Reading the Signs: An Astro-Tarot Topical Forecasting Method
AUTHOR’S NOTE: This technique requires a natal horoscope for the querent; an astrological ephemeris for the year in question; and the Golden Dawn’s Chaldean wheel of tarot-card correspondences. (See the graphic below). Due to the necessary preparation, it will not be suitable for most walk-in clients. More than one deck will be needed for this approach; I used two but would suggest three, one for each column.
Begin by using the Chaldean wheel to identify the cards of the Minor Arcana that relate to the decans for the planetary positions in the natal horoscope. Lay these in a vertical column to the left, with the Sun at the top. (Note that the Golden Dawn system uses only the seven “classical” planets, Sun through Saturn.) In case you don’t notice, the planets on the cards seldom match the natal planets; they are just associated with the decans that the latter occupy. For example, in my chart Jupiter sits in Saturn’s decan in Sagittarius (10 of Wands) and Saturn is in Jupiter’s decan in Leo (6 of Wands), and interestingly they are in harmonious trine in the horoscope. But in my 2024–25 solar return chart they are both in Jupiter decans,
Next, find the date of the querent’s birthday (technically the “solar return” date) in the ephemeris for the year of the reading. Locate the decans and the associated tarot cards for the planetary positions on that day and lay these cards to the right of the natal cards. Because the Moon moves so rapidly through the zodiac, it may change signs during the day of interest; unless you choose to calculate a precise solar return, just use the Noon or Midnight GMT position for the Moon shown in your ephemeris, which is close enough for this purpose.
Below is the tarot-card template for my own natal chart and the transiting positions for my 2024 birthday that will remain in effect until June of 2025. Images are from the Thoth Tarot and the Waite-Smith Centennial Edition, both copyright of US Games Systems Inc, Stamford, CT.
My ‘“astrological landscape” is:
Natal Sun, Mercury and Venus conjunct in the first (Venus) decan of Cancer; 2024 Sun, Mercury and Venus conjunct in the same sign and decan. (Key planetary concepts: self-promotion, mental self-image and personal satisfaction)
Natal Moon in the first (Jupiter) decan of Capricorn; 2024 Moon in the second (Moon) decan of Sagittarius. (Key planetary concept: emotional sensitivity and self-expression)
Natal Mars in the second (Venus) decan of Virgo; 2024 Mars in the first (Mercury) decan of Taurus. (Key planetary concepts: self-assertion and the pursuit of desires)
Natal Jupiter in the third (Saturn) decan of Sagittarius; 2024 Jupiter in the first (Jupiter) decan of Gemini. (Key planetary concepts: social openness and self-assurance)
Natal Saturn in the second {Jupiter) decan of Leo; 2024 Saturn in the second (Jupiter) decan of Pisces. (Key planetary concepts: social conservatism and self-control)
Finally, shuffle a deck and deal a single card for each of the rows, placing it to the right of the card in the Annual column. (See the second photo.) If you want to do a topical reading for a specific planetary energy, separate the pair of cards in that row and deal the single card only for that set. For example, if you decide to leverage Mars energy for a particular opportunity (or to create one) that involves ambition, enterprise or desire (such as a business venture or a sexual encounter), extract the two Mars cards (Natal and Annual) and pull a Topical card to go with them. The three cards should be read as a narrative, with the Topical card showing the likely outcome. An optional step is to calculate the “numerological essence” from the face values of the three minor cards to come up with a Major Arcanum as the “big picture” or long-range perspective for the outcome.
This template can be used to create a topical or subject-matter outlook at any point during any year for which the annual planetary positions have been determined. I believe it will work best for specific targets rather than for general life-reading.
For this example reading I selected the aforementioned Mars initiative. My natal Mars is in the second decan of Venus in Virgo, represented by the 9 of Disks (Gain); the position of Mars on my 2024 solar-return date (aka birthday) was in the first decan of Mercury in Taurus, shown here by the RWS 5 of Pentacles or alternately by the 5 of Disks (Worry) in the Thoth deck; for the random topic card I pulled another instance of the 5 of Disks, doubling the anxiety level that was already high enough. Even before I drew the last card, prospects for success in physical pursuits looked dim, implying frustrated ambition, and the second Five put the nail in the coffin. However, all is not bleak since the Sun as the “numerological essence” suggests that I should “wait until next year” when my chances could be better. Solar-return Mars for 2025–26 will be in the first decan of Sun in Virgo, not far from my natal Midheaven, which relates to the 8 of Pentacles or Disks, a much more productive combination.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.org on February 15, 2025.
