they are not generating ideas and being creative. Another down side to consider with Threes is their challenge in being settled long enough to attract money and wealth easily. Their good ideas need follow-through to be successful and bring the financial rewards they seek. Threes lack what comes naturally to a Four person: good organization, setting boundaries, establishing foundations, management skills and focused working abilities. By the very nature of their number, Threes are often deprived of security and can suffer from low self-esteem.
Despite what appears to be a complicated and confused individual, Threes are 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 learn to be optimistic and have faith that they will make the “right” choice. By doing so, they are recognized for their creative ideas and ability to communicate them. Many of them have already made a real impact on the world with their creative gifts, especially in the entertainment industry, and audiences everywhere have the opportunity admire Threes for their contributions.
From the opportunities and creativity of the THREE comes the structure and stability of the FOUR.
The Two brought about the stability and balance in partnerships. The Three was about getting out there and exploring. When we take our Three and add One, we get the FOUR (3+1=4). As the evolution of numbers in playing cards continues, we have stability once again.
Four is one of the most stable numbers in the deck and is represented by a square. Squares and its 3-D version, a box, have a solid foundation and, by their very nature, are hard to tip over. Four is fixed and solid as a rock. Look around and you may see that Four people tend to have solid frames and look sturdy too, especially the Four of Spades♠. They look very solid, like a football player with the wide shoulders, and have a nice, round face. American Hollywood actor, Dwayne Johnson, calls himself “The Rock.” Is it any surprise that this former football player turned wrestler is a Four of Spades♠? His birthday is May 2, 1972.
Just like the Twos, we see Fours throughout nature as well:
♦ 4 seasons: spring, summer, autumn, winter
♦ 4 directions: north, south, east, west
♦ 4 elements: fire, air, water, and earth
♦ 4 aspects of self: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual
♦ 4 aspects of matter: solid, liquid, gas, plasma
There are also the four human functions: sensation, feeling, logical thought and intuition (based on the Myers-Briggs Personality Inventory); the four suits of Tarot: Wands, Cups, Pentacles, and Swords; and, of course, the four suits of playing cards: Hearts♥, Clubs♣, Diamonds♦ and Spades♠.
Four means security and Fours will fight for that security. They understand its value. Others feel safe and secure in their presence. Someone who has a lot of Three energy will find the presence of a Four to be a welcomed relief as Fours bring peace and tranquility. It is not the final resting place, however, just a place along the way where there is stability.
In Sacred Symbols of the Ancients by Edith L. Randall and Florence Campbell, they explain, “4 is the symbol for Earth, the 4th “element”. We “fell” into “matter” that we might work our way out of it, so we know that despite the security and protection that surrounds us, there is no idleness within the God-given enclosure that is 4. We are to build a firm and unassailable foundation (4); we are to labor (4) with concentration (4) and diligence (4) and secure (4) for ourselves the right to work out our pattern in freedom from unconquerable obstacles, poverty, heartache and failure. We must bear in mind that 4 is the number of Saturn, and that he hands out rewards if and when they are earned—and only so.”
When we look around, we’ll find that there is nothing that offers the feeling of security and safety more than the square we live in called a “house.” A house is a four. It is four-sided and typically made of rooms with four walls. It is built out of little four-sided bricks and pieces of wood. Practically everything in a house is four-sided and provides the foundation for the security that Fours seek. Some people, like Threes and Fives, may abhor the responsibility and routine that comes with home ownership and may not want to acknowledge their need for security and stability.
Building home and hearth are the things that make Fours happy, providing them the foundation to build on for themselves, their families, and their future. However, many Fours are overly security conscious. A Four person who is not meeting their own inner requirements of work and commitment can become the controller who tries to keep everyone from doing anything that might upset their little box of a world they have created.
Protection is another keyword for the number Four. If a Four becomes fearful and goes overboard with their security issues, they end up creating a very secure prison for themselves and those they care for. Fours can, indeed, be very controlling and may try to push their philosophy on those around them. They genuinely feel that if it works for them, then it should work for you too.
To others, however, the Four seems very stubborn because they are so fixed. For example, a boss who micro-manages his or her business may get so overly concerned with details and organization that they fail to see the big picture. They may, in fact, do things that are counterproductive to the company's goals. Possibilities for expansion and too much growth can represent a real threat to their sense of security. Fours are usually not the most creative people, nor are they the most farsighted or broadminded. No one will fight harder to keep things the same than a Four. To them, if things are working well, why change them?
Keep in mind that not all four of the Fours dislike change. They only fight against change if it seems to threaten their sense of security. Interestingly, the 4♣ and 4♦ can be open-minded because both of them have Fives as their Negative, Challenging Karma Cards (-KC): 5♣ for the 4♣ and the 5♠ for the 4♦. They also like to travel, which is typical of a Five. The Five Karma Cards explain why these two Fours have the most difficulty in not only doing their work but also being happy about it. The 4♣ and 4♦ are conflicted between the happiness their work brings and the desire to just take off and leave everything behind.
Four is a solid number and considered the number of luck and good fortune. Sometimes, Fours can feel too lucky and wind up feeling smug, complacent, and even stubborn. Positively expressed, Fours symbolize satisfaction. While negatively expressed, Fours are lazy and bored. If they do work hard throughout their lives, they will find their later years are blessed with the money and the freedom to travel and enjoy the good life with little work involved. Letting go of their struggle mentality is the best thing they can do and realize that sometimes good things can come without effort.
From the stability of the FOUR comes the restlessness and change of the FIVE.
As creation continues to create through its evolution of numbers in the playing cards, a One is added to the Four and once more the balance is disrupted with the emergence of the FIVE (4+1=5). With the Four, we worked hard to create the foundation needed to have order and security. Just as we begin to get comfortable and feel safe with our achievements being the Four, along comes that One masculine energy again to stirs things up and make everything feel restless once more. The satisfaction of home and hearth are no longer enough. Creation wants to experience more in life. It wants adventure.
The Fives in many ways represent the teenage years of life; a time when one wants to leave the safety and security of home and go out to explore and find something more. The teenage years are a time when we yearn for personal freedom and self-expression. This energy can continue into our twenties as well, as we are curious about the world around us and want to have new experiences, explore foreign lands, meet new people and learn other languages. This is time when we look to the unconventional and unrestricted, especially in areas of relationships, sexuality, religion, spirituality, and even politics.
Fives are enthusiastic agents of change and adventure. The Five does not want to go back to being a Four, just like a Three never wants to return to the Two. Again, this is the evolution of the numbers in creation. By its very nature, creation wants something new, something different. To a Five, the memory of a Four still lingers. Security now feels like a prison and they know, consciously or subconsciously, that they need to find something new, different and exciting.
Edith Randall and Florence Campbell state in their book, Sacred Symbols of the Ancients, that if you look carefully at the formation of the spots on a Five playing card that you will see a cross. “Life experience is of necessity a cross. Changes and surprises we regard with disfavor since it is but human to fear the unfamiliar or unknown. We may regard the 5 solely in this light if we choose to--but the wise ones recognize Change as Growth, the release from the well-worn rut as Opportunity." They go on to say that:
HEARTS ♥ have the problem of unsatisfied emotions
CLUBS ♣ of a chronic mental restlessness—no peace
DIAMONDS ♦ of money that is never enough
SPADES ♠ of ill-paid labor
The Five of Clubs♣ is the most challenged card in terms of being that way because they have a Five of Hearts♥ Negative, Challenging Karma Card (-KC). A life with double Fives is rough—like living in revolving door. They never know if they are coming or going. One single Five of Clubs♣ woman that I know is in her late 50’s and has never had a job for more than 18 months. This is the life of a Five. Now don’t laugh because at some point you will have this card in your scripts as well. The high side of this Five card is the true adventurer, the type who gets a broad view of the world by experience. They are the gatherer of experiences. Randall and Campbell go on about Fives to say, “They want change because they do not want what they have, but as soon as the change is made--still fearful of what lies ahead--they want to change the change. There is always the change that more freedom lies up ahead--and Freedom is their battle-cry.”
Fives indicate a time of dissatisfaction as well as a time for a change. Change demands that we let go of the old to make way for the new. In the four suits of the cards, it basically plays out as the following:
Five of Hearts 5♥ - change of heart
Five of Clubs 5♣ - change of mind or plans
Five of Diamonds 5♦ - change of values
Five of Spades 5♠ - change of lifestyle
The restlessness of a Five can be easily be satisfied by simply taking a trip or vacation. A trip brings in a new experience and creates fresh energy and a new outlook. When most people go on vacation, they return with a new perspective and a new way of looking at life. Travel can definitely satisfy that urge for change which is why all the Fives in our cards correspond to a change in lifestyle, a move, travel, or trips. Fives thrive when they travel to foreign countries and meet new people and broaden their horizons. The Five constantly seeks to expand itself and to discover what else lies beyond the security of home. The feeling of adventure and excitement that comes from travel feeds their soul on a level that most Fours cannot relate to. In many cases, people with Five Life Cards exhibit such an extreme quest for new experiences that it is difficult for those around them to understand their motives. Fives often take great risks and endure tremendous hardships, all in the name of adventure.
Five means stepping up to a new level of our evolution; being ready to move out of stability and expand our world and our perspective of reality. Five is the number of adventure and of seeking new experiences in the realm of duality. The high side of a Five offers us an outgoing influence that brings new things or new people or new situations. It can also indicate socializing and meeting new people. Traveling, having new experiences, gathering new information, wisdom, and so forth.
The low side or challenge that comes with being a Five is a great deal of restlessness and dissatisfaction. Fives will often just get up, leave or even move to a new location when a restless urge overtakes them. Unlike other cards, even the other odd-numbered ones, Fives feel as though they have no real home. Home is the domain of the Four, and the Five is the number which has just evolved out of the Four. For a Five 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. That is part of the evolution of numbers from the Four to the Five in the Cards of Life.
Freedom is the most important word in their vocabulary. Anything that hampers their freedom usually causes them to rebel or simply leave. To Fives, settling for a “normal” life is like saying that they want to go to prison. Commitments in personal relationships tend to hamper their sense of freedom. As a group, Fives are some of the least marriageable of all the cards. A Five in relationship always wonders if one person can truly satisfy their need to gather experiences in the area of love. More often than not, the answer is no.
Fives may prefer to live with a person for a number of years without any formal commitments or contracts. Now obviously some of them do get married, but they usually like to leave some options open. Many prefer to be in relationships where they have a lot of time alone, personal freedom and travel frequently. Marrying someone who travels for a living is also common theme for Fives. These discontented Fives are usually attracted the other cards, for example, Threes, Q♣, and Q♦, who also dislike commitments and thrive on fluctuations, variety, and travel.
Now you may ask with all this constant change, how can a Five ever be happy when they go from one job, relationship or living situation to another, over and over again? This behavior is certainly not what society considers being respectable, reliable or even honorable. Fives just have to fully accept who they are and that's it. Yet we find many of them are constantly in conflict with themselves. Being different from the "norm" often leaves a Five person feeling insecure because they haven't pursued anything or anyone long enough to make a success of it. This discontented feeling creates an inner conflict because at times many Fives do have the urge for financial and romantic security. The happiest Fives are those who claim their birthright and understand that this world is nothing more than an extraordinary place for them to explore. Learning and gaining from their experiences brings them joy, satisfaction and even wisdom. Since wisdom only comes through direct experience, when we talk to a Five person, we are talking to someone who has definitely "been there and done that!"
