The Numerical Tarot is different from most tarot. Some people have even suggested that I not call my deck a tarot deck at all. One of the reasons they give for such a suggestion is the fact that I don't see the Major Arcana of the deck as an unbroken string of 22 trumps, and the fact that I don't include any 10s in my Minor Arcana. They think that by dividing the Majors into two separate decks, and dropping those 10s, I depart from tradition too far and should not be included in discussions about "Tarot" as most people understand it. I almost agree with them, until I look at how other people have manipulated and re-arranged their tarot decks.

Some people attach the 12 signs of the zodiac to the Court Cards of the deck. This of course leaves 4 of those 16 cards left over to be thought of as something else. Some people attribute the Minor Acrana to the 36 decanates of the zodiac. This of course leaves 4 of those 40 cards left over to be thought of as something else. The Numerical Tarot associates the nine numbers of numerology to the Major Arcana, as two parallel rows of opposites. This of course leaves 4 of those cards left over to be thought of as something else. And so they are, just like so many other manipulations of tarot. I continue to call my deck a tarot deck, only because of the remarkable similarities that I see between my parallel nines approach and tradition.

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In manipulating the Major Arcana of tarot into two separate decks, I see many things that are not so apparent when the Majors are viewed as an unbroken string of 22 trumps. By arranging the first 18 cards of the Majors into two parallel rows of opposites, a level of contrast appears that does not come through any other way. But to be perfectly precise, I'm not really manipulating the Major Arcana of traditional tarot. To be precise, the conclusions I have come to about the nature of each icon of traditional tarot is brought about by superimposing my own unique structure over tradition decks, and observing where similarities and differences appear.

The Major Trumps of The Numerical Tarot are not based on traditional ideas at all. The Major Trumps of The Numerical Tarot are constructed from a logical process, and natural evolution of simple abstract ideas. The numbers used, and the nature of the sequencing, is based on the tangible expression of an abstract model of ideas. As intangible, abstract ideas are labeled, defined and illustrated, considerations are made for the most extreme and moderate expressions of each core idea. The Major Trumps of The Numerical Tarot are devoted to a strictly balanced perspective of extremes and inbetweens.

Those with a bias toward tarot decks that mitigae the bad, might not like The Numerical Tarot, precisely because it is so balanced between opposing ideas. The Numerical Tarot is not afraid to admit that there is pain, suffering, loss, evil and darkness to life, in addition to all the joy, happiness, gain, good and lightness. The Numerical Tarot is not afraid to call an unmitigated disaster and unmitigated disaster and illustrate it as such. The Numerical Tarot is not afraid to illustrate unmitigated pain and suffering. But while people with a bias to mitigate bad cards may exclaim and complain that such an approach is too gruesome, they can not complain that it is unbalanced. In fact, for every gruesome, depressing or evil looking card they find in The Numerical Tarot, there is an equally delightful, uplifting and good card to balance it (for more on the idea of Good and Bad, consult the essay Good and Bad, Right and Wrong, Smile and Frown elsewhere on this site).

The balance of so-called "good" and "bad" cards within The Numerical Tarot is most evident within the 18 cards of the Major Trumps. In this arrangement, opposition of form is important. Buy presenting a form that is devoted to opposites, the Major Trumps of The Numerical Tarot resemble the skeleton of an animal - symmetrical in every way. Like so...

And while the sides of an animal's skeleton are not intrinsically "good" or "bad" in nature, they are diametrically opposite - and therein lies the analogy of form upon which the Major Trumps of The Numerical Tarot are based.

The Numerical Tarot is constructed with opposites in mind. The Major Trumps have a spine, along which you will find matched pairs of opposites - just like the spine of a animal's skeleton.

These opposites are eventually subdivided further to include inbetween ideas that then create a full spectrum of possibilities for any one number along the line, or spine of the deck. Additionally, the Minor Suits of this deck are seen as a complete duplication of this Major Trump arrangement, subdivided even further to include quantitative and qualitative variations of each extreme and inbetween idea.

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But the real interesting part of all this begins when we superimpose this symmetrical skeleton upon the Major Arcana of a traditional deck. When I superimpose this skeleton over the Major Arcana of a traditional deck, I see many similarities in form. In fact, even without such a template in mind, there are many places where cards in a traditional deck line up as opposites when arranged like 18 bones of a skeleton along a spine. Unfortunately, there are also a few places where it appears that someone has misplaced a bone or two. Places where a right arm has been placed on the left side. Places where a person with a bias to mitigate the bad from each card has watered down the intensity of an icon or symbol to such a degree as to completely lose the balance and symmetry that a perfect skeleton would dictate. Places where a leg bone and an arm bone have been switched.

