Which Tarot Card Represents Each of the 12 Zodiac Signs?
Under the canonical Golden Dawn and Rider-Waite-Smith correspondence system, the 12 Simple Hebrew Letters bind the 12 zodiac signs directly to 12 specific Major Arcana trumps. If you know your Big Three astrological placements (Sun Sign, Moon Sign, and Ascendant/Rising Sign), then looking up their three corresponding Major Arcana trumps defines your core astrological triad in the tarot.
For example, an individual with a Leo Sun (VIII Strength), Scorpio Moon (XIII Death), and Aquarius Rising (XVII The Star) combines fixed solar courage in outward vocation, deep transformative emotional perception, and visionary Aquarian intellect in their outward persona. Furthermore, pinpointing your exact birth degree (0°–10°, 10°–20°, or 20°–30°) within your Sun sign identifies which of your sign’s three Minor Arcana decan cards colors your daily execution.
| Zodiac Sign | Dates | Major Arcana Trump | Planetary Co-Ruler Trump | Court Significator | 3 Decan Minor Cards (0°–30°) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aries (♈ · Fire) | Mar 21 – Apr 19 | IV · The Emperor | XVI · The Tower (Mars) | Queen of Wands | 2, 3, 4 of Wands |
| Taurus (♉ · Earth) | Apr 20 – May 20 | V · The Hierophant | III · The Empress (Venus) | King of Pentacles | 5, 6, 7 of Pentacles |
| Gemini (♊ · Air) | May 21 – Jun 20 | VI · The Lovers | I · The Magician (Mercury) | Knight of Swords | 8, 9, 10 of Swords |
| Cancer (♋ · Water) | Jun 21 – Jul 22 | VII · The Chariot | II · High Priestess (Moon) | Queen of Cups | 2, 3, 4 of Cups |
| Leo (♌ · Fire) | Jul 23 – Aug 22 | VIII · Strength | XIX · The Sun (Sun) | King of Wands | 5, 6, 7 of Wands |
| Virgo (♍ · Earth) | Aug 23 – Sep 22 | IX · The Hermit | I · The Magician (Mercury) | Knight of Pentacles | 8, 9, 10 of Pentacles |
| Libra (♎ · Air) | Sep 23 – Oct 22 | XI · Justice | III · The Empress (Venus) | Queen of Swords | 2, 3, 4 of Swords |
| Scorpio (♏ · Water) | Oct 23 – Nov 21 | XIII · Death | XX · Judgement / XVI Tower | King of Cups | 5, 6, 7 of Cups |
| Sagittarius (♐ · Fire) | Nov 22 – Dec 21 | XIV · Temperance | X · Wheel of Fortune (Jupiter) | Knight of Wands | 8, 9, 10 of Wands |
| Capricorn (♑ · Earth) | Dec 22 – Jan 19 | XV · The Devil | XXI · The World (Saturn) | Queen of Pentacles | 2, 3, 4 of Pentacles |
| Aquarius (♒ · Air) | Jan 20 – Feb 18 | XVII · The Star | 0 · The Fool / XXI World | King of Swords | 5, 6, 7 of Swords |
| Pisces (♓ · Water) | Feb 19 – Mar 20 | XVIII · The Moon | XII · Hanged Man / X Wheel | Knight of Cups | 8, 9, 10 of Cups |
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does each zodiac sign have both a Major Arcana card and a Planetary Trump?
Every zodiac sign has its own dedicated zodiacal Major Arcana card (e.g., Taurus = V The Hierophant) AND is ruled by a planet that has its own Major Arcana card (Venus = III The Empress). Reading both together gives the complete archetypal picture.
What does it mean when my zodiac sign’s Major Arcana card appears in a reading?
When your natal Sun, Moon, or Rising sign’s Major Arcana card appears in a spread, it acts as a personal significator—confirming that your authentic identity or a person born under that sign is central to the outcome.
Why is Capricorn associated with XV The Devil in tarot?
In esoteric tarot, XV The Devil represents Saturnian material density, ambition, structural mastery over the physical plane, and learning to distinguish healthy material discipline from compulsive attachment.
Why is Scorpio associated with XIII Death?
Scorpio governs fixed autumn/water alchemy, regeneration, and deep metamorphosis—matching XIII Death’s cartomantic meaning of shedding outgrown forms to allow renewal.
How do I know which of my sign’s three Minor Arcana decan cards belongs to me?
Each zodiac sign spans 30 days divided into three roughly 10-day windows: the first 10 days = Decan 1, the middle 10 days = Decan 2, and the final 10 days = Decan 3. Select your sign in the tool above to see the exact date ranges.
Methodology & Historical Reference Standards (VIPTarot Cartomancy & Symbolic Systems Research Desk)
RWS-1910— The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (78-Card Archetypal & Symbolic Standard) (A.E. Waite & Pamela Colman Smith, William Rider & Son, London, 1910).GD-BOOK-T-1888— Book T: The Tarot Comprising Manuscripts N, O, P, Q, R (36 Decan Ecliptic Attributions) (Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn / S.L. MacGregor Mathers, 1888).CASE-BOTA-1947— The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages (22 Hebrew Paths & Cube of Space) (Paul Foster Case, Macoy Publishing Company, 1947).DUMMETT-1980— The Game of Tarot: From Ferrara to Salt Lake City (Historical 78-Card Taxonomy) (Sir Michael Dummett, Duckworth Academic, 1980).W3C-WEBCRYPTO— W3C Web Cryptography API (crypto.getRandomValues Fisher-Yates Permutation Standard) (World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), 2024).
Continue your inquiry across the 78 cards.
Every tool and reference index below shares the same 78-card dataset and local Reading Journal.
Tarot Birth Card Calculator
Combine your Zodiac Sign cards with your numerological Birth Card pair.
Open Tarot Birth Card Calculator ↗Tarot Astrology & Decans
Study the Chaldean planetary mechanics behind all 36 decans.
Open Tarot Astrology & Decans ↗Love & Synastry Spread
Test how two zodiac signs interact in a live relationship spread.
Open Love & Synastry Spread ↗Major Arcana Directory
Read full upright and reversed profiles of all 12 zodiac trumps.
Open Major Arcana Directory ↗