chapter • 7

The Minor Suits

Each one of the four minor suits contains fourteen cards and has its own suit symbol: coin, wand, cup, or sword. The structure of the suits is very similar to ordinary playing cards, except for an additional court card in the tarot. In fact, the common (“international”) playing card suits are simplified versions of the tarot suits, whereby the coin has become a diamond, the wand a club, the cup a heart, and the sword a spade. These changes were not universal, however. In Spain and Hungary, for example, local playing card suits still carry symbols similar to those of the tarot.

There are three kinds of cards in each minor suit:

• • An ace card, which is generally considered as number one in the suit. The illustration of an ace card shows a single exemplar of the suit symbol, large and rich in its details.
• • Nine number cards, which run from two to ten. Each one of these shows the symbolic suit object in the corresponding number. For example, card number three in the suit of cups shows three cup icons.
• • Four court cards with human figures, which represent four ranks in the social world of the Middle Ages: a page, a knight, a queen, and a king. Each card shows the symbolic suit object, and usually the figure is holding it.

Many conventional tarot books group the aces and the number cards together as pip cards, where the word “pip” refers to the small icons of the suit symbols that appear in the card illustrations. However, in the Tarot de Marseille (and, in fact, in most of the new decks as well) the illustrations of the ace cards resemble each other while being quite different from the number cards of their respective suits. We can understand this as a statement that “being an ace” is more significant than “being of this or that suit.” In this book we consider the traditional card illustrations as the key to their meanings, so we shall treat the aces and the number cards as different types and discuss them in separate chapters.

The Suit Symbols

The symbolic objects of the suits are mentioned in various traditions as having a mystical or magical significance. For example, in the Christian Mass the coin and the cup appear as the bread and wine of the Eucharist: a sacramental bread, round and flat like a coin, and wine that the priest drinks from a chalice. The shape of the coin is also similar to traditional round charms with symbols and letters carrying a magical power. The cup appears in the book of Genesis as a silver cup that Joseph uses for divination. In the English legends of King Arthur, the Knights of the Round Table go searching for a sacred cup, the Holy Grail.

The wand appears as a tool for performing magical acts; for example, by Moses and the Egyptian priests in the book of Exodus. Today it is still used in popular magic shows. The sword appears in the hands of superior beings such as war gods in various traditions or the archangel Michael in Catholic lore. It also appears as the flaming sword placed with the cherubim to guard the way to the Tree of Life in the book of Genesis. Magical swords are a common motif in many legends — for example, the sword Excalibur in the Arthurian myth.

In the English-school decks the suit of coins is sometimes called “pentacles,” with the illustrated coins inscribed with a five-pointed star, or pentagram. But this is a new addition meant to emphasize the connection between the coins and a specific kind of magical amulet. The coin cards in the traditional Tarot de Marseille deck show a flower with a fourfold symmetry, not fivefold. This shape is also magically significant, as we shall discuss in the next chapter.

A common view links the four suit objects with the four social classes that are typical of traditional society; for example, in medieval Europe or in India. The wand, which appears in some cards as a green branch, represents the class of peasants and farmers. The coin represents merchants and urban artisans. The sword represents the fighting nobility. The cup represents the clergy.

The Suit Domains

Each minor suit has its own specific character and domain of action. When cards of a specific suit appear in a reading, they can represent either an issue arising in its domain or an attitude typical of its character. For example, the suit of coins is related to questions of money and material possessions, but it can also indicate a practical and possessive attitude in another domain, such as in a romantic relationship.

