Unveiling Your Inner Self: A Comprehensive Guide to Discovering Your Tarot Card Archetype

Have you ever felt a deep connection to the mystical world of tarot? Drawn to the evocative imagery and the profound wisdom they seem to hold? Many people find themselves wondering, “Which tarot card am I?” It’s a natural curiosity, a desire to understand the archetypal energies that resonate within us. Unlike a specific reading for guidance on a particular situation, discovering your personal tarot card can provide a deeper understanding of your core personality, your strengths, challenges, and life path. This guide will take you on a detailed journey to explore different methods of finding your tarot card archetype, helping you to unlock a new layer of self-awareness.

Why Discover Your Tarot Card?

Before diving into the methods, let’s understand why this endeavor can be so enriching. Identifying your tarot card archetype offers several benefits:

• Self-Discovery: It helps you understand your innate traits, motivations, and tendencies.
• Personal Growth: By recognizing your inherent energies, you can better navigate challenges and leverage your strengths.
• Spiritual Connection: It allows for a deeper connection to the archetypal energies of the tarot.
• Understanding Relationships: It can provide insight into how you interact with others and the roles you tend to play in your relationships.
• Life Purpose Clarity: Your card can offer clues into your overall life path and the lessons you are meant to learn.

It’s important to note that this exploration is about archetypes, not destiny. Your tarot card represents a set of energies you naturally embody, but it doesn’t define your every action or choice. You have free will, and your card serves as a guiding principle, not a rigid limitation.

Methods to Find Your Tarot Card

There are several approaches to uncovering your personal tarot card. Let’s explore the most popular and reliable ones:

1. The Birth Card Method (Using Numerology)

This is the most common method and is based on numerological calculations using your birth date. Each number corresponds to a specific Major Arcana card, providing a good starting point for your exploration.

Step 1: Convert your birth date to a number.

To do this, you need to add all the digits of your birth date (day, month, and year) together until you get a single digit (or a Master Number, which is 11, 22 or 33). Let’s break down how to calculate this:

Example: Let’s use the birth date: 24th June 1988

First, we write out the birth date as numbers:

• Day: 24
• Month: 06 (June is the 6th month)
• Year: 1988

Step 2: Reduce the day, month, and year to a single digit.

Add the digits of the day:

• 2 + 4 = 6

The day number is 6

Add the digits of the month:

• 0 + 6 = 6

The month number is 6

Add the digits of the year:

• 1 + 9 + 8 + 8 = 26

Now, since 26 isn’t a single digit, add the digits of 26:

• 2 + 6 = 8

The year number is 8

Step 3: Add the reduced day, month, and year numbers together.

• 6 (day) + 6 (month) + 8 (year) = 20

Step 4: If the sum is more than 22, reduce it to a single digit or a master number:

Since 20 is not a single digit, nor it’s a master number, then add the digits of the resulting number:

• 2 + 0 = 2

The final number is 2, which corresponds to the High Priestess in the Major Arcana.

Another Example: Let’s try a birth date of October 11, 1990:

• Day: 11
• Month: 10 (October is the 10th month)
• Year: 1990

Reduced Day: 1 + 1 = 2

Reduced Month: 1 + 0 = 1

Reduced Year: 1 + 9 + 9 + 0 = 19 = 1+9 = 10 = 1 + 0 = 1

Total: 2 + 1 + 1 = 4

The corresponding card to the number 4 is The Emperor.

Master Numbers: If your final sum is 11, 22, or 33, you do not reduce it further. These are considered Master Numbers, and they have particular significances.

Card Correspondences (using traditional Rider-Waite-Smith deck numbering):

• 1: The Magician
• 2: The High Priestess
• 3: The Empress
• 4: The Emperor
• 5: The Hierophant
• 6: The Lovers
• 7: The Chariot
• 8: Strength (or sometimes Justice, depending on the deck)
• 9: The Hermit
• 10: Wheel of Fortune
• 11: Justice (or Strength, depending on the deck)
• 12: The Hanged Man
• 13: Death
• 14: Temperance
• 15: The Devil
• 16: The Tower
• 17: The Star
• 18: The Moon
• 19: The Sun
• 20: Judgement
• 21: The World
• 22 (or 0): The Fool

Master Number Card Correspondences:

• 11: Justice or Strength
• 22: The Fool (or sometimes The World when using 0)
• 33: No traditional Major Arcana correlation; often treated as a heightened form of The Empress, Hierophant, or Justice, depending on the interpretation. Further research is needed on this number to understand which archetype resonates best

Note: Some decks may use different numbering systems for Strength and Justice. Please refer to the specific deck you are using if this is the case.

