this is a list of magical associations for every tarot card, they can be added into spells to amplify your intentions and strengthen your manifestations
Wands are connected with the Fire element and is centered around movement, direction, energy, passion
Swords deal with thinking, communication, perception, and issues dealing with truth, connected to the air element
Cups are connected with water, and the full spectrum of emotions. every emotion imaginable is covered in the cup’s suit.
Pentacles are connected with Earth and are symbolic of manifestation, rewards, material wealth and material abundance.
The Fool creates new beginnings and can be paired with other cards. ex: the fool + the lovers for new romance, the fool + pentacles for new opportunities, etc.
The Magician increases your power and capability on all levels, willpower, emotional security, balance within yourself, etc.
The High Priestess increases your psychic abilities, mediumship abilities, and intuition
The Empress will help you with creativity and creative endeavors
The Emperor establishes order, structure, and command
The Hierophant can be used in a lot of ways, my favorites are 1. Pairing it with the fool to attract a new mentor, 2. Using it to summon a spirit guide or ascended master
The Lovers help invoke and attract love, partnership, mutual relationships, and passion
The Chariot is amazing for success, and triumph. I always use this in success spells for exams, tests, and projects. The Chariot will help the best possible outcome for a situation to arise
Strength will help you master your emotions
The Hermit is good for rituals and meditations based going within and gaining a better understanding of your own self, and life purpose.
The Wheel of Fortune can be used for luck, change, and getting a desired situation moving
Justice is great for truth, legal matters, and justice
The Hanged Man buys you time for a situation you aren’t ready to face, delays events
The Death card works well for ending situations, closing doors, gaining closure, and new beginnings
Temperance will restore balance and serenity to any situation
The Tower is best used for hexing and cursing, brings misfortune, unhappiness and chaos
The Star card is good for when you are casting spells focused on gaining something, The Star card is centered around healing, openness, and hope
The Moon helps develops intuitive abilities and can be used to send bad dreams
The Sun is used in spells for summoning happiness, success, and health
Judgement will help clear confusion and help you with understanding your life mission similar to the Hermit in that aspect
The World invokes wholeness and completion
Page of Wands: works with communication, messages, action, and passion
Page of Cups: boosts creativity, taps into your spiritual nature to bring out new creativity
Page of Swords: amplifies ingenuity and creativity, helps deliver messages from one person to another, can be used to attract someone’s attention to yourself
Page of Pentacles: good for grounding and centering spell work
Knight of Wands: speeds up any workings involving passion, love, and creativity
Knight of Cups: speeds up workings dealing with emotions, psychic development, inner strength
Knight of Swords: speeds up workings involving communication, balance, and thinking
Knight of Pentacles: speeds up workings dealing with manifesting abundance, material wealth, prosperity, and creativity
King of Wands: associated with leadership, command, can help you gain authority
King of Cups: associated with personal feelings, can help you resolve personal conflicts and inner turmoil
King of Swords: aids in strengthening your communication and speaking skills
King of Pentacles: invokes luxury, great card for business success
Queen of Wands: establishes a sense of self security and sufficiency
Queen of Cups: develops your psychic abilities, also helps with understanding/controlling your emotions
Queen of Swords: helps you develop stronger focus
Queen of Pentacles: abundance, creativity, fertility
Aces: used for new beginnings based on the energy represented in that suit
Two of Wands: positive progress in any situation whether it be romance, health, career, etc.
Three of Wands: business prosperity
Four of Wands: strengthens any type of relationship
Five of Wands: used in hexes and curses to invoke conflict, and arguments
Six of Wands: manifests recognition, success,
Seven of Wands: use this card when you’re in a tough situation, it will help you succeed and come out of it stronger
Eight of Wands: directs energy and intentions towards a specific goal or purpose, helps to speed up workings
Nine of Wands: use this card when you come face to face with a difficult task, this card will keep you brave and strong
Ten of Wands: can either be used to achieve something great, or it can be used in a hex or curse to manifest burdens
Two of Cups: union, strengthens romantic relationships
Three of Cups: strengthens a friendship
Four of Cups: dissatisfaction with surroundings
Five of Cups: causes despair and sadness
Six of Cups: lifts your mood when you’re feeling down
Seven of Cups: illusions and deceptions
Eight of Cups: used to help you move on from the past
Nine of Cups: make a wish and use this card’s power to grant your wish, invokes happiness
Ten of Cups: brings happiness to relationships of all kinds, friends, family, romantic, etc.
