Every zodiac sign has its own tarot card. In the system most tarot readers use, each sign is linked to one card of the Major Arcana, and each third of the sign (a decan) to one of the numbered Minor Arcana cards. The table below gives the cards for all 12 signs, and each sign has its own section further down.
These links come from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a magical society founded in London in 1888. Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith, who created the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, were both members, so the imagery often shows the connection: rams’ heads on The Emperor’s throne for Aries, a lion on Strength for Leo, and scales in Justice’s hand for Libra.
| Sign | Major Arcana | Decan cards |
|---|---|---|
| Aries 21 Mar–19 Apr | The Emperor | Two of Wands Three of Wands Four of Wands |
| Taurus 20 Apr–20 May | The Hierophant | Five of Pentacles Six of Pentacles Seven of Pentacles |
| Gemini 21 May–20 Jun | The Lovers | Eight of Swords Nine of Swords Ten of Swords |
| Cancer 21 Jun–22 Jul | The Chariot | Two of Cups Three of Cups Four of Cups |
| Leo 23 Jul–22 Aug | Strength | Five of Wands Six of Wands Seven of Wands |
| Virgo 23 Aug–22 Sep | The Hermit | Eight of Pentacles Nine of Pentacles Ten of Pentacles |
| Libra 23 Sep–22 Oct | Justice | Two of Swords Three of Swords Four of Swords |
| Scorpio 23 Oct–21 Nov | Death | Five of Cups Six of Cups Seven of Cups |
| Sagittarius 22 Nov–21 Dec | Temperance | Eight of Wands Nine of Wands Ten of Wands |
| Capricorn 22 Dec–19 Jan | The Devil | Two of Pentacles Three of Pentacles Four of Pentacles |
| Aquarius 20 Jan–18 Feb | The Star | Five of Swords Six of Swords Seven of Swords |
| Pisces 19 Feb–20 Mar | The Moon | Eight of Cups Nine of Cups Ten of Cups |
Sign dates shift by a day in some years. If you were born on the day a sign changes, read the cards for both signs and see which fits. Your moon and rising signs have cards too: look them up in the same table.
Aries: The Emperor
21 March to 19 April. Fire sign, ruled by Mars. The Emperor’s throne is carved with rams’ heads, the symbol of Aries. Both are about initiative and leadership: Aries starts things, and The Emperor gives them structure and direction. For an Aries, the card is a reminder that drive lasts longer with a plan behind it. The shadow side they share is impatience and the need to be in control. Read the full The Emperor meaning.
Aries’s three decan cards come from the suit of Wands, the suit of fire:
- Two of Wands (21 March to 30 March): planning and looking to a wider horizon.
- Three of Wands (31 March to 9 April): expansion, and waiting for your ships to come in.
- Four of Wands (10 April to 19 April): celebration, homecoming and a stable base.
Taurus: The Hierophant
20 April to 20 May. Earth sign, ruled by Venus. Taurus values what is steady and proven, and The Hierophant stands for tradition, shared values and knowledge handed down. Both are patient and loyal, and slow to change their minds. The card asks a Taurus which traditions still serve them and which they keep out of habit. The shadow side they share is stubbornness and resistance to anything new. Read the full The Hierophant meaning.
Taurus’s three decan cards come from the suit of Pentacles, the suit of earth:
- Five of Pentacles (20 April to 29 April): hardship and the fear of going without.
- Six of Pentacles (30 April to 9 May): giving and receiving, and fair exchange.
- Seven of Pentacles (10 May to 20 May): patience and long-term investment.
Gemini: The Lovers
21 May to 20 June. Air sign, ruled by Mercury. Gemini is the sign of the twins, and The Lovers shows two figures beneath an angel. Both are about connection, communication and choice. In older decks this card was about choosing between two paths, which suits a sign known for seeing both sides of everything. The shadow side they share is indecision and keeping every option open. Read the full The Lovers meaning.
Gemini’s three decan cards come from the suit of Swords, the suit of air:
- Eight of Swords (21 May to 30 May): feeling trapped by your own thoughts.
- Nine of Swords (31 May to 9 June): worry and sleepless nights.
- Ten of Swords (10 June to 20 June): a painful ending, and the relief of hitting bottom.
Cancer: The Chariot
21 June to 22 July. Water sign, ruled by the Moon. The charioteer’s armour and canopy echo the crab’s protective shell. Cancer carries its home wherever it goes, and The Chariot moves forward while staying protected. Both are about emotional willpower: pushing on for the people you care about. The shadow side they share is defensiveness, or retreating into the shell. Read the full The Chariot meaning.