Once you have your number, simply look up the corresponding tarot card in the list above. This is your “birth card.”

2. The Soul Card Method (Based on Your Core Drive)

This method goes a step further and delves into your inner drivers to reveal your “soul card.”

Step 1: Calculate your Life Path Number.

You’ll start by using the same method as in the “Birth Card” method to get your one or two-digit number.

Using the earlier example date of June 24, 1988, we ended up with the number 2. In this case, the life path number is 2.

Step 2: Interpret your life path number.

Each single-digit number has an archetypal association and can suggest your “soul card”

• 1: The Magician. Focuses on independence, action, and taking initiative.
• 2: The High Priestess. Focuses on intuition, wisdom, and inner knowledge.
• 3: The Empress. Focuses on nurturing, creativity, and abundance.
• 4: The Emperor. Focuses on structure, authority, and stability.
• 5: The Hierophant. Focuses on tradition, teaching, and spiritual wisdom.
• 6: The Lovers. Focuses on harmony, relationships, and choices.
• 7: The Chariot. Focuses on determination, willpower, and focus.
• 8: Strength (or sometimes Justice). Focuses on inner power, compassion, and balance.
• 9: The Hermit. Focuses on introspection, solitude, and spiritual seeking.
• 11: Justice or Strength. Focuses on either balance and fairness, or inner power and courage, depending on what resonates more.
• 22: The Fool. Focuses on new beginnings, innocence, and potential.
• 33: A master teacher, or a combination of the 3, 5, and 8 energies, manifesting as high wisdom, nurturing and a desire to create a better world.

Step 3: Observe how the description matches your own life journey

The number calculated often matches the previously determined ‘birth card’ and you may find the descriptions are similar.

This method allows us to look deeper than just the raw numbers derived from a birth date. Your life path number often describes your driving core essence, which is often the best indication of your soul card.

3. Intuitive Selection

This approach relies on your intuition and personal connection to the tarot cards. It’s a less structured method but can be equally insightful.

Step 1: Choose your deck.

Start by selecting a tarot deck you feel drawn to. The imagery and energy of different decks can vary significantly, so choose one that resonates with your personal style.

Step 2: Ground yourself.

Find a quiet space and take a few deep breaths to center yourself. You might want to meditate briefly to clear your mind and open yourself to receiving guidance.

Step 3: Shuffle and spread the cards.

Shuffle the deck well and then spread the cards out face down in front of you. You can use any spread you are comfortable with or simply spread them out on a table.

Step 4: Focus on your intention.

Close your eyes and silently ask, “What tarot card am I?” Visualize yourself asking this question, with a deep intention to receive an answer.

Step 5: Choose a card.

Allow your intuition to guide you and choose a card. You might feel a pull or an energetic connection to a specific card. Alternatively, use the pendulum or similar dowsing techniques, to aid your selection.

Step 6: Reflect on your chosen card.

Take some time to observe the imagery of the card, read the meanings of it in your guide book, and see how it connects to you. Reflect on the qualities, themes, and messages associated with it. Does it resonate with your personality, life experiences, or aspirations? Does the card present a challenge or a message to you?

Step 7: Repeat this process

You might not find your card on the first intuitive draw, but that’s okay. Repeat this process until you consistently draw the same card.

Note: The first card that you’re drawn to may be telling you an important message, and not necessarily be your card. Journal your discoveries, to help you keep track of your experience and the intuitive messages.

4. Reflecting on Resonances

This is less of a structured method, but more of an exercise in observation. It involves thinking about which cards you feel most drawn to in day-to-day life.

Step 1: Keep an eye on repeating symbols in daily life.

Are you constantly seeing certain tarot cards in social media, books, art, or just in random places? If a certain card keeps showing up for you, it is likely resonating with your energy.

Step 2: Identify the cards that you feel naturally drawn to.

When reading about or looking at tarot cards, is there one or two cards that grab your attention? Which cards do you find yourself drawn to? It may help to journal your thoughts. You may also find certain cards triggering a strong reaction, this could indicate a lesson you need to learn.