Of course nothing about a traditional deck looks out of place at all, if you are a strict adherent to the 22/40/16 school of tarot. Or, if you are the type who tends to mitigate the bad out of every card, in which case, viewing the Majors as two rows of opposites may not make much sense. But... what if... you could image cards 10 thru 18 in their worst possible light - as nothing but dark, evil, and bad? And I mean unmitigated bad. Like a Halloween nightmare! What if you could image cards 10 thru 18 as a progression of an entity toward a totally undignified death - nine cards of unspeakable horror, fright and misery? This may not have been the intent of tarot's original creator(s), but let's just see what happens if we look at things that way...

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One pair of cards that already lines up pretty good as opposites across a spine is the pair known as The Lovers and The Devil. In a deck like the Rider-Waite-Smith, the visual similarities are amazing. But even in many other decks, The Lovers features an angel that stands between the lovers. If we are being asked to imagine the Majors as opposites, then perhaps we should be focusing our attention more on the [Angel] in The Lovers card, as a diametrical opposite to the [Devil]. The [Angel] represents a good influence and good choices. The [Devil] represents a bad influence and bad choices. That makes sense.

If we are also imagining other cards to be dark, evil and bad, then perhaps the pain and suffering of The Hanged Man is real! By that I mean, maybe he symbolizes unmitigated pain and suffering. Maybe he isn't just being hung upside down in some kind of willing self-sacrifice, maybe he is being hung upside down because he is a hated and despised evil character who is being tortured to death by people who hate him. Maybe he is hanging because he is a [Beast] being drawn and quartered like a pig. As a [Beast], he would definitely fit as the diametrical opposite to the Empress, who is a [Beauty]. She is loved. She lives in comfort. She caresses the body and spirit. She fills us with joy. Everyone likes her.

Lots of people fear the Death card! So what about the destructive, debilitating influence of the Death card? A dark and evil approach does not force us to view this card as literal death, but it does force us to view it as destructive and debilitating in the harshest, and most unmitigated way. In this new light, Death still means change, but change for the worst... destructive, debilitating change that leaves you weak and vulnerable to the influences that will eventually bring about your demise. Death is the [Villain] who is torturing our [Beast]. As an opposite, the Emperor is a [Hero] who protects our Empress or [Beauty]. Death is a [Villain] who destroys and weakens, The Emperor is a [Hero] who builds and strengthens.

Now, let's imagine the Wheel of Fortune card in its worst possible light. In its worst possible light, it no longer represent the life lessons of fate's ups and downs. In its worst possible light it represent unmitigated bad luck, a turn for the worst, bad fate, the beginning of the end for you - the influence of a [Jinx] who puts into motion a tragedy of errors that will lead to your eventual demise. There is nothing you can do about this, it is in the hands of fate. You let the wheel spin and now you have to take what comes. As an opposite, The Magician is like a [Jinni] granting you three wishes. The Magician makes things happen for you through force of will. He sets into motion a series of events that lead to your eventual enlightenment.

If we imagine The Tower card in its worst possible light, we can see the violence of the destructive lightning bolt as an expression of the violence of a [Sadist]. Some say The Tower represents sin and sinners being struck down. In The Numerical Tarot, the [Sadist] is the purveyor of the suffering that sinners deserve. As an opposite, The Chariot symbolizes spiritual transport to the heavens - perhaps Elijah being called up, like a [Saint], rather than a [Sadist] throwing down lightning bolts to sinners. In this way both cards represent spirituality - or spirituality and the lack of spirituality. We thank [The Saint] for sanctuary. We curse [The Sadist] for suffering.

As a symbol of the final darkness of death, the moon is perfect. If thought of in its worst possible light, the disk of light the full moon cuts out of the empty blackness of a night time sky can be seen as a portal to The Great Beyond. In a slightly anthropomorphized way, that portal could be seen as a [Ghoul] that devours all souls into the empty blackness around it. The darkness of night is then seen as a great abyss of nothingness from which there is no return. As an opposite, The Hermit, with all his knowledge and wisdom is like a [God] that elevates all souls into heaven. He carries a light. His light is a beacon atop a mountain that touches the heavens. Go into the light! Become part of His everythingness.

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If any of this sounds interesting, or convincing of the power of a "spinal" arrangement, then let's consider some of the "bones" of tradition that seem to not fit so well, and try to imagine what should replace them.

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The nature of The High Priestess bears much ambiguity. Does she represent mystery and the concealment of mysteries, or inspiration and the revealing, and dispelling, of mysteries? Does she represent clear vision or obscured vision? Given the dark and mysterious way in which she is most often drawn, and the veiling of her form, I'm inclined to fall on the side of mystery and obscured vision. So, if considered in her worst possible light, mystery and obfuscation would not fit with a sequence of cards devoted to a progression toward light, God and Heaven. Which means... The High Priestess is a misplaced bone on our skeleton of symmetry!