The list of suit domains given here is derived from the teachings of Jodorowsky, which are not very different from other conventional approaches. More information on the character of each suit can be learned from the discussion of the ace cards in Chapter 8.

coins: body

material and physical, practical and conservative

The suit of coins indicates money, the workplace, and the space we live in. It also represents the body, health, and food matters. The nature of the suit is stable and conservative, like the round coin (as seen from above), which is enclosed in itself and does not evolve in any direction. The suit is characterized by practical thinking, preference for concrete and tangible things, and preservation of what is already there.

wands: desire

passionate, outgoing, energetic, creative, conflictive

The suit of wands expresses sexuality, growth, self-expression, and giving birth to new things. It can represent creative impulse, stamina, energy, and a desire to advance and to dominate. It can also indicate complications, difficulties, and struggles. In Mamluk playing cards, which are probably the origin of the minor tarot suits, the wands appeared as polo sticks used to hit balls in a horse-riding game. We can see this as an indication of matters related to games, recreation, or competition.

cups: emotion

sentimental, romantic, social, spiritual

The suit of cups is related to emotions, to human relations, and to mystical feelings of devotion. We may think of the cup as being filled with water (life-giving flow), wine (joy, drunkenness, illusions), poison (negative feelings, hatred), or being empty (dryness, emotional block). It may appear straight (positive emotions) or upside down (negative emotions). The nature of the suit is romantic, nostalgic, and suggestive of things beyond the tangible world.

swords: intellect

rational and verbal, decisive, aggressive

The suit of swords expresses ideas and thoughts, an ability to focus, decision making, and also the possibility of hurting oneself and others. In common language we often use the image of the rational mind as a blade that cuts and separates things. For example, we may speak about a sharp mind, a piercing logic, or an analytical ability. The word decision also derives from cutting off in Latin, signifying a choice of one option and cutting off all the others. The nature of the suit is sharp and determined, calculated, and ready to fight, and it also may be cold and cruel.

Soft and Hard Suits

Even a superficial look at the illustrations of the minor suit cards shows that they are divided into two groups. One group we can call the “soft” suits: the coins and the cups. The other group is the “hard” suits: the wands and the swords.

The soft suits can be regarded as having receptive, feminine, and favorable characteristics. Their symbolic objects are round, enclosed, and containing, and the dominant colors of their number cards are yellow with some red. This gives the cards an enlightened and pleasant feeling, suggestive of gold objects, riches, and pleasure.

The hard suits can be regarded as having an outgoing, masculine, and challenging nature. Their symbolic objects are long and narrow, suggestive of rigidity and penetration, and they can serve as weapons. Their number cards are colored mainly in red and black, emphasizing toughness, struggles, and clashes. They are also composed of long intermeshing parallel bars, suggestive of closure and complicated entanglements.

This distinction between soft and hard is very clear in the design of the number cards. It is also significant in the ace cards and is still present in the court cards. From this we can understand that it was clearly present in the minds of whoever created the minor suits. Other indications of this exist elsewhere. In ordinary playing cards the symbols of the soft suits (diamonds and hearts) are red, while the symbols of the hard suits (clubs and spades) are black. In traditional methods of fortunetelling the soft-suit cards are often considered as more beneficial than the hard-suit cards.

In the soft suits each suit symbol has one basic shape that repeats itself throughout the suit. There may be some differences in detail, and the object size becomes smaller as the card number increases. In particular, the objects in the Ace of Coins, the Ace of Cups, and the 2 of Coins are considerably larger and much more detailed than in other cards. But the coin is always shown as a flat circle with a fourfold flower-like decoration, and the cup is a goblet with a hexagonal base and a wide ring around its stem.

In contrast, each of the hard-suit symbols has two different shapes. The wand can be either a naturally shaped green branch or a worked-out straight rod. The ace card shows a natural branch. In the court cards the shape of the wand gradually develops from a branch in the page card to a rod-shaped lance in the king’s hand. In all the number cards the wand appears as a straight, smooth rod with a wide blade at each tip. We can interpret the two shapes as two aspects of the wand suit. The natural branch expresses growth and creation. The artificial rod expresses conflicts and difficulties.

The sword may have either a straight or a rounded shape. In the ace and in the court cards it is straight. In the uneven number cards there is one straight sword, and in the ten card there are two straight swords. But the other swords in the number cards appear as an even number of rounded arches with wide blades at their tips. The round swords are arranged so that they cut off the center of the card from its edges. We can interpret this also as two aspects of the sword suit. The straight sword represents penetration, determination, and breaking through, while the round sword represents separation and limits.

