The astrological references of PerennialTarot.com are based on sidereal astrology, which looks at where the planets are in relation to the actual constellations in the sky. Since the planets also pass through the constellation of Ophiucus, that constellation is included as the 13th constellation on the ecliptic.
A tarot deck consists of 78 arcanae, six arcanae can be allocated to each of the constellations (6 x 13 = 78) according to the chart below:
Constellation | Element | Ruler | Upper Arcana | Arcana | Arcana | Lower Arcana | Lower Arcana / Court | Court |
Aries | Cardinal Fire | Mars | 4 Emperor | Ace Rods | 2 Rods | 3 Rods / Sun | 9 Rods / Moon | Queen Rods / Venus |
Taurus | Fixed Earth | Venus | 3 Empress | 5 Hierophant | 6 Pentacles / Moon | 7 Pentacles / Saturn | 9 Pentacles / Venus | King Pentacles / Jupiter |
Gemini | Mutable Air | Mercury | 6 Lovers | 8 Swords | 9 Swords /Mars | 10 Swords / Sun | Page Swords | Knight Swords / Mars |
Cancer | Cardinal Water | Moon | 7 Chariot | Ace Cups | 2 Cups / Venus | 3 Cups / Mercury | 4 Cups | Queen Cups |
Leo | Fixed Fire | Sun | 8 Strength | 19 Sun | 5 Rods / Saturn | 6 Rods / Jupiter | 7 Rods / Mars | King Rods |
Virgo | Mutable Earth | Mercury | 9 Hermit | 2 Pentacles / Jupiter | 8 Pentacles / Sun | 10 Pentacles | Page Pentacles / Moon | Knight Pentacles / Mars |
Libra | Cardinal Air | Venus | 11 Justice | Ace Swords / Mercury | 2 Swords / Moon | 3 Swords / Saturn | 4 Swords /Jupiter | Queen Swords |
Scorpio | Fixed Water | Pluto | 10 Wheel of Fortune / Jupiter | 13 Death | 16 Tower | 5 Cups / Mars | 7 Cups / Venus | King Cups / Neptune |
Ophiuchus | Water/Fire | Chiron | 1 Magician Mercury | 2 High Priestess Moon | 21 World Jupiter | 4 Rods / Venus | 6 Cups / Sun | Page Cups |
Sagittarius | Mutable Fire | Jupiter | 14 Temperance | 20 Judgement | 8 Rods / Mercury | 10 Rods / Saturn | Page Rods | Knight Rods / Mars |
Capricorn | Cardinal Earth | Saturn | 15 Devil | Ace Pentacles | 3 Pentacles / Mars | 4 Pentacles / Sun | 5 Pentacles /Mercury | Queen Pentacles / Venus |
Aquarius | Fixed Air | Uranus | Fool | 17 Star | 5 Swords / Venus | 6 Swords / Mercury | 7 Swords / Moon | King Swords / Saturn |
Pisces | Mutable Water | Neptune | 12 Hanged Man / Uranus | 18 Moon | 8 Cups / Saturn | 9 Cups / Jupiter | 10 Cups / Mars | Knight Cups |
The photo shows how the arcanae of the Morgan Greer deck are arranged when laid out according to the chart. I used Lego® bricks as colour codes for the planetary rulerships for the respective arcanae in each of the thirteen constellations (yellow = Sun; brown = Moon; light grey = Mercury; green = Venus; red = Mars; white = Jupiter; dark grey with 6-studs = Saturn; transparent dark blue = Uranus; blue = Neptune; black = Pluto; light green = Chiron). The eight-stud bricks show the planetary ruler of each constellation:
Here is a table showing the number of arcanae that are ruled by each planet:
Ruler | Arcanae |
Sun | 8 |
Moon | 10 |
Mercury | 11 |
Venus | 11 |
Mars | 11 |
Jupiter | 10 |
Saturn | 8 |
Uranus | 3 |
Neptune | 3 |
Pluto | 2 |
Chiron | 1 |
The rulers can be arranged into five groups: (1) the Sun and Moon; (2) the near planets, Mercury, Venus, and Mars; (3) the visible outer planets, Jupiter and Saturn; (4) the remote planets, Uranus, Neptune; (5) the minor celestial bodies, Pluto and Chiron.
When considered in this way, it will be seen that the Sun and Moon rule 18 arcanae, as do Jupiter and Saturn. Given their proximity to us, the three near planets rule 33 arcanae, eleven each, while the remote planets rule six, and the minor celestial bodies rule three.
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