Edward Bulwer Lytton
The magic of the tongue is the most dangerous of all spells.
Many of you will be familiar with the concept of linking numerology with Tarot. In order to get the underlying card for the year, just add the digits of the year, until you get a digit that can be aligned to a number in the Major Arcana. In the case of 2022, it goes like this: 2+0+2+2=6…. which in Tarot, is the number associated with THE LOVERS. In practice, the cards work in pairs and even trio’s in some cases, so that we can also assign THE DEVIL, which is numbered 15 like so: 1+5=6) to the year 2022.
2021, was a ‘5’ year resonating to the pair The Hierophant (5) & Temperance (14), a year where we were challenged to discover the sense of inner balance and harmony necessary in order to deal with the strictures and demands of the new world religion. We were internally “changed” whether we agreed with the prevailing rules and regulations, or not, and it seems that more shadows will be faced in 2022, as fear is used ever more to control and to further divide our already divided world.
The card of The Lovers is associated with the astrological sign of Gemini, ruled by Mercury; it has strong affinities with language and communication which have long been used as tools with which to exert power. In days past it was only the priests who had access to language and learning; it was seen as a magical skill, a belief which has all but disappeared, although I am personally of the opinion that it may well be more powerful today, in this world of complete ‘connectivity’ than it has ever been.
“…language doesn’t work to manipulate people into believing things they don’t want to believe; instead, it gives them license to believe ideas they’re already open to. Language—both literal and figurative, well-intentioned and ill-intentioned, politically correct and politically incorrect—reshapes a person’s reality only if they are in an ideological place where that reshaping is welcome.”
― Amanda Montell, Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
The pairing of The Lovers with The Devil, speaks to me about the power of the press, the control of free speech and of cancel culture. In the card of The Devil, which is associated with Capricorn, we see tiny dancing figures, trapped in the testicles of a giant phallus, while at the peak of the mountain, the goat smiles, amused at the goings on of the “little people” below. In the skies, Pluto is edging through the last few degrees of Capricorn, and in the next few years will bring to a close, the era begun in 2008 with the financial crash…. indeed much of what is happening at the moment seems to be rooted there…. below is one financial investors view of the deeper tides that are underpinning recent global events.
Pan, the ancient Greek nature deity, is also associated with Capricorn, and his name is at the root of the words “panic” meaning “sudden uncontrollable fear or anxiety, often causing wildly unthinking behavior”. The crisis that we are in in unlikely to be going away any time soon, and although different countries will deal with it in different ways, the long term effects are likely to be the same; clearing away what is needed, however painful it seems, for the world to change in the way that it has to. I find it interesting that “PAN” the god of woodlands & pastures is up to his tricks… scaring people into fighting among themselves, driven by the fear that doomsday is upon us; for what have we been doing to the world but exploiting nature and pushing the world to the very edge of collapse. We are controlled by the invisible forces of our own fear, the most powerful forces on earth.
If you wish to go a step further, you can add your birthday on to the number 6 and get your own personal card for the year. (ie: if your birthdate is 3rd May, this would translate as 6 (for 2022) + 5 (May) + 3 (3rd) =14/5 Temperance & The Hierophant which would be your personal energy for the year. Seen as a kind of “mandala for the year”, I find that the Birth-Card can be a very useful focus tool, for decision making, planning, and for reorientation, when things seem to be going astray. The energy of your personal year can be accurately defined by the resulting card, giving insight into the underlying patterns that you may be dealing with over the coming months.The numbering system that I use, works with all Thoth & TdM style decks.
If your number is One, Ten or Nineteen (which all reduce to one), 2022 will be The Year of The Magus, and will incorporate the energies of the following cards:
The Magus-Fortune-The Sun
I. The source is One, whence things are brought to be, for chaos is the Primal Unity.
Giving yourself the permission you need to seek your hearts desire brings success. As you connect to all that is creative and joyful in your life, you allow the forces of change and opportunity to flow towards you, and as the wheel turns, all things are possible. You become the master of your own destiny and can take your place in the sun.
If your number is Two, Eleven, Twenty (all reduce to two), 2022 will be The Year of The Priestess, and will incorporate the energies of the following cards: The Priestess-Lust-The Aeon
II. In Two divide the source and end apart to yield the Goal, at which is aimed the start.
Connecting with true passion becomes imperative this year, as you journey to unite yourself with your true spiritual path. Strength grows when you understand that it is through your connection with the divine, that you can express your deepest desires with authenticity; in doing so, you understand how your whole life can be transformed.
