by Henry Ho
Majors make up just under 30% of a deck, Courts are 20% and Minors make up 50% of a tarot deck.
You can use this ratio compared to the total number of cards in a string to measure the balance of cards within it. Whilst this method is arguably more representative, the need to compute maths during a reading may be unnecessarily complex for some readers. Especially when the reader is under time constraints. An absolute majority is adequate, although I would argue that this ratio is relatively intuitive and would take readers no time at all to internalise and use it efficiently.
When there is a majority of Major Arcana that means there are many powerful forces at play that the querent or reader cannot control. That is not to say that there aren’t any options to consider. Sometimes the solution is to have patience and wait until the tides change on their own, where the situation becomes more favourable to the querent. Other times the querent is advised to give up the uphill battle and move on. Knowing what we can and cannot change in life is a powerful piece of information that informs us whether we should persist or give up in certain endeavours. Saving us a lot of time, effort and grief.
A majority of Court cards suggest that the reading relates to people. People working in groups (which is most people) have to deal with politics in one form or another. A large number of Court cards is often drawing the reader to pay attention to interpersonal relationships or group dynamics.
If a string of cards is dominated by the Minor Arcana, it indicates that the querent has a lot of agency in this situation. There is a lot of choice and room to manoeuvre for them to make. They have control. A great message for anyone!
Outstanding Numbers
Lastly, in the official instructions, we look at whether certain numbers in the Minor Arcana are recurring. When you have three or four cards of a certain number, consult the chart above to find out what the significance is.
To this day I am not entirely sure how these meanings are derived by the members of the Golden Dawn. No explanations are given in published sources, and I haven’t been able to work out a particular pattern. If anyone can manage to crack this code, please let us know!
Note that for the latter four Operations of the OOTK spread, the strings tend to be much shorter compared to the First Operation as the cards are divided into more stacks. I feel that in those operations, even having two of the same number is significant due to the unlikelihood of it happening. So keep that in mind.
Astrology & Timing
This is another trick that I picked up from Paul. Using the astrological attributions of the tarot, a reader can make timing predictions for when certain events will happen. For example if a querent asks for a relationship reading, and the card counting reveals that a relationship is indeed coming, the reader can look for recurring zodiacal attributions to intuit when this will happen.
For the First Operation I generally look for at least three cards attributed to a particular zodiac sign in order to make a firm prediction. For example the presence of Death, 6 of Cups and the Prince of Cups shows me that the event may happen around the first week of November.
Outside of the First Operation, I may make a timing prediction even with only 2 cards attributed to the same zodiac. Again, this is because each stack for these Operations have fewer cards in them compared to the First. Having said that, I still would not feel it is a strong prediction unless it is at least three or more cards.
This is but one of many ways to use Astrology for timing in the OOTK spread. I feel this really only applies to the First, Second and Fifth Operations. For the Third and Fourth Operations, the positions themselves suggest the timing of events as they represent the zodiac signs and decanates.
String Analysis Example
Continuing on with the example reading. Now we’re going to look at the Air Stack, where my significator is, and fan it out into a string of cards. Normally you will have to go through each of the four packs to find the significator for the querent, but in this case I was correct on my first guess.
Note that whilst in later diagrams the cards are placed distinctly from one another, in practice they are fanned out overlapping one another, with only a strip of less than a centimetre of each card showing. It should look something like this:
The cards should be fanned in a way so that the top card of each stack is on the far right and that the bottom card is on the far left.
From here on out I will also be using this annotation system for the cards due to a lack of space in the diagrams.
Card Groups
Suits
Court Cards
Majors: Numerals
Wands: W
Knights: K
Minors: Number & Suit
Cups: C
Queens: Q
Aces: A
Swords: S
Princes: Pr
Disks: D
Princess: Ps
My significator, the Queen of Disks is found in the Air stack. So when fanning out the cards we get:
Air String
Total Cards: 14
Fire: 4
Water: 5
Air: 2
Earth: 1
Spirit: 2
Fire and Water dominate this string. According to the GD source, each element relates to Energy and Pleasure respectively. I would take the composite approach, blending them together creates the idea of purpose and fulfilment. Passionately pursuing something to feel fulfilled. And that is exactly what this reading is about. The dominance of these two elements also suggests that this reading focuses more on how I feel internally than on objective, external conditions. In contrast to the Air and Earth elements.
Majors: 3
Courts: 2
Minors: 9
We have both an absolute majority and a relative majority of Minor Arcana in this string, according to the 3:2:5 ratio. A dominance of Minors suggests that the situation is largely under my own control. Good news for me. I can change the situation. In a later chapter we will see the different paths I can choose and how to go about turning them into reality.