While restless and usually dissatisfied, Fives by design are also interested in growth and opportunities. So how can they settle down long enough to make their lives a success? In the book, The Power of Playing Cards, authors Geri Sullivan and Saffi Crawford also discuss the Fives of the deck. “Usually you are progressive, with fast reactions and an ability to adjust yourself to new situations. It may be necessary, however, for you to channel some of your restlessness or impatience into enterprising projects or developing your sense of adventure. Opportunities for travel or exciting ventures can also stir your enthusiasm and desire for action.” Sullivan and Crawford offer this advice, “By developing your perseverance and sense of purpose you can avoid drifting through life never quite finding your true vocation. Although you usually enjoy meeting new people and seeing different places, guard against boredom or doing things on the spur of the moment that might be regretted later. Nonetheless, it does usually help you to change your regular routine to keep fresh and vital or to put some of your excess adrenaline into physical activities such a walking and sports. At best you can be self-disciplined and focused, with a sharp mind and swift responses.”
It is said that Five is one of the most important of all the numbers because it is "the number of man" and, more than any other number in the Cards of Life, symbolizes the human race and some of the physical attributes of the human body. We have five fingers on each hand, five toes on each foot, five holes in our head (nostrils, mouth and ears), five senses and also have five appendages (head, arms and legs). As a race of beings, we have a prevailing theme of constantly exploring, seeking out different experiences and trying different forms of personal expression. We are constantly in motion, with each generation seeking to improve on their parents' generation. Progress and improvement are keywords for Fives. All of us at some level exhibit Five characteristics by the fact that we are a member of the human race, although our Life Card may be a more stable Two, Four or Six.
Generally speaking, humans are restless, changeable. They need a certain amount of stimulation, excitement and new experiences to be happy. Thus they often travel whenever possible and enjoy meeting new people. As a species, humanity is a Five. The human race is all about change and change is our destiny here on this planet. Ironically, most people are afraid of change and it can invoke tremendous fear, especially when we are older. Yet, no matter what we fear personally, and even collectively, mankind is destined to change and evolve in each and every moment of each and every day. None of us came into the world to remain the same. It is absolutely impossible to stay the same. Change we must. If we would just change our attitudes about change, then life could be fun, adventurous, thrilling and quite exhilarating, even in the midst of change.
From the restlessness and changes of the FIVE comes the need to adjust to the value of the SIX.
Exhausted from all the change and restlessness of the Five, the SIX wants to rest and doesn't want to move forward. The past needs to be reevaluated and reflected upon. They need to stop, look and listen. Creation add the One (1) to the Five (5) to bring the numbers back into balance with the Six (1+5=6).
When we get to the Six, we're looking at a higher expression or octave of the remaining cards. It still follows the basic rules that the Six is in balance and the Seven and Nine are out of balance. However, the meanings start to evolve even higher than the previous cards. It is no longer the basic One, Two, Three, Four, and Five that we looked at earlier. The evolution of numbers in the cards now becomes a little more complex when we get to the face value of the Six.
Sixes bring forth issues from our past--feelings, thoughts, finances and even health issues--that we may not have dealt with up until now. All the different areas of life are brought into balance with the Six and, for that reason, it is called the “karmic” number. All Sixes are the result of past actions. When we bring up the word “karma”, many people become afraid but keep in mind that karma can bring positive rewards, too. For better or for worse, debts have to be repaid and life brought back into balance.
In Sacred Symbols of the Ancients, authors Edith Randall and Florence Campbell state that “Sixes have a special significance. They are symbols of the Law—each from a different aspect. They are therefore karmic in operation, universal in application. Those who have 6 as a birth card have a mission in life rather than a vocation; they are examples rather than independent operators. The emblem of 6 is the Double Trinity—As Above, So Below—the divine reflected in the human.” They go on to explain “Numerologically, 6 is the cosmic parent, the guardian and comforter, the educator and director, the shelterer and protector. It is union and cooperation, adjustment and responsibility.”
For those of you who are familiar with numerology, you may have noticed by now how cardology basically combines numerology with the fours suits of the playing cards to derive the 52 characters we call the “Cards.” The similarities of Six people in the cards and in numerology are almost the same. In Love Numbers by Margaret Arnold, we can clearly see this holds true for Sixes. She states that people with the “Soul Urge 6” have the following characteristics:
♦ has a love of home and family
♦ has a natural healing ability, good in the health professions
♦ can be very loving
♦ can handle a lot of responsibility
♦ likes to argue, but does not want anyone to go away hurt
♦ is very conscious of what things look like
♦ wants beauty, comfort, peace and harmony, might be artistic
♦ likes music and can be musical, may have a good singing voice
♦ likes neatness
♦ has much interest in clothes
♦ has much confidence
♦ likes to work with others
♦ likes to do things that are domestic
♦ likes quality
♦ may be a comforter and peacemaker for others
♦ may be a good speaker
Most of these characteristics describe the Sixes in the Cards of Life. Sixes want to create peace and do see themselves as the peacemakers. They naturally see themselves as the ones to create harmony. They like everything around them to be kept nice and soft. Keeping a sense of balance in area part of life, Sixes tend not to like large, overly enthusiastic displays of emotion or behavior. Sixes craves peace and yet, have to be careful not to get into a rut. Even for Sixes, life can become boring if everything is too quiet, too peaceful, and too balanced.
Interestingly, the same thing can easily happen to you when a Six shows up in your weekly or yearly scripts. You may find yourself in a rut and wishing to escape but you can't find a way out. Sixes are extremely difficult for any of the Five Life Cards to endure. Fives go crazy when things won't change. However, there are times when some stability provides a welcome relief for those who are experiencing a lot of Fives in a short period of time. Sixes provide some peace, relaxation, and a smoothing out or evenness to our affairs. Remember that a Six guarantees that what is happening is always just and fair. For those living on more spiritual level, Sixes in your scripts may no longer be about a karmic slap on the face for something you did previously, but becoming aware of your life purpose. A Six can bring the turning of the hand of fate.
All Sixes are here to learn about responsibility. This is their Life Card and it will remain with them until they pass from this life to the next. The Law of Karma simply says that what you give is what you will receive. A person whose Life Card have the face value of Six (6) has to endure karmic pay backs, and some pay backs are not very pleasant at all. Some of the more negative karmic pay backs include:
Six of Hearts 6♥ - learn about responsibility in their relationships and in love. Betrayal and even rape are common paybacks.
Six of Clubs 6♣ - learn how to be responsible for what they say and being responsible for their beliefs. Their lies and deceptions will come back to haunt them.
Six of Diamonds 6♦ - learn to be responsible with finances. They can make and lose tremendous amounts of money at different points in their life. Bankruptcy and larceny are common paybacks.
Six of Spades 6♠ – learn to be more responsible regarding their work and health. Accidents, injuries, disabilities, retardations and even murder are common paybacks.
Ironically, you will find that a Six can either be super responsible or totally irresponsible and there usually is no in between. For example, the super responsible Six of Diamonds♦ are the ones that pay their debts ahead of time and the irresponsible ones can't be trusted at all. The irresponsible ones will continue to have problems whenever they try to get something for nothing, or when they expect others to take care of them. Typically you will find that a Six of Diamonds♦ is a person you can lend money to and know that it will be repaid. They will worry about this debt and it will be like an obsession to them until they have paid it back. Many Nine of Clubs♣ are this way as well because the Six of Diamonds♦ is their Positive, Supporting Karma Card (+KC), making financial responsibility something that comes naturally to them. I know one 9♣ college student who took out a life insurance policy to make sure her schools debts were paid in case she died before she could pay them off.
Sixes know about fate and destiny and theirs is the number of fate. They sense that much of their life is fated because of their actions in lives past. Destiny does eventually come to them, but usually after long periods of waiting. Of all the Sixes, the life of the Six of Spades♠ is more fated and they don't have as much choice in life. It's like their life is just preprogrammed and out of their control.
An interesting characteristic about Sixes is their psychic ability. A life in stasis and balance allows the mind to be more calm and open to receive. Because they make peace a priority in their life, they have a more highly attuned psychic ability and are in a better position to hear the voice within. Even when they bored, their ability for psychic hits or impressions is heightened. A Three or Five person rarely gets to this level of psychic ability because they are so busy running around.
Another interesting characteristic about the Six is brought up by Robert Camp in Love Cards, “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.”
NOTE: In numerology, the Six represents two Threes. It represents balance and the scales of justice. The paying of karma is nothing more than the balancing of the scales. The six-pointed star is commonly associated with the number Six, the number of karma and fate. The two triangles, representing the polarities of male and female, fire and water, spiritual and material are perfectly interlocked and represent balance.
In The Mystic Test Book, author Olney H. Richmond describes The Mystic Star of the Magi. “The Star is composed of 2 equilateral triangles, one dark and one light, representing Darkness and Light of astronomy or the body and soul or physical and spiritual in nature.” Richmond goes on to explain most of the symbols inside the star and concludes, “All this leads us to an intelligent consideration of the true nature and meaning of the symbolism used in the test book. We find that it consists of a union of the symbols of time, of numbers, of human relations, of spirituality, geometrical forms and astronomy, all within a small compact space without words to be misconstrued, misunderstood or mistranslated.”
From the reflection and responsibility of the SIX comes the stress and worry of the SEVEN.
Once again we find ourselves at the place where creation has to evolve and add to its last creation, the Six. When we add One (1) to the Six (6), its balance and stasis is disrupted as the SEVEN emerges (6+1=7). A Seven upsets the equilibrium of the Six. Seven is another odd number that is not at rest, not at peace. Every time a number emerges, something new and different is created in the evolution of the cards. A new face value is added to the deck. As another of the odd numbers, Seven represents movement away from the stability of the Six. At its very essence, the Seven in the Cards of Life represents faith and trust.
In the Master Life Script under the rulership of the seven planets, also known as the seven “planetary stages,” there are seven rows down (called horizontal lines) and seven columns (called vertical lines) across with the Sun Line of three cards sitting on top. The seventh row and the seventh column are both ruled by Neptune. The intersection of the Neptune row and Neptune column is called the Neptune/Neptune Planetary Stage. In our personal scripts, weekly, yearly, 7-year and life, the seventh card is called the Neptune Card. The intersection of the Neptune row and Neptune column is called the Neptune/Neptune Planetary Stage.
These placements may in fact help to explain why it can be difficult to understand this “spiritual” number. Neptune is “extra-sensory” and so is the Seven; the cold, logical approach of the mundane world no longer works on its own. The Sevens are about moving away from logical thinking and dealing with the spiritual realms. This can be illustrated by taking all the cards from one suit and laying them out from the Ace to the King from left to right. As you can see the Seven is in the middle. Sevens feel like they are walking a tight wire, trying to stay centered between the material, mundane world and the spiritual world. Faith is what gets them from one point to another. If not, they will be met face on with fear.
Sevens can't solve problems with the normal methods. Threes and Fives can at least choose to settle down, focus on one thing, and have security. Sevens can't. Being a Seven, or having a Seven in our scripts, means we have to have faith and trust. We have to know in our heart that everything can and will be taken care of. That is the gift and the blessing of the Seven.
