The Birth Card: A Matrixed Approach
AUTHOR’S NOTE: The subject of birth cards sometimes comes up in online discussions. Many people use a numerological approach, adding together the numerals for the day, month and year, reducing “Theosophically,” and coming up with a Major Arcanum as a symbolic avatar that can be used as a “significator” in tarot readings. Here I’m looking at the birth cards as they are derived from the Chaldean wheel of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.
As a Cancer male I had for years applied the Thoth Knight of Cups as my personal tarot sigil since it just seemed to “feel” right from a metaphysical and conceptual perspective. However, on my fourth read through the Book of Thoth I was struck by Crowley’s description of the “moral characteristics” of the Queen of Cups as being a much more accurate representation of my inner nature. In looking closely at the Chaldean wheel of correspondences, I put together a matrix of astrological influences that add up to a very complete and intriguing profile.
I was born on the Summer Solstice (June 21), by itself an auspicious moment in the pagan Wheel of the Year; numerologically, my birth number is 13, which yields Death and its correspondence to Scorpio as my birth card. This emerges in my horoscope as a Scorpio Ascendant, bringing with it the connotation of fixed Water. However, in the Chaldean notation for June 21 , the combination of attributes gives me Cancer with the Moon ruling as my “Sun sign;” the Chariot and its Cancer association as my “birth trump;” the Queen of Cups as its court-card consort; the 2 of Cups as Venus in Cancer (Venus is also in early Cancer in my birth chart); Jupiter exalted in Cancer; and the Princess and the Ace of Wands as the “polar” rulers.
For me the most interesting thing here is the connection between the Chariot and Jupiter, since a few years ago I experimented with swapping the astrological signatures for the Chariot and the Wheel of Fortune, inserting Jupiter in the former and moving Cancer to the latter. In examining the matrix of forces signified by the Chaldean “slice,” I realized that this all stays within the envelope of my premise. The Moon, Jupiter (the “Greater Benefic”) and Venus (the “Lesser Benefic”) work quite harmoniously together, producing in my own life what has been a very fortunate “big picture” backdrop. Except for occasional medical setbacks of a “Cancerian” nature, my health has been mostly robust and Jupiter has pulled me through the occasional rough patch (natally, Jupiter is well-favored in Sagittarius, its sign of rulership, in the 1st House). Jupiter is generally considered a “Fire” planet in modern astrology (although traditionally it ruled Pisces and was ascribed “Water” traits), which ties it in elementally to the Princess and the Ace of Wands as the “cosmic” or “spiritual” envoys for the zodiacal quarter.
So Fire and Water dominate in my “birth matrix” cards. Earth and Air are noticeably absent, with the placement of my natal Full Moon in Capricorn providing something of an “anchor” in that regard but nothing equivalent in the element of Air (which is surprising in light of my strong intellectual and analytical bent). At any rate, I’ve begun thinking of the Queen of Cups (Water of Water) as my personal significator for practical use in tarot readings on those rare occasions when I use one.
Originally published at http://parsifalswheeldivination.wordpress.com on May 9, 2023.
