Lesson 4 · 5 min read
Numbers in tarot
In tarot, numbers show a stage of a story: Aces begin, Fives bring trouble, Nines nearly finish and Tens complete the cycle.
Number plus suit gives the card
Each suit counts from Ace to Ten, and every number means a similar stage in every suit. Combine the number with the suit and you can work out a card's meaning before you look it up. A Five is a challenge, and Cups are feelings, so the Five of Cups is an emotional setback.
Ace to Ten
Ace: a new beginning, a gift or a raw chance.
Two: a choice, a partnership or a balance to keep.
Three: first growth, teamwork or results.
Four: stability, rest or holding on.
Five: conflict, loss or a test.
Six: recovery, harmony and give-and-take.
Seven: reflection, challenge or standing your ground.
Eight: movement, effort and change.
Nine: near completion, either fulfilment or worry before the end.
Ten: the end of a cycle, its full reward or its full weight.
Reading numbers in a spread
Repeated numbers are worth noticing. Three Aces suggest many new beginnings at once, and several Tens suggest chapters closing. Low numbers mean a matter is early on, and high numbers mean it is nearly done.
The Major Arcana have numbers too, from 0 to 21. Your birth card and your card for the year are worked out by adding the digits of a date until you reach a Major Arcana number.
Common questions
What does an Ace mean in tarot?
An Ace is the pure start of its suit: a new chance in energy (Wands), feelings (Cups), ideas (Swords) or money and work (Pentacles).
Why are Fives difficult cards?
Five comes after the stability of Four, so it breaks that calm. Every Five shows a challenge or loss that pushes things forward.
Do court cards have numbers?
Not usually. Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings are read by rank and suit instead. Some readers count them as 11 to 14.