The question is how many people in our world today can honestly say they can live by faith alone when so many are attached to a person, idea, car, home, money, job, reputation, religion, family or even their health? Sevens in our scripts will challenge that. A Seven asks, “Can I take all this away from you at any time and you’ll still feel safe?” If we are attached to material things and having security, then we are going to be very scared when a Seven shows up in our scripts. A Seven will show us just how attached we are and how to really live in faith. Sevens on the high side represent freedom from fear and freedom from attachment. Sevens on the low side:
Seven of Hearts ♥ fear around love
Seven of Clubs ♣ fear around mental things
Seven of Diamonds ♦ fear around finances
Seven of Spades ♠ fear around work and health
Since the Seven of Hearts 7♥ is afraid of being betrayed and abandoned, they have to ask themselves, “Can I go on living my life even though my spouse has cheated on me and left me for a younger person? Can I trust that I will find someone who truly loves me?”
Since the Seven of Clubs 7♣ is afraid of being deceived and looks at life on the negative side, they have to ask themselves, “Can I go on living my life when there are so many bad people and so many bad things happening in the world? Can I ever see that the cup is half full and not always half empty?”
Since the Seven of Diamonds 7♦ is afraid of not having enough money, they have to ask themselves “Can I go on living my life even though my business just failed and I had to file bankruptcy and the economy is down? Can I even survive without a car or a cell phone?”
Since the Seven of Spades 7♠ is worried about their health and well being, they have to ask themselves “Can I go on living with all my health problems and messed up body from so many accidents and operations? Can I ever feel happy to be alive now that I am disabled or handicapped?”
Even if your Life Card is not a Seven, at some time in your life these Sevens will show up. How will you answer these questions when faced with similar circumstances? Do you have the faith that it takes to move through these times with joy, trust, and know that everything will work out?
Olney H. Richmond in his book, The Mystic Test Book, shows us that there is only one way to deal with this card because of the way the pips are organized on the face of the card. He states, “The seven is trouble, from one way only. Approach it from another direction and the trouble disappears.” Richmond goes on to explain, “Some of our students have been at a loss to understand how it could be, that seven, a sacred number representing spirit, should indicate trouble. The explanation is this: The spiritual and material are, as one might say, antipodes of each other. Sevens do not indicate spiritual trouble, but material. Some of the most advanced persons, in a spiritual way, have the most trouble from material surroundings and environments, being antagonistic to their natures.”
Olney Richmond continues to explain more about the “spiritual” Sevens, “This is a natural law, and I can advise all, from my own experience, that, if they wish to become rich in this world’s goods, they had better let their spiritual nature remain undeveloped and dwarfed. A “mystic” lays up his treasure in heaven and not upon the earth.” Richmond concludes, “He deals in coin that can be taken out with him into the grander life beyond the grave, and he knows full well that “shrouds have no pockets.””
In The Science of Numbers, author Robert Lee Camp says that Seven of Clubs♣ has negative mental patterns already ingrained in the person before they get here. They don't get it from their parents, or the environment. People with this Life Card are just born that way. They can be worrisome worry warts. Only people, who know these Seven of Clubs♣ people personally and intimately, know how much they worry. Camp goes on to explain that the Seven of Clubs♣ can be enlightened and then turn around and be worried like crazy. The Seven of Clubs♣ can be extremely critical and negative or a combination of both. “You are talking about a soul who is struggling with being a Seven. They are struggling to be free of fear but they come into this life with a pattern of fear.” We just witnessed this mental struggle in the tragic death of actor and comedian Robin Williams whose Life Card was a Seven of Clubs♣. Another recent celebrity suicide is that of fashion designer of Kate Spade, whose card was a Seven of Hearts♥, who struggled with anxiety and depression for years and with her husband's betrayal.
Authors Edith Randall and Florence Campbell in Sacred Symbols of the Ancients say that Seven is the number of the soul. In silence, peace and self-examination, Sevens move toward perfection. When they are critical, suspicious, and judge others on face-value, they open the door to their own problems and difficulties. They say, “There are no ‘young souls’ with a 7 Birth Card. All know that theirs is the quest for Truth.”
There are many symbols, concepts and things represented by the number 7:
7 Chakras
7 Archangels
7 Continents
7 Days of Creation
7 Day of the Week
7 Wonders of the World
7 Colors in the Spectrum
7 Notes on the Musical Scale
7 Days of the Feast of Passover
The number 7 is quite a magical and spiritual number, indeed. During the course of their life, Sevens walk a fine line between the material and the spiritual and often get the chance to experience both. True happiness and contentment are achieved when they are in the spiritual side of life, knowing that all of their needs are being provided for. Being carefree and full of wonder opens their connection to a higher source, which guarantees that they will be taken care of. Appreciation of the splendor in their life allows them to be worry-free and experience higher states of spiritual consciousness.
When Sevens spends too much time in the mundane world, afraid of not having enough, they are met with untold problems and challenges. Feeling insecure and unloved, they worry and this worry tortures them. Living in a world where they perceive that where there just isn't enough, Sevens can become depressed and morose. Some of them develop very negative attitudes that only perpetuate their misery. Miserable or miserly are terms that accurately describe the Sevens operating on the mundane side of their personality. Sevens have to walk and live in truth or suffer greatly as a result. In an effort to protect themselves, Sevens will try to manipulate others and their environment, but this behavior only makes matters worse.
An interesting point about Sevens is that most of the them have power cards as their Negative, Challenging Karma Card (-KC). The 7♥ has the 8♥, the 7♣ has the 8♦and the 7♠ has the K♦. These cards indicate the misuse of power in a former incarnation. People with these cards in their life script 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.
As you can see, Sevens are constantly challenged in life and it is not an easy path for most of them. However, the opportunities to experience higher states of consciousness are available. True spiritual enlightenment and freedom from the cares and worries of the world are theirs to claim if they choose to do so.
The unattached Seven can live a magical life indeed, where things just come to them when they need it. Carefree and full of joy, these people are giving and understand their needs will be met. Many are engaged in helping others and capable of great deeds in their service to humanity and the planet.
From the stress and worry of the SEVEN come the power, strength and control of the EIGHT.
Life moves to a new level when we add One to the face value of the Seven (7+1=8) to derive the EIGHT. Equilibrium through evolution is achieved once more. Eight is another even number; one that is in balance and at rest. While Seven works within, the Eight goes out into the world and expands upon it.
Many see the number 8 as the joining of two spheres, the joining of Heaven and Earth. It is also considered a sign for infinity when it lies on its side. Yet, it was not always as we see it today. In the beginning, various groups in India wrote eight (8) in one stroke as a curve that looked like a lowercase h with the bottom half of the left line removed. Interestingly the letter H is the 8th letter of the English alphabet. At one point it evolved to look similar to our modern five (5). With the western Ghubar Arabs, the similarity of the glyph to the five (5) was banished by connecting the beginning and the end of stroke together. Later the Europeans rounded the glyph leading to our modern eight (8).
Now, drawing upon the foundation of the two Fours that make up the Eight, in its highest expression, the Eight is a master of personal power, money and business. The Eight is born to be a leader. The Eight is another materialistic number. Since the Four represents security, the Eight represents security times two. They have enough security for two people. They have power to cause change, to move things, to push whatever needs pushing. That is why Eights are often pushy and domineering. Eights like to be the boss and can be very bossy. Regardless of how they play their cards, every Eight person has to deal with the issue of power in their life.
Eights can effect change in whatever subject or direction they choose just by focusing their energies. With the face value of the Eight, we reach the number of fullness and the time of harvest. Eights are one of the strongest manifestations in the Cards of Life. The 8♥, 8♣, 8♦, and 8♠ are magnificent examples of what that suit can produce or create. Most Eights are hard workers and enjoy watching their power manifest things so well and so quickly.
In their book The Power of Playing Cards, authors Geri Sullivan and Saffi Crawford explain that Eights are concerned with accomplishment, material success, and self-empowerment. They are usually promoted to higher positions because of their dedication and perseverance. Eights prefer executive positions because they have courage and strong convictions to lead. Sullivan and Saffi go on to say that Eights need to watch how they use their position and influence. They may face tough opposition if they abuse the powers at their disposal. Being patient and tolerant can show their true power.
Like any of the gifts given in a Life Card, the power given to the Eight can be used or abused. You can look at any card in the deck and see individuals who are enlightened and use their energy in positive ways and then there are others who don't. Eights are faced with this choice about power 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. Another characteristic about Eights is that they love to feel power and see themselves as powerful. Many believe that they are the power and want to feel that power. It is like a drug and one can become addicted to the highs that having power brings.
Interestingly, Eights are sometimes more in a power struggle with themselves than with other people. In The Science of the Numbers, he says, “Ultimately, it is with themselves. Because anybody who is trying to control somebody else is in need of self-transformation. They want you to change but there's a need for them to change. And they can't or they won't or they don't want to. Ultimately, it's about their own transformation but from the outside it looks like it's a power struggle.”
Balancing and controlling power is not only the challenge of the Eight but something that we all must experience and learn. Everyone at some point in their life has to learn how to deal with power and how to use it responsibly. Eights work out their issues through power, through controlling things. At some point in time we will see these Eights show up in our own scripts as well. You'll be given some power, power to throw around and to see just how well you handle it.
Remember Eights are the number of will, strength, and force and must be handled with care. Eight is the number of work and gains through that work. In its positive expression, the Eights will get us back to where we want to be. In its negative expression, the Eights attempt to conquer, dominate and destroy.
The Eights in the four suits in the Cards of Life express their power as:
Eight of Hearts ♥ - Power in love
Eight of Clubs ♣ - Power of the mind
Eight of Diamonds ♦ - Power with money
Eight of Spades ♠ - Power in work and health
The Eight of Hearts♥ is often nicknamed the “playboy” card. They can just look at you, give you their undivided attention, and make you feel very special. That's the power of the Eight in the Hearts♥ suit. They are so charming and focus so much of their attention on you that you just want them. This intense feeling is emotionally powerful, overwhelming to those on the receiving end.
The Eight of Hearts♥ person will get a rush of power when they look at you with their piercing and penetrating eyes and shower you with love, attention, and affection.
The Eight of Clubs♣ has power of the mind. They get that rush of power by using their mind to figure out something that is very difficult and complex. They can use their mental power to organize facts and figures. Many of our attorneys, doctors, engineers and scientists are Eight of Clubs♣ people. They can run circles around the average person when it comes to how much they know. Eight of Clubs♣ people feel their power when they have an opportunity to show us just how much they know. They can be mentally fixed and feel that they indeed do know it all.
The Eight of Diamonds♦ has power with money and feels a rush of power when they spend money. They are the power shoppers of the deck and feel exhilarated when they buy something. The bigger it is and more expensive it is, the better the rush. They are the first to say, “When the going gets tough, the tough go shopping.” Many become so addicted to the power of purchasing things that they literally become shopaholics and have to seek therapy. Interestingly, they are better managing other people’s money than they are their own.
The Eight of Spades♠ has power in work and health. These are the real power workers of the deck and know how to keep their “shoulder to the wheel” at all times. They also can focus all their power into healing others. Their wisdom and determination can help change the lives of others in a powerful way. The Eights of the Spades♠ suit usually attract powerful people into their lives that match their own power. Many are prominent people in society and have a circle of powerful and influential friends as well. The power they wield is great and needs control so their determination does not become domination. They are warriors and champions, indeed, and a power to be reckoned with.
Power comes from the highest source, and the highest source is the Creator, the creator of life and the cards. At some point in the Cards of Life, we are given some power to play with too and feel the right to use it. However, this doesn't mean that we are perfect and infallible. This is a common misconception we see played out all the time, especially with politicians and those in positions of power. Their false sense of power begins to distort the way they see themselves.
They begin to think that they are faultless, completely incapable of making mistakes. In extreme cases, they feel flawless, somehow immortal. Power becomes extremely dangerous for all of us if we are not aware that we are only vessels of the Creator’s power.