Read the Story of The Priestess
If your number is Three, Twelve or Twenty One (all reduce to three), 2022 will be the year of The Empress, and will incorporate the energies of the following cards: The Empress-The Hanged Man-The Universe
III. The Three goes forth, the difference to transcend; The First Perfection: middle, start and end.
Finding that beauty is all around you, even in the most unlikeliest of places, will help you to see that all is not as it at first appears. You hold the seeds of the future in your arms, and will come to see that it is only through relinquishing control that you find enough courage to let go of the present, and to walk through the doorway into what happens next.
If your number is Four or Thirteen (both reduce to four), 2022 will be the year of The Emperor, and will incorporate the energies of Death & The Emperor
IIII. By Four-square poise an Order is defined, in double pairs the disjoint poles to bind.
Releasing what is no longer relevant in your life makes way for the building of a new personal authority. Endings and loss may surround you this year, but have faith in the process, and the knowledge that you will emerge stronger, wiser and more resilient. Emerging stronger than ever, you will be able to face the road ahead with bravery and courage.
Read the Story of The Emperor.
If your number is Five or Fourteen (both reduce to five), 2022 is the year of The Hierophant, and will incorporate the energies of The Hierophant & Art
V. The Five erupts beyond the ordered bounds; the Crisis shows another world surrounds.
A process of transformation continues after the losses and difficulties of last year. You are now invited to make sense of all that has happened to you recently, and to understand the true nature of your deepest self. Listening to the voice of your own heart leads you deeper and deeper into the gold at the end of the rainbow, as you feel reborn into a stronger awareness of your place in the universe.
Read the story of The Hierophant
If your number is Six or Fifteen (both reduce to six), 2022 is the year of The Lovers, and will blend the energies of The Lovers & The Devil
VI. By Six degrees the high and low are wed, and Second the Perfection that is bred.
Events that reveal your deepest fears, lead you into a place where you are forced to contemplate your strengths and weaknesses on a most intimate level. Experiences that confront you with shame, lust, desire and darkness have the potential to illuminate your shadow, and to instigate healing on a most profound level. Wholeness, renewed vitality, and a stronger awareness of what it means to have a balanced relationship will be the reward of your hard won experiences.
If your number is Seven or Sixteen (both reduce to seven), 2022 is the year of The Chariot, and will blend the energies of The Chariot & The Tower
VII. By Seven the array is forced to flee, and yet it holds a Hidden Unity.
Facing the demand for change that is arising strongly within, confronts you with the possibilities of destruction, leading you into a place of turmoil and uncertainty. Approaching the future with a firm grasp, inner focus, and the knowledge that anything lost has outlived its purpose, will help you to step free of the outdated structures that have been holding you a prisoner of the past.
If your number is Eight or Seventeen (both reduce to eight). 2022 is the year of Adjustment, where you have the opportunity to blend the forces of Adjustment & The Star
VIII. By Eight degrees the wheel of nature rolls; Reciprocation balances the poles.
Reorienting your life, and making changes on the physical and material level, will help you to develop a structural framework for the profound inner changes that will come next year. The balance that has been lacking in your life in the past, will provide a harmonious place from which you can envision the spiritual changes that follow. In this way, you can embrace a life where heaven and earth can meet in a perpetual dance of life.
If your number is Nine or Eighteen (both reduce to nine), you are in the last year of the cycle, the year of The Hermit, which incorporates the energies of The Hermit & The Moon
IX. The Nine includes the center with the wheel: the Third Perfection, dawn of the ideal.
You are in the final year of nine year cycle, a breaking down of all that has gone before and your journey will lead you finally into the places that you most fear. As you walk away from the comfort of the light, you will be challenged to face that which you have been most afraid to deal with thus far. Through your own personal illumination, you will discover that the essence of your own power lies in the very place that you have been afraid to look, the inner mystery that you have been searching for.
I hope that you have enjoyed this post, and that you will join me for more tarot, astrology and assorted shenanigans in 2022. I leave you with a quote from Nelson Mandela, and wish you all the very best for the coming year.
We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.
Number Verses from the most excellent website of John Opsopaus
Joanna Grant is an astrologer of some 30 years and gained her Diploma at the Faculty of Astrological Studies in 2012. Weaving her knowledge of the stars together with intuitive tarot techniques, she crafts highly personalised guidance for clients who are often navigating difficult life transitions. Lately, she has been very excited to breathe new life into her astrological practice through her study of Horary, where the traditional techniques of the ancients have helped her to interpret her knowledge in a whole new way. Having recently completed the STA Advanced Level Horary Diploma, she feels that in an uncertain world, the integrity of this tradition is an essential tool in giving clients the guidance they seek.
You can read more about her here.
Joanna-Kate Grant 