This episode of Rootlock Radio delves into the numerical progression of the Minor Arcana, explaining how the numbers 1 through 10 correspond to stages of development and experience, mirroring the archetypal journey of the Major Arcana. It then applies this framework to an in-depth analysis of the Suit of Wands, illustrating how fire energy evolves through these numerical stages.
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you're listening to rootlock radio [Music]
[Music]
hello and welcome to rootlock radio a
podcast for uncloaking
learning and exploring the tarot cards
my name is weston i live in new york
city and i
am your host real lock radio is designed
to be a course in
learning the tarot cards so if you
haven't listened before
you might want to start at episode 1.
each episode builds on the lessons in
the previous episodes
last time we looked at how the major
arcana cards help us to unlock the meaning
meaning
of the four suits of the minor arcana
cards and we also look at the particular elements
elements
and the symbols representing those
elements as different ways to conceive
of the energy of those four suits in
today's episode we'll turn to the numbers
numbers
1 through 10 and see how the major
arcana cards
help us to understand how the numbers
play out in these minor cards
and then we'll move on to the suit of
wands and we'll look at the cards ace
through 10 in the suit of wands in depth
i'd like to say briefly
that i've had people reach out to me
about having one-on-one tarot lessons
and this is something i'm very excited
to do helping aspiring tara readers is
where my interest lies most
in my tarot services because of this
i've added a lessons section to the
rootlock tarot website where you can
easily book a lesson with me
either in person or online using a video
chat to check that out
visit reloctero.com lessons
thank you so much for listening and i
previously we identified the minor
arcana cards
as representing slice of life moments
and people often wonder if the minor
arcana cards represent things that
are smaller in time than those
on the major cards so i want to say
something about that real quick
before we move into these numbers the experiences
experiences
and moments represented on these minor cards
cards
can be quite big or quite small
so they have the ability to sort of morph
morph
and stretch into big moments
or condense into little moments so any
of the
moments depicted on the minor arcana
cards could be
just something you feel fleetingly or
experience very fleetingly in a matter
of a few seconds
or it could be something that defines an
era or epoch of
your life so while the major cards show
us these sort of big
archetypal experiences the minor cards
are more flexible and sometimes they
represent something that's just very
small and fleeting
and sometimes they represent something a
little bit bigger
and more lasting and this makes them
useful tools in the tarot
because we have this flexibility of
experiencing things on both a micro
and a macro level within these minor cards
cards
in the previous episode we introduced
the concept of the minor arcana cards representing
representing
a grid of daily experiences that you can
create a visual of by laying out the
cards in a ten
by four card rectangle the four rows
are the suits and the ten columns are
the numbers ace through ten
in that episode we covered the four
suits in various ways and looked at how
the first four cards of the major arcana
the element
itself as well as the symbol
representing the element on those cards
can help us understand
those four suits the other side of the matrix
matrix
is the numbers one through ten and
numerology can help us to
understand what those 10 numbers
represent because if you'll remember each
each
card within the minor arcana is an
intersection between
the suit or the elemental energy and the
number on the card
if you're thinking to yourself oh man
numerology how am i ever going to learn that
that
the thing is that you already have a
little bit in our
journey with the fool so we introduced
some ideas about the numbers 1 through 10
10
in those episodes so what i'm going to
do now
is connect the numbers 1 through 10 to the
the
corresponding major arcana cards
and talk about how those card meanings
that we've already
established translates into this minor
arcana grid the way of conceiving of the
fool's journey was to think of a
human being going through a journey of
archetypal experiences of life
but in the minor arcana card the
character that we're following
is not a human it's actually the energy itself
itself
so in the first ace cards the energy manifests
manifests
and then in the following nine cards we
see how that energy
evolves and transforms over time based
on the number on the card
so as you go through the minor cards
think less about a human character
and more about how a particular elemental
elemental
energy is changing into different
expressions of that
energy and the ways that might look in
somebody's day-to-day life
this helps us to understand that in our
daily life
each of the four elemental energies show up
up
in different ways and in different
combinations and by studying these
40 cards we begin to understand the
different ways that those
elemental energies can show up for us so
let's look at those numbers
the number one which appears as the ace cards
cards
in the minor arcana is linked to the
major arcana card of the magician
and if you'll remember from our
discussion of the fool's journey
in the journey the magician represents
the moment of conception where the sperm
meets the egg it's that magical moment
where something begins to exist
out of nowhere and if you look at those
ace cards you see a hand from the clouds
holding the symbol of the suit and what
this represents is
the energy of that suit manifesting
seemingly out of nowhere we'll talk
about this a little bit more when we get
into the individual suits but this is a
helpful starting point to understand
when looking at the numbers 1 through 10
in each suit the beginning of the
journey of that energy comes from it manifesting
manifesting
sort of out of nowhere in a magical
conception moment
not dissimilar to the magician moment of
the fool's journey
the number two card in the major arcana
is the high priestess
and if you'll remember she represents
the time of gestation
so you want to link the number two in
your mind with this idea of gestation
and we'll see how that plays out in
those minor arcana cards
