Tarot + Astrology: Planetary Correspondences

BY NICOLE LAU

Introduction: Two Ancient Systems, One Wisdom

Tarot and astrology are sister systems—two ancient languages describing the same universal truths. While tarot uses archetypal images and astrology uses celestial movements, both map the human experience, the soul's journey, and the patterns that shape our lives. When you understand how these systems correspond, your tarot readings gain astronomical depth and precision.

Every tarot card carries astrological associations—planetary rulers, zodiac signs, and elemental energies that add layers of meaning to your interpretations. The Empress isn't just nurturing abundance; she's Venus, goddess of love and beauty. The Tower isn't just sudden upheaval; it's Mars, planet of war and action. These correspondences aren't arbitrary—they're based on centuries of esoteric tradition linking celestial and symbolic wisdom.

Understanding tarot-astrology correspondences allows you to read with greater nuance, time events more accurately, and connect tarot to the larger cosmic context. You don't need to be an astrology expert to benefit from these associations—even basic knowledge dramatically enhances your readings.

This guide reveals the complete system of tarot-astrology correspondences, how to use them practically in readings, and how these two ancient arts illuminate each other.

Why Correspondences Matter

Deeper Card Understanding

Knowing The Emperor corresponds to Aries adds layers: leadership (Emperor) + pioneering spirit (Aries) + cardinal fire (initiation and action). This creates richer interpretation than card meaning alone.

Timing Precision

Astrological correspondences help with timing questions. The Lovers (Gemini) suggests late May to late June. The Hermit (Virgo) indicates late August to late September.

Personal Relevance

If you're a Leo, The Strength card carries special significance. If you have Mars in Scorpio, The Death card speaks to your natal chart.

Synthesis of Systems

Combining tarot and astrology creates a more complete picture. A tarot reading can illuminate your birth chart; your birth chart can deepen tarot interpretation.

The Major Arcana: Planetary and Zodiac Rulers

0 - The Fool: Uranus

Planet: Uranus (innovation, rebellion, sudden change, freedom)
Element: Air
Meaning Enhanced: The Fool's leap of faith connects to Uranus's revolutionary, unpredictable energy. Both represent breaking free from convention and embracing the unknown.

I - The Magician: Mercury

Planet: Mercury (communication, intellect, skill, magic)
Element: Air
Meaning Enhanced: The Magician's mastery and manifestation align with Mercury's quick-witted intelligence and ability to bridge worlds.

II - The High Priestess: Moon

Planet: Moon (intuition, mystery, the unconscious, cycles)
Element: Water
Meaning Enhanced: The High Priestess's hidden knowledge and intuitive wisdom mirror the Moon's connection to the subconscious and feminine mysteries.

III - The Empress: Venus

Planet: Venus (love, beauty, abundance, creativity, sensuality)
Element: Earth
Meaning Enhanced: The Empress's nurturing abundance and creative fertility embody Venus's energy of love, beauty, and earthly pleasures.

IV - The Emperor: Aries ♈

Sign: Aries (leadership, authority, pioneering, action)
Element: Fire (cardinal)
Dates: March 21 - April 19
Meaning Enhanced: The Emperor's structure and authority align with Aries's cardinal fire—initiating, leading, establishing order through action.

V - The Hierophant: Taurus ♉

Sign: Taurus (tradition, values, stability, material world)
Element: Earth (fixed)
Dates: April 20 - May 20
Meaning Enhanced: The Hierophant's traditional wisdom and established systems reflect Taurus's fixed earth—stable, enduring, rooted in tradition.

VI - The Lovers: Gemini ♊

Sign: Gemini (duality, choice, communication, connection)
Element: Air (mutable)
Dates: May 21 - June 20
Meaning Enhanced: The Lovers' choice and union embody Gemini's duality and the mental/communicative nature of relationship.

VII - The Chariot: Cancer ♋

Sign: Cancer (emotion, protection, determination, home)
Element: Water (cardinal)
Dates: June 21 - July 22
Meaning Enhanced: The Chariot's willpower and protective drive align with Cancer's cardinal water—emotional strength channeled into determined action.