Cancer’s three decan cards come from the suit of Cups, the suit of water:
- Two of Cups (21 June to 30 June): partnership and mutual attraction.
- Three of Cups (1 July to 11 July): friendship, community and celebration.
- Four of Cups (12 July to 22 July): withdrawal, and offers you might be missing.
Leo: Strength
23 July to 22 August. Fire sign, ruled by the Sun. Strength shows a woman gently closing a lion’s jaws. Leo is the lion, and the card shows its best quality: courage that comes from the heart rather than from force. It asks a Leo to lead with warmth and patience. The Golden Dawn moved Strength to number 8, ahead of Justice, so that the Major Arcana would follow the order of the zodiac, with Leo before Libra, and Waite kept that order. The shadow side they share is pride, or needing to be admired. Read the full Strength meaning.
Leo’s three decan cards come from the suit of Wands, the suit of fire:
- Five of Wands (23 July to 1 August): competition and clashing egos.
- Six of Wands (2 August to 11 August): victory and public recognition.
- Seven of Wands (12 August to 22 August): standing your ground.
Virgo: The Hermit
23 August to 22 September. Earth sign, ruled by Mercury. The Hermit searches carefully by the light of his lantern, which suits Virgo’s patient, discerning mind. Both look for what is real and useful, and both prefer to work quietly. The card reminds a Virgo that time alone is how they recharge and see clearly. The shadow side they share is perfectionism and critical self-isolation. Read the full The Hermit meaning.
Virgo’s three decan cards come from the suit of Pentacles, the suit of earth:
- Eight of Pentacles (23 August to 1 September): craft, practice and attention to detail.
- Nine of Pentacles (2 September to 11 September): self-sufficiency and comfort you have earned.
- Ten of Pentacles (12 September to 22 September): lasting security and family legacy.
Libra: Justice
23 September to 22 October. Air sign, ruled by Venus. Justice holds the scales, the symbol of Libra. Both are about balance, fairness and weighing things up carefully before deciding. The card asks a Libra to make a clear decision even when it cannot please everyone. The shadow side they share is sitting on the fence, or avoiding conflict at the cost of the truth. Read the full Justice meaning.
Libra’s three decan cards come from the suit of Swords, the suit of air:
- Two of Swords (23 September to 2 October): stalemate and a difficult choice.
- Three of Swords (3 October to 12 October): heartbreak and painful truth.
- Four of Swords (13 October to 22 October): rest and recovery.
Scorpio: Death
23 October to 21 November. Water sign, ruled by Mars (and Pluto, in modern astrology). Scorpio is the sign of depth, intensity and transformation, and Death is the card of endings that clear the way for something new. Neither is about physical death. Both are about letting go completely and being changed by it. The shadow side they share is holding on too long, or burning bridges. Read the full Death meaning.
Scorpio’s three decan cards come from the suit of Cups, the suit of water:
- Five of Cups (23 October to 1 November): loss and regret.
- Six of Cups (2 November to 11 November): nostalgia and memories of the past.
- Seven of Cups (12 November to 21 November): illusions and too many choices.
Sagittarius: Temperance
22 November to 21 December. Fire sign, ruled by Jupiter. Sagittarius is the archer, always aiming at something beyond the horizon. Temperance shows an angel pouring water between two cups: a card of balance, patience and the middle path. Together they describe a seeker who learns that big journeys need steady pacing. The shadow side they share is excess: overdoing it, or promising more than you can deliver. Read the full Temperance meaning.
Sagittarius’s three decan cards come from the suit of Wands, the suit of fire:
- Eight of Wands (22 November to 1 December): speed, news and travel.
- Nine of Wands (2 December to 11 December): resilience and one last push.
- Ten of Wands (12 December to 21 December): carrying too much.
Capricorn: The Devil
22 December to 19 January. Earth sign, ruled by Saturn. Capricorn is the sea-goat, and The Devil wears a goat’s horns. The link is the material world: ambition, discipline and power, and the ways we can become chained to them. The card asks a Capricorn what they are really working for, and whether it still sets them free. The shadow side they share is workaholism or materialism. Read the full The Devil meaning.
Capricorn’s three decan cards come from the suit of Pentacles, the suit of earth:
- Two of Pentacles (22 December to 30 December): juggling priorities.
- Three of Pentacles (31 December to 9 January): teamwork and skilled work.
- Four of Pentacles (10 January to 19 January): holding on tightly to security.