the number three card in the major
arcana is the empress
and if you'll remember the empress is
the great mother card
but what's happening to the fool during
this moment of
mothering is development and that's the
same thing that's happening to the
elemental energy
in the three cards you see this development
development
the number four card is the emperor and
he's the father figure
and what he does is provide structure
for the fool
and the same way we see a structuring
happening to the energy
of each element in the four cards on the
minor arcana
the numbers one through four in the
minor arcana
represent the most simple expressions of
the particular energy of that suit well
the numbers
six through nine represent a more complex
complex
expression of that energy so the number
five is this transition time
between simple and complex and
if you'll remember the number five card
in the major arcana was the hirophant
and this was the moment where the fool
left behind the simple experiences of
early childhood
and moved into the more complex ones of
later childhood where he's indoctrinated by
by
school and church and the experience of
this transition wasn't necessarily
easy for him so what we see in the
number five cards
of the minor arcana is a similar
transition to this more complex expression
expression
but it's not an easy transition it's got
that feeling of growing pain to it
and a little bit of loss around the loss
of innocence of the more
simple expression in the earlier cards
and this is a direct
echo of what we see in the major arcana
at this moment the number six card of
the major arcana
is the lovers and what you really want
to take away from the lovers card in
relation to the number six cards
the minor arcana is that it's this
rebalancing moment
after the transition of number five
so as we move into these more complex expressions
expressions
there's that transition moment in number
five and then in the number six
a new balance is achieved in this higher
expression of the energy
and the way we see that in the lovers
card is that
the beauty of life and individual choice
is restored
in the lovers card after the indoctrination
indoctrination
that we see in the hierophant card which
really kind of strips away
that freedom of early childhood the
number seven
card in the major arcana was the chariot
and this is where we see an individual
having their own
agency over their lives and it's sort of this
this
raw power that an adolescent has as they
move towards their adult life
there's a lot of possibility here so the
number seven
cards in the minor arcana reflect this
raw power feeling
so as we're moving into these more
complex expressions and maturing
in the minor arcana the number seven is
sort of this moment where that
more mature and complex energy of the element
element
is a power that we can use in some way
we have a choice about it
just as the chariot card represents sort
of this moment of
individual agency where you get to
decide where to go forward you have the
reins in your hands
so you might want to think of that image
with the number seven in the minor arcana
arcana
is you're holding the reins the number eight
eight
card in the major arcana is strength and
if you'll remember this is where
the fool takes that individual agency
and channels it into a coming out moment
where he decides to embrace something
about himself
or a passion that he has he's energized by
by
the power that he has and the direction
that he's finding in his life
so the number eight cards in the minor
arcana represent this energized moment
where the raw power
is channeling through this energized moment
moment
and transforming into something even
more complex there's a lot of movement
forward in these number eight cards and
then the number nine in the major arcana
is affiliated with the card the hermit and
and
if you remember the hermit is a turning inward
inward
moment so as we're reaching the end of
the minor arcana suits the number nine
is showing us that we've sort of
accomplished something we have an
attainment moment
but there's also a moment of kind of
turning in on yourself and reflecting
over where you stand as you approach the completion
completion
of this energy cycle and then the number 10
10
we remember from the major arcana is the
wheel of fortune and this is the moment
where we reckon with the forces of the universe
universe
so in the minor arcana we have a similar
thing in number nine we've attained a goal
goal
within the energy of this suit and then
in the number 10
the universe shows up and lets us know
if it supports or opposes
where we stand and when you look at
those number 10 cards you really
see this they span from the absolute elatedness
elatedness
of the number 10 with the suit of cups
to the
complete and utter defeat represented in
the number 10 in the suit of swords and
of course we'll get into
the details of these cards and why those
cards depict what they do
but for now just think of the number 10
in the minor arcana is sort of being
where our accomplishments are weighed up
against the universe
so again going through those numbers the
number one
is conception the number two is gestation
gestation
in number three we have that growth of
the energy and the development
in the number four we have the
structuring of the energy
and then in the number five we have the
transition into the more complex
expressions in the number six we have a rebalancing
rebalancing
after this transition in the number
seven we have this
raw power of the energy in the number eight
eight
we have that energy being energized in
the number nine
we have a attainment with a bit of
inward reflection
happening and then in the number 10 is
the completion where we
reckon with the universe over the
completion of that energy cycle
so what we're seeing in the minor arcana
are these four
narratives about how energy develops and evolves
evolves
as we now turn to the suit of wands what
we're going to do is go through the
cards ace through
10 and look at how the fire
energy interacts with the numbers 1
through 10
to create and dictate the meaning of
each of these cards
so as we go through i'll remind you of
what the numbers mean
and this is the same way that we'll go
through all four of the suits
in the coming episodes so the first card
is the ace of wands and like all aces
what we see on this card
is a hand from the clouds holding out
a single version of the symbol of the suit
suit
and if you remember the number one is
that moment of conception
