intro to minor arcana pips

Today on CARD TALK, I’ll cover:
-what the minor arcana is
-pips vs. court cards
-why "mundane" isn't exactly the same as "boring"
-ways to understand these cards
-ways to get to know these cards
-basic keywords for elements and numbers

Additional resources:
Call Your Coven podcast
Devils & Digits and Card Connections through the 3am.tarot conservatory
Free elements email series
Free tarot by the numbers lecture
devils & fools silver membership exploring numerology 

For more on Meg, check out 3amtarot.com, and order your copy of Finding the Fool through Bookshop.org or your favorite local bookstore.

Find episode transcripts and more over on the CARD TALK website. And as a special thank you for CARD TALK listeners, click here to download a completely free, exclusive workbook for building your best personal tarot practice.

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Chapters

• 0:11 Introduction to Tarot's Minor Arcana
• 11:19 Exploring Tarot Numerology and Correspondences

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:11

I'm Meg Jones-Wall and this is Card Talk, a mini podcast for tarot basics and evergreen insights. I'm here to help you build a tarot practice that works for you. Glad you're here. Glad you're here. In today's episode, we are going to be talking about the minor arcana pips, which is to say, the numbered suited cards in the tarot's minor arcana. Now, we've been talking about the major arcana, about different ways that you can understand them and also different ways that you can interpret them in your readings, and while I did take a few weeks to offer some election support, now we're going to shift our focus to the minor arcana, starting today with a quick introduction into what these cards are. Now, if the major arcana are the cards with names or the named cards, the minor arcana in general are the suited cards, of which there are 56 total. Remember, we have 78 cards in the deck 22 majors, and so the remainder of the deck are the minor arcana. Now, each of the four suits that make up the minor arcana contain 14 cards. These include the pips, which are the numbered cards one through 10 or ace through 10, as well as the court cards, which are often drawn or depicted as human figures or sometimes animal figures and include four different ranks or types of people. Now this episode and the one following is going to be specifically on the pips, which are those numbered cards, but don't worry, because after that I'm going to cover the court cards In general.

Speaker 1: 1:34

When we think about the numbered cards, or the pips of the minor arcana, we're often thinking about these as our everyday cards. These are cards that are really commonly read to reflect more mundane activities advice, emotions, connections or interrogations. Every suit in the minor arcana is often associated with a particular kind of energy or drive or aspect of life and follows a particular kind of journey. Because these cards are literally numbered, every card, by definition, is going to be associated with a specific number or have a numerological correspondence of one through 10. Additionally, many people, myself included, also associate each of the four suits with one of the four classical elements, and I'll talk about that in more detail in a moment.

Speaker 1: 2:19

Now, I mentioned that these cards are often read to reflect mundane activities, and I want to be clear that I think we actually do ourselves and the tarot itself a disservice when we conflate something being mundane or every day with it not being important. Mundane is a word with a lot of different meanings and while some of those meanings do connect to ideas like boredom or tedium, I really personally prefer the definitions of mundane that are around material, common, terrestrial, normal, carnal, earthy, day-to-day, that kind of thing. The minor arcana pip cards are not boring, nor are they insignificant, but these are cards that reflect our lived experience as human beings, in contrast with the majors, which are often talked about as being these larger-than significant spiritual or collective experiences or transformations or discoveries. The majors can feel really big while the minors often feel a little easier to kind of wrap our hands on our minds around. For example, you might not immediately know exactly what a chariot day would look like right, In a tangible way. You might not necessarily have an immediate idea of how that energy is going to show up in your life or what that might feel like for you, but you might have a better idea of what a seven of cups day might look or feel like for you. That might feel a little bit easier to relate to. And that's kind of what I'm talking about when I say that these cards are mundane. It's not that they're boring or uninteresting or unimportant, but they are a little bit more tangible and grounded in our daily experience.

Speaker 1: 3:51

Because these cards are a little bit simpler and they have this more tangible connection to daily life, and because of their built-in correspondences around numerology and the elements, I think that the Minor Arcana Pips can actually be some of the easier cards for people to connect to when they're starting out with the tarot, especially if you're looking at imagery from the Solibusca deck or the Rider-Waite-Smith deck or decks that are inspired by those imagery traditions. They're really going to see scenes from daily life depicted right on those cards. So pips can offer us a really immediate way to start to connect personally to each part of the story through our own daily experiences. But this isn't just about your literal kind of mundane daily activities. The minors can really hold a lot of depth, especially if you read them in a Marseille style, the way that I do. We can look at the various correspondences for these cards and think about all of the ways that the different correspondences intersect.

