Over the next year I am going to be writing about Tarot Birth Cards, what they mean and how we can work with them. I use the system of Tarot Birth Cards developed by Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone of the Tarot School (www.tarotschool.com). Using the Seeker’s birth data (month, day and year), pairs of birth cards are defined. (For more information, and to calculate your own Birth Cards, go to http://tarotschool.com/Calculator.html.)
Please note: I have a book being published by Schiffer Books in fall of 2011 – “Tarot, Birth Cards and You: Keys To Empowerment”, incorporating images from Karyn Easton’s “Tarot Lovers Tarot”. This was to have been a joint project (book and deck published together), but the decision was made to publish both separately, which I find very exciting! Karyn has a Birth Card calculator up on her site, where you can also view her incredible deck (it really is!) –http://paranormality.com/tarot-birth-card-calculator.shtml.
A special thanks to Leisa ReFalo www.tarotconnection.net, who developed the Birth Card Calculator, and graciously gave us permission to use it.
Our sixth pair of Birth Cards are the Devil (Key 15) and the Lovers (Key 6). Some of the associations for these cards are:
The Devil:
Astrological Sign: Capricorn
Keywords: aggressive, competitive, achievement oriented, self-sufficient, judgmental, being too connected to the material world, living in fear and ignorance, being unwilling to see the truth, hiding your head in the sand, living in illusion, depression, the shadow side of our personality, self-imposed boundaries, unable to love yourself, unwillingness to take any action, the inability to laugh at yourself, taking advantage of or manipulating others, acknowledging your own limitations, turning away from evil, being too moral/structured, not being willing to let go of established structures.
The Lovers:
Astrological Sign: Gemini
Keywords: bringing a synthesis to head/heart, opposites coming together, union of male/female within and without, freedom, free will, balanced decisions, loyalty, lack of a relationship, a difficult relationship, communication issues, one-sided love, multiple relationships, suppression of self-expression, inability to make choices, infidelity.
The Theme for this lifetime is that of Dealing with relationships of all types, and the issues connected with them.
We can choose to do personal work with our own Birth Cards, we can use Birth Cards in conjunction with a reading for a client (place their birth cards, drawn from a deck other than the one you are reading with, above the spread(s) laid out for them). The spread(s) are then read through the lens of perception of the Seeker’s Birth Cards. As added value, a reader could give their client scans of their Birth Cards, along with a short write-up about them. Readers can also use the Birth Card system to better understand other people in their own lives (family, co-workers, friends etc.).
The key to bringing balance to any lifetime is that of understanding how and where your Birth Cards are operating in your life. The Devil, ruled by Capricorn, places the focus on the need for structure, with the drive to succeed. This is a very practical, “I can do it, get out of my way!” lifetime. This is also where the Seeker faces his or her shadow aspects.
The Lovers, ruled by Gemini, places focus on duality (opposites), especially in the areas of attraction and love. Here the Seeker finds wholeness through the attraction of opposites. In t his lifetime the Seeker is interested in anything and everything – usually at the same time!
The Devil and the Lovers set the tone for this lifetime. The path that the individual walks is one that addresses the lessons of functioning as an individual, achievements related to the self, acceptance of self, and learning to love.
A 15/6 (Devil/Lovers) individual empowers themselves by balancing their competitive, achievement oriented energy (the Devil) with the awareness of the folly of placing too much emphasis on the material things of life. There is a need to look deeper into things, and not accept surface appearances. There is a need to remember that the boundaries and limitations that we place on ourselves are self-imposed.
The Lovers empowers the individual by enabling them to bring opposites together in their life. Here we are talking partnerships of all types, and the need to balance individual needs with the needs of others. With the Lovers the individual learns how to use free will in making and implementing decisions.
The Devil and the Lovers work together in this lifetime to deal with shadow issues (as an individual), and acceptance of self, connecting with Higher Self, and balancing wants/needs with a partner (synthesis of opposites). The Devil addresses our shadow side, and our fears. He teaches us how to deal with power issues, and how our boundaries are self-imposed. The Lovers teaches us to accept ourselves, to love ourselves, and to be open to giving love to others, and receiving it back from them. Here we learn to create harmony through making good choices.
Images from the “Tarot Lovers Tarot”, Karyn Easton, 2008, paranormality.com.
© March 2012 Bonnie Cehovet