Even though the Eight is supposed to be the combination of Heaven and Earth as well as the symbol for infinity, it is quite tempting for Eights to playing the low side to get caught up in the material world. All the Eights can be bossy and try to push people around. The Eights can be very manipulative and usually get into power struggles with the people in their families and people they work with. These power struggles are their biggest lifetime challenge. We have to remember that when we refer to the Eights of the deck that they have come through the evolution of numbers to finally become the Eight. They have come through the creative cycle—from Ace, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, and Seven—and are the ones that can shine with all the brilliance of their suit, to exemplify the best of what that suit can offer.
From the power, strength and control of the EIGHT comes the surrender of the NINE.
Evolution brought Heaven and Earth together in the Eight and established stability. Now creation adds One (1) to the Eight (8) to bring forward the NINE (8+1=9). Balance came forth with the Eight and now reinvention and re-creation are called for to prepare for the higher realms. The Nine comes in the form of death and rebirth, preparing the way for initiation. Again the balance has been disrupted as another odd number emerges in the Cards of Life.
The Nine symbolizes completion, graduations, and the need to let go. If we don't let go, it will certainly be taken from us anyway. The number Nine brings loss, endings, dislikes, disagreements and finally, disappointment.
Edith Randall and Florence Campbell describe in their book, Sacred Symbols of the Ancients, how the Nine is dedicated to service—anywhere, everywhere, to anyone or to everyone and how it demands “the relinquishment of the self.” Because of the Nine’s outpouring, it is the most emotional influence to have to deal with. “They give more than the rest because they have a greater store and it leaves them more bereft. They have been sent to establish Universal Love and the Brotherhood of Man—and they become more disillusioned. A Card of Disappointment?
Assuredly it is when we chart our lives by personal loves and personal desires. A certain portion of personal love is not denied—but it always brings trouble. 9 represents the Great Desire—but the desire must conform to the inexorable law or result in frustration, sorrow and loss. There is no easy personal pattern for any of the 9’s.
HEARTS♥ – have the hardest problem of them all for they live by their emotions—and Saturn lays his heavy hand on them; in God’s Plan it is the Venus Card in the Venus Line—but God’s Plan is universal.
CLUBS♣ – must seek knowledge for universal good—never for their sole advantage. When they develop intellectual snobbishness they are doomed to failure—and isolation.
DIAMONDS♦ – must acquire—then “sell all and give to the poor.”
SPADES♠ – must “labor in his neighbor’s vineyard” before he may gather his own grapes.”
When a card with a face value of a Nine appears in our yearly script of cards, we must think in universal terms and embrace something much bigger than ourselves. All Nines have come to settle affairs and debts from the past, to pay what they owe, and move on. Nine is the card of surrender. Walking with the faith of the Seven and the power of the Eight, as one door closes for the Nine, another opens. On the high side, the Nine can actually symbolize new beginnings.
In the natural evolutionary cycles of life, there comes a time of dissolution, closure and ending. In the course of a lifetime, we pass through many stages of life and numerous relationships, ideas, jobs, locations and personal possessions. In all these things, there is a beginning, represented by an Ace, and an ending, represented by the Nine. As with all things in life, our attitude determines the experience.
Nine is the end of the cycle and now it's time to move on to something new. To do so successfully, one has to let go of some attachments. If one has come this far, they have already let go of some of their fear in order to graduate from the Seven to the Eight. They had to release their fears of poverty or of not having enough. When they get to the Nine, they need to let go of everything in order to move on to the Ten. The Nine means letting go, completion, moving on, and graduation. It means they have made it.
Whenever you think of a Nine, just think of universal pruning shears. A Nine will cut away that which no longer serves a purpose in your life. When a Nine shows up in our cards, it indicates the time to prune the flowers in your life. It can be about removing the leaves that are dying and ready to fall off. It also be more drastic and involve the removal of parts of the plant, such as its buds, branches, or even down to the roots. Nine represents the ending of a cycle or part of your life. It doesn't mean you're dying, even though you may feel like it. It means has reached its fulfillment.
When we accept the Nines in our scripts and in our lives and let go freely, we are making room for something new to replace it. If we resist, then we are stuck in the past where nothing new can grow. When we're afraid to let go of what we have and fight those Nines, it only leads to a lot of disappointment and frustration. We can kick and scream and cry a thousand tears, but a Nine cannot be stopped because destiny has a schedule.
For people who are Nines, they are here in this lifetime because they reached that point of stepping off stage. They have reached a place in their evolution to start a new cycle and must follow a higher path to be completely fulfilled. However, before they can move forward, they have to let go.
Nine of Hearts ♥ - let go of people and relationships
Nine of Clubs ♣- let go of outworn ideas, beliefs, thoughts and ways of communicating
Nine of Diamonds ♦ - let go of things they no longer value
Nine of Spades ♠ - let go of unhealthy work or lifestyle patterns
Each Nine calls for those things represented by their suit to be let go of. It is necessary in order to graduate to a new experience. All Nines, at one time or another, are touched by tragedy. Yet it is only a tragedy if they are afraid of losing and operating from a position of fear. When we're afraid, we lose our sense of reality. It is hard to recognize the graduation and the opportunity for something new that is being presented. We are so immersed in pain that we feel like we're going to die. Nine means “I surrender and release” because in reality nothing is really ours to begin with and is all part of the illusion that we call “reality.”
Nine people have to learn to let go and yet at the same time they are also givers. Nines are often seen as giving people but they have to watch that they don’t fall into the role of the victim and play out their life in the “blame game.” Many have the feeling of being victimized by others, by friends and family, by life and even God. There are no victims in life, only the fear of loss and the unknown. Unfortunately our society, and especially the media, believes in victimization. They only see losses, not the opportunities. They say things like, “No good deed goes unpunished!” Yet, nothing could be further from the truth.
Most Nines don’t experience satisfaction on a personal level, but they can experience universal satisfaction. Nines have to give up personal needs in favor of helping the world. It is only then that they receive such a sense of satisfaction that it compensates for the loss on a personal level. Giving to groups or the world at large provides so much satisfaction that it is more than enough to satisfy their need for personal satisfaction.
Many great spiritual leaders and teachers are Nines playing the high side after repeated losses, failures, disappointments and frustrations in their personal lives. Oftentimes it motivates Nines to take on more universal or cosmic approach to life. You may have already noticed that the Nine is almost the complete opposite of the Ace. The Ace actually needs to be selfish and self-centered. Yet the Nine cannot, for each time the Nine does something exclusively for their benefit, they reap untold pain and misery. They are the givers of the deck and this is their soul's true essence for this lifetime. Of course, this is the exact opposite of what is taught and encouraged in our society. Nines are about merging into the universal consciousness and identifying with a greater purpose and a higher calling. Nines can no longer just think of themselves and their personal needs, but have to expand themselves to include the world and beyond.
Nines who have mastered the art of letting go are relaxed and happy. Less attached to people and things in life, they have a look of wisdom and understanding that extends beyond their personal identity into the vastness of the universe. Their happiness is real because it is not based on the acquisition of anything or person. Their compassion is real and comes from having consciously passed through so many endings. Their life is based on the reality that they are in tune with the divine cosmic flow. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
From the surrender of the NINE comes the success and achievement of the TEN.
As creation continues to evolve and adds to itself once more, we find ourselves with a TEN. Adding the One to the Nine (9+1=10), we derive the last number—the biggest number in the deck of playing cards. It is the number of success. It is the number of achievement and the number of fulfillment and recognition. Tens strive to give their best in order to create success. However, Tens are also capable of reducing itself to a 1 (1+0=1). When this happens, the inflated ego creates a false sense of security and eventually trips over its obsession with self and personal pride.
Mathematically, a Ten is an even number since it follows the odd number 9. However, in numerology, the number 10 is not recognized but is reduced. In the science of numerology, the digits that make up the 10 are added together and reduced to a single digit of 1 (1+0=1). Again we are out of balance and have a masculine expression. Looking closely at our world, we can see the significance that ten represents in life. For example, ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. The reason for the choice of ten is assumed to be that humans have ten fingers (digits).
In Cardology, the face value of a Ten is like a One—a One with a Zero behind it. A One with a Zero represents unmanifested potential, much like the Ace. However, the Ten is a beginning of a new cycle having completed its previous cycle from Ace to Nine. It now offers unmanifested potential for a higher evolutionary cycle, something more, something grander than that offered to the Ace.
While the Ace is a number of success, the Ten is a number of success that comes from recognition by a group, and the larger the group, the better. Tens have all the numbers from Ace through Nine already behind them. They understand all the principles and abilities of these preceding numbers and can implement their qualities at will. The Ten is all about getting recognition because it has the experience having gone through the Ace, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine. Not only does it bring forth the experience but also brings wisdom–the wisdom gained from the previous nine cards.
To truly understand the Tens, we must also be familiar with the Aces, because these two sets of cards are very much alike and share important qualities. Like Aces, the Tens of the deck can be quite self-centered and/or selfish. This type of behavior can be really over the top because all Tens have at least one Ace in a prominent position in their Life Script. The 10♥ and 10♦ both have the A♥ and A♦ in their script of cards. The 10♣ has the A♣ and the 10♠ has the A♠. These Aces cause the Tens to be heavily focused on their own feelings, thoughts, needs and desires and not that of others.
In life, every card has its share of challenges and that includes the Tens of the deck as they can get obsessed with their suit. Tens can go overboard with things represented by their suit and get into their role in life way too much. Olney H. Richmond, author of The Mystic Test Book, says that the Tens are in the center of their card and all they see when they look out is prosperity and large numbers, no matter which way they look. Let’s look at some of the possibilities for each of the Ten cards.
The Ten of Hearts♥ means a social popularity or large group success. But a Ten of Hearts♥ person has more to them than that. Ten of Hearts♥ people can become obsessed with their children, a group of friends or their audience. Typically there are “ten hearts” around a Ten of Hearts♥ person. There are quite a few Ten of Hearts♥ women with large families, where they are the center of the family. A woman that I know has nine children that she loves dearly and, of course, her husband makes ten. She is happily surrounded by her “ten hearts.”
Remember Tens are sitting right in the center of their card and can get easily become obsessed. A perfect example of this comes from a client of mine who noticed that large amounts of money were missing from the financial accounts she shared with her husband. He told her that her calculations must be off and not to worry. Trusting her instincts, she continued to look the missing money. As she dug through everything she could find, she soon discovered that her husband was not only cheating on her, but that he was supporting nine other women, and their families! It should come as no surprise that her husband is a Ten of Hearts♥. He had 10 women and 10 families. Keep in mind the Ten of Hearts♥ has a Jack of Clubs♣ Negative, Challenging Karma Card (-KC), giving them the ability to be very creative liars.
Now the Ten of Clubs♣ usually has trouble sleeping at night because they can't turn off their mind. Being in the center of a Ten of Clubs♣ card, they are surrounded by Clubs♣, which represent thoughts, ideas, knowledge and information. Insomnia happens all the time because they came into this lifetime with a tremendous amount of knowledge. Knowing so much, they feel that they have an obligation to share it with the world. That's why the Ten of Clubs♣ is nicknamed the “teacher card.” They possess a wonderful ability to communicate and present information and teaching gives them an outlet to help get this knowledge out of their head.
Much like the Eight of Clubs♣, they excel when it comes to organization and can handle a huge project with ease. Ten of Clubs♣ people can handle tremendous amounts of information. Being on the Sun Line of the Master Life Script, they oftentimes see themselves as being above it all or being the boss. While they are quite capable, they have to watch out for trying to do too much mentally that they neglect themselves emotionally. Obsessing with their minds and totally ignoring their feelings will eventually catch up with them.