Correspondences

Various traditions maintain the idea of a symbolic quartet — a set of four symbols that together represent something whole and complete. The four minor suits are often correlated with such symbolic quartets. The most popular association is with the four elements of Greek and medieval philosophy: earth, fire, water, and air. There are different opinions as to which suit corresponds to which element, but most tarot readers accept the Golden Dawn scheme: the coin is earth, the wand is fire, the cup is water, and the sword is air.

Other symbolic quartets associated with the four suits include the four cardinal directions and the four living creatures at the corners of the World card. Again, there are different opinions on the exact correlations. Another correlation that was mentioned in Chapter 4 links the suits to four body parts: feet, pelvis, chest, and head.

Tarot theorists who believed that the cards were originally connected with the Jewish Cabbala have correlated the suits to the four letters of the Tetragrammaton, the unpronounceable Hebrew name of God. These letters are in their turn linked with other quartets in Cabbalistic symbolism, which provide further correspondences for the suits. For example, the four letters are correlated with four worlds that are different layers of Neoplatonic emanation, as mentioned in Chapter 5.

We can also think of correlating the suits with the fourfold systems that were dominant at the time when the tarot emerged. For example, as we mentioned earlier, the four suits might represent the four classes of traditional society. Another possibility is to correlate the four suit domains with the four natural kingdoms in Aristotelian and medieval philosophy: mineral, vegetable, animal, and human. The kingdom of mineral is pure matter, which is the coin. The kingdom of vegetable introduces sexuality and fertility, symbolized by the wand. The animal kingdom sees the gradual development of emotion, represented by the cup. And finally, with humans appear language and rationality, which correspond to the sword.

Such systems of correspondences can be useful in different situations. For example, when discussing the symbolic language of body parts in the tarot figures, we referred to the corresponding minor suit domains. We can also do a “tarot meditation,” concentrating one by one on the four ace cards. Going from bottom to top, with each card we concentrate on the corresponding body part while reflecting on the corresponding domain in our life. If we want to construct a magic circle for a ritual or a meditation session, we may want to mark the four cardinal points with ace cards, and for this we need a correspondence between the suits and the cardinal directions.

The idea of correspondences also raises the question of the suits’ ordering. Is there one true way to list them in sequence? Different sources present the suits in different orders, but looking at the suit correspondences, we may think that a standard ordering could represent the evolution of natural kingdoms (mineral, vegetal, animal, and rational), which is also going up with the body parts (legs, pelvis, chest, and head). This would give the ordering as coins, wands, cups, and swords. We can call this the symbolic ordering of the suits.

Still, as the division into soft and hard suits is expressed so strongly in the illustrations, the study of the cards becomes simpler when suits of each kind are grouped together. Therefore, when presenting the cards in the next chapters, we shall arrange the suits in the following order: coins, cups, wands, and swords. Note that this “didactic” ordering is used here only for the practical purpose of learning.

The following table shows the minor suit correspondences used in this book. It is based on the Golden Dawn system, which is today widely accepted, with some additional elements from Jodorowsky. The suit arrangement is by the symbolic (evolution) ordering.

For each minor suit, the listed correspondences are the suit name, French title, playing card suit, life domain, body part, living creature (from the World card), element, and cardinal direction.

table 2: minor suit correspondences

 

Suit Name	French Title	Playing Card Suit	Life Domain	Body Part	Living Creature	Element	Cardinal Direction
Coins	deniers	Diamonds	Body	Legs	Bull	Earth	North
Wands	baton	Clubs	Desire	Pelvis	Lion	Fire	South
Cups	coupe	Hearts	Emotion	Chest	Human	Water	West
Swords	epee	Spades	Intellect	Head	Eagle	Air	East

Reading the Minor Suits

Many readers find that the twenty-two major cards of the Tarot de Marseille are sufficient for a deep and productive consultation. Still, we may think that it is not for nothing that the tarot has kept all its suits throughout its long history. There must be some symbolic power in the complete tarot deck, and we may want to tap its full potential.