Speaker 1: 4:45

Now, to be clear, just because something doesn't significantly impact the entire trajectory of your life doesn't mean it can't still feel like a big deal in the moment when it's happening, in other words, every day doesn't mean that these cards can't still represent experiences that might feel challenging, like grief, loss, pain, loneliness, anger, frustration, sadness, confusion, stagnation, obstacles, anxieties, illness and so much more, but in the same way, the other side of that coin right, is that these cards can also explore the most beautiful parts of being a human, like joy, connection, satisfaction, health acceptance, momentum connection satisfaction, health acceptance, momentum, creativity, expression, wonder, no-transcript. I think that when you're getting to know this portion of the tarot, this section of the minor arcana, they can feel a little bit strange or hard to connect to or overwhelming, simply because there's so many of them. But when you start to break them down into their groups and see them as just as important as the majors, you can start to build some really cool connections, and I'm going to talk you through some different ways that you can do that. Right now, just like in the introduction to major arcana archetypes episode, I'm going to offer you a couple of different ways to think about and work with these cards from a study perspective, or, in other words, this is going to be about ways that you can spend time with the cards outside of readings. But in the next episode I'm going to provide you some additional advice for how you can start to process these cards or interpret them when they show up in your readings. We're going to cover both bases here.

Speaker 1: 6:22

So first, how can we see these cards? How can we understand the pips beyond or outside of our readings? My three major suggestions for how you can see these cards might not surprise you. The first is as story beats or as parts of a journey or moments of a narrative or sections of a story that is happening, a story arc. The second is as daily experiences. These can be reflections of our everyday lives, things that we might be actively feeling or thinking or pursuing or creating. And the third way to see them is as energies, as feelings or sensations or activations or motivations PIPs representing ways of being and feeling, representations really of the literal energy that we're holding right now.

Speaker 1: 7:02

If you just listened to the major arcana episodes and you're thinking, huh, meg, that's kind of similar to the major arcana archetypes, then yes, welcome. You're right, they're all tarot cards. You don't have to interpret the minor arcana pips in a completely different way that you interpret the majors or any other card in the deck. I find the minor arcana pips to be particularly grounded in the here and now. I think of all the cards in the deck. They are the most relatable in a tangible, practical, everyday way because they are connected to the physical experience of being a human being, and so seeing them as daily experiences and starting to connect your own daily experiences to specific cards can be a really particularly helpful way to start understanding them and building a personal relationship with or map for those cards.

Speaker 1: 7:49

Now, when it comes to strategies for actually getting to know these cards and starting to dig a little bit deeper than the basic meanings that you might find in whatever little white book came with your deck, I really do think that study and correspondences is the best way to go. It's my personal favorite way to build deeper relationships with these cards in particular, again, because I do read in a Marseille style and focusing on the numerology and the elements is really key to that style of reading. Now, in a practical sense, this means first spending some time with the elements and considering how each suit could be an exploration of that element, how the suit represents different energies of that element, how the suit shows different expressions of that element, how the suit displays various ways that the element can be used as a tool or a medicine or a way of being, et cetera. Right. Working with the elements and allowing those elements to become a really present part of your interpretation of the cards is going to help make your relationship with the pips immediately more tactile and more tangible, and it can also just help you connect with them more easily in a personal way. If you don't know anything about the elements, that's totally okay. I have a free, very basic introductory email course you can check out. I'll include a link in the show notes. But the elements in general are really fun to work with. There are a lot of simple ways in your daily life that you can start to pay attention to the elements and you can start to connect the elements to the various parts of your life. Now, if you're brand new and you don't really understand what I'm talking about, that's totally fine. I'm going to quickly rattle off just a few basic keywords for each of the four suits to help you understand what I mean. I want you to start thinking of each suit as a story or as a narrative that starts with ace and ends with the nine and the 10. And to think about how those suits might connect or tell stories connected to various aspects of your life or human experience.

Speaker 1: 9:40

First, let's talk about the suit of wands quickly Now. I tend to associate this suit with the element of fire, but some people do associate it with the element of air. So, depending on which resources you're looking at, you might see one or the other, but I consistently talk about wands as connected to fire, and so for me, you can think about this as the suit of instinct, and you can think about the story of the suit of wands as telling narratives around motivation, passion, energy, creativity, eroticism, pursuit and expression. The next suit I'll mention is the suit of swords, which again you might see. Some people associate that with the element of fire, but I always associate it with the element of air, which means that this is our suit of intellect, and we can see this as a suit that tells stories of analysis, perception, information, comprehension and communication. Next is the suit of cups, and generally this is pretty universally associated with the element of water. We can see this as our suit of emotion, one that's telling stories of connection, relationship, intimacy, vulnerability, sensitivity, faith and observation. And, last but not least, I associate pentacles with the element of earth, and I think that's fairly common as well. You can think about this as our suit of embodiment, and this is all about telling stories of physicality, sensuality, resources, experience, responsibility and legacy. Beyond the elements, you can also get to know these minor arcana pips by studying the numbers one through 10, which helps with the idea of story in general, as well as more general vibes or general energy.