The Ten of Clubs♣ can be accused of not having a heart because they function from their head up, because it is all in their head and what a tremendous head they have. Yes, they are geniuses, but don't expect any kind of emotional response from them because it is usually not there. When we take emotions out of love, it becomes merely a thought process. This tendency is also common for many of the higher-numbered Clubs♣ cards: King, Queen, and Jack. Other cards that have these as their Karma Cards will also have a very mental and methodical approach to love and their relationships.
When it comes to their relationships, the Ten of Clubs♣ is so independent that they are typically the ones who breaks up and leaves. You can't change them because they they're totally obstinate. Yes, they can be the world's greatest teachers, but you can't tell them anything because they know what they know. It depends on the person, but romantically, Ten of Clubs♣ people don’t have it easy because they have several prominent Threes in their Life Script—a Three of Hearts♥ in Mars (direct), Three of Spades♠ in Mars (vertical) and a Three of Diamonds♦ as its Challenge Card. These influences make it hard for them to make up their mind about men and about their career. They are never going to be happy doing one single thing.
In extreme cases, Ten of Clubs♣ people can be abused by their mate or they’ll find someone who is more of a deserter than they are. How can someone who is so knowledgeable get into a situation like that? Their Ten of Clubs♣ Negative, Challenging Karma Card (-KC) is the Jack of Spades♠, known as the trickster of the deck. This Karma Card can also cause the Ten of Clubs♣ to be quite slippery themselves. Caution is advised in any business dealings with a Ten of Clubs♣ or a Jack of Spades♠ because of this influence.
The third Ten of the deck is the Ten of Diamonds♦, known as the “most blessed card” because of its Jupiter/Jupiter position in the Master Life Script. Jupiter is the planet that wants to give to us. This planet of abundance offers spiritual and financial blessings. Whether or not the Ten of Diamonds♦ person is happy in life is determined by their values. Happiness for most everyone is determined by their values but for the Ten of Diamonds♦ it is particularly important. If money is their sole objective in life, they will be miserable when they obsess about accumulating money.
Their Negative, Challenging Karma Card (-KC) is the Queen of Clubs♣, which suggests that they can go within and use their intuition to do well in business. Keep in mind that the Ten of Diamonds♦ can be very selfish. This comes from the two Aces in their Life Script—Ace of Hearts♥ in Venus and an Ace of Diamonds♦ in Mars. Yet, despite these self-centered tendencies, if their values are not sound, they can actually become very poor. However, this never lasts because something miraculous will always come through at the last minute where they'll be saved. Ten of Diamonds♦ people are protected by their Jupiter/Jupiter position where nothing really bad ever happens to them. Their biggest financial blessings will come from having their own business. However, a Ten of Diamonds♦ person on a salary or fixed income probably will never see the rewards that the largest benefic planet in our solar system can bring.
The last Ten in the Cards of Life is the Ten of Spades♠, nicknamed the “workaholic card” because they can become totally obsessed with their career and their work. Standing in the center of the Ten of Spades♠ card, they are surrounded by ten Spades♠, the symbol for labor and work but also for death, dying and spirituality. A client of mine had nearly 25 friends die in eight years…all in separate incidences. Standing in the middle of the Ten of Spades♠ card, no matter where she turned, she was surrounded by death; so much so that she tried to take her own life several times. These same ten Spades♠ can also represent health issues. No matter what the Spades♠ represent, just know that they will obsess about it and it will be a heavy load for them to carry.
Being the workaholic card of the deck, we often find that the Ten of Spades♠ have a conflict between their work and their family. This plays out for especially for women, and even some Ten of Spades♠ men, throughout their life because their Karma Cards are both the Four of Hearts♥ Positive, Supporting Karma Card (+KC) and the Queen of Hearts♥ Negative, Challenging Karma Card (–KC). These karmic influences cause them to not only identify themselves as being a family person but they also really identify with being very successful in their career. This causes tremendous guilt and stress as they are torn between the two. Most Ten of Spades♠ women will admit that this is a major conflict for them.
Remember, the Ten of Spades♠ card is a card of success. While it does mean work, work, work, work and having time for nothing else, a smart Ten of Spades♠ would delegate their work by having others do it for them and lighten their load to ensure their success. Tens always mean broadening one’s influence and Tens often refer to working with large groups of people. The larger, the better.
What is the difference between Aces (1) and Tens (10)? It is the Zero (0) after the One (1) and what that represents. Zero represents the experience of completing a major cycle of evolution. It reflects a graduation of sorts; where it has gone from being the Ace all the way through the Nine and now is the Ten. Arne Lein in his book, What’s Your Card?, says, “To the Pythagoreans, the decad, or number ten was the greatest, the grand summit of all the numbers. True, numerologically it becomes a number one a symbol of new beginnings. But in this case, it is a new beginning in a higher cycle, built one on the accomplishments, the completion of all the prior numerical values. So if your birthday identifies you with the number ten, you have all the attributes of the lesser numbers to draw upon. What greater potential for achievement for success could there be?”
All Tens have the potential to rise to a position of prominence in world, if that is what they desire. Just like the Eight is the sum of two Fours, the Ten can be looked upon as the combination of two Fives. Five, if you recall, is the number of experience. Therefore, the Ten has a vast reservoir of experiences they can draw upon. Their suit tells us what the main area of their wisdom and success can be in this lifetime.
From the achievement and success of the TEN comes the creativity and idealism of the JACK.
The evolution of face values of the Cards of Life continues even as we approach the Court Cards of the deck: the royal Jacks, Queens and Kings.
Once more, we add a One to the previous card to derive the face value of the next card. One (1) plus Ten (10) equals the Jack (1+10=11). The Jacks, the 11th card of each suit, are linked to inspiration and ideas. Numerologically, 11 is considered a Master Number, one that is a spiritual messenger. Jacks who are willing to learn through experience have the opportunity to rise up and become powerful through discipline, training, and a focused mind. When we further reduce the number 11 numerologically, the sum total (1+1=2) is a Two, the number of balance and also an even numbered card where things just come to them. Even-numbered cards can manifest by drawing whatever they want to them and this is also true for Jacks.
Although the Jack has a small crown on his head and is a member of the royal family, he is the only one that isn’t really responsible for anything. The Jack has all the benefits of living in the palatial home of the Queen and King, but rarely has to do any of the work to support the kingdom. They are never willing to accept the blame for anything either. Historically, in some royal courts, the Jack was the counsel or advisor to the King. Playing to his creative and highly deceptive side, Jacks were easily bribed and paid off for favors for anyone who wanted some influence with the King. They could just pay the Jack a few coins under the table and he would happily drop a few good words for them with the King. Overall, Jacks are fairly dishonest but quite resourceful in keeping their own affairs in balance without getting caught. Jacks are slick and stealth, complete masters of deception to never be totally trusted.
The name Jack is certainly unique in the English language for the frequency of its use as a verb and a noun for many common objects and actions. Interestingly, the word jack was considered to be such a vulgar or impolite term that many card makers did not want to include the name printed on their decks. However, they ended up using the name anyway because the letter “J” was easier to distinguish in the corner of the cards from the term knave which was printed as “Kn” because the letter “K” was used to represent the king cards. Even today there are some negative connotations associated with its name, including:
Jack Straw, Black Jack, Jackass, Jackhammer, Cracker Jack, Jackpot, Jack o' Lantern, Hijack, Jack off, Jack-in-the-Box, Lumberjack, Jackknife, Jack-of-all-trades, and Union Jack
In his book, What’s Your Card?, author Arne Lein writes, “If your birthday identifies you as a Jack, cardwise, you are a Crown Prince. This implies certain advantages, including a creative mentality, freedom from limiting concepts, even the opportunity to dip into the royal treasury. Due to a streak of immaturity also associated with Jacks, responsibility for these advantages may prove to be your greatest challenge. While it is apt to give you a youthful quality, talent and enthusiasm, it’s also apt to encourage you to make your own rules, to willfully do as you please, chucking your responsibilities, earning for the Jacks the reputation of being the playboys and playgirls of the cards.”
Whether they are playing their card high or low, the Jacks of the deck are not going to bow down to anyone. They don't want to be controlled or made to be anything other than what they are. All the Jacks have freedom issues. They recoil when it comes to responsibility because basically they just want to have fun and play. The irony comes when the Jacks playing the low side of their cards expect to be respected and treated like royalty and yet do so little that actually deserves respect. They crave admiration and at times tend to take themselves too seriously; so much so that they at times they believe their own lies and deceptions. One way to really get under their skin is to laugh at them to their face, especially when they think they are being so magnanimous and above-it-all. You’ll soon see a temper tantrum of a three-year old erupt, demanding that you pay attention to them.
Jacks do, in fact, tend to think like children and behave in childlike ways no matter what age they are. While Jacks represent brilliance and creativity, they can, at the same time, be quite independent, frivolous and terribly irresponsible. In Sacred Symbols of the Ancients, Edith Randall and Florence Campbell say that Jacks are “incapable of decision or direction. In all of them, however, there is a certain fixity and stubbornness; when it is the result of maturity and applies to principle, it is the quality to be praised—but too often it is the expression of ingrained triviality, irresponsibility and shiftlessness, the youth who must have his own way because he knows no better.“
When it comes to how a male Jack and a female Jack differ, males tend to be more mental and females are less mental and more intuitive.
Jack of Hearts♥
As one of the three Fixed Cards, the Jack of Hearts♥ is not likely to change. It is best not to try as it will merely be a waste of time. That is the nature of all of the Fixed Cards. You can't bribe them, coerce them, or convince them to change. It has to come from within. Therefore, the Jack of Hearts♥ has the love nature that won't change. The Jack of Hearts♥ stands in the Venus/Jupiter position in both the Master Spirit Script and the Master Life Script and never moves no matter what age or time period they are in.
Jack of Clubs J♣
This Jack of the deck is extremely creative. Having the King of Clubs♣ in Jupiter in their Life Script offers the mental brilliance to make a lot of money and to do well. It is commonly known that the Jack of Clubs♣ people can be bisexual. The Jack of Clubs♣ will love you for who you are, not for being a man or a woman. Male Jack of Clubs♣ have tremendous sexual drives and can be some of the best lovers. That can apply to the females Jack of Clubs♣ too. They are romantic and make great lovers because sex is creative. They create different ways to please their lovers and themselves. However, once the creativity is spent on one person, they typically will move on to find another.
Jack of Diamonds J♦
Jack of Hearts♥ is focused on love and sacrifice; Jack of Clubs♣ is focused on mental creativity; and next up is the Jack of Diamonds♦ who knows how to creatively promote themselves. They are the embodiment of independence and their time is quite valuable to them. They weigh the value of their options and make their choices accordingly. Interestingly, even though they know how to make a good living and have innate promotional abilities, some Jack of Diamonds♦ people may choose not to because they consider their time and freedom more important. Like all Jacks, Jack of Diamonds♦ are witty and have a natural charm about them and can be very persuasive, using their cleverness to get what they want. Along with these talents comes the temptation to misuse their creative gifts for their own fun or profit. Many Jack of Diamonds♦ simply want to avoid unpleasant situations that they may have to face as a result of having to be completely open and honest.
