In an article I read not long ago, I saw a post on the Major Arcana, and their astrological signs/planetary correspondences. A number of them seemed symbolically unfitting with my understanding of astrology, so I decided to see if they would make more sense when rearranged. I haven't worked with the tarot for quite awhile, but I did plenty of divination with a few different tarot decks in my late teens. I still read up on it here and there, and I understand the symbolic meaning of the Major Arcana well enough, but I could also be way off in questioning some of the "traditional" associations a lot of people seem to repeat in these lists of correspondences you can find some places online.
Nonetheless here's my full list of current associations I think fit best, and brief reasons why I chose each one if it’s atypical to what has been put there by other people. If the general consensus seemed right for a given card, I mentioned that without any long explanation as to why the card fits with that sign or planet. 12 zodiac signs and 10 planets makes for each card being able to be associated with one of these 22 astrological symbols:
0 The Fool - Neptune:
This card is the vagabond, or jester, usually associated with masks or illusions, deception, many 12th house Piscean topics such as naivety, madness, intoxication. Neptune is often called Lord of the Invisible Empire which in my opinion is what the “Idiot Savant” of the card The Fool can sometimes imply. The beginning of the journey into 'the great mystery’ is also fitting, as is both having connections to mysticism, metaphysics, the occult, and spirituality.1 The Magician - Mercury:
This is one association it seems everyone makes, and I'd more or less agree, although it could be switched with Neptune for the Fool as Mercury is classically the trickster/jester/joker which is what the Fool card was supposedly first used as. Neptune could work as the magician due to the occult/mystical/illusion associations.2 The High Priestess - Cancer:
A lot of people put the Moon here, so switching it out for Cancer which is ruled by the Moon still works. The High Priestess is representative of the Goddess on Earth, and thus the ultimate expression of the 4th house, and nurturing Divine motherhood in my opinion.3 The Empress - Taurus:
This is an association everyone makes, although sometimes as Venus. Fertility, nature, abundance and other things are very Taurean/2nd house traits.4 The Emperor - Aries:
This is an association everyone makes, and while it could be switched with Mars, Mars’ malefic qualities of destruction suit The Tower card much more. There’s even Ram heads on the throne of the Emperor in some imagery for this card.5 The Hierophant - Sagittarius:
This card is the masculine version of the High Priestess, sometimes called The Pope. Often Jupiter is placed here due to it being associated with religion, and the 9th house/Sagittarian topics of law, philosophy, and higher education are also often associated with this card.6 The Lovers - Venus:
The common association everyone makes with this cards is Gemini’s twins, however the traits of Gemini don’t work quite as well with what his card is about in my opinion, plus older depictions of the cards while they would show two lovers, would often show other figures with them, such as Cupid, thus de-emphasizing the imagery of duality, or "twins”. Venus embodies the traits of marriage, lovers, attraction, beauty, and overcoming trials that is associated with this card better than Gemini, plus Venus is very benefic and this card is very positive.7 The Chariot - Gemini:
Mercury, the ruler of Gemini is a fast traveling planet and associated with chariots in myths. Chariots and 3rd house topics such as local travel fit well here. The imagery on the card is also some of the most “masonic” of any Major Arcana as well, and Masonry is a lunar/mercurial themed secret society. The two horses, or sometimes sphinxes are usually black and white, which is synonymous with the duality of Gemini, as well as the prominent symbols within Masonry of the two pillars of Boaz and Jachin. These two pillars are also seen more overtly in the imagery of the High Priestess card, which I’ve associated with Cancer, a sign ruled by the moon, the other planetary influence on Freemasonry.8 Strength - Leo:
This is an association everyone makes.9 The Hermit - Saturn:
I’ve seen a number of different associations for planets or signs placed here. It does seem like several are possible candidates, but Saturn works well as it is considered slow, methodical, solitary, and the depictions on most cards for The Hermit show a bearded figure who is said to be represented as Father Time, aka Cronus/Saturn. Restriction is a major trait of Saturn and this fits perfectly within the ascetic qualities of The Hermit.10 Wheel of Fortune - Jupiter:
This is an association everyone makes. Jupiter is the Greater Benefic and perfectly fits the trait of good fortune. The goddess Fortuna was a daughter of Jupiter.11 Justice - Libra:
This is an association everyone makes.12 The Hanged Man - Pisces:
Arguably this choice could be switched with Neptune, and possibly even Mercury (Odin, who is synonymous with Mercury, hung upside down from the tree of life Yggdrasil, and received the runes), although I feel Pisces is the most fitting here. The Hanged Man is attached to a post, cross, or tree by his feet, the part of the body that Pisces rules. The qualities associated with self-sacrifice/asceticism for a short period of time to enter an altered or mystical state to obtain some sort of deep answer is characteristic of the 12th house and Pisces.13 Death - Pluto:
This is an association everyone makes, although sometimes as Scorpio. Pluto is the god of the underworld and very fitting for this tarot card.14 Temperance - Virgo:
