Chakra Healing Tarot and Cat Aura Tarot Decks: Tarot Card Chakra Correspondences

Chakra Healing Tarot was successfully crowdfunded in March 2021! You can now get the deck for yourself over here. Cat Aura Tarot is currently open for preorder over here.

For both Chakra Healing Tarot and Cat Aura Tarot, I assigned chakras to each Tarot card. If you are wondering how I assigned the chakras in the Tarot deck, here’s a write-up on that!

There is a summary if you’re in a rush, and a more detailed deep dive if you are super curious (or a Tree of Life nerd like me!).

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Summary of how chakra correspondences were determined in Chakra Healing Tarot and Cat Aura Tarot

There is very limited existing literature that combines the spiritual systems of the chakras and energy body with the Qabalistic Tree of Life. I have created the correspondences that combine these two systems based on in-depth knowledge and research (you’ll find references at the bottom), as well as my experience as a Tarot reader and Reiki Master.

The bottom line is that I used my research, knowledge, and experience as a Tarot reader and Reiki Master to overlay the Tree of Life with the seven-chakra system to determine the chakra correspondences.

The powerful wisdom of these two systems comes together in the Chakra Healing Tarot, forming an insightful map to help you tap into your deep and inherent wisdom.

You do not need to understand or know anything about chakras OR the Tree of Life to use the decks! These decks are created for everyone, from complete Tarot newbies, to advanced readers, to energy practitioners. The comprehensive 200-page guidebooks guide you every step of the way.

Terminology: Chakras, Auras, Tree of Life

Chakras and Auras

Chakras are part of an ancient belief system from India that we have energy bodies just like we have physical bodies.

The idea is that our chakras are the energy centres in our bodies (like batteries), and the aura is the electromagnetic field surrounding our body in a way that reflects the health of our chakras.

Some of these ancient beliefs say we have five chakras, and some say we have over 1,500! But the most commonly known system of chakras is the seven-chakra system. That’s why I have created the Chakra Healing Tarot and Cat Aura Tarot decks with the seven-chakra system, so that it reflects they way most people understand about the chakras.

It can help to think of the seven-chakra system as a map of where in our bodies we tend to process and store our life experiences, and auras as signals that reflect the health of our chakras.

Tree of Life

The Tree of Life is based on the idea that each of us is like a mini version of the Universe; that we are the microcosm of the macrocosm. The key elements and patterns of the Universe are also reflected in us.

This is another amazing system, because it is also a map of where in our energetic bodies we most relate with the energies of the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life also has Tarot correspondences.

A deeper dive: Chakra-Tree of Life combo

By applying the Western chakra structure[5] to the Tree of Life framework, the result is that most of the cards have one or two chakra correspondences. A few pictures below will show how these correspondences were made.

Note: Although there is generally a recognition in the Qabalah/Golden Dawn community that there are Tree of Life-chakra correspondences, there does not appear to be agreement from a Qabalistic perspective on which precise correspondences those are. If you’re curious, you can scroll to the “For Tree of Life nerds” section for some of those correspondence challenges and how they were aligned.

But here are some pretty pictures that show how these correspondences were aligned! (See the “For Tree of Life nerds” section on how the Pages were assigned with the Crown chakra; how the Fool, Wheel, and World cards were assigned all seven chakras; how the Tower and Strength cards were assigned to theirs, and the Twos/Threes and Queens/Kings.)

Some images I created to show the correspondences

Here are the two systems: the Tree of Life, and the Seven-Chakra system:

And here’s how the two systems are overlayed to determine correspondences (see note further down on Page Crown chakra correspondences in the Chakra Healing Tarot).

That leads us to look at the Majors, which are the paths on the Tree of Life in between these circles (the circles are like power centres on the Tree of Life; they’re called “sephira”). Here’s how the Majors were assigned, and again see the note further down on assigning seven chakras to the Fool, Wheel, and World, the two chakras each for the Strength and Tower cards, and the Twos/Threes and Kings/Queens.