There are several possible ways to integrate the minor and the major suits in a reading. One way is to treat the two kinds of cards on the same footing: to shuffle them together and to lay them down side by side in the same spread. This was the accepted way of using the complete deck in the English school and its New Age derivatives. The opposite way is to keep the major and the minor cards separate. For example, one can think of doing a two-part reading, first with minor cards only and then with the major cards. I sometimes do a similar thing when I use the court cards as a projection tool to begin a reading, as described in Chapter 9.

A third possibility, which is a middle way between the first two, is to shuffle together the two parts of the deck but treat them differently in the spread layout. For example, suppose we have some experience with the major cards and are just beginning to use the minor cards. In this case, we may want to rely more on the majors and use the minors only for supplementary information and background. A possible way to do so is to use the minor suit cards as a background layer for the basic three-card spread.

To do this, we start by shuffling the complete deck. Then we draw cards from it one by one in the usual way. But we don’t stop after three cards as before. Instead, we fill the three positions of the spread in the following way: we lay the first card, which comes out from the shuffled deck in the first position at the left side. We lay it open (that is, faceup). If the card is from one of the minor suits, we draw another card and put it on the first one so that it covers it completely. If it is again a minor card, we draw yet another one to cover the first two, and so on. We continue piling cards on top of each other until a card from the major suit turns up. Once this happens, we leave it on top and move to the second (middle) position.

Now we repeat the same procedure, piling minor suit cards on top of each other until a major suit appears. Then we pass to the third (right) position and repeat again. Finally, we end up looking at three cards from the major suit. Under each one of them is a pile of minor cards whose size may vary. It is possible, of course, that in one position or more the first card that came up is a major card, in which case it has nothing under it.

The reading of the spread can now be done on three levels. First we can read only the top cards from the major suit, as in the usual basic spread. In fact, this is the case during most of the reading sessions. The top cards hide the cards beneath them, and what we see in front of us is the basic spread of three major suit cards. Sometimes we may even be tempted to stop at this level if we see a clear answer from the three top cards. However, it is important that once we have drawn cards and laid them down, we should refer to them, even if briefly. Failing to do so would almost always result in a negative reaction from the querent.

On the second level we don’t read each minor suit card separately but only pay attention to their general distribution. We can do this even before learning each minor card in detail. First, we note the number of cards in each of the three piles. If there are many cards underneath the top one, it is “a big bundle.” This means complicated issues, many factors involved in the matter, or a great load that burdens the querent. In contrast, if the top card appears alone or maybe with one card underneath, it means that what we see is what there is. We can take things at face value and don’t need to look any deeper.

Now we can check how much of a given suit is present. For example, if one of the piles (or maybe the whole spread) contains many coin cards, it may indicate matters related to the material and physical domain, practical considerations, or a lot of money. On the other hand, many cups can indicate emotional matters, a romantic attitude to the question, or special attention that should be paid to human relationships. A large number of hard-suit cards (wands or swords) expresses hardship and struggles. A large number of soft-suit cards (coins or cups) indicates a more relaxed atmosphere, an easy situation, or a supportive environment.

Another thing to notice is the kind of minor cards. Aces indicate energy, a strong drive, or an initiative expressed through the cards on top of them. Many number cards can mean a lot of details and small issues that the querent has to deal with. The court cards present human figures with a specific social status. If many of them appear in the spread, it may indicate many people involved in the matter or consideration related to status and social relations. Since the court card may also express the querent’s way of action or their attitude, a large number of court cards may indicate that various attitudes and drives are at play within the querent’s mind.

Finally, we may notice the appearance of several number cards with the same number or several court cards of the same rank. A recurrent number may say something related to the numerological meaning of the number. For this we may use the list of number meanings in Chapter 4. We can also interpret it as an indirect hint to the major card carrying this number. Alternatively, the number itself may be meaningful; for example, the number three can indicate three people involved in a situation or a time span of three months.