Speaker 1: 11:19

Now, numerology is a big topic and there are a number of different kinds of numerology, but I talk a lot about Pythagorean numerology specifically because it really helped me understand tarot as a whole when I started to learn numerology, especially within the minor arcana. It just made everything click into place for me in a way that was deeply relatable and that I feel very passionate about passing on to others. Now, just like with the free elements course that I have, I also do have a free lecture on tarot numerology If you're brand new to this and want some more in-depth information than what I'm about to offer here. But I do also have a big standalone course called devils and digits that's available through my monthly membership conservatory program, and I also have a tier actually that explores tarot numerology on my newsletter. It's the silver tier, so I'll include links to both of those in the show notes as well If you're really intrigued by tarot numerology and want to learn more.

Speaker 1: 12:12

Just to give you a jumping off point here, I'm going to give you one keyword to keep in mind for each of the numbers in the minor arcana pips For the number one or for aces. I want you to think about initiation. For the number two, I want you to think about decision. For number three, expression. Number four, foundation. Number five, expansion. Number six, connection. Number seven, interrogation. Number eight, devotion. Number nine, revelation. And number 10, completion and transition.

Speaker 1: 12:49

Now I have big plans for Card Talk. I have so many more episodes to record around this. I plan to do episodes on each element, each suit, each number and each individual card eventually. But it's going to take a while to get to all of that, which is why I wanted to start you on each element, each suit, each number and each individual card eventually. But it's going to take a while to get to all of that, which is why I wanted to start you off with some basic information so that you can start to connect these cards together through correspondences and in a variety of ways that are going to work for you.

Speaker 1: 13:13

But if you just can't wait or you want more from me specifically on these topics, might I recommend my first book, finding the Fool A Terra Journey to Radical Transformation. It's a really great companion for keywords. It includes correspondences on numerology, astrology and the elements, and it also features embodied descriptions and journal prompts. For every card in the deck it's less than 20 bucks. It's available everywhere and also at libraries. So if buying a new book is not in the cards for you right now, sorry about the pun. That really was an accident. If buying a new book is not in the cards for you right now, sorry about the pun. That really was an accident. If buying a new book for you, it's just not affordable right now, that's totally fine. Request it from your local library. You should be able to find it. But especially if you're struggling with the minors, I really do recommend focusing on those correspondences and numerology in particular. It completely changed the game for me when I was learning tarot.

Speaker 1: 13:59

Now I always like to end these episodes with a tip or a trick, and while this entire episode has kind of been a practical tip or trick, I want to just let you know that in a general sense, I do urge you to start letting these cards become real to you, to make them personal, to start finding ways to connect them to actual parts of your life, instead of just theoretical things that could happen to you or that you might do life, instead of just theoretical things that could happen to you or that you might do. Find connections between each of these suits and each of these cards and real parts of your personality, your life, your community, your history. Really start to breathe life into them, and don't be afraid to get kind of weird with it or get sort of silly with these cards. It's okay to make these cards your own, even if it feels strange. No one else has to understand it, but you. This is really about you.

Speaker 1: 14:41

Now, if you're using an older deck or a Rider-Waite-Smith style deck or the imagery on the card doesn't necessarily have anything to do with your life. Let yourself reimagine it. Like look, I don't know you, I don't know your life, but I personally never sleep with four swords dangling over my head and it's definitely not relaxing. Yet for a lot of folks, that's how they're going to interpret the four of swords from the minor arcana. It gets interpreted as this card of mental rest and mental boundaries, which is just to say get creative, get curious, get weird and don't be afraid to explore those correspondences in surprising ways. Let them take you to some places and develop some interpretations that might feel really different than what you start to see in your deck's imagery. Don't be afraid to do that.

Speaker 1: 15:24

Now I know I've already mentioned a couple of resources, but I do want to mention one more. If you want help thinking beyond the imagery of your deck and you don't want to buy 10 more decks, I also do have a journaling series called Card Connections that's specifically designed to help you build personal relationships and meanings for every single card in the deck. It's only available through the conservatory membership that I have, but you can. Even if you can't afford that or it's just not something you're interested in doing right now, you can absolutely do this on your own, just by letting yourself think outside of the box, start to build those personal connections to the cards and spend time understanding the correspondences. It does take a while. This isn't something you're going to start to do overnight, but it is worth it and it's going to make your work with the tarot a lot more dynamic, engaging and personal.

Speaker 1: 16:10

That is all I have for you today, but, as always, thank you so much for spending this time with me, sending you a lot of love and safety right now, and I will be back again soon with more card talk, card talk. Lot of love and safety right now, and I will be back again soon with more Card Talk. Card Talk episodes are always free for everyone to enjoy, so if you love what you hear, please consider supporting the podcast by subscribing, recommending Card Talk to a friend or two or donating to help with production costs. You can find episode transcripts. Learn more about me and join my signature Tarot Conservatory membership program through my website, 3amtarotcom. Thanks for listening and see you next time.