Did you know everybody has a birth card? You can calculate your birth card by adding up the digits of your birthday until you get a number that corresponds with one of the Major Arcana cards. For example, Sonic (June 23rd, 1991) would be 23-06-1991.
Add the numbers together: 2+3+6+1+9+9+1=31
Since the Major Arcana only goes up to 21*, you have to add these numbers together as well. 3+1=4, meaning Sonic’s birth card is The Emperor.
*There are actually 22 Major Arcana cards, but The Fool is 0; some people consider it to be the birth card of people whose birthday adds up to 22.
Some people have two birth cards; one “major” card and one “lesser” or “supporting” card. This happens when your birthday adds up to a double-digit number of 21 or less, which can be added up again to find the supporting card. Let’s take Shadow (June 21st, 2001) as an example:
2+1+6+2+1=12
1+2=3
So Shadow’s major card is The Hanged Man, while his supporting card is the Empress.
It’s even possible to have three birth cards! If your date of birth adds up to 19, you can add those numbers together to get 10, which adds up again to 1. That means the only possible combination of three birth cards is The Sun, The Wheel of Fortune, and The Magician.
The meaning of your birth card will differ depending on who you ask, but there is a table with Kat’s personal favorite interpretations below the cut. By the way, Kat’s birth card is The Hermit, and ri’s birth cards are the same as Shadow’s: The Hanged Man and The Empress. Let us know yours!
Tarot cards have different meanings depending on if you draw them in an upright position or upside down, aka reversed. Even though drawing an upside down card in a reading is called a reversal, not all cards actually have their meaning reversed. Some reversed cards do have an opposite meaning to their upright version, but others are inverse, or related to but still different from the main meaning, while still others simply lessen the intensity of the main meaning.
Temperance is an example of a card where the meaning fully reverses, with the main meaning being related to balance and the reversed meaning centering around imbalance. The Five of Wands, however, is an example of a card where the main meaning is lessened, with the main meaning relating to conflict and tension and the reversed meaning relating to competition and frustration.
For beginners, it’s recommended you stick to reading cards in the upright position only. Once you get more comfortable with the cards, you’ll be able to read reversed cards as well!
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For more info about the Sonadow Tarot Project, check out our carrd.
The Star, The Moon, and The Sun are very popular Tarot cards with fanartists because of their celestial imagery. However, the celestial imagery is actually not the most important part of these cards, nor what best represents their meaning. Focusing only on the name often leads to beautiful illustrations that don't truly engage with the cards' meaning. Below is a quick overview of the most important elements of these cards.
The star is a card of hope, opportunity, and inspiration. It reminds the person who draws it in a reading of a need for balance. This is achieved by depicting seven stars that represent the seven chakras, as well as a naked woman pouring two containers of water into a pool and onto the ground respectively. In Tarot, water represents emotion. Pouring water into a pool represents letting go of the past and negative emotions, while pouring it onto the ground represents putting your energy into something new. Often, there are seedlings or young plants visible on the ground. These represent hope and opportunity.
More so than the stars or any celestial imagery, it’s actually the jugs of water and plants that represent the core meaning of the card.
The moon is a card of deceit, illusions, confusion, and emotions. It is also a card of warning; the moon tells you to be watchful for secrets that are being kept and people that are trying to manipulate you. While many artists choose to depict a full moon for this card, the moon not being full is actually significant. The dark side of the moon represents things that are hidden or kept secret. Two animals, a dog and a wolf, howl at the partially obscured moon—a warning to pay attention, because you may be being lied to.
This card is very connected to emotions. Your emotions are being manipulated and you may be confused. Once again, this card contains a pool of water to symbolize emotion. A crayfish emerges from that pool; it represents the astrological water signs, further hinting at turbulent emotions.
The most important aspect of The Moon is in fact the warning; therefore, the animals and the pool of water are actually more significant than the moon itself.
The Sun is a card of happiness, love, family, friends, and growth. The sun itself represents happiness. It shines down from above, nourishing everything and causing sunflowers, which represent growth, to flourish. The card also depicts a naked baby or toddler atop a white horse, representing innocence and joy. It is also connected to a common possible meaning, which is quite literal: a pregnancy or expansion to your family may be in your future. Similarly, the baby can also represent a new figure in your love life or friend group.
In this case, the sun is a significant aspect of the card—but it’s far from the only one. For all three of these cards, it’s important to remember that the meaning is more important than the name. Celestial imagery may be pretty—but for Tarot, pretty alone just isn’t enough. To properly engage with the meaning of the card, more is needed.
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For more info about the Sonadow Tarot Project, check out our carrd.
In the same way that regular playing cards have the Jack, Queen, and King, Tarot has its own face cards—the Court cards, sometimes referred to as the Royal Arcana. Each suit has four: the Page, Knight, Queen, and King. All Court cards are associated with a specific stage of life and tend to represent either the person the reading is about or somebody significant in their life.
Pages are messengers. They represent communication and news of all kinds. They represent children, people younger than you, and students of all ages. Because of the association with youth, they can also signify nostalgia or being stuck in the past.
Knights are movers and shakers. They know when to take action and when to slow down instead. When a Knight shows up in a reading, it often signifies that problems will be resolved soon. They represent young adults.
Queens are counselors. They possess wisdom born from experience and are emotionally strong. They represent mature women and are especially associated with mothers or maternal figures. Traditionally, this card always represents a woman, but Mod Kat is firmly of the opinion that Queens can represent any trusted confidant you may come to for emotional or interpersonal advice.
Kings are mentors and people in positions of authority. Like Queens, Kings are wise—but their authority can make them intimidating and hard to approach. They represent mature men and teachers or authority figures of any gender.
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Our contributor and assistant mod applications are currently open! If you're interested in participating in the Sonadow Tarot Project, please sign up.
Much like regular playing cards, the Minor Arcana of Tarot has four suits: Pentacles (aka Coins), Swords, Wands (aka Staffs or Batons), and Cups. The suits are each associated with a specific element, which represents a specific aspect of life. Because we’re creating a Sonadow-themed deck, we’ve chosen to change the suits to be more Sonic related.
Pentacles/Coins are associated with earth. They represent material or physical matters such as money and other possessions. For the Sonadow Tarot Project, this suit has been changed to Rings.
Swords are associated with air. They represent the mind and intellect—thoughts, dreams, ideas, and the like. This suit is mostly unchanged, except that the swords will be swords from Sonic and the Black Knight.
Wands/Staffs/Batons are associated with fire. They represent the spirit and are associated with power and ambition. Many of the cards in this suit connect to hard work and making change happen. For this deck, this suit has been changed to Chaos Emeralds.
Cups are associated with water. They represent emotion and often relate to relationships with loved ones. For the Sonadow deck, this suit has been changed to Chao.
How much of any one suit appears in a reading symbolizes which issues are center stage for you right now. If any one suit dominates a reading, that can signify you’re particularly worried about parts of your life related to that suit—or that you’re being particularly single-minded. For example, if a lot of Cups cards are present in a reading, you could be worried about a particular interpersonal relationship, or be approaching your current issue too emotionally.
If a specific suit is entirely absent from a reading, it symbolizes a lack of that particular element or energy, and the solution to your problems can often be found by channeling more of that energy. If there are no Swords, that’s a sign you need to stop and think. If there are no Wands, it’s the opposite; the cards are telling you it’s time to act.
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Our contributor and assistant mod applications are currently open! If you're interested in participating in the Sonadow Tarot Project, please sign up.