Several court cards of the same rank can signify an attitude or a position typical of this rank, as explained in Chapter 9. For example, several page cards may indicate lack of experience or insecurity in the querent. Several king cards may express a mature and responsible attitude or a recognized and distinguished standing. It can also indicate the completion of a process and readiness to embark on new adventures.

On the third level, which we can apply once we know the minor cards well enough, we can read the cards under each of the three majors as a story or process. The story is read according to the order in which the cards were laid down, leading to the major card on top. One can also take each pile and spread its cards in a row from left to right in order to see the whole story in a glance. After having read them, then we can put the cards together again and proceed to the next pile.

It is also possible to use this method with only some of the minor suits, especially when we are still in the process of learning them. For example, we can start by adding the four aces only to the twenty-two majors. An ace card would give a special emphasis to the card covering it and infuse it with energy and drive according to its suit domain. Then we can put in the court cards, adding a human dimension with feeling and motivation. Finally, we could add the number cards, which can give us a detailed story of actual events.

As an example, consider the following spread. For some time, the querent has been preparing herself for a change in her professional occupation. She is apprehensive about possible negative reactions from her environment toward the new direction she has chosen. In a basic spread with a minor suits background, the cards on the facing page came out.

Card 13 on the left expresses a sharp and abrupt change. The skeleton looks at the faces in the World and the Moon cards and moves toward them with his scythe. It has nothing underneath: for better or worse, change is coming; there is nothing more to say. The old road has come to an end, but the card says nothing on the next move.

Left: Card 13 with nothing underneath; Center: 2 of Wands, 7 of Coins inverse, 3 of Swords, The World on top Right: King of Coins, 2 of Swords, 10 of Swords inverse, The Moon on top

The 2 of Wands, looking like a crossroads, represents the question of where to go now. The central coin in the 7 of Coins looks protected and well placed, maybe expressing the possibility of remaining in the comfortable and secure zone of the old occupation. But with the card inverse, it may be under pressure. The straight sword in the middle of the 3 of Swords symbolizes the other option: it breaks out from the protected space between the two arches and advances to a new domain. The World on top, with a dancing figure within a close space that resembles the curved arches of the swords card, indicates that, for the moment, the querent remains secure in the existing zone and doesn’t make a move to break out.

The King of Coins holds a coin that he already has on his lap, symbolizing assets that have accumulated in the old professional domain (such as experience and status). But his gaze is toward the future. The flower in the center of the 2 of Swords is still contained within the boundaries, not breaking them. But in the 10 of Swords the two inverted swords stuck in, and the general feeling of heaviness, make it too difficult to remain in the present space. The Moon, with its strange and intimidating landscape, expresses the challenge of confronting the unknown. But the solid ground at the bottom indicates that with such a move, the querent can connect to a deep and stable basis of her inner strength and underlying powers.

From the spread as a whole, we can understand that the main motive of the querent now is her hesitation to take the risk of moving forward to a new and uncertain domain. As long as she can remain reasonably comfortable in the boundaries of the present condition, the urge to move forward and change will remain unrealized. But in a broader perspective, it is possible to see that the old course has already reached its final stage. It has no place for future development, and its only advantage is the comfort and protection of the existing situation. At a certain moment the querent will be under pressure that will not allow her to remain where she is now. This will be the moment when she dares to move forward, challenge the unknown, and find her deep strengths.

The Row Spread

When we first begin to study the tarot, we may want to rely on the major cards as the backbone of the reading because we know them best. Still, when we know fairly well all the deck parts, we may want to do an open reading with all the cards shuffled together. The natural way to do so is to lay the cards side by side, majors and minors alike, and look at the resulting picture, as we do in the basic three-card spread. However, as most minor cards in the Tarot de Marseille are not very rich in details, it is difficult to have a deep and meaningful reading with only three cards. The obvious solution is to lay a larger number of cards in a horizontal row, so that their combination is interesting and complex enough. As before, we do this moving from left to right.

