Course outline
Module 1
Module 1: The Zodiac and the Major Arcana
The Zodiac and the Major Arcana
Knowledge check
Q1. Which zodiac sign is traditionally associated with The Emperor in the Major Arcana?
- A. Aries ✓
- B. Cancer
- C. Capricorn
- D. Libra
Why: The Emperor is traditionally linked to Aries, reflecting authority, leadership, and initiative. Aries is the first sign of the zodiac and is ruled by Mars, the planet of action and assertion.
Q2. The Major Arcana card The Lovers is most commonly associated with which zodiac sign?
- A. Gemini ✓
- B. Taurus
- C. Virgo
- D. Libra
Why: The Lovers is traditionally linked to Gemini, the sign of duality and choice. In the Rider-Waite tradition, the card's imagery of two figures and a decision reflects the twin nature of Gemini.
Q3. How many cards are in the Major Arcana of a standard tarot deck?
- A. 12
- B. 22 ✓
- C. 52
- D. 78
Why: The Major Arcana contains 22 cards, numbered 0 (The Fool) through 21 (The World). The remaining 56 cards make up the Minor Arcana, giving a total of 78 cards.
Q4. Which planet is traditionally associated with The Wheel of Fortune card?
- A. Mercury
- B. Saturn
- C. Jupiter ✓
- D. Neptune
Why: The Wheel of Fortune is traditionally linked to Jupiter, the planet of luck, expansion, and cycles. Jupiter's association with fortune and abundance makes it a natural fit for this card about change and destiny.
Q5. The Zodiac signs are divided into how many elements?
- A. Two
- B. Three
- C. Four ✓
- D. Five
Why: The twelve zodiac signs are divided into four elements: Fire (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), Earth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn), Air (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), and Water (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). Each element shares a common temperament across its three signs.
Module 2
Module 2: Elemental Correspondences in Tarot and Astrology
Elemental Correspondences in Tarot and Astrology
Knowledge check
Q1. Which element is traditionally associated with the suit of Wands in the Tarot?
- A. Water
- B. Fire ✓
- C. Air
- D. Earth
Why: The suit of Wands corresponds to the element of Fire, which is linked to energy, passion, creativity, and action, and matches the wand's symbolic meaning as a tool for kindling and willpower.
Q2. Which zodiac signs belong to the Water element?
- A. Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
- B. Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
- C. Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
- D. Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces ✓
Why: Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces are the three Water signs. Water signs are traditionally associated with emotion, intuition, and sensitivity, which fits their fluid nature.
Q3. In traditional correspondences, which Tarot suit is linked to the element of Air?
- A. Cups
- B. Pentacles
- C. Swords ✓
- D. Wands
Why: The suit of Swords is associated with Air, reflecting its themes of thought, communication, intellect, and conflict. Air is the element of the mind and ideas.
Q4. Which element is associated with the zodiac signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn?
- A. Fire
- B. Water
- C. Air
- D. Earth ✓
Why: Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn are Earth signs. Earth signs are grounded and practical, focusing on material security, stability, and tangible results.
Q5. Which Tarot suit corresponds to the element of Earth?
- A. Swords
- B. Wands
- C. Cups
- D. Pentacles ✓
Why: The suit of Pentacles (also called Coins or Disks) corresponds to Earth, representing material wealth, health, work, and the physical world.
Module 3
Module 3: The Planets as Tarot Archetypes
The Planets as Tarot Archetypes
Knowledge check
Q1. In the traditional correspondence between tarot and astrology, which planet is most commonly associated with The Sun card?
- A. Venus
- B. The Sun ✓
- C. Mars
- D. Saturn
Why: The Sun card corresponds to the Sun itself in traditional and modern tarot-astrology correspondences, reflecting themes of vitality, clarity, success, and joy.
Q2. Which planet is traditionally linked with The Empress card, representing fertility, abundance, and nurturing?
- A. Mercury
- B. Jupiter
- C. Venus ✓
- D. Mars
Why: Venus rules love, beauty, sensuality, and abundance, which align closely with the nurturing, creative, and fertile qualities of The Empress.
Q3. The Tower card is commonly associated with which planet, reflecting sudden upheaval and the breakdown of structures?
- A. Mars
- B. Uranus ✓
- C. Neptune
- D. Saturn
Why: Uranus, associated with sudden change, revolution, and disruption, is linked to The Tower in modern correspondences, though traditional systems often assigned Mars instead.
Q4. Which planet is traditionally connected to The Magician card, symbolizing skill, communication, and the ability to manifest will?
- A. Mercury ✓
- B. Moon
- C. Jupiter
- D. Saturn
Why: Mercury, the planet of communication, intellect, and skill, corresponds to The Magician, who channels the four elements through focused will and dexterity.
Q5. The Moon card in the tarot is associated with which planet, linked to intuition, dreams, and the unconscious?
- A. Neptune
- B. The Moon ✓
- C. Pluto
- D. Venus
Why: The Moon itself corresponds to The Moon card, governing emotions, intuition, cycles, and the hidden realms of the subconscious.
Module 4
Module 4: Court Cards and the Sun Signs
Court Cards and the Sun Signs
Knowledge check
Q1. In traditional Golden Dawn-style correspondences, which element is most commonly associated with the Court cards of the Pages (Princesses/Knaves) in the suit of Wands?
- A. Water
- B. Air
- C. Fire ✓
- D. Earth
Why: Wands correspond to the element of Fire, and the Court cards of each suit share that suit's element, so the Wands Pages are associated with Fire.
Q2. Which zodiac sign is most often linked to the Knight of Cups in many tarot systems that pair Court cards with sun signs?
- A. Gemini
- B. Cancer ✓
- C. Scorpio
- D. Pisces
Why: Cups are a Water suit, and Cancer is the Water sign that is most commonly paired with the Knight of Cups in the Court card and sun sign correspondence system.
Q3. In the common system where each Court card rules a range of decans, what does a King typically represent in relation to a sun sign?
- A. A sign's first ten degrees
- B. The full sign as a whole, its mature expression of the element ✓
- C. Only the sign's rising position
- D. The sign's opposite, or polar, sign
Why: Kings are generally read as the complete, mature expression of a sign's element, while Queens, Knights, and Pages map onto the decans or more specific phases of that expression.
Q4. Which Court card is traditionally associated with Air signs and the intellectual, communicative qualities of the element?
- A. Swords Knights and Queens ✓
- B. Cups Kings only
- C. Pentacles Pages only
- D. Wands Queens only
Why: Swords is the Air suit, so the Court cards of Swords, including the Knights and Queens, are linked to Air signs and their intellectual and communicative traits.
Q5. Which Court card is commonly linked to the Earth signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn?
- A. The Pages of Pentacles ✓
- B. The Kings of Swords
- C. The Queens of Cups
- D. The Knights of Wands
Why: Pentacles is the Earth suit, so its Court cards, including the Pages, are associated with the Earth signs of Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.
Module 5
Module 5: The Houses of the Horoscope and the Tarot Spreads
The Houses of the Horoscope and the Tarot Spreads
Knowledge check
Q1. In a natal chart, which house is traditionally associated with self, appearance, and personal identity?
- A. The First House ✓
- B. The Fourth House
- C. The Seventh House
- D. The Tenth House
Why: The First House, also called the Ascendant house, governs self-image, physical appearance, and how a person presents themselves to the world.
Q2. Which house is traditionally linked to home, family roots, and the private life?
- A. The Second House
- B. The Fifth House
- C. The Sixth House
- D. The Fourth House ✓
Why: The Fourth House, the Imum Coeli, is associated with home, family, ancestry, and one's inner foundations.
Q3. In a Celtic Cross tarot spread, which position typically represents the querent's hopes or fears about the outcome?
- A. Position 1: The Present
- B. Position 4: The Foundation
- C. Position 6: The Crown ✓
- D. Position 10: The Outcome
Why: In the Celtic Cross, the Crown position (often sixth or tenth depending on the reading) reflects the querent's conscious hopes or fears, while the Outcome is the likely result of the situation.
Q4. Which house in astrology is most closely associated with partnerships, marriage, and open one-to-one relationships?
- A. The Third House
- B. The Seventh House ✓
- C. The Eighth House
- D. The Eleventh House
Why: The Seventh House, opposite the First House, governs committed partnerships, marriage, and the way we relate to others in close one-to-one bonds.
Q5. A tarot reader places cards in a three-card spread representing Past, Present, and Future. Which astrological house is the most natural parallel to the 'Past' position?
- A. The Ninth House, for travel and higher learning
- B. The Twelfth House, for the hidden and subconscious
- C. The Fourth House, for roots and ancestry ✓
- D. The Eleventh House, for hopes and friendships
Why: The Fourth House relates to foundations, origins, and what has shaped us, making it a fitting parallel to the Past position in a spread.
Module 6
Module 6: Retrograde Motion and Reversed Cards
Retrograde Motion and Reversed Cards
Knowledge check
Q1. In astrology, what is meant by a planet being 'retrograde'?
- A. The planet has moved into a new zodiac sign
- B. The planet appears to move backward in the sky when viewed from Earth ✓
- C. The planet is at its closest point to the Sun
- D. The planet has stopped rotating on its axis
Why: Retrograde motion is an apparent backward movement of a planet as seen from Earth, caused by the differing orbital speeds and positions of Earth and the other planets. In astrology it is traditionally interpreted as a period when the planet's energy is felt internally or is harder to express outwardly.
Q2. In many tarot traditions, what does a reversed card most commonly suggest?
- A. The card's meaning is cancelled out entirely
- B. The card's energy is blocked, delayed, internalized, or expressed in an inverted way ✓
- C. The card should be ignored in the reading
- D. The querent is lying about their question
Why: Reversed cards are generally read as showing the same theme in a modified form, often as blockage, delay, excess, or internal rather than external expression. Their meaning is not simply the opposite or cancelled, and interpretation varies by reader and tradition.
Q3. Which planet is commonly associated with the tarot card The Chariot in traditional astrological correspondences?
- A. Venus
- B. Mars ✓
- C. Saturn
- D. Neptune
Why: The Chariot is traditionally linked to Cancer, the zodiac sign ruled by the Moon, but in many Golden Dawn style correspondences its planetary association is with Mars or the Moon depending on system. Mars is widely used for The Chariot due to its themes of drive, will, and forward momentum.
Q4. When a planet is retrograde, which practice do many astrologers recommend?
- A. Starting major new projects immediately
- B. Reviewing, revising, and reflecting on past matters ✓
- C. Signing binding contracts quickly
- D. Ignoring all past relationships
Why: Retrograde periods are traditionally seen as times for reflection, revision, and completing unfinished business rather than launching new initiatives. This interpretive approach encourages reviewing what has been started before moving forward.
Q5. How often does Mercury typically go retrograde in a year?
- A. Once every ten years
- B. Once a year
- C. Roughly three to four times a year ✓
- D. Every single month
Why: Mercury goes retrograde about three to four times per year, each period lasting roughly three weeks. Because of its fast orbit close to the Sun, it cycles through retrograde more often than any other planet, making it the most frequently discussed retrograde in popular astrology.
Module 7
Module 7: Synthesizing Tarot and Astrological Readings
Synthesizing Tarot and Astrological Readings
Knowledge check
Q1. In a combined tarot and astrology reading, what is the most common starting point for synthesizing the two systems?
- A. Ignoring the birth chart entirely and reading only the cards
- B. Identifying the astrological sign or house that corresponds to the card's theme or the querent's concern
- C. Shuffling the cards until a planet appears in the spread
- D. Memorizing the exact degree of every planet before drawing cards
Q2. Which card is most often linked with the Sun in tarot-astrology correspondences?
- A. The Moon
- B. The Star
- C. The Sun
- D. The Tower
Q3. When a Major Arcana card is paired with a planet in a reading, what does the pairing typically emphasize?
- A. Only the querent's past lives
- B. A broad archetypal theme that the planet's energy can color or amplify
- C. Guaranteed outcomes with fixed dates
- D. Purely random chance with no interpretive value
Q4. If a querent's natal Moon is in Cancer and the drawn card is The Empress, what synthesis would a reader most likely offer?
- A. A cold, detached analysis focused on logic alone
- B. A reading emphasizing nurturing, emotional security, and fertile creativity, since both symbols share these nurturing qualities
- C. A warning that the querent should avoid all emotional connections
- D. A conclusion that astrology and tarot contradict each other and cannot be combined
Q5. Why do many practitioners treat astrology and tarot as complementary rather than competing systems?
- A. Because tarot provides specific, verifiable predictions that astrology lacks
- B. Because astrology describes timing and planetary influences while tarot offers a narrative and symbolic lens, so each adds a different layer of insight
- C. Because both systems were invented on the same day by the same person
- D. Because the cards are printed with zodiac signs on every face