Tarot cards can be used for more then readings. It is possible to determine which Tarot cards specifically apply to you based on your date of birth, Zodiac sign, etc. There are two methods for determining your Tarot profile. One is generally referred to as the Tarot School method, taught by Wald and Ruth Ann Amberstone. The other method, which is detailed here, is taught by Angeles Arrien and Mary K. Greer. Follow along as I describe the method here, and fill in your cards on this downloadable form.
Personality and Soul Cards
The Personality card represents your talents, gifts, etc. that express themselves through your personality. Your Soul card shows you who you are at the deepest level–at your very soul. Often, these are things that you keep hidden, even from yourself.
To calculate your Personality number, add your month, day and year of birth together. Add the result together until a number between 1 and 21 is reached. They number you are left with will correspond to a Major Arcana card, and this is the card which represents your personality.
Here is an example of a Personality card calculation:
Date of birth: May 10, 1977 => 5+10+1977=1992=1+9+9+2=21
So, my Personality card would be 21 – The World.
To calculate your Soul card, take the number of your Personality card and reduce it to a single digit number. It is possible for your Soul card and Personality card to be the same. For example, if your Personality card is 9, then your Soul Card would also be 9.
Using the above example, here is the calculation of my Soul card:
Personality card: 21 => 2+1=3
So, my Soul card is 3 – The Empress.
It is possible to have three different numbers when calculating your Personality and Soul cards. If your total for your Personality card equals 19, it will reduce to 1 and also to 10. All three of these cards are considered your Personality and Soul cards. One of your life lessons is to try to integrate these cards, which is a difficult task.
Personal Year
Your Personal Year is determined in a manner similar to your personality card, except you use the current year instead of the year of your birth. Your Personal Year runs from birthday to birthday, rather then from the start of one calendar year to the next.
The card representing your Personal Year shows the events, lessons, and hardships you may face during that particular year. It is possible to calculate this number for every year of your life to uncover meaningful cycles.
Zodiac Card
Each Zodiac sign has a corresponding Major Arcana cad which represents some of the general characteristics of the sign. This card can be very useful for meditation or for use as a Significator.
Here is a list of correspondences using the RWS/Golden Dawn system:
Aries – Emperor | Libra – Justice |
Taurus – Hierophant | Scorpio – Death |
Gemini – The Lovers | Sagittarius – Temperance |
Cancer – The Chariot | Capricorn – The Devil |
Leo – Strength | Aquarius – The Star |
Virgo – The Hermit | Pisces – The Moon |
Numerological Lessons and Opportunities Cards
These are the four cards from the Minor Arcana suits that share your Soul card number. For example, my Soul card is 3 – The Empress, which means my Numerological cards are the 3 of Wands, 3 of Swords, 3 of Cups, and the 3 of Pentacles.
These cards represents lessons and opportunities of this lifetime. They are areas of life that you should be on the look out for, as you will learn the most from these events. Personally, I have learned the most from events that correspond to the 3 of Swords and the 3 of Pentacles.
Zodiac Lessons and Opportunities Cards
There are three Minor Arcana cards which correspond to each Zodiac sign. Using the chart below, determine which cards these are for you. In my case, my Zodiac sign is Taurus, so my Zodiac Lessons cards are the Five, Six, and Seven of Pentacles. These cards represent more lessons and opportunities, this time influenced by your Zodiac sign.
Aries | March 21-30 March 31-April 10 April 11-20 |
Two of Wands Three of Wands Four of Wands |
Taurus | April 21-30 May 1-10 May 11-31 |
Five of Pentacles Six of Pentacles Seven of Pentacles |
Gemini | May 21-31 June 1-10 June 11-20 |
Eight of Swords Nine of Swords Ten of Swords |
Cancer | June 21-July 1 July 2-11 July 12-21 |
Two of Cups Three of Cups Four of Cups |
Leo | July 22-August 1 August 2-11 August 12-22 |
Five of Wands Six of Wands Seven of Wands |
Virgo | August 23-September 1 September 2-11 September 12-22 |
Eight of Pentacles Nine of Pentacles Ten of Pentacles |
Libra | September 23-October 2 October 3-12 October 13-22 |
Two of Swords Three of Swords Four of Swords |
Scorpio | October 23-November 1 November 2-12 November 13-22 |
Five of Cups Six of Cups Seven of Cups |
Sagittarius | November 23-December 2 December 3-12 December 13-21 |
Eight of Wands Nine of Wands Ten of Wands |
Capricorn | December 22-30 December 31-January 9 January 10-19 |
Two of Pentacles Three of Pentacles Four of Pentacles |
Aquarius | January 20-29 January 30-February 8 February 9-18 |
Five of Swords Six of Swords Seven of Swords |
Pisces | February 19-28 March 1-10 March 11-20 |
Eight of Cups Nine of Cups Ten of Cups |
Destiny Card
Your Destiny card is the card from the Zodiac Lessons and Opportunities that corresponds to your birthday. My day of birth is May 10th, and using the chart above, my Destiny card is the 6 of Pentacles.
This card represents your fundamental desires and impulses, and is an excellent card to use in meditation and self-discovery.
More Information
If you would like to read more about creating a Tarot profile, I would highly recommend reading Mary K. Greer’s Tarot for Yourself.