Jack of Spades J♠
Even though the Jack of Spades♠ is the only one-eyed Jack in the deck, there are four ways to express this card and all of them are meaningful: actor, thief, ruler, or initiate. As the Jack of Jacks (Spades♠ being the strongest suit), their brilliance is nearly unrivaled and their ability to penetrate into the unseen can take them to amazing places. Like all the cards in life, it is up to them if they play high or low.
First, because many are not emotionally or mentally ready for the responsibility that comes with their position as the youngest member of the royal family, they will choose a career in art, acting, music or become some sort of entertainer or performer. The Jack of Spades♠ overflows with artistic ability. They are well-suited to be an actor, because this card is so good at deception, much like the Joker.
Secondly, on a more mundane level, the Jack of Spades♠ is the thief and nicknamed the “Rip-off Card.” When you are dealing with someone who is a Jack of Spades♠, it would be wise to lock your doors and double check any contracts that you may have with them and especially read the fine print. Jack of Spades♠ people will come in the middle of the night and steal your car and other personal belongings. They will just outright steal it. Why? Because they can. Many Jack of Spades♠ will push the limits of the law so far that eventually they find themselves being arrested. It’s all a game to them.
Thirdly is the Jack of Spades♠ who hears and responds to their divine calling for greatness. There are a select few who are ready to rise to their position of power as the Prince who will someday become the King of the royal Court Cards. As of yet, he has not been given the full responsibility and power that comes from being the King. His transformation from youthfulness to responsibility is one filled with the proper education and rigorous training. These Jack of Spades♠ have given their best to be honest and striven to achieve success in all the lessons and tasks laid before them. These Jack of Spades♠ have seized all the wonderful opportunities gifted them by their presence on the Sun Line next to the Queen and King of Spades♠ in the Master Spirit Script.
The fourth and last expression for the Jack of Spades♠ is initiation. Let’s take a closer look at what this means not just for the Jack of Spades♠ but for all of the Jacks in the Cards of Life. Jacks are naturally mental by nature which makes it difficult for them to know their own feelings. Having had so much success using their minds in getting what they want, their hearts are rarely used. At some time in their life, a turning point will arrive, offering the opportunity for all Jacks to seek the solutions to their problems by looking within, instead of using their wits and craftiness to get by.
As the initiates, all the Jacks of the deck are offered an opportunity to elevate themselves to a higher level, one that represents a new beginning, and a letting go of their past and sorted ways. They are here to show everyone in the kingdom that they can rise above their material nature to a position of power that is more spiritual and less attached to worldly goods and matters. To be truly self-realized, each Jack will have to pass their initiation, accessing the higher qualities of their suit.
Jack of Hearts♥ is initiation into higher love
Jack of Clubs♣ is initiation into higher knowledge
Jack of Diamonds♦ is an initiation into higher values
Jack of Spades♠ is an initiation into higher lifestyle
Jack of Hearts♥: The Jack that rules over the Hearts♥ suit will typically be more interested in spiritual love and will be less concerned or obsessed with mundane love and fears than the other Jacks. He generally will have a true spiritual love, but this too can be distorted. This particular Jack has such a spiritual connection that they don't have a lot time for the craftiness of the other Jacks. Instead they tend to focus more of their energy on being a martyr or savior of some kind.
They are here to live the laws of higher love and know more than most that giving of yourself is the greatest gift and brings the greatest rewards. Jack of Hearts♥ can become wonderful healers, counselors, metaphysicians, and teachers and do well in any position where they interact with people. His responsibility involves channeling his emotional energies into an expression of service through love and sacrifice. Jack of Hearts♥ people are here to teach the rest of us by their example.
Jack of Clubs♣: The Jack over the suit of Clubs♣ is initiated into higher knowledge, spiritual knowledge. Part of their spiritual growth is to start speaking the truth. Since they already know the truth, they are now obligated to speak the truth. The Jacks of Clubs♣ initiation represents a change from the past; an initiation from something he has already done or knows or is into something that is on a much higher level. They have the ability to dive deeply into whatever interests them, analyze it thoroughly, and present it with clarity. Since their mind works a little faster than others, patience on their part is needed. Jack of Clubs♣ people are to give useful information and teach others by dispensing their knowledge and ideas through their gifts of intellect and talent.
Jack of Diamonds♦: The Jack of the Diamonds suit♦ of values and worth is initiated to communicate and sell spiritual values well as material goods. Their intuition offers them an unparalleled chance for metaphysical illumination, which can contribute to their overall spiritual and humanitarian capabilities. Once they find an outlet for their royal gifts of originality and creation, they are free to trade and “wheel and deal” their way to help others. Along the way, they will continually judge the value of their progress and time spent.
Jack of Spades♠: The Jack who rules over the suit of Spades♠ has the opportunity to experience an initiation into a higher lifestyle. They can be initiates into “the mysteries of life” and see unseen realms. Given the ability to pierce the veil of the illusion of life, some may prefer the path of the spiritual initiate. The Jack of Spades♠ is one of the most creative and intelligent cards in the deck, and whatever path they choose, they are guaranteed success. Jacks of Spades♠ can easily inspire others in whatever direction their passion and path is taking them. Life is so easy for them to figure out that they can become easily bored.
Some Jacks are able to pass through their rite of initiation and many are not. This initiation can bring forth their highest expression, representing the person who has lifted him or herself up to a higher level by letting go of their lower natures. However, these lower expressions are quite difficult for Jacks to renounce and they will always be tempted. Many of them choose to misuse their tremendous gifts and never rise up to be anything more than a thief in the kingdom.
Blessed with such a creative mind, it is up to them to put it to a positive use and rise up to their highest position in this lifetime.
From the creativity and idealism of the JACK comes the compassion and leadership of the QUEEN.
Adding a One to the Jack, the 11th card of each suit, we arrive at the face value of the QUEEN, which is 12 (11+1=12). As the 12th card, Queens have power in their own right (1) and receptivity (2). They represent the spiritual nature of man and the principle of birth. Their authority is equal to that of the King but their manner includes the intuitive, sensitive and more receptive expressions of royalty and represents some of the essential feminine archetypes. Whether a Queen is male or female, they will exhibit these basic feminine qualities.
Numerologically, the 1 and the 2 of the Queen’s face value of 12 is reduced to a 3 (1+2=3). Once again the balance is off as yet another odd number presents itself in the evolution of cards.
The Queens are in the Royal Family but they are in a higher position than the Jack because the Queen is equal to the King. Together the Queen and the King represent the feminine and masculine aspects of leadership, with the King obviously being the more masculine ruler and the Queen being the more receptive or motherly ruler.
All Queens are mothers. They love mothering people, even if they do not have their own children. Being service-oriented, they love to give and to help. No matter what they say or how they act, they are mothering someone somewhere somehow through their work. They love mothering, nurturing and wanting to feed the world. While Queens are certainly graceful, gentle and loving, don’t mistake these qualities as a sign of weakness or being someone that can easily be taken advantage of. Yes, they are sensitive and nurturing, but they also wield a lot of power and they know it.
Like the Jack and King, the Queen can throw her power around when she wants to. Make no mistake; Queens can be just as pushy and domineering as the Jacks and Kings. Remember the Queen of Hearts♥ in the story “Alice in Wonderland” commanding, “Off with your head!”
Queens of the deck are aware of the power that they have--power that can be used in positive, beneficial ways or used in negative, abusive ways--and the responsibility it carries. The Queen of the Court is quite capable of ruling the kingdom, but rules differently than the King. Her reign would be more compassionate and service-oriented. All Queens possess wisdom that they can draw upon from past lives, from Ace through Jack, where they experienced so much in life. There are always some areas in life they can master with little effort.
No matter what size the kingdom (or what I call the “queendom”) is, every Queen imparts special wisdom related to her suit on to her children. This is true whether these are her own children, or other people's children.
Queen of Hearts ♥ - imparts higher love
Queen of Clubs ♣ - imparts higher knowledge
Queen of Diamonds ♦ - imparts higher values
Queen of Spades ♠ - imparts a higher lifestyle
The life of a Queen sounds quite regal by any standard. So what challenges in life could she possibly face? First and foremost, she has a tendency to identify too much with mothering her children. If she does not have someone to mother, she won't feel like she has a purpose in life. Interestingly, her role is not to just nurture her own family but to move beyond that into larger groups of people. To do so, all the Queens must expand their nurturing skills to a broader range of people and find ways of mothering vast numbers of people through their work on a higher level.
Unlike the Jacks, who are usually focused on themselves, the Queens are the givers of the three Court Cards and excel in helping others nurture and develop themselves. Like a mother, Queens just naturally have a desire to reach out to those who are in need of direction and support at certain stages in their personal evolution. They take great pleasure and feel personally fulfilled knowing that they have contributed something special to another's sense of well-being.
In the everyday world, Queens are excellent counselors, teachers and promoters of good. Their position in life and the innate powers that they have allows them to be an influential part in helping large groups of people better their lives. Queens have a lot of charm and natural leadership abilities that enable them to gather people together for a worthy cause. By directing their loving energies toward those outside of their immediate family, the Queens of the deck will find success and satisfaction from their endeavors.
If a Queen is unable to translate her maternal desire to a broader level, away from her own family and onto the world at large, she will often hold on too tightly to those she loves and actually prevent them from leaving the royal nest when they are ready. If there is no one to mother, a Queen’s fear of losing her identity becomes stronger than the love for her children. These fears actually hold back her children, stunt their growth and ultimately do exactly the opposite.
Instead of producing healthy, happy and self-sufficient adults, a fear-based Queen will eventually end up with adult children who are unable to stand on their own two feet, play their role in life and make a contribution to the world.
In the same way that Queens can over-mother their children, similar problems will arise if their desire to mother others plays out in their intimate relationships. Looking for someone to mother, or even someone to mother them, sets the Queens up for very difficult relationships, ones usually mired in codependency and unfulfilled needs and desires. Fearful Queens will invariably attract people who will take advantage of their need to be needed.
To compound the relationship challenges of the Queens, their face value of a Twelve (12) reduces numerologically to a Three (1+2=3), the number of creativity, indecision, worry and uncertainly. The Queen of Clubs♣ and Queen of Diamonds♦ have it the worst because both of them have Threes as their Negative, Challenging Karma Card (-KC) and both have Threes in Mars in their Life Scripts causing innumerable problems. The Queen of Hearts♥ has a Three of Hearts♥ in Jupiter. All this Three energy promotes indecision and insecurity in their personal relationships.
Queens also have the same creative urges that Threes bring, which can lead to doubtful associations and indecision in their personal choices of a mate, or they attract others who display these characteristics for them. These Threes ultimately cause Queens to be uncertain about where their true happiness lies. The Queen of Hearts♥ and Queen of Spades♠ at least have even-numbered Karma Cards, which gives them a little bit more peace and stability. Collectively, the Queens possess some of the most difficult love karma of any of the cards in the deck. Let’s take a close look at the Queens in the Cards of Life.
The Queen of Hearts♥
The Queen of Hearts♥ stands on the Neptune/Neptune planetary stage in the Master Earth Script. She is the dreamy Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, beauty, pleasure, and procreation. She is the essence of femininity and referred to as the woman that most men dream of. The Queen of Hearts♥ judges and rules by the principles of love. She has a love for humanity that is very spiritual in nature. She promotes her dreams and shares her visions of a world filled with joy and peace. The Queen over the Hearts♥ suit seeks the union of kindred hearts and has high hopes for the doctrine of universal brotherhood.
