A Monthly “Astro-Tarotscope” — Harnessing Horary Astrology and Tarot Insights
AUTHOR’S NOTE: I’m not the first writer to use the term “tarotscope;” I’ve encountered it in various posts over the years. But here I’m applying it to a merger of horary astrology and tarot to come up with a monthly forecast that may well be unique. (I don’t believe the hyphenated term in my title is trademarked or copyrighted.) Furthermore, rather than drawing a single card for the month as is often done, I’m pulling a series to align with the houses of the monthly horoscope. Finally, the fact that traditional astrology and the Golden Dawn system of tarot correspondences don’t include the three modern (or “trans-Saturnian”) planets, I’m not using Uranus, Neptune or Pluto in my model although they appear in the chart. I also did not allow reversed cards in the tarot portion, but it would be possible to do so. Completists will note that I didn’t include the “polar” Princesses and Aces in the architecture as being a case of “too much information.”
In electional astrology (a branch of horary), the goal is to identify the most favorable future date for performing an action, and “planetary hours” often figure into the exact timing. In this case, I’m choosing the date in advance (the first day of the target month) for which to perform a solar-ingress “event” chart, and then doing a tarot reading to populate the horoscopic “departments of life” (astrological houses) based on the Chaldean decanate for each card. This will show where the “astro-tarot” emphases will be placed for the duration of the forthcoming month. As a supplemental feature that is not part of the formal divination, I’m also looking at the trump and court cards that relate to the specific decans of the astrological map
Begin by casting a horary chart for the first day of the month. Ideally, this will be the moment of ingress for the Sun into the zodiacal sign (usually around the 20th or 21st), and an astrological ephemeris will provide the exact time to use in the calculation. But for this exercise that date has already passed so I’m employing midnight (00:00 Universal Time) on the first day of the calendar month, October 1st. Because I decided to make this a general forecast that can be applied to personal, social, global (including sociopolitical) and spiritual matters, I cast it for the Prime Meridian at Greenwich England rather than making it specific to any other unique longitude and latitude (although if you use this method you could certainly select the coordinates for your own location). It provides a symbolic “tone,” atmosphere or background theme for that month in the functional areas associated with the highlighted houses. Print this chart for reference.
Next, remove the “pip” cards (minus the Aces) from a tarot deck, setting aside the rest of the pack, and separate them into the seven planetary groups, Sun through Saturn. (The Thoth deck with its on-board planet and sign detail is ideal for this purpose.) Shuffle these sub-packs separately and draw one card from each group in any way you choose.
Referring to the Chaldean wheel of correspondences below, find the decan for each of the cards and “tag” it to the astrological house that contains its decan. (See the photo below.)
Interpret the likely impact of each card’s energy in the pertinent “department of life, including the correlation between the card and any planet(s) in the same house.
In this example reading for the month of October, 2024, the Sun-in-Virgo card (Prudence, occupying the 1st decan of the sign) appeared in the Second House of the horoscope, suggesting that prudent management of private resources and upholding of values will be important in furthering goals and ambitions during the period. There are no planets in the house, so there will be no reinforcement or undermining of these initiatives. The conservative Knight of Disks and the Hermit make it clear that gambling in these matters is not advisable.
The Mercury-in-Sagittarius card (Swiftness) and the Moon-in-Sagittarius card (Strength) in the 1st and 2nd decans respectively, fall into the Fifth House intercept for that sign. This house has to do with the pursuit of pleasure and other forms of gratification and these Fire cards imply going all-out to get it, but in a less-than-forthright manner. There may be some clandestine arm-twisting involved. The Knight of Wands cranks up the testosterone level, but Art (Temperance) “puts a lid on it” by walking a fine line; these cards convey muscle-flexing “brinkmanship” that stops short of acting rashly. Once again, there are no planets to complicate things.
The Venus-in-Cancer card (Love) in the 1st decan landed in the Eleventh House of public interaction in the form of social groups and their activities. Jupiter (the traditional “Greater Benefic to the “lesser Benefic” of Venus) is also there and would normally be seen as bolstering the communal “feel-good” vibe, but it is wrapped up in the intercept of Gemini and is unavailable to help. For its part, the Venus card bridges the cusp of the Twelfth House, so the populist agenda of the Eleventh House would subside into more institutionalized channels. The Queen of Cups brings consummate grace and patience to the picture, while the Chariot is emblematic of “movement toward a goal” that usually results in success. Cardinal Water seems like a good emphasis to bring to the negotiating table since it can signify the “iron fist in a velvet glove.”
The Mars-in-Gemini card (Cruelty in the 2nd decan) is in the Eleventh House but it is submerged in the intercept of Gemini. It adds forceful counterpoint to the cards at the Sagittarius end of the intercept, and this is further enhanced by the presence of expansive Jupiter in Gemini. Bringing together Fifth-House Swiftness and Strength in opposition to Cruelty in the Eleventh House with the Knights of Swords and Wands in attendance makes for an arrogant and autocratic approach to social affairs. There are two situations on the world stage that support this agenda: the Ukraine-Russia conflict and events in the Middle East. The Lovers as the associated trump card could mean that a major decision is forthcoming in the sociopolitical arena.
The Jupiter-in-Libra card (Truce in the 3rd decan) is in the Fourth House of “home rule,” which puts an exaggerated focus on maintaining equanimity in domestic matters. Venus is also in this house but it is across signs in Scorpio, hinting at less honorable maneuvering on the home front. The Queen of Swords and Adjustment (Justice) as the background theme imply a “brokered” peace, which once again could have sociopolitical implications.
The Saturn-in-Pisces card (Indolence, or lethargy, in the 1st decan) showed up in the Eighth House of shared resources (aka “bequests and taxes”), with no planets present. Along with the Knight of Cups and the Moon as the prevailing “atmosphere,” this suggests indiscriminate waste as a drag on the prudent management shown by the opposing Second House Sun-in-Virgo card. There are no planets here, but “radical” (as in “root”) Saturn in Pisces in the election horoscope doubles down on Piscean torpor in the Ninth House of philosophical and religious contemplation as well as long-distance travel; it may not be a good month to venture out either mentally or physically.
The most interesting thing here is the abundance of aggressive male energy as indicated by all four of the Thoth Knights, making me think that this month will deliver a lot of forceful posturing and saber-rattling in global and domestic affairs. The opposing “mutable” cards of Sagittarius/Gemini and Virgo/Pisces along with the “cardinal square” relationship between the Venus and Jupiter cards also figure strongly into the pattern, placing human consequences into high relief. Then there are three of the four Eights plus the eighth trump, cards that I see as representing adjustments and compensatory action in their respective areas of life.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on September 30, 2024.