Two of Swords: used in curses and hexes to cause someone to have a limiting mindset
Three of Swords: heartbreak and emotional strife
Four of Swords: used in healing spells, sleeping aid
Five of Swords: manifests conflict, and failed success
Six of Swords: this card will aid you when you face a difficult change, helps you to move on and move forward
Seven of Swords: causes betrayal
Eight of Swords: powerful energy that causes isolation
Nine of Swords: sends nightmares and anxieties
Ten of Swords: defeat and betrayal
Two of Pentacles: brings balance
Three of Pentacles: strengthens business connections
Four of Pentacles: manifests financial stability
Five of Pentacles: financial problem
Six of Pentacles: prosperity
Seven of Pentacles: material abundance
Eight of Pentacles: if you’ve worked hard this card ensures you that your efforts will be rewarded
Nine of Pentacles: success, luxury, accomplishment
Ten of Pentacles: success, wealth
Negative aspects of the cards can be used for hexing and cursing
Here are some unpublished initial sketches of Thoth Tarot cards by Lady Frieda Harris, the artist who painted The Thoth Tarot with the guidance of Aleister Crowley.
Four unpublished paintings by Lady Frieda Harris (via)
These are so fascinating especially for those of us who have pored over these cards for years. The Four of Wands that made it into the deck doesn’t seem to have changed much from the painting here, but the Aces of Swords and Disks are pretty different.
The Magus (This would be #4, for those keeping score) is fascinating. I particularly enjoy the “cyanocephalic ape” of Thoth behind the Magus, and the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari-like expressionist houses (B, Beth, House, remember?) in the background. I’ve not quite sorted out what the object is in his upper left hand on the top right of the painting though. A sistrum perhaps?
My favorite general tarot spread technique Ive been working with recently and starts to be my very fav overall. It works with mystical properties of number nine. You cannot find this technique anywhere on the internet.
Simplified:
1) Throw cards on the table, play chaotically with them, shuffling them as a kid at least for a minute. Tell Spirit how you gonna draw cards: 3 for past, 3 for present, 3 for future.
2) Get deck into form, then cut the deck into 3 piles (1-2-3), fold the deck back to form (1-2-3). Bear in mind from the beginning what you are conceptually doing.
3) Now draw every ninth card while puttin each of these cards in a column, one under the other. You will get 3 columns: past, present, future – together 9 cards. Leave unused cards aside.
4) bonus: if you will continue drawing next 9ths of cards – they will also fit to reading.
The artwork inside the album cover of Led Zeppelin IV is from a painting
by William Holman Hunt, influenced by the traditional Rider/Waite Tarot
card design for the card called “The Hermit”. Page transforms into this
character during his fantasy segment in Led Zeppelin’s concert film The
Song Remains the Same. The Hermit was his favourite Tarot card.
The Hermit (IX) is the ninth trump or Major Arcana card in most
traditional Tarot decks. It is used in game playing as well as in
divination.
The Hermit has internalized the lessons of life to the point that he is
the lesson. The Hermit, as a kind of shamanistic hero, has made the
complete journey both the withdrawal and the return.
The Hermit is related through a cross sum (the sum of the digits) to The
Moon. While The Hermit mostly integrates the lessons of the sunlit
world, the Moon stands at the threshold of light and dark and churns the
waters of life. In both cases, treasures can be uncovered through
contemplation of what is brought forth. In both cases, monsters may be
found.
A potentially dangerous aspect of The Hermit is his retreat, his
isolation. We all need to retreat sometimes; retreat and renewal are
necessary for growth. But The Hermit may be tempted to completely
withdraw from the world, not because the journey is done, but because
the dragons of the real are too daunting, or because the trivial
pleasures of the cave are too intoxicating. Withdraw at the wrong time,
stay withdrawn too long, and growth stops.
In the Vikings Tarot, the Hermit is Heimdall living at the edge of
Asgard, standing ready with Gjallarhorn watching for the signs of the
coming of Ragnarok.
Photo 1: The Hermit as shown in the Tarot card.
Photo 2: The Hermit in the Led Zeppelin IV album done by Barrington Colby.
Occult Aspects 