VIII - Strength: Leo ♌

Sign: Leo (courage, heart, self-mastery, creative power)
Element: Fire (fixed)
Dates: July 23 - August 22
Meaning Enhanced: Strength's gentle mastery and heart-centered courage embody Leo's fixed fire—sustained, radiant, powerful yet controlled.

IX - The Hermit: Virgo ♍

Sign: Virgo (wisdom, analysis, service, perfection)
Element: Earth (mutable)
Dates: August 23 - September 22
Meaning Enhanced: The Hermit's solitary wisdom and discernment reflect Virgo's analytical, service-oriented, perfection-seeking nature.

X - Wheel of Fortune: Jupiter

Planet: Jupiter (expansion, luck, cycles, abundance, philosophy)
Element: Fire
Meaning Enhanced: The Wheel's cycles and fortune align with Jupiter's expansive, beneficent energy and the philosophical understanding of life's ups and downs.

XI - Justice: Libra ♎

Sign: Libra (balance, fairness, relationships, harmony)
Element: Air (cardinal)
Dates: September 23 - October 22
Meaning Enhanced: Justice's balance and fairness embody Libra's cardinal air—actively seeking equilibrium and right relationship.

XII - The Hanged Man: Neptune

Planet: Neptune (surrender, spirituality, illusion, transcendence)
Element: Water
Meaning Enhanced: The Hanged Man's surrender and new perspective align with Neptune's dissolving boundaries and spiritual transcendence.

XIII - Death: Scorpio ♏

Sign: Scorpio (transformation, death/rebirth, depth, power)
Element: Water (fixed)
Dates: October 23 - November 21
Meaning Enhanced: Death's transformation and rebirth embody Scorpio's fixed water—deep, intense, transformative emotional power.

XIV - Temperance: Sagittarius ♐

Sign: Sagittarius (balance, philosophy, higher learning, expansion)
Element: Fire (mutable)
Dates: November 22 - December 21
Meaning Enhanced: Temperance's balance and higher wisdom reflect Sagittarius's mutable fire—adaptable, philosophical, seeking truth.

XV - The Devil: Capricorn ♑

Sign: Capricorn (materialism, ambition, shadow, structure)
Element: Earth (cardinal)
Dates: December 22 - January 19
Meaning Enhanced: The Devil's material bondage and ambition align with Capricorn's cardinal earth—the shadow side of achievement and control.

XVI - The Tower: Mars

Planet: Mars (war, action, destruction, energy, courage)
Element: Fire
Meaning Enhanced: The Tower's sudden destruction and revelation embody Mars's aggressive, action-oriented, sometimes violent energy.

XVII - The Star: Aquarius ♒

Sign: Aquarius (hope, innovation, humanity, future vision)
Element: Air (fixed)
Dates: January 20 - February 18
Meaning Enhanced: The Star's hope and healing align with Aquarius's fixed air—sustained vision for humanity's future and collective healing.

XVIII - The Moon: Pisces ♓

Sign: Pisces (illusion, intuition, dreams, spirituality)
Element: Water (mutable)
Dates: February 19 - March 20
Meaning Enhanced: The Moon's mystery and illusion embody Pisces's mutable water—fluid, dreamy, dissolving boundaries between real and unreal.

XIX - The Sun: Sun

Planet: Sun (vitality, consciousness, ego, life force, joy)
Element: Fire
Meaning Enhanced: The Sun card's radiance and vitality directly embody the Sun's life-giving, consciousness-illuminating energy.

XX - Judgement: Pluto

Planet: Pluto (transformation, rebirth, judgment, the underworld)
Element: Water
Meaning Enhanced: Judgement's resurrection and calling align with Pluto's death-rebirth cycle and soul-level transformation.

XXI - The World: Saturn

Planet: Saturn (completion, mastery, time, karma, achievement)
Element: Earth
Meaning Enhanced: The World's completion and mastery embody Saturn's energy of earned achievement, karmic completion, and mastery through time.

Conclusion: Cosmic Connections

Tarot and astrology are two languages describing the same cosmic truths. When you understand their correspondences, you're not just reading cards—you're reading the stars, the planets, the celestial dance that mirrors the human journey. The cards are cosmic messengers. The planets are cosmic forces. Together, they tell the complete story of the soul's journey through time, space, and consciousness.