For Tree of Life nerds

Twos/Threes and Queens/Kings

Assigning chakras to the second and third sephira was particularly challenging, since they are at the same level on the Tree of Life, and are both so close physically to the Third Eye and Throat chakras. Each of these sephira also has qualities to each of these chakras. So you will find in the Chakra Healing Tarot that the chakras have been assigned as follows:

• Twos: Third Eye chakra to reflect the “wisdom” aspect of the second sephiroth and that type of yin energy related to intuitive insight.
• Threes: Throat chakra to reflect the energy of “realization of action” (in Qabalistic numerology) and that type of yang energy related to expression
• Queens: Third Eye chakra to reflect the “understanding” aspect of the third sephiroth and that type of yin energy related to intuitive insight.
• Kings: Throat chakra to reflect the energy of “swift forces” (in Qabalistic numerology) and that type of yang energy related to expression.

Pages

For those familiar with the Tree of Life, you will notice in this deck the correspondence of the Pages with the Crown chakra (Kether), as opposed to the Root chakra (Malkuth).

This works beautifully, since the Tree simply repeats itself once the top or bottom are reached, and the Crown correspondence allows the Pages to reflect the innocence, possibility and learning opportunity of the top of the Tree of Life.

Fool, Wheel, and World

You will also notice that the Fool, Wheel and World cards correspond to all the chakras. This is a step back from a strict interpretation of the Tree of Life, however this is not a decision I made lightly.

I had the option to assign these three cards in the same way that I assigned the other cards – with two chakras. This would have assigned Crown and Throat chakras to the Fool, Sacral and Heart chakras to the Wheel, and Root and Sacral chakras to the World.

But these three cards, based on my experience as a Tarot reader, carry a level of significance that I felt needed to be emphasized.

• Fool: When we come into this world as the Fool, we are complete. No one has told us that the spiritual world we perceive around us doesn’t exist. No dogma has been forced onto us. Our chakra system is in full form. The Fool is not even at the beginning! Assigned 0, that’s nothing (or “no-thing” if you’re familiar with Qabalah). There is immeasurable power in that space that comes before something.
• Wheel: We cannot always control what happens to us in life. Circumstances beyond our control occur. Yet, we are not helpless victims. We can always choose how we respond to these uncontrolled events. This can be really challenging, whether the events are good or bad, and these situations require us to firmly align within our WHOLE selves what we most want, so that we can empower ourselves as the Wheel of Fortune turns.
• World: Considered the most “complete” card in the Tarot, the World is the culmination of all the lessons learned. If you’re familiar with Qabalah, you’ll know the World (“Universe”) is also at the centre of the Cube of Space. And so the World is a culmination, a powerful point of access, and also the beginning of another new journey, as we reach this stage of completeness. And so the cycle continues!

For these reasons, I made the decision to assign all seven chakras to these three cards.

Strength and Tower

For the Strength and Tower cards, these would have respectively been only the Heart chakra and Sacral chakra ( a single chakra instead of two). However, the self-awareness and inner courage needed to exemplify the Strength card meshes well with the Third Eye chakra. That’s why the Strength card was assigned to the Heart and the Third Eye.

Similarly, the Tower moments in our lives happen when sudden shifts happen in our lives that impact us energetically and tangibly, and those changes happen because of something external beyond ourselves that has occurred. That’s why the Tower card was assigned to the Sacral and Crown chakras.

Some additional considerations and an even deeper dive into the literature

The chakra correspondences are based on the Tree of Life, which has both Tarot and bodily correspondences.[1] [2] Creating a deck using these existing correspondences would allow this deck to build on the established wisdom of mystical philosophy from the Golden Dawn, applied to the RWS system. 

The Tree of Life is based on the idea that each of us is like a mini version of the Universe; that we are the microcosm of the macrocosm. The key elements and patterns of the Universe are also reflected in us. This is another amazing system, because it is also a map of where in our energetic bodies we most relate with the energies of the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life also has Tarot correspondences.

