Birth Cards

[Doc]

Birth Card pairs are fields of energy that define a human life. When you know a person's birth date, you know their Birth Cards, and when you know their Birth Cards, you know the things about them that will never change from birth to death, no matter what happens in their lives.

There are only 12 Birth Card pairs to share among us all, so there will be billions of individuals, each with a unique personality, who share the same Birth Cards. You need to be aware that Birth Cards do not, by themselves, describe an entire human psyche. But they are the beginning, the foundation of a comprehensive understanding of identity. They are like twelve great rivers, each creating a defining environment for the particular beings who spend their whole lives in them.


The Basic Formula:

You can determine your Birth Cards by doing a numerological reduction of your birth date in the following manner: MM + DD + 19* + YY.

* For people born from January 1, 2000 – December 31, 2099, the constant will be 20 instead of 19.

For example, let's say that your birthday is February 21, 1950. Add the numbers like this:

02
21
19
50
—
92

Then add 9 + 2 = 11.

Key 11 is Justice, the first Birth Card for this date. 11 reduces to 2 (The High Priestess), which is the second Birth Card.

Three-Digit Sums:

Here's how to handle a birth date that adds up to 3 digits. The first two digits of the three are considered as one number, which is added to the third digit. Let's look at August 20, 1969, for example. The formula would be 08 + 20 + 19 + 69 = 116.

Or you can look at it this way:

08
20
19
69
—
116

Then add 11 + 6 = 17. Single-Digit Sums:

Almost everyone should have 2 birth cards. One of the cards will have a single digit and the other a double digit. If your birth date sum reduces to a single digit (e.g. 90 = 9 + 0 = 9) its pair is implied, in this case, 18 (The Moon) = 1 + 8 = 9 (Hermit). See the table below for a complete list of Birth Card Pairs.



The Exception to the Rule:
The one exception is if your birth date sum = 19. In that case, you will have 3 Birth Cards: The Sun (19), The Wheel of Fortune (10) and The Magician (1).



Clarification:
Confusion about calculating Birth Cards is very common. Even though the math is simple, the concept can be difficult to grasp. In case we've lost you, consider the following:

If a birthday adds up to a digit plus a zero, it reduces immediately to a single digit. But each single digit is paired with a double digit between 10 and 21, from which it is derived. The numbers 1 through 21, of course, are the complete universe of positive numbers that make up the Major Arcana. So all Birth Card pairs must be a combination of two of these numbers. 9, for instance, can only be arrived at, within the numbers of the Major Arcana, from the number 18 (1+8=9).

If you begin with a single digit and you search for the double digit that is its pair, you will find that there is only one possibility, with a single exception. If your birth date adds up to 30, it reduces to 3. Three can be arrived at by a reduction of either 12 (Hanged Man) or 21 (World), but we have found that where this choice exists, 12 works best.


I thought members would find this interesting. I've been playing with it lately asking people their birthdates and then looking at the cards.

I did not make this up. You can find this information at www.tarotschool.com and then look on the left for birth cards. It explains what the combinations mean. It's just kind of interesting and a little fun.


Table of Birth Card Pairs:
18 reduces to 9 (1+8)
Moon / Hermit
17 reduces to 8 (1+7)
Star / Strength
16 reduces to 7 (1+6)
Tower / Chariot
15 reduces to 6 (1+5)
Devil / Lovers
14 reduces to 5 (1+4)
Temperance / Hierophant
13 reduces to 4 (1+3)
Death / Emperor
12 reduces to 3 (1+2)
Hanged Man / Empress
11 reduces to 2 (1+5)
Justice / High Priestess
10 reduces to 1 (1+0)
Wheel of Fortune / Magician


Again, there is one exception where you will have three Birth Cards. If the birth date sum = 19, it will reduce first to (19), then to (10), and finally (1). Sun / Wheel / Magician

Additionally:

20 reduces to 2 (2+0)
Judgement / High Priestess
21 reduces to 3 (2+1)
World / Empress

[Dera]

Hmmm. My cards are devil and lovers-- ???

[Doc]

That sounds like a fun combo, Dera. Mine are Justice and High Priestess. Yours sound more provocative than mine.

[crossfire]

mine:

Judgement and The High Priestess share the energy of beginnings, the beginning of an awakening and the beginning of an initiation. And so they also share the finality of endings, since each marks an irrevocable boundary between levels of awareness. The Priestess guards the gate to the last secrets of self and world. Judgement is the door to the beginnings of the secret knowledge of self and world. On the far side of Judgement everything is sound asleep in the dream of the everyday. On the far side of The Priestess everything is wide awake at the end of the final journey.

Judgement listens to the sound of a call so loud that it cannot be ignored. It emerges from the ordinary, stripped of everything it previously held precious and identified with. It begins a brand new life in a world made new by a new awareness, awakened and motivated by a distant energy it hears and obeys but doesn't understand. It finds itself in a state of constant transformation fueled by a steady and unquenchable inner fire.

The High Priestess is mysterious, self-effacing and self-sufficient. Her silence is ancient and perfect. She says nothing and does nothing, but leaves nothing unsaid or undone. She is cool, serene and complete.

Unintegrated and imperfectly realized, Judgement can be deaf to the inner call and heedless of its potential, remaining steadfastly concerned with everyday matters and ordinary pursuits. Nevertheless, it can still be susceptible to visions, ghosts and all sorts of paranormal experiences, with a strong psychic talent and a readiness to believe stories of the super- and supra-natural.

The stubborn denial of Judgement can join forces with the Priestess' certainty that she knows everything. When this happens, they combine as foolish self-confidence alternating with a fear of the unknown, making personal growth a harrowing experience.

Together, they focus on the transcendent rather than on the commonplace. They combine high energy, and a capacity for radical change and impressive growth, with an intuitive awareness of the vastness of the mystery of things. They can be great explorers, willing to plunge into the fertile and frightening unknown and take their chances with it.

[crossfire]

The first time I looked at this, I was confused, and looked at the Justice/High Priestess pair, rather than the Judgment/High Priestess pair. You're right, Doc, it can be confusing. The first time, I added my birth numbers up digit by digit, rather than by month + day + century + year. It makes a difference.

[Delphine]

Mine is the Tower and the Chariot. I'll quote the last sentence since it sounds so good.......

Together, they are afraid of nothing, can stand successfully against any opponent, either internal or external, and when the time comes, they will rise to the ultimate challenge and be equal to it

[Alpha]

Most interesting Doc...thanks.

Another Justice/High Priestess here

[OhMyG]

I got Tower and the Chariot.

[Judee]

My number added up to 80. Where the heck does that leave me?

[crossfire]

My number added up to 80. Where the heck does that leave me?

Try the calculator.
My guess would be Star/Strength.

[Judee]

Thanks crossfire! Very interesting stuff too.

[Kamalam]

Thi was interesting! It reminds me of my vedic astrology reading - a destiny of bringing heaven down to earth...

I'm Star/Strength:



The Star is remote, cool and calm. Strength is hot, intense and close. For the unclothed Star, the world and her own nature are fine as they are, and can only suffer from interference. For Strength, fully clothed, the world and her own nature need restraints to work properly....

Together they are graceful, beautiful, peaceful and strong, with their powers and talents in perfect balance and harmony, and all their virtues at the service of the world.

[Topper]

This is what I got