On the low side, Queen of Hearts♥ can get totally lost in her illusions. The illusory influences of Neptune cause her to see the high potential in someone who actually isn't exhibiting any high potential at all. She can only see the potential, whether that person is actually acting on it or not. It is as if she is looking at them through rose-colored glasses and only wants to see the best in them and everyone else. A lot of Queen of Hearts♥ believe in codependency and victimization and easily get lost in their own delusions.
Because of her Neptune/Neptune planetary stage position, the Queen of Hearts♥ is also quite psychic. She picks up on one’s thoughts and emotions and can feel what people are feeling and can sympathize. Yet, at the same time, the Queen of Hearts♥ can fall victim to a lot of nonsense in life herself. How ironic that Queen of Hearts♥ people are some of the most beautiful people and yet they have so many delusions and fantasies about life and won’t let go of them. She can, in fact, be the biggest liar to herself and be totally lost in a fantasy world, convinced that she is somehow the world’s savior.
Since Queen and King of Hearts♥ are the highest cards in the suit of love, you’ll find that Queen of Hearts♥ men are usually gentle, sensitive, sympathetic, understanding and make wonderful house husbands and stay-at-home dads. Queen of Hearts♥ people are typically devoted parents and tend to be more concerned with their relationships with their children than with their partner. They enjoy delicious food, beautiful clothes, and love celebrating the good times. On the flip side, Queen of Hearts♥ can fall prey to Neptune’s illusory influences and become self-indulgent, frivolous and lazy. They can eat too much, have sex all the time, and become escapists, alcoholics or addicts of some kind.
The Queen of Higher Love can, however, use her Neptunian gifts to do very well in artistic pursuits, entertainment, media, and in creating products of a personal nature or for the home. In her life script, she has the King of Spades♠ in Mars, giving her the opportunity to be super powerful. Queen of Hearts♥ are charming people and their lifetime Eight of Diamonds♦ in Venus means they are attracted to people with money and tend to have wealthy friends.
The Queen of Clubs♣
The Queen of Clubs♣ is the card of higher intuition, knowledge and mental balance. She represents the receptive principle of man's spiritual nature and is in constant contact with higher forces of intelligence. Typically she doesn't formulate judgments with her emotions, but rather uses her brain and tends to live only from the head up. Her busy mind causes her to lose touch with her body, which only increases her tendency to be overweight or have health problems.
The Queen of Clubs♣ seemingly has direct connection with universal knowledge which comes from their Jupiter/Jupiter position in the Master Spirit Script. They just know things before the rest of us. They understand things almost instantly while the rest of us are still trying to figure things out. The Queen of Clubs♣ can be impatient, snippy, quick-tempered and just downright rude because she can’t understand why the people around her do not grasp things as quickly as she does. She detests people who are slow and doesn't like ignorance, laziness, and the mental handicaps of others.
Their Three of Diamonds♦ in Mars causes them to want things to happen quickly. This impatience can also cause them to be reckless drivers. To move forward in the evolution of numbers in the Cards of Life to their next position as a King, there is a need for the Queen of Clubs♣ to cultivate tolerance and be more patient with those who are not as advanced and progressive as they are. This is important because people seeking advice and assistance are often drawn to the Queen of Clubs♣. If they truly want to succeed in life, then self-discipline is essential.
Much like the Ten of Clubs♣, the Queen of Clubs♣ constantly has a lot going on in her mind. As the Queen of Higher Knowledge, she is not here to be a student in this lifetime. She has come into this lifetime with her intuition and intellect fully turned on and constantly flowing. Because knowledge and education are highly valued by her, she will go out of her way to provide her children a good education, often making great sacrifices along the way.
The application of inherited knowledge of the Queen of Clubs♣ can be the great asset to any service or work she participates in. Intuitively, she is always ahead of her time and often sees beyond the veil of what lies ahead. The Queen of Clubs♣ is creative, intuitive, inspirational, inventive, and always a part of any scientific progress. She does need to avoid the temptation to rule through the weight of her crown and use her authority of knowledge instead. However, to be successful in the area of finances, real estate and other business ventures, it is more important for Queen of Clubs♣ to use her practical intellect than her intuition.
Queen of Diamonds♦
The Queen of Diamonds♦ is considered the most difficult card in the deck because all the cards in her life script are in the Saturn line and they are all odd-numbered cards. Saturn tells us that there is a lot of karma for the Queen of Diamonds♦ to pay in this lifetime. It is difficult to say which area of her life will be affected most, but she does have the strength to overcome any problem. The Queen of Diamonds♦ is rarely at ease with all her Threes, Fives, Sevens, and Nines. These cards create a lifetime of restlessness and the constant need for change. To make things even more challenging, she has a Three of Diamonds♦ Negative, Challenging Karma Card (-KC). The Queen of Diamonds♦ has to have some level of variety to be happy and she will never be content doing one single thing, like the Fours and Eights of the deck do.
As we take a closer look at the cards of a Queen of Diamonds♦, her life often starts out with a lot of misery and difficult experiences. We can only imagine that she has done a lot of terrible things in a past life. Whenever any of us have bad things happen to us early in life, we begin to think that we must be a bad person and there must be something horribly wrong with us. It is easy to get caught up in the negative and feel that our life is cursed forever. There are a lot of cards that have a rough start in life, not just the Queen of Diamonds♦. The key for everyone, including the Queen of Diamonds♦, is not to believe that about themselves; understanding that it is just a karmic thing. It will not last forever and does eventually pass away. Karma only lasts as long as it takes to pay off the debt. Because karma does finally exhaust itself, things do start to ease up. Every part of life gets better as we get older.
The Queen of Diamonds♦ life can be very difficult because of her Seven of Clubs♣ in Saturn. Combine that with her Mercury/Saturn position in the Master Life Script and she can become hard, have a very rigid mind and a negative attitude. She, too, can be really snappy, cut you off and say things that hurt. Why? The Seven of Clubs♣ gives her a very analytical mind; one capable of going into deep subjects and dissecting them. At the same time, her mind can be a little too pragmatic. Yet, this very quality helps the Queen of Diamonds♦ to avoid getting too caught up in the Neptunian influences in life. Because Saturn cuts through the Neptune, the Queen of Diamonds♦ can help people cut through their illusory blind spots because she can see right through them. Saturn helps her cut through the nebulous Neptune nonsense and not many cards in the deck have that ability.
Ultimately, the Queen of Diamonds♦ highest gift is to teach and give love. Her Nine of Hearts♥ in Jupiter is about giving love to groups of people. The Queen of Diamonds♦ doesn't often experience satisfaction on the personal level because it isn’t promised in her cards to have that. But she does have the ability to create a happy life by giving what she has. The Queen of Diamonds♦ can help others to understand that there is a higher set of values. While the Queen of Diamonds♦ likes to spend money, she understands that money is not everything. Even though she is destined to be involved with money and business, she’s not trapped by money. Many of the greatest philanthropists in the world are Queen of Diamonds♦. With their creative abilities and talents, they have also made tremendous contributions in the world of art, fashion, literature and music.
The Queen of Diamonds♦ is the collector of things, usually money and relationships. Her three Threes cause problems her entire life. Invariably the Queen of Diamonds♦ experiences indecision and uncertainty, whether it is about her friends, her family, the environment, or even herself. In intimate relationships, when she thinks that she has finally found “the one,” the Three of Clubs♣ in Venus causes her to suddenly notice someone else and is off to another relationship. The Three of Spades♠ in Mars may cause her to leave a good job to find one that is more interesting or to have several jobs at the same time. While the Queen of Diamonds♦ restless nature and variety of interests can lead her to different jobs or professions, her fear of financial insecurity, on the contrary, can cause her stick with one job that doesn't pay as much as she is really worth.
To move forward in the evolution of the numbers, to ultimately become a King, the Queen of Diamonds♦ needs to overcome her worries. In order to achieve the success in business she so richly deserves, the Queen of Diamonds♦ needs to wear her diamond-studded crown proudly, raise her royal scepter, and accept her destiny by taking on the responsibility of leadership in higher values.
Queen of Spades♠
The Queen of Spades♠ teaches the work ethic and is the mother of a higher lifestyle. Since Queens are the true judges in life, the Queen of Spades♠ judges the individuals in her “queendom” by one’s willingness to work and one’s degree of devotion in the quest for wisdom. They are the disciplinarians of the deck and can be hardest on themselves. Life for many Queen of Spades♠ is one of drudgery, thinking that there is nothing but an endless toil of struggle and strife followed by more struggle and strife. They often find themselves working all sorts of jobs way beneath their dignity and their destiny. The Queen of Spades♠ can get so fraught with scrubbing the floors that she forgets to look up and see the majesty of the castle she lives in. If she would only look up and see that hers is a life of prestige and power in the royal court, seated next to their co-ruler, the King of Spades♠, the most powerful in the deck.
There is no doubt that the Queens of Spades♠ is born to rule. Her position on the Crown Line between the Jack and King of Spades♠ in the Master Spirit Script clearly reveals that is her birthright. But first she must actualize that destiny for herself before she can be effective in helping others. Her values play a major role in determining just how her life turns out. Because both of her karma cards are Diamonds♦: Eight of Diamonds♦ Negative, Challenging Karma Card (-KC) and Ten of Diamonds♦ Positive, Supporting Karma Card (+KC), many Queen of Spades♠ are heavily focused on material gain, which is often where they lose most of their potential and power.
While discipline is one of her greatest attributes, the Queen of Spades♠ does have the urge to live like royalty, indulging in the finer things in life and can have rather extravagant tastes. She also has high ideals about love and marriage. However, in some circumstances, her romantic ideals may be so high that they border on pure fantasy. Wanting to appear prosperous and desiring someone of means for a partner, the Queen of Spades♠ usually experiences disappointment. She may also experience large losses of money somehow related with love. It is later in life that she finds more success and fulfillment, that is, if she hasn't already given up on her dreams of experiencing true happiness.
The Spades♠ suit not only rules over work, labor, service, health, death and dying but also our spiritual development. On the highest level, Spades♠ represent the transformation of the soul. As the second highest card in the Spades♠ suit and the entire deck of playing cards, the Queen has the opportunity to embody the highest of spiritual principles. In the evolution of numbers, the Queen of Spades♠ can to rise to her highest potential by following not only her intuition and intellect, but her inner guidance as well. Once she recognizes her powerful spiritual gifts and takes responsibility for her life through self-mastery, she can rise to any height she desires, preparing her for her upcoming role as a powerful King. Unfortunately, many Queen of Spades♠ find it difficult to ever wear their crown of authority and accept their regal role in life.
There are, however, some Queens over the Spades♠ suit who do become mothers of the world. As tireless workers, who know the value of service and work, they can share and teach their wisdom with compassion. They are highly intelligent, able leaders and can enjoy success in education or writing. However, like the other Queens, they too are impulsive, independent and strong-willed with a high degree of intuition. The Queen of Spades♠ is different from the other Queens in that she has direct access to a pool of spiritual wisdom and can use her potential for greatness to achieve the greatest results, in both spiritual and practical applications. Once the Queen of Spades♠ realizes that she needs to work on herself and stop blaming others for her misery, she gains access to her highest potential, often allowing her the opportunity to be one of the world’s greatest teachers, healers and leaders.
A positive attitude is certainly a must for the Queen of Spades♠ to stay happy and healthy, but there is much more than that to self-mastery. Self-mastery is the greatest achievement on a spiritual level for any person. It is mastery of our world through self-awareness. Many of us struggle endlessly to make money without success in our lifetime, never recognizing how our inner fear of poverty can affect us each day. Self-mastery comes when we completely remove the effects of our fears and become open to the opportunity to become wealthy beyond our imagination and with very little effort or struggle.