If imagined in its worst possible light, The High Priestess is a [Haunt] that blocks out light, and hovers over you like a pall, or a rain cloud that follows you wherever you go. If we move The High Priestess over to the negative side of our skeleton of symmetry, we eliminate the card of Justice, and, we are left with a gap in the positive sequence of cards. To fill this gap we must invent a diametrically opposite looking "bone" for our "skeleton" that will represent everything The High Priestess is not. We need a character who inspires, reveals, and motivates... like a [Muse]!

For those who wish to preserve the High Priestess icon, we can look to those who view all her veils and darkness as a cloak that hides the light of life within, lest we be blinded by its radiance! In this sense, her veils are like a hymen of virginity that must be penetrated to advance to the stages of enlightenent that follow. In this sense, it could be argued that The High Priestess is indeed properly placed after all. But... as so many choose to illustrate the occultation of that light with obfuscation, veils and darkness, she is also out of place. So in that sense, I see a clearly inspirational [Muse] as a less equivocal icon to put in her place.

Next, let's consider the character of Professor Dumbledore, the [Wizard] from the Harry Potter series. Dubmledore is the master of the school of magic. In that school he is the law, responsible for setting the rules and doling out punishment as needed. Not too different from The Hierophant of traditional tarot. The Hierophant is indeed not just about religion, he is about religious Law, and the governing and administration of people within his domain, or church. The key concept in each case being control. The Hierophant is just like Dumbledore the [Wizard]. Residing at the midpoint of our skeleton, they both represent the alchemistic mixing of sides, and the control over resultant potions of influence.

But if we consider The Hierophant as a [Wizard], governing the mixture of opposing sides at a midpoint of confluence, then we have redundancy within the icon of Temperance. In their best possible light, the governance of The Hierophant, or our [Wizard], represent a temperate core, or a midpoint of confluence that is under control. Temperance, being somewhat uniquely positive looking within a row of somewhat negative looking cards, could be viewed as being like the calm, temperate eye of a hurricane amid swirling negativity to either side. But, in pursuing a continutiy of positive and negative sides, we would have to say that the card of Temperance is a misplaced, redundant bone on our skeleton of symmetry! Thus if we eliminate the card of Temperance, by combining it with our [Wizard], we leave another gap, this time in our negative sequence. So now we need to invent another diametrically opposite looking "bone" that will represent everything our [Wizard] is not. We need a character who stirs up trouble, and mixes potions that cause turbulence between sides... like an evil "Oz"-like [Witch]! Good enough! What's next?

In some decks the 8th card is Justice and card 11 is called Strength. In other decks, Justice is moved to card 11 and card 8 is the card of Strength. Hmmm, it seems that the occult scholars of the past could not agree whether the bone they held in their hands was an arm-bone or a leg-bone! The arrangement of 11 as Strength and Justice as 8 may have come first, and there are good reasons for Justice to be an 8, but I think the concept of Strength fits just a bit better when considered as an opposite to a darkened, worst possible Star card. If we imagine The Star card in its worst possible light, the emptying containers of water come to represent the purging of energies from a life that is just one card away from death!

If The Star represents distant fading energy that is one card away from death, then Strength would be an appropriate opposite to have on a skeleton of symmetry. Altho perhaps Energy would be a more accurate title. As a symbol of energy that lies just one card away from God and Heaven, the woman in the card of Strength represents a [Lumina], enlightening us and escorting us into the heavenly arms of a [God]. As an opposite, the woman in The Star is like a [Wraith] coming to us to announce our impending doom, and pouring out our life forces in front of us. The [Lumina] fills us with energy and lifts our spirits up. The [Wraith] gives us that emptied, sinking feeling in our chest, and depresses our spirits down.

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Anyway, that's how I see the Major Arcana of tarot. I would encourage you to study the common sense symmetry of this deck in detail, and then superimpose it upon your favorite traditional deck. See if you don't see the remarkable similarities. See if you don't subsequently view the differences as violations of logical symmetry. If you are completely devoted to a traditional 22/40/16 arrangement of tarot or an approach that mitigates the bad out of every card, you may never see anything but 22/40/16. However, if you are open to new ideas, you might see something significant and interesting and want to look deeper. I hope you do look deeper.

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EXTRA CREDIT

If your openess to new ideas has enabled you to read this far, perhaps you would be interested in another speculative idea that uses this spine of tarot arrangement. If so, please read on...