Each zodiac sign has its own Major Arcana card in the system most modern decks follow: Aries is The Emperor, Taurus The Hierophant, Gemini The Lovers, Cancer The Chariot, Leo Strength, Virgo The Hermit, Libra Justice, Scorpio Death, Sagittarius Temperance, Capricorn The Devil, Aquarius The Star and Pisces The Moon. Your sign's ruling planet adds a second Major card, and its element gives you a suit.
The Wheel of Fortune, shown above, is a fitting cover card. In the 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith design, its four corners hold a lion, a bull, an eagle and an angel, figures traditionally linked to the four fixed signs: Leo, Taurus, Scorpio and Aquarius.
Where the zodiac cards come from
These pairings were set out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a London occult society founded in 1888. Its members linked each of the 22 Major Arcana to a letter of the Hebrew alphabet, and through those letters to a sign, a planet or an element. Twelve cards went to the signs, seven to the classical planets, and three to elements.
The deck Pamela Colman Smith drew in 1909 followed this system, and so do most decks since, including ours. That's also why Strength is numbered 8 and Justice 11 in most modern decks: the Golden Dawn swapped them so that the order of the cards would match its order of letters and signs, which puts Leo's card, Strength, before Libra's card, Justice.
The system is a tradition, not a discovery. But the pairings are thoughtful, and they make a good bridge if you already know astrology and want a way into tarot, or the other way round.
Fire signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Fire signs share the suit of Wands: drive, creativity and initiative.
Aries: The Emperor. Structure, authority and leadership. It can seem an odd match for impulsive Aries, but the Emperor is the energy that takes charge and builds something; Aries wants to be first, and the Emperor makes sure it's done properly. Ruler: Mars, The Tower.
Leo: Strength. Quiet courage and a gentle hand on a lion. Leo's warmth at its best: brave and kind at once, not loud for the sake of it. Ruler: the Sun, The Sun.
Sagittarius: Temperance. Patient balance and blending. Sagittarius is the explorer; Temperance is what the explorer learns, mixing many experiences into something wise and sustainable. Ruler: Jupiter, Wheel of Fortune.
Earth signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Earth signs share Pentacles: work, money, the body and home.
Taurus: The Hierophant. Tradition, learning and shared values. Taurus likes what has been tested and proven, and the Hierophant is the keeper of what lasts. Ruler: Venus, The Empress.
Virgo: The Hermit. Solitude, reflection and the lamp held up to see clearly. Virgo's careful, private attention, turned into wisdom. Ruler: Mercury, The Magician.
Capricorn: The Devil. Attachment, ambition and the things that hold us. The pairing isn't an insult. Capricorn is the sign of material ambition, and the Devil asks the useful Capricorn question: is this goal serving you, or are you serving it? Ruler: Saturn, The World.
Air signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Air signs share Swords: thought, words and decisions.
Gemini: The Lovers. Connection and choice. Gemini, the twins, is the sign of pairs and conversations, and the Lovers is the card of choosing between them. Ruler: Mercury, The Magician.
Libra: Justice. Fairness, balance and truth. Libra's scales and Justice's scales are the same image. Ruler: Venus, The Empress.
Aquarius: The Star. Hope, renewal and generosity. Aquarius, the water bearer, pouring out ideas for everyone; the Star's figure pours water too. Rulers: Uranus in modern astrology, linked by many readers to The Fool; Saturn traditionally, The World.
Water signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces
Water signs share Cups: feelings, relationships and intuition.
Cancer: The Chariot. Determination and momentum, with a shell of armor. Cancer protects what it loves and moves toward it with surprising force. Ruler: the Moon, The High Priestess.
Scorpio: Death. Endings, transition and renewal, not literal death. Scorpio is the sign of depth and transformation, and Death is the card of letting one thing end so another can begin. Rulers: Pluto in modern astrology, linked by many readers to Judgement; Mars traditionally, The Tower.
Pisces: The Moon. Imagination, dreams and half-light. Pisces lives easily in the space where things aren't fully clear yet. Rulers: Neptune in modern astrology, linked by many readers to The Hanged Man; Jupiter traditionally, Wheel of Fortune.
A note on those modern rulers: in the original Golden Dawn system, The Fool, The Hanged Man and Judgement belonged to the elements air, water and fire. Their links to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto came later and are common but not universal.
The Minor Arcana and the zodiac
The same system also links the numbered Minor cards to the signs. Each sign is divided into three ten-degree slices, called decans, and each slice gets one card from Two to Ten in the suit of its element.
The pattern is easy to remember:
- Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn) take the Twos, Threes and Fours of their suit. Aries has the Two, Three and Four of Wands.
- Fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius) take the Fives, Sixes and Sevens. Leo has the Five, Six and Seven of Wands.
- Mutable signs (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, Pisces) take the Eights, Nines and Tens. Pisces has the Eight, Nine and Ten of Cups.
The Aces stand apart as the roots of their elements. Our guide to tarot suits and their meanings covers what each suit is about.
Finding your other cards
Your Sun sign is only one part of your chart, and astrologers would say the same of its card. Your Moon sign describes your emotional habits, and your rising sign your first impression on the world. Each has a card too, using the same list above. If your Moon is in Cancer, The Chariot may describe how you protect your feelings; a Libra rising might find Justice a fair picture of how they come across.
Our free birth chart shows your Sun, Moon and rising signs together, and it settles the question for anyone born on a cusp, since the Sun's entry into each sign shifts by a day or so from year to year. For a card worked out from your date rather than your sign, see our guide to the tarot birth card. And for the signs themselves, our zodiac signs pages cover each one's traits in depth.
Questions readers ask
What tarot card represents my zodiac sign?
Aries is The Emperor, Taurus The Hierophant, Gemini The Lovers, Cancer The Chariot, Leo Strength, Virgo The Hermit, Libra Justice, Scorpio Death, Sagittarius Temperance, Capricorn The Devil, Aquarius The Star and Pisces The Moon. These come from the Golden Dawn system that most modern decks follow.
Why is Scorpio linked to the Death card?
Because Scorpio is the sign astrologers associate with depth, endings and transformation, and the Death card means exactly that: a chapter closing so another can begin. It's not a prediction about anyone's life span, and it's one of the most misunderstood cards in the deck.
Is my zodiac card the same as my tarot birth card?
No. Your zodiac card comes from your Sun sign; your birth card comes from adding up your birth date. They're two different systems, and most people get two different cards. Some readers enjoy reading both as a pair.
Which tarot suit matches my sign?
Your element decides it. Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius) match Wands, earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn) match Pentacles, air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius) match Swords and water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces) match Cups.