I’ve seen Virgo assigned to multiple different Major Arcana. Temperance is appropriate though as it symbolizes conscious restraint. Depictions usually show a figure (typically female) pouring water into wine so as to not become too drunk too fast while drinking. Temperance is associated with frugality, moderation, management, accommodation, and self-discipline. These are all 6th house themes which is of course the house associated with Virgo.15 The Devil - Capricorn:
This is an association everyone makes and is fitting for Capricorn more so than Saturn.16 The Tower - Mars:
This is an association everyone makes.17 The Star - Aquarius:
This is an association everyone makes.18 The Moon - Moon:
This should be obvious but I’ve seen loads of people say that The Moon card is connected with Pisces, and the Moon luminary is associated with the High Priestess. There’s obviously overlapping themes in either case there, but why not just go with the most glaring connection, especially given most people make the same connection with the next card and its same name luminary!19 The Sun - Sun:
This is an association everyone makes.20 Judgement - Scorpio:
I saw several people’s articles place Pluto here, but the sign of Scorpio itself is much broader in encompassing things that have to do with scrutiny, investigation, judgement, and being able to unflinchingly assess the darkest aspects of something. The card is also associated with things being resurrected, or reborn after a period of judgement, all of these being 8th house/Scorpio topics.21 The World - Uranus:
This card is often depicted with an androgynous, or angelic figure in the sky. Ouranos is the Greek deity of the Heavens and was castrated by Cronos/Saturn in his fall (a male becoming androgynous). Uranus governs the collective super-conscious and thus Aquarian, or Uranian qualities that deal with all of humanity or ‘the world’.
A lot of people put Saturn here, which in my opinion is taking the meaning of the card "The World" by the most literal definition. Saturn deals with the immediate material physical world, but this tarot card is more transcendent than that meaning of ‘the world’. Taking Crowley's Thoth Tarot deck’s name for this card, "The Universe", we can understand this is a card that is about the big picture, the view that can see “everything from above”, hence why Uranus is more appropriate here in my view.
I find learning and studying the associations between metaphysical/occult topics is one of the best ways of easily memorizing a lot of information. Within astrology alone this is a bit of process, but once you know the qualities of the 12 signs, their elements, dualities, modes, etc, it's very easy to expand that to include the 12 houses and their topics, and then also the traits of the 10 planets/luminaries.
One would think that these should fit fairly well with the Major Arcana as well, so when I see one pairing that makes no sense to me, I assume that that's due to someone in the past not having as much information at their disposal (usually lacking in their understanding of astrology, not so much the tarot) and then that placement gets repeated down the line by whomever reads that persons work and just accepts it as is.
All of these associations can also plug in to the Hermetic Qabalah (as opposed to Jewish Kabbalah), and if you know the qualities of the 22 connecting paths between the sephiroth, these correspond to the Major Arcana as well (but the 10 planets on their own also correspond to the 11 sephiroth, but Malkuth which is this physical realm is excluded). The more familiar you become with each of these organizational "systems", discrepancies start to stand out when you read other people's interpretations of their correspondences.
Trying to guess why some incorrect correspondences seem to have been made, I imagine it was a situation where they may have made the seemingly "obvious" pairings first, and then just slapped the rest of the correspondences in wherever just because they were leftover. A lot of people associate Cancer with The Chariot for instance, when from my understanding this isn't very accurate at all, maybe only on the fact that it is a cardinal sign, but that's about it. Another possibility is these associations are handed down from traditional astrology where the numbers don't quite fit right (5 planets + 2 luminaries + 12 signs = 19) and so they doubled up on a few associations, or even just left some without any.
When you also consider the house topics for each sign, I think this helps understanding it all too. Cancer is associated with the 4th house which is the home, the mother (or emotionally available parent), emotional foundation, etc. The Chariot is associated with succour (assistance), providence, war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble; and reversed it is riots, quarrel, dispute, litigation, etc. The latter are more masculine traits, and as an air sign (the air element is masculine) Gemini fit well here along with the other reasons I went over in the section above for the card.
Some signs/planets can obviously apply to two cards due to their close similarities in traits, so they could be switched around, such as with Leo and the Sun, but then with Saturn and Capricorn, they are similar, but I think Saturn is better suited as the Hermit since it is depicted often as the the old man/father time/Cronos, while Capricorn as the Devil is much more focused around career, banking and corporations, and less so literal solitude and ancient wisdom which Saturn does have connected to it in a more direct way.
In traditional astrology Saturn also has its 'Joy' in the 12th house, which is the house of solitude, and asceticism among other things.
Thanks to these links for the CC licensed images used in this article:
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Tarot_Astro_1Starfortuna.jpg
https://cdn.pixabay.com/photo/2020/08/23/18/17/tarot-5511610_1280.jpg
https://www.freeimg.net/photo/1706237/tarot-card-oracre-star