Have you ever wanted to learn to read Tarot, but were put off by having to memorise the 78 Tarot card meanings?!

What if I was to tell you that with just one simple technique, you could be reading Tarot faster than you can say “High Priestess”?

Here’s the secret. If you can learn the basics of what the numbers 1 to 10 mean, then you’ve got a head start with reading the Tarot cards.

Yes – for real!

You see, Tarot and numerology go hand-in-hand. Let me show you how.

The Numbers in the Minor Arcana

There are 56 Minor Arcana cards in the Tarot deck – 40 numbered cards and 16 Court Cards.

The 40 numbered cards are separated into 4 Suits – Cups, Pentacles, Swords and Wands, with each Suit running from Ace (1) to 10.

An easy way to get to know the 40 numbered cards of the Tarot is to learn basic numerology.

Here are a few keywords to get you started:

1. (Aces) New beginnings, opportunity, potential
2. Balance, partnership, duality
3. Creativity, groups, growth
4. Structure, stability, manifestation
5. Change, instability, conflict
6. Communication, cooperation, harmony
7. Reflection, assessment, knowledge
8. Mastery, action, accomplishment
9. Fruition, attainment, fulfilment
10. Completion, end of a cycle, renewal

It also helps to know a little about each of the Suits in the Tarot:

• Cups (element = water): Emotions, creativity, intuition, relationships
• Pentacles (element = earth): Material wealth, money, career, manifestation
• Swords (element = air): Communication, truth, intellect, thoughts
• Wands (element = fire): Inspiration, energy, enthusiasm

Now, combine what you know about the numbers and what you know about the Suits, and you’ll be able to determine what each of the 40 numbered cards mean.

For example, the Five of Cups is about conflict (5) in love and relationships (Cups).

And Four of Pentacles is about stability (4) in finances (Pentacles).

See – I told you it would be easy!

Now, you might be wondering how to interpret the 16 Court Cards with numerology. Well, it isn’t quite as straight-forward because the Court Cards don’t traditionally have a numerological association. 

For now, let’s jump into the Major Arcana cards.

The Numbers in the Major Arcana

You can apply the same ‘Tarot by numbers’ technique for the 22 cards of the Major Arcana.

The Fool is the first card, but starts at 0, and the final card is the World (21).

Each card in between the Fool and the World has its own numerological association which means that you can apply what you know about the numbers to the Major Arcana Tarot cards.

You don’t have to know double-digit numerology either. For now, keep it simple and add together the numbers to interpret the single number.

For example, the Tower is Card 16 and 1 + 6 = 7. 7 is about assessment and evaluation – an important aspect of the Tower card. Of course, there’s a little more to the Tower card than just assessment and evaluation, but knowing the basic numerology certainly gives you a start in the right direction.

While single-digit numerology can be helpful, it can also help to understand the meanings of the numbers up until 21 to add extra depth to your Tarot card interpretations.

For example, Death is Card 13 and both Death and the number 13 relate to upheaval. 13 is also a Karmic Debt Number – a sign that we need to learn a life lesson in order to evolve spiritually.

So there you have it – you now have a simple and easy way to interpret the Tarot cards using basic numerology as your guide!