The successful Queen of Spades♠ can teach us to be more aware of ourselves in order to master our universe. She can show us that instead of trying to change the circumstances in our lives on an exterior level, like trying to change the people in our lives, our jobs, where we live, our health, our finances, etc., we can go within, going right to the source and magically transform our lives. By being in touch with what we are feeling and thinking, by really taking a closer look at how we are and how we operate in the world, we can begin to see just how our attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and thoughts actually create our reality, not our actions. As the second most powerful card in the deck, she can help us understand that just by being aware, our lives can change forever and we are capable of reaching our highest potential.
NOTE: Men who have a Queen Life Card are born into a masculine body but will also have a feminine side to their personality. This is not to mean that they are homosexual or even bisexual but they will, at some point in their lives, have problems finding the right kind of relationship that works out long-term. It can be challenging for them to understand their role with a Queen card. They would be best served to find someone with whom they can truly be themselves. The same also is true for women whose cards are Kings.
From the compassion and leadership of the QUEEN comes the mastery and authority of the KING.
In the final evolution of numbers in playing cards, we add the One (1) to the Twelve (12) of the Queen to derive the 13 (12+1=13), the face value of the KING. The King is the last card in each suit, representing the last stage of development. The King beholds great wisdom, having passed through every number below him in his evolution to the pinnacle of power. There are 4 Kings in the Cards of Life and 4 x 13 = 52, the total number of cards in a deck.
In numerology, 13 (1+3) = 4. The Four (4) is without a doubt a powerful and solid number, reflecting strength and stability. Its foremost qualities are dependability, productivity, punctuality, and obedience. It gives the Kings of the deck the foundation of power that they require. By adding the One (1) to the Twelve (12) of the Queen, everything comes back into balance once more.
While the Four is very solid, the King is more expansive. He is not as limited as the Four when it comes to how he views the world. In their drive for security, Fours like to put everything, even their view of themselves, into a box. Fours are known to be a little closed, placing certain limits on the scope of their vision. To better understand this point, visualize a powerful horse wearing blinders (also known as blinkers), a piece of horse tack that prevents the horse seeing to the rear and, in some cases, to the side. While Fours are hard workers, their blinders don’t allow them to see beyond a certain point. A Four lives in a box called a house. A King, however, lives in a kingdom and sits high upon his throne, overseeing the full landscape of everything in his vast world. A King sees the whole picture and has a broader, more universal perspective.
As the 13th card of each suit, Kings are the One (1) Force behind the Trinity (3)—Jack, Queen and King. Being the rulers of the deck, Kings like to take charge and stand at the head of the pack while their Queens stand proudly beside them as co-rulers. Between the 1 and 3 of the King (13) stands the number 2, representing their partnership with the Queen. These royal trinities of Jacks, Queens and Kings rule our lives in different ways:
Hearts♥ rule by the principles of love
Clubs♣ rule by intelligence, education, intuition and good judgment
Diamonds♦ rule by values, those that are seen and unseen
Spades♠ rule by willingness to work and the degree of devotion to wisdom
Where else can we learn about the number 13? Interestingly, among the Maya and the Mexica in Mexico, the number 13 was consistently upheld as a holy number. In Mesoamerica, Trecenas are thirteen-day periods in the Tzolkin calendar. Each Trecena starts with the Number 1, but with a different Day Glyph. As a wave of the Thirteen Heavens, the underlying energy is governed by the First Day Glyph of the Trecena and influences all thirteen successive Day Glyphs. Being aware of the predominant energy of the First Day of the Trecena, one can align their intentions with that energy and allow their goals to manifest. Interestingly, the Mayan kings would typically celebrate their 13th tuniversaries as important occasions in their lives.
In contrast, the importance of the number 13 is almost hidden throughout the rest of the world. In recent centuries, the number 13 has even been considered unlucky (Friday the Thirteenth). Ironically, the very foundation of the United States of America is the number 13. There were 13 colonies. The Great Seal has 13 leaves on the left olive branch with 13 berries. 13 stripes on the middle shield. 13 arrows on the right. 13 stars above the eagles head. 13 letters in the "E Pluribus Unum" on the ribbon. 13 letters in Annuit Coeptis. There are 13 blocks, top to bottom, on the pyramid.
Now we are discovering that 13 is the foundation for astrology as the Sun actually passes through 13 constellations, not 12. The ecliptic is defined by the path the Sun takes through the night sky. Zodiacs commonly used today refer to only 12 of the 13 constellations that the Sun currently passes through. The Sun and its solar system (including Earth) are not in the same constellations at the same time of year as they were 2,000 years ago when the study of astrology first began. Unfortunately, people today who trust predictions based on the traditional zodiac signs, may be greatly disappointed.
In Cardology, we know the number 13 is significant for many reasons. There are 13 lunar cycles each year, 13 weeks in each season, and, of course, 13 cards in each of the four suits, starting with the Ace and ending with the King. Cardwise, it signifies a complete cycle since the King is the 13th card in each suit and he contains all the wisdom that his suit offers, having the sum total of all the other cards of his suit within him.
In Tarot, the 13th card in the Major Arcana is related to death and transformation. It is appropriately called the “Death” Card. Notice the skeleton in black armor mounted on a white horse stepping over a body that looks like a king. While the Death Card is hard to look at, keep in mind that we die and are reborn every time we give up an old habit, find a new attitude, move to a new home, change jobs, end a relationship, or even begin a new one. We die a thousand deaths in one lifetime. Like a skeleton, all great transformations start by removing everything down to the bare bone so something new has room to grow. We continually have to let go of things or people we cherish in order to make way for something new and to experience new growth as we travel along our spiritual path toward our ultimate destination.
In the evolution of numbers in the cards, the Kings of the deck are the final authority. They are masters and represent the founders and fathers of the world. Kings are born with a sense of authority and most do not allow that authority to lead to domination but a few do. Kings can be sympathetic and understanding as they subconsciously know that power depends upon cooperation. No matter what type of kingdom they rule over, their greatest successes and achievements will come through partnerships.
Kings who give into their fears usually abuse their power, forsaking their inherent wisdom, and begin to bully, dominate, and use people. These are the Kings who have lost their authority and will often lay claim that it is they who are being abused. All Kings inherently know the right thing to do. Unfortunately, they do not always act wisely and become a disgrace to their card and position in life. The misuse of power is quite alluring for most people. The Eights of the deck certainly taught us that. Anyone who has evolved through all the cards, from Ace to King, should have already learned about the consequences in the misuse of power and never abuse it again. Unfortunately, there are some Kings who will use their power unwisely, just because they can, and personify all that is corrupt and destructive in a powerful person. Fortunately, they are the exception and not the rule.
While the King is the epitome of the masculine archetype for leadership and power, most Kings are aware of their power and know that it must be used carefully and responsibly. They can be trusted to lead in ways that can improve life for everyone in their kingdom and do good in the world. In Cardology, a King’s power is defined primarily by the suit of their Life Card. For example, the King of Hearts♥, charming and intelligent, has power with people and personal relationships. The King of Clubs♣, quick-thinking and discerning, has the mental power to make the fine distinctions that separate the truth from untruth. The King of Diamonds♦, potentially shrewd and ruthless, wields the power to obtain practically anything he wants on the material level. In his book Symbolism, published in 1905, author Milton Pottenger writes, that this one-eyed king "signifies that universal law of concentration, the key to success. 'Single eye to duty.' Behind this King of money is the beheading ax. Now the language of this card is, "The right hand of fellowship to all men, but I will not spare the beheading ax to get at their money. I will sacrifice or cut off the head of my best friend to get his wealth." And finally the King of Spades♠, hardworking and wise, has the power to not be swayed by others because his own experience and wisdom constantly tell him the truth.
All Kings of the deck have a certain amount of pride and, like Queens and Jacks, they don't want to be seen as being weak and afraid at times. In order to preserve their image of security and strength, they hide their fears. How would you know when they are hiding their fears? Usually Kings become angry and tyrannical. Why? Being a King requires responsibility and a lot of work. Some Kings experience discomfort or tremendous fear when it comes to being responsible. There are those Kings who make a decision early in life to avoid responsibility at all costs.
Whenever this happens, they are throwing away most of their power and potential which comes as part of their birthright. Sadly, it seems in today’s world few Kings are ready to wear their royal crowns of authority and responsibility.
No matter how hard they may try, most Kings cannot carry the heavy burdens that wearing their crown requires. Many of them will merely take off their crown and play a lesser role of their suit. When they place their crown on the foot stool of their throne, they are intentionally giving up their power. The males step down to the role of the Jack and the females step down to the role of the Queen. The King who relinquishes his kingly power most frequently is the King of Spades♠.
As the King of Kings, the master of masters, his crown holds the most power, but also the most burden. Yet, by renouncing his position in life and throwing away his power, he wonders why his life doesn't seem to make him happy.
With nothing to prove or to aspire to, they live far beneath their calling. All Kings have an inner voice that tells them they are suitable to be a leader. Until they fulfill this part of their role in life, they cannot truly be at peace with themselves. For many people with a King Life Card, all they need to know is that they are a King, one who is meant to lead, as it confirms what they have always felt growing up. They just need the confirmation of who they really are and why they are here. Kings who do listen to their inner voice usually want to be the leader and the boss. Even those who do not directly recognize this quality within themselves will exhibit some level of pride or have a deep aversion to being given instructions by others.
Kings are natural born leaders. No matter what area of business, life or industry they are in, every King needs their own kingdom. Whether it is being in charge of a homeowners association, sitting on the county zoning board, heading up a baseball league, owning a family restaurant, or being the principal at a school, a King has to have a group of people to lead. Otherwise, he is merely playing the role of a Queen or Jack.
Kings tend to set themselves apart from the world at large. It can be lonely at the top and few Kings have people who truly understand the burdens that Kings carry. Kings see themselves as part of a special group of leaders, either locally or globally. They need to consult with others on similar or equal footing. A King would not go down into his kingdom and ask the bread maker how to run the kingdom. A King needs a council of advisors; people who are not only qualified but who also understand his power, position and the problems that leadership brings.
To end the evolution of numbers in playing cards, we finish with the highest King card in the deck—the King of Spades♠. As the King of Kings, his card contains all the lessons, challenges, blessings and karma of the previous 51 cards. The King of Spades♠ will do whatever it takes to achieve success and recognition and is capable of managing the largest organizations imaginable. Perfect example of a King of Spades♠ is John Edgar Hoover (January 1, 1895 – May 2, 1972). He was the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States. In 1935, he was 40-years old and instrumental in founding the FBI, where he remained director until his death in 1972 at age 77. Hoover is credited with building the FBI into a large and efficient crime-fighting agency, and with instituting a number of modernizations to police technology, such as a centralized fingerprint file and forensic laboratories. Does that sound like a King of Spades♠ to you?
NOTE: Female Kings are powerful too and, like their male counterparts, have more than their share of leadership abilities and aggressiveness. Being a King is not an easy role for anyone to play because of the tremendous responsibility that comes with its crown. Women who have a King Life Card are born into a feminine body but will also have a very masculine side to their personality. It can be challenging to understand their role in life. They also have the added burden of balancing their female and male sides in their personal relationships too. At some point in their life, they will have problems finding the type of relationship that works out best for them long-term. Female Kings are better off to find someone with whom they can truly be themselves and yet this can take most of a lifetime to find.
We use cookies to help you have a pleasant experience on our website. By continuing to use this site, you consent to our use of cookies.