Step 3: Consider cards that represent important life events.

Are there cards that appear to relate to important events in your life, or a common experience you have? Which cards seem to represent specific challenges you faced or goals you set? Often, the events we go through can resonate with specific card archetypes.

Step 4: Review your favourite cards and your least favourite cards

Once you have identified a few cards, that seem to be calling you, research and review the meanings of the card. If they make a strong impact, that is a good sign! You should also review the cards you actively dislike, and consider why. Your challenging cards, can often be a mirror, reflecting what you need to work on.

Understanding Your Tarot Card Archetype

Once you have identified a card (or a small selection of cards), it’s time to explore what this means for you. You should research your selected card and reflect on it’s meaning. Here’s a guide to help you:

Major Arcana vs. Minor Arcana

Major Arcana: These cards represent significant life lessons, major archetypes, and transformative experiences. They are more powerful and deeply ingrained influences.

Minor Arcana: These cards reflect everyday events, challenges, and opportunities. They tend to represent more temporary situations. If you have a minor arcana card as your personal card, it may simply be indicating that your particular challenges and opportunities are more related to a specific element or quality of life.

Elements and Suits

Each suit of the Minor Arcana represents a different element:

• Wands (Fire): Passion, action, creativity, spirituality
• Cups (Water): Emotions, relationships, intuition, love
• Swords (Air): Intellect, communication, truth, challenge
• Pentacles (Earth): Material aspects, security, grounding, finance

Key Aspects to Explore

• Positive Traits: What are the strengths, gifts, and talents associated with your card?
• Challenges: What are the potential difficulties, obstacles, or shadow aspects of this card?
• Life Lessons: What lessons is this card trying to teach you?
• Life Path: How does this card connect to your overall journey in life?
• Relationship Guidance: What does your card reveal about your approach to relationships?

Journaling for Deeper Insight

Use a journal to reflect on your tarot card archetype. Here are some prompts to consider:

• What aspects of my chosen card resonate the most with me?
• How do I see these qualities manifesting in my life?
• What challenges related to this card do I face?
• What lessons can I learn from this card?
• How can I embody the positive aspects of this card more fully?

Important Considerations

• Flexibility: Don’t be too rigid in your interpretation. The tarot is about energy and archetypes, not concrete definitions.
• Evolution: Your personal card may evolve over time as you grow and change. Revisit your card regularly and see how it resonates with you in different phases of life.
• Multiple Cards: You may find that you resonate with a combination of cards. This is normal and can provide a deeper understanding of your complex nature.
• Not a Box: Your tarot card archetype is a guide, not a limitation. Use it as a tool for self-discovery and empowerment.
• Trust your Intuition: Ultimately, trust your own intuition and interpretation of the cards. Your personal connection is most important.

Example Interpretations

Let’s explore a couple of card examples and how they might be interpreted as personal archetypes:

1. The Empress

Positive Traits: Nurturing, creative, abundant, compassionate, grounded.

Challenges: Overindulgence, smothering, possessiveness, needing external validation.

Life Lessons: Learn to nurture yourself as well as others, cultivate your creativity, find balance between giving and receiving, connect with the beauty in life.

Life Path: To bring beauty and abundance into the world, to nurture and support others, to create and express your true self.

2. The Hermit

Positive Traits: Wise, introspective, insightful, independent, self-sufficient.

Challenges: Isolation, loneliness, fear of connection, difficulty sharing wisdom, holding back.

Life Lessons: Find time for solitude and self-reflection, share your wisdom with others, balance your independence with connection, understand your inner world.

Life Path: To seek spiritual understanding, to become a source of wisdom, to guide others on their paths, to understand the world and it’s mysteries.

Conclusion

Finding your tarot card archetype can be a fun, insightful, and transformative journey. Whether you use the birth card method, the soul card method, intuitive selection, or reflection, the key is to approach this exploration with an open mind and a willingness to learn about yourself on a deeper level. Remember, your card is not a definitive label but a reflection of your innate energies and potential. By embracing these archetypal energies, you can unlock new dimensions of self-understanding and step into the truest expression of who you are.

Enjoy this magical journey of discovery and may it bring you more clarity, self-awareness, and empowerment!