The number of cards that we use can be decided in advance. Usually, a row of seven cards from the complete deck would not be too complex to read as one coherent story, and as an odd number it would have a well-
defined center. We can also lay six cards and separate them into two groups of three in order to compare two options or ways of action side by side. We can also decide on a longer row if we feel that it would be more suitable for our style of reading.

Another possibility is not to decide in advance but to lay the cards, one after another, until we feel we have enough. This option gives us more freedom, but it also has its drawbacks. We may be tempted to stop the spread just when we reach a card that we like. In other words, we may end up getting whatever answer we wished for in the first place.

 

As an example for a row spread, the following cards appeared in a spontaneous reading with a new deck of cards that were shuffled for the first time. This fact may explain why there are so many coin cards. Still, I considered the spread as valid because in a reading everything is a sign.

2 of Coins, 3 of Coins, 4 of Coins, King of Swords…

The three cards on the left together form a shape that can express expansion. Starting in the space between the two large icons in the 2 of Coins, it goes through the 3 of Coins in the middle and ends in the wide gap in the middle of the 4 of Coins. As these are coin cards, they may refer to some issue about money and livelihood. The querent has made some progress in this area and achieved a certain degree of stability, which is hinted at by the square array in the 4 of Coins.

Now the king in the middle cuts the process with his sword and turns his eyes in a new direction. Instead of material and practical concerns, he is interested in an internal process of self-transformation, as indicated by the two major cards. With the Moon he goes through a challenging period of exploring dark layers in his soul. This process blends, through the lines of water and earth, with the magical flow of the Star. In this pair of cards we can see a road that is dark at the beginning but further on becomes enlightened.

The naked figure who generously spills her water seems to be oblivious of questions of gain and loss. It is as if she gives up material concerns to gain emotional integrity. But later on in the process the 6 of Coins appears, again with a focal point in the middle and with joyful leaves all around. The number six is connected to the first three cards: six is the sum of two and four, and echoes the three between them. One can also see its two coin triangles as a visual combination of the three coins on the second card and the triple fleur-de-lys shield on the third card. It appears that the time-out that the querent is taking from material issues, and the embarkation on a process of self-exploration, finally leads him to the economic comfort that he was initially looking for.

 

As another example for a seven-card row spread, consider the following story. The querent holds a medium-level position in an established company but hasn’t had a promotion for some years. In the past she’s made some mistakes that were turned against her by competing colleagues. This has made her feel bitter and socially isolated in the workplace. Still considering herself the victim of unfair treatment, she also understands now her own role in making it happen. She asks how to proceed from here.

The following cards came out in a seven-card row spread:

9 of Coins, King of Wands, King of Cups, The Popess…

The single coin at the center of the 9 of Coins represents the querent’s present position, blocked and isolated in a narrow space. The King of Wands, who may be stabbing his own heel, symbolizes the self-defeating actions in the past. The King of Cups holds his cup firmly as he turns a covered ear to it and looks away toward the future. He can represent the current resolve to control personal emotions and issues, which may have been behind those self-defeating moves, and look ahead for a new chapter.

The Popess, book in hand, may represent the reader and her cards. The very act of seeking advice now expresses the querent’s new phase of self- awareness. The veil behind the figure represents uncertainty; the future is not yet defined because the querent has a choice.

(continued from previous) The Moon, The Star, 6 of Coins

The three cards behind the veil represent three options. The 6 of Swords has a central plant adapting its form to the shape of an enclosed space. This represents the passive option: accepting the present situation as it is and trying to make the most out of it while avoiding a clash with the sharp swords around. The Justice card represents the overactive option: coming forward with your own sword, demanding what is rightfully yours, and being ready to fight for it. But the brightest-looking option is the middle one, the 5 of Cups with a central object echoing the single coin of the first card. Not isolated any more, now it is surrounded with plants and flowers, all streaming toward and from the other cups. In this option the querent doesn’t make an active move now. Instead, she puts her effort in building better personal ties with her fellow workers, winning friends through gifts and gestures, and gradually turning people in her favor. In this way she will be in a better position when the next opportunity for promotion arrives.

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