Aquarius: The Star
20 January to 18 February. Air sign, ruled by Saturn (and Uranus, in modern astrology). Aquarius is the water-bearer, and The Star shows a woman pouring water from two jugs, onto the land and into a pool. Both are about hope, vision and giving to something bigger than yourself. The card describes an idealist who helps others see what could be. The shadow side they share is detachment, or losing touch with everyday life. Read the full The Star meaning.
Aquarius’s three decan cards come from the suit of Swords, the suit of air:
- Five of Swords (20 January to 29 January): conflict and hollow victories.
- Six of Swords (30 January to 8 February): moving on towards calmer waters.
- Seven of Swords (9 February to 18 February): strategy, secrecy and going it alone.
Pisces: The Moon
19 February to 20 March. Water sign, ruled by Jupiter (and Neptune, in modern astrology). The Moon is the card of dreams, intuition and the unconscious, all Piscean territory. Its path winds from a pool between two towers, much as Pisces moves between the everyday and the imagined. The card asks a Pisces to trust their intuition while checking what is real. The shadow side they share is escapism and confusion. Read the full The Moon meaning.
Pisces’s three decan cards come from the suit of Cups, the suit of water:
- Eight of Cups (19 February to 28 February): walking away from what no longer fulfils you.
- Nine of Cups (1 March to 10 March): contentment and wishes coming true.
- Ten of Cups (11 March to 20 March): emotional fulfilment and family happiness.
Elements and suits
Each suit of the Minor Arcana belongs to an element, and so to three signs. This is why a reading full of one suit can feel like a particular sign’s energy.
| Element | Suit | Signs | Themes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fire | Wands | Aries, Leo, Sagittarius | Energy, passion, ambition and creativity |
| Water | Cups | Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces | Feelings, love, relationships and intuition |
| Air | Swords | Gemini, Libra, Aquarius | Thoughts, truth, conflict and communication |
| Earth | Pentacles | Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn | Money, work, the body and the home |
Within each element, the cardinal sign that begins a season takes the 2, 3 and 4 of its suit, the fixed sign in the middle of the season takes the 5, 6 and 7, and the mutable sign at the end takes the 8, 9 and 10. The Aces are not given to a sign: they stand for the raw power of each element. The court cards are linked to the elements as well, and some systems also give them a span of the zodiac, but those systems disagree, so they are left out here. Our guide to the court cards explains how to read them.
Zodiac cards and birth cards
Your zodiac card is not the same as your tarot birth card. Zodiac cards come from astrology and only use the sign your sun was in. Birth cards come from numerology and use your whole date of birth, so two people with the same sign can have different birth cards. Find yours with the tarot birth card calculator. A third way in is the Which Tarot Card Are You? quiz, which matches you to a Major Arcana card through ten questions about how you think and act.
How to use your zodiac card
- As a significator. Some readers take their zodiac card out of the deck to stand for themselves in a spread, or choose the card of the person a reading is about.
- For timing. The decan cards give a rough time frame. A Six of Wands might point to early August, or to something happening in Leo season.
- As a seasonal reading. At the start of each sign’s season, draw its Major Arcana card from the deck and reflect on its theme: Death in Scorpio season, The Star in Aquarius season.
- To understand someone. Knowing a partner’s or friend’s card can add another layer when you read about the relationship.
- For study. Learning the zodiac links is one of the quickest ways to remember the 36 numbered Minor Arcana cards.
Zodiac tarot FAQs
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.
Should I worry that Scorpio’s card is Death?
No. The Death card is about transformation and endings that make space for something new, which is exactly why it suits Scorpio. It does not predict a physical death.
Are the zodiac cards the same in every deck?
In most modern decks, yes. The Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth decks both use the Golden Dawn links. The Thoth deck renames some cards (Strength is Lust, Justice is Adjustment and Temperance is Art), but the signs stay the same. The older Marseille-style decks were not designed around astrology.
Which tarot cards are linked to the planets?
The other Major Arcana cards: The Magician is Mercury, The High Priestess the Moon, The Empress Venus, the Wheel of Fortune Jupiter, The Tower Mars, The Sun the Sun and The World Saturn. The Fool, The Hanged Man and Judgement were given to the elements of air, water and fire, and modern readers often link them to Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
Can I use my rising or moon sign?
Yes. Many readers look at all three. The sun sign card describes your core self, the moon sign card your emotional life and the rising sign card the way you meet the world.
Keep exploring
Read about all 22 cards of the Major Arcana, learn to read pairs with tarot card combinations, or try a free three-card reading.