This deck’s approach to correspondences is a departure from the numerical/linear approach of other chakra-related decks on the market. Using the correspondences in this document is an opportunity to build on an established body of Tarot knowledge, while providing the reader with new insights into their own body’s wisdom and inter-relationships with the chakras.

There are ten sephira (power centres) on the Tree of Life,[3] and there are existing Tarot correspondences for both Major and Minor Arcana.[4] By applying the Western chakra structure[5] to the Tree of Life framework, the result is that the cards have one or two chakra correspondences. A few figures to follow will outline how these correspondences were made.

Prior to outlining these, it is important to note that although there is generally a recognition in the Qabalah/Golden Dawn community that there are Tree of Life-chakra correspondences, there does not appear to be agreement from a Qabalistic perspective on which precise correspondences those are.[6] [7] [8] Please see the Endnote for some challenges related to this process, and how these correspondences were aligned. [i]

Sources for the Tree of Life, including its Tarot correspondences on each of the power centres (sephira).[9] Sources for the Western chakra correspondences on the human body.[10]

Endnote and references

Challenges in combining chakra philosophy with the Tree of Life framework

[i] There are challenges in combining a chakra philosophy within in a Tree of Life framework. This is primarily because the Golden Dawn recognized five key power centres (the Middle Pillar) which do relate to the Western chakra system with a slight difference. The difference is that two of the Middle Pillar power centres each is a combination of two of the Western chakra system’s power centres.

The Golden Dawn system combines the third eye with the throat (see my notes above on the twos/threes and Queens/Kings), and the heart with the solar plexus.

Despite this, in my research in the sources referenced, and particularly given that there are various beliefs about the number of chakras, I have been able to identify appropriate and empowering correspondences between each of the sephiroth on the Tree of Life.

The result is that the cards primarily have either one (Minors) or two (Majors) chakra correspondences. Having two chakra correspondences is quite powerful, because as we know, energy moves, and we carry so much emotional and energetic connection between various parts of our bodies.

Other decks on the market focus on one chakra per card. However, the Major arcana paths of the Tree of Life are well established in Western mysteries practice, and provide an opportunity in the Chakra Healing Tarot deck to reveal the relationships within the body, to help the reader tap into their Higher Selves through their body wisdom.

Additionally, while the correspondences have been identified using the Tree of Life—a concept that was adopted by the Golden Dawn—this deck follows the RWS tradition. The deck is highly accessible.

The Tree of Life is a universal concept that is understood to exist and be applicable regardless of whether a reader or querent is an adherent to Golden Dawn principles. In that sense, there is strong rationale for applying a Golden Dawn concept to a deck of RWS structure.

References

• [1] Wang, Robert. The Qabalistic Tarot: A Textbook of Mystical Philosophy, Samuel Weiser Inc, 1983.
• [2] Wells, David. Qabalah: Discover Powerful Tools to Explore Practical Magic and the Tree of Life, Hay House, 2017.
• [3] Wells, David, 2017.
• [4] Wang, Robert, 1983.
• [5] Judith, Anodea. Chakras: Seven Keys to Awakening and Healing the Energy Body, 2016, Hay House.
• [6] Allen, Marc. Afterword. The Art of True Healing: The Unlimited Power of Prayer and Visualization by Regardie, Israel, New World Library, 2007, pp. 86 – 108.
• [7] Wells, David. Qabalah: Discover Powerful Tools to Explore Practical Magic and the Tree of Life, Hay House, 2017, pp. 26 – 27, 67 – 69.
• [8] Note: An internet search produces few Qabalah sources and mostly sources of unverifiable relevance. There are many images on the internet that align the correspondences with Tiphareth as the heart centre. However, this sephiroth has strong associations with the ego and sense of self, which is strongly related to the solar plexus. (see Wells, David, 2017, pp. 143 – 151). 
• [9] Wang, Robert, 1983.
• [10] Judith, Anodea. Chakras: Seven Keys to Awakening and Healing the Energy Body, 2016, Hay House.