In this case there are no 3s or 4s of any number of the Minors. Nor are there 3 or more cards relating to any particular zodiac sign depicting a particular time frame.
String Analysis Example 2
The above example does not give us any 3s or 4s of certain Minors so I would like to mention another reading that does. It is a relationship reading where the significator is found in the Water String. There are 3 Fives and 3 Queens within the string. Consulting the chart above we get “Quarrels and Fights” as well as “Powerful and influential friends.”
From that I gather that there has been a lot of arguments over the question at hand between the querent and his partner. The “Powerful and influential friends” does not fit into the narrative of the question to me, so I instead interpreted the 3 Queens as representing female figures, i.e. his partner. So we see that these patterns give context to our readings.
Elemental Dignities
The Golden Dawn system of elemental dignities is the foundation from which readers interpret the cards in the OOTK spread. When reading tarot cards in a Golden Dawn context, cards are not often read in isolation. Instead cards are grouped either in pairs or in triads depending on whether you are card pairing or card counting.
Later when we look at card counting you will see how this is applied within the context of the OOTK spread. When you count onto a card, that card becomes the Centre of a triad of three cards. You then proceed to read the Centre card and each card either side of it as a block for your interpretation. This, in my opinion, is the foundation of the OOTK spread.
Not only are you interpreting the meaning of the individual card, but you are also analysing its relationship with the other cards in the group. Elemental dignities is the tool that gives the reader a rough guideline on how to analyse the relationship between cards.
Elements of the cards
I’m sure most readers already know what cards are attributed to the four eleme
nts but I mention them here just in case beginners are reading my book.
Minors and Courts:
-Fire: Wands
-Water: Cups
-Air: Swords
-Earth: Disks
-Spirit: Aces
The four Aces represent the roots of each element, but not the elements themselves. They are the facets of unmanifested Spirit that are about to become the elements. Thus the four Aces represent the element of Spirit rather than the elements of the suit they belong in.
Majors:
-Fire: Emperor, Lust/Strength, Art/Temperance, Tower, Sun, Aeon/Judgement
-Water: Priestess, Chariot, Hanged Man, Death, Moon
-Air: Fool, Magician, Lovers, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, Star
-Earth: Empress, Hierophant, Hermit, Devil, Universe/World
Alternatively for the Majors:
-Fire: Emperor, Lust/Strength, Art/Temperance, Aeon/Judgement
-Water: Chariot, Hanged Man, Death, Moon
-Air: Fool, Lovers, Justice, Star
-Earth: Hierophant, Hermit, Devil, Universe/World
-Spirit: Magician, Priestess, Empress, Fortune, Tower, Sun, Aeon/Judgement, Universe/World
I provide two sets of attributions for the Major Arcana because it has been contested whether the planetary cards have an elemental attribution. The reasoning behind this is that each planet rules over two zodiac signs of opposite elements in traditional astrology. Thus it can be argued that all planets are of the element of Spirit. Using the attribution of Spirit for the planets is perhaps a more elegant system as then the four elements are balanced with an equal number of cards in each category.
Personally I use both attributions at the same time. Whilst I agree with the logic, I intuitively resonate with the idea that Mars is Fire and Venus is Earth etc. Other planets are not so obvious. For example is Mercury Air or Water? I gravitate to Spirit or one of the four elements depending on the context.
The Universe/World card and the Aeon cards are mentioned twice because they are doubled up in their attributions. The Universe is both Earth and Saturn, whereas the Aeon is both Fire and Spirit.
Golden Dawn Instructions
“THE SIGNIFICATION OF THE CARDS
A card is strong or weak, well-dignified or ill-dignified, according to the cards which are next to it on either side. Cards of the same suit on either side strengthen it greatly either for good or evil, according to their nature. Cards of the suits answering to its contrary element, on either side, weaken it greatly for good or evil. Air and Earth are contraries as also are Fire and Water. Air is friendly with Water and Fire, and Fire with Air and Earth.
If a card of the suit of Wands falls between a Cup and a Sword, the Sword modifies and connects the Wand with the Cup, so that it is not weakened by its vicinity, but is modified by the influence of both cards; therefore fairly strong. But if a card pass between two which are naturally contrary, it is not affected by either much, as a Wand between a Sword and a Pentacle which latter, being Air and Earth, are contrary and therefore weaken each other.
Here the question being of the Wand, this card is not to be noticed as forming a link between the Sword and Pentacle[6].”
Let’s break this down:
Fire and Air strengthen each other.
Water and Earth strengthen each other.
Cards of the same element strengthen each other the most. More than elements friendly to one another.
Fire and Water weaken each other.
Air and Earth weaken each other.
Fire and Earth are friendly/neutral.
Air and Water are friendly/neutral.
Friendly/neutral cards harmonise cards that are inimical to one another.
In depth look at the relationships of the elements
Fire and Water
Fire represents action and passion, whilst Water is emotions. Now think about how when we are overly emotional, we usually feel unmotivated to move, we don’t feel like getting out of bed. When you’re happy you generally don’t feel like changing the situation. You’re fine as you are. Satisfaction is a killer of action.
When you’re extremely sad on the other hand you’re just simply not in the mood to do anything. Either way, when you’re overly emotional no matter if it’s happy or sad, it has a negative impact on your motivation.
Another way to look at this is that having too much activity in your life causes stress on your emotions as emotionally we all want to just relax and chill. Fire disturbs the stillness of Water.
Now let us look at the reverse situation, where Fire acts on Water. This can have two consequences. Water is brought to boil, or it is so hot that it evaporates immediately. In the latter case is where there is too much Fire and so it overpowers Water. This is the situation where one forgets about whatever emotional state they were in when they are in action.
When the adrenaline is pumping, we are living in the present. We can forget about negative emotions when we throw ourselves into work. A common example is when we focus on our careers as a means to get over a break up. When we are in an active state, we are no longer in a receptive or reflective state.
When Fire brings Water to boil, this causes emotional frustration, impatience and anger.
The distinction is made by judging whether Fire is acting on Water, or vice versa. Fire causes frustration in our emotions. Water kills our motivation. Only your own intuition can tell you which way round it is.
The scenarios presented are what occurs when there is too much of one or the other. But what happens when they are equally balanced?
Fire brings Water to boil. Emotions become amplified. The energy of Fire, in a way, becomes stored in Water, rather than being spent in an instant; Water nurtures Fire and extends its life. Usually Fire is like a flash or explosion and that is it. Fire and Water in conjunction with one another harmonize and amplify one another when they are balanced. Yes they do still weaken each other as individuals, but they strengthen each other in the sense that they are working as a team.
Sometimes this can only happen when there is a mediator between the two elements, say when the element of Earth is there to act as a barrier to harmonize the relationship. It is best to have an element who is friendly to both elements to act as a third party. This is the rationale of “bridge Triads”.
Air and Earth
Air is the function of logic, analysis. It takes things apart so that one can see how things work, so that we understand them. Earth is basically any manifested substance.
Now when there is only Earth, it is like a cake. We only see what’s in front of us. In addition, we only see the surface of that cake. We can’t see what’s inside. We haven’t analysed deep into a situation, we haven’t understood its contents. Without a knife to cut the cake open you can’t be certain of what it contains.
The danger is of materialism is that we only believe what we see. It is like believing that the drunken person punching a victim is automatically in the wrong. But when we look deeper, we may find that the “victim” may have been insulting the drunkard, and may very well have deserved it.
Thus we see the element of Air, or logic, is a tool for division. It is used to open things up to see what’s inside.
Another analogy of when Earth is overpowering Air is when there are too many facts to analyse. Our brain is just swamped with so much information that it is difficult to process and draw any strong and coherent conclusions. Air is weighed down by Earth. The situation is too hard and dense to cut open and analyse.
However the reverse is also dangerous. When there is too much Air, we are analysing a situation based on very little facts. Any conclusion we make will lack certainty. Or worse, we make definite conclusions out of nothing. This is a situation where someone is all talk and no show. He lacks substance or weight in his words.
Another way to look at it is that one is overanalysing the situation, looking too deeply into it and missing the big picture, or what is obvious.
When the A
ir and Earth are balanced however, we have a well-researched argument or idea, based on facts and hard data. Therefore it has weight, substance or truth to it.
Again, usually there needs to be a third element to harmonize the relationship between two naturally inimical elements. This pairing without Water is like analysis without deep reflection or understanding. Without Fire, you’re analysing a situation or a thing without doing anything with your conclusions. You’re not using that new piece of information.
Fire and Air
Actions guided by thought.
Willpower strengthened by suffering.
Creative inspiration stimulating thoughts and ideas.
Fire and Earth
Earth fuels Fire, Fire burns it up. Results fuelling motivation, and actions reaping rewards.
Sometimes Earth represses Fire, putting it out. On the other hand if there’s a strong fire card in the centre of two Earth cards then the Fire explodes like a volcano, out of the casing of Earth.
Water and Air
Here the mind is rationalising or even controlling the emotions. Or the other way around. This combination can represent emotional thoughts or communicating emotionally, perhaps with empathy.
Water and Earth
Results coupled with emotional fulfilment. A very happy union.
Satisfaction in doing small day to day things, or work.
The element of Spirit
Spirit is the “element” from which all elements were created; it is the essence or source of everything. Thus it has traits of all four elements combined. In tarot this means that it provides a balancing and amplifying effect. It strengthens the effects of all other cards.
