The Natural Order of the cards in my system is
Diamonds - Fire element – Aries first sign of the Zodiac, and cardinal sign. Also starts the season of Autumn (southern hemisphere) or Spring (northern hemisphere)
Hearts - Water Element – Cancer second cardinal sign of zodiac, second season of the year Winter (southern hemisphere) or Summer (northern hemisphere)
Clubs - Air Element – Libra third cardinal sign of the zodiac, third season of the year Spring (southern hemisphere) or Autumn (northern hemisphere)
Spades - Earth Element – Capricorn fourth cardinal sign of the zodiac, last season of the year Summer (southern hemisphere) or Winter (northern hemisphere)
I know there are other systems out there that have a natural order, and the elements are slightly different to what I have written. I see diamonds as a flame, hearts is emotional, and it’s also a cup to hold the liquid (water) clouds are shaped like a cloud, so air, and spades, a digging utensil that goes into the earth.
The Red, is the Winter solstice (or summer in northern hemisphere)
The Black is the Summer solstice (or winter in southern hemisphere)
Something to Note about the Cardinal Signs
The word “cardinal” comes from the French “cardo” meaning a hinge, that on which something turns. It is the most important part. The cardinal directions are the north, south, east and west. They are the times when the seasons change. Aries for Autumn (Spring); Cancer for Winter (Summer); Libra for Spring ( Autumn); and Capricorn for Winter. They therefore are times for a new beginning.
In Astrology, the cardinal signs are the first, fourth, seventh and tenth (Aries (fire), Cancer (water), Libra (air) and Capricorn (earth)). These signs are characterised by enterprise, or starting things.
Sometimes Aries and Libra are called equinox signs, and Cancer and Capricorn are called solstice signs. Equinoxes are times of perfect balance between day and night (day and night are 12 hours long). The solstice times are the times of the longest day (Cancer) and the longest night (Capricorn).
Aries and Libra are times of balance, but also times of abrupt change. Cancer and Capricorn are times of extremes.
So you can see, why I have assigned the suits to fit in with the Natural order of the Seasons and Zodiac, after all this is what this little deck is about.
A note on the Fixed Signs
The word “fixed” means securely placed and fastened and implies unchanging. In Astrology, