Playing Cards and Decans: Gemini I — The Eight of Spades
See the master post on my 2024 decan walk and playing cards
Eight of Spades
Gemini I is the decan of Gemini 0° to 9° (inclusive). Astrologically, it is ruled by Jupiter, in a sign ruled by Mercury.
The traditional English method divinatory meanings for this card are:
- A road way.
- Great danger from imprudence. A card of caution.
- shows that you will experience strong opposition from your friends, or whom you imagine to be such; if this card comes close to you, abandon your enterprise, and pursue another plan.
- A warning to be careful.
- Warns a person to be cautious in his undertakings.
Reflection
We’re now into the spades — generally seen as the most negative suit in playing cards divination. The use of “spades” comes not from the farming implement, but the Old Spanish “spado” for sword, and in French the suit is called “pique” after the pike, a now-obscure medieval weapon. Ouch.
The astrology, however, seems more upbeat. We’re in the realm of Mercury, communication, translation, and movement. The three air signs — Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius — are ruled by Mercury, Venus, and Saturn, respectively, and Mercury can feel the most “airy” of the three. Bringing in the greater benefic of Jupiter would explain why Agrippa’s image for the face is rather positive:
In the first face of Gemini ascendeth a man in whose hand is a rod, and he is, as it were, serving another; it granteth wisdom, and the knowledge of numbers and arts in which there is no profit
Wisdom, and particularly around numbers and arts, feels very Jupiter-Mercury. The interesting part is that he is granting wisdom for that “in which there is no profit”. This is where the playing card’s delineations start to make sense with the decans’. Jupiter’s expansiveness can cause Mercury to spread too far, chasing down rabbit holes and getting into seemingly endless cycles that, while productive in themselves, lead to “no profit” outside of them. Knowledge for knowledge’s sake is one of the powers of Gemini I, but applying that knowledge can be difficult.
Our oldest source (1), Breslaw’s 1784 The Art of Fortune-Telling by Cards, simply says “A road way”. The spiritual metaphors drawn from the image of “the road” are many, so I won’t rehash that ground here — but as a general principle, the Jupiterian, cosmic aspect of “the road” as spiritual path (rather than just the Mercurial-Lunar travelling side) should be borne in mind throughout all of these delineations.
The other sources list more classical spades-swords-y problems. A general card of caution in two of the sources, Mother Bridget (3) is more specific: abandon your enterprise, pursue another plan — the road is going the wrong way — and a warning that you will experience opposition from your friends.
Friends will, generally, try to get their friends to not go down the wrong road. This card indicates engaging in extensive projects that will bring no fruits, and the card invokes friends: listen to what others are saying, there are other signs telling you that this is not a productive route. It is not that the friends are necessarily on your side — Mother Bridget does write that they may be those who “you imagine to be” your friends. Yet the opposition they present to the enterprise represents a core flaw with the road at hand.
Let’s look at the Rider-Waite tarot:
Eight of Swords
I know of multiple people who have said that this is one of their favourite cards, despite the stark imagery. Like many swords cards, this card is actually, kind of, chill. It is someone immobilised — perhaps by the Jupiter-Mercury overwhelm discussed above. Untangling this mess can be slow, and in more concrete predictive questions, the implications of this card can be similar to those of the playing card. Be cautious, abandon the enterprise. As much as this is far from the worst situation to be in, its not one you would intentionally try and get into. This playing card is a warning to focus on knowledge in which there is profit.
Peace,
⭕