so we have this magical spark where the
energy of the suit manifests
seemingly out of nowhere all four of the
ace cards
share this moment of manifestation
of the energy of the suit and when you
look at that hand from the clouds
on the card it's sort of like the
universe is
gifting you the energy of that suit in
this case the universe is handing you a wand
wand
which kind of symbolizes a dose of fresh
fire energy
coming out of nowhere it's sort of a
bolt from the blue of that energy
if you look at the way that the hand
holds the wand this is another place
where we can kind of see
the energy of the fire suit represented
the hand looks very confident and optimistic
optimistic
which are very fiery characteristics
you even see a bit of a thumbs up
happening with that hand so
that can kind of remind you of that
optimistic energy a very fiery energy
thinks that it can do anything and when
you look at the landscape on
the card it looks inviting it looks very
nice and pleasant
and kind of balanced and we have this
castle on a hill
which symbolizes the striving for a goal that
that
is something that permeates all wand experiences
experiences
we always have this drive that burns in
us and makes us strive for something
so if you pull the ace of wands in a
tarot reading
it's a fresh fire or wand
opportunity a dose of fresh fire energy
shows up
and it's up to you to figure out how
you're gonna act on it if at all so it's
a very
undefined version of the fire energy
it's unformed and you
get to choose if and how you're going to
utilize it
the number two we'll remember is the gestation
gestation
period so this is where this fresh dose
of fire energy
is gestated we're sort of simmering on
it for a while and this is where you
figure out
what to do with the energy so on the
card we see this
figure standing up in a castle it could
be that same castle from the ace card
you see that he has nice clothes on so
he's got resources right
he appears to be in a pretty good position
position
standing up in this castle with nice
clothes on
and also he's holding the world in his hands
hands
which is of course a symbol of having
endless opportunity right when someone
has the world in their hands
they have a very good advantage so in
the story
of the wands cards this is where the energy
energy
is recognized and we're trying to figure
out what to do about it and fire energy
mixes well with the number two the
number of gestation
because fire energy likes to be
contained it doesn't do well when it
gets out of control as we'll see in
later cards
it does well to have that balance of pausing
pausing
and thinking and curbing the impulse and
figuring out what to do next
so in a small way here we're seeing that balance
balance
of the masculine action-oriented
energy with a feminine
meditation-oriented energy
that is so important in the story of the
major arcana
so if you draw the two of wands in a
tarot reading it's urging you to
contemplate your next steps
it's saying that you have the resources
and you have the energy to do something
and asking how are you gonna do it it's
urging you to stop and reflect
and plan around something that you feel
passionate about
and to curb your impulses and to execute
it in a very smart
way now the number three is the number
of development
so this is where we see the energy
developing beyond
just the gestation and on this card we see
see
a figure on a hill looking down at a bay
and it could be the same bay that we see
in card two but this figure is no longer
in the castle they're now on a hill
so it could be the same figure as well
it could be the same person
that we see in card two and he's looking
down on these ships going out to sea
so there's very much a launching energy
here of
finally enacting something so if in car
2 he's sort of contemplating how to do
it in card 3 he's
figured it out and he's executing that
we see the growth of the fire energy
here there's definitely more fiery
energy permeating this card
because the bay is drenched in this very
fiery color
and the sky is orange and the figure is
also dressed a little more
wildly and he's in a very wild landscape
so fire energy has a wildness to it so
we're seeing that grow
in this car beyond what we saw before
he's no longer in that castle he's now
in a more wild landscape
so if you pull the three of wands in a
tarot reading
this is a moment of sending your ships
out to sea
putting something out there or launching
an idea into action
there's also a bit of this idea that
it's no longer
in your hands it's sort of out of your
hands right he's not on the ships he's
sending them out without him
so this is very much a different idea
than the figure holding the whole world
in his hands in number two
so now it's sort of like the idea is
getting put out there
and the world will react to it however
it chooses
you're no longer in full control you've
launched it out there
and you have to deal with however it's
going to be received
now the number four is where we see that energy
energy
structuring right we think of the
emperor card with the structuring
and in the four of wands what we see on
the card
is those four wands are forming a sort
of celebratory
canopy something like you might see at a
wedding and there are two figures
welcoming you
holding up these bouquets and there are
even more people in the background so
it's very much an
air of sort of celebration community
coming together
the sky is a bright happy yellow and
that castle
is very close right so we're kind of
coming back to the castle
and society now is recognizing us this
is the first place where we see
other figures in the card it's not so
isolated and
the perspective that the card is drawn
in really makes it feel like they're welcoming
welcoming
you the person who's looking at the card
and again
fire energy likes to be contained so the
structuring of the number four
combined with the energy of fire in this
one's card gives us a very pleasant
and celebratory energy so if you pull
this card into tarot reading
it can be sort of an invitation or
welcoming atmosphere
or a celebration of your accomplishments
right the card 3
we've sent something out and this card 4 is
is
suggesting that whatever we sent out was
received well
because we're getting this very happy
invitational energy
this is often also called the wedding
card because of
the wedding-like imagery on it but that
goes deeper too right because
here we see a structuring of fire energy
and a wedding is very much a
structuring of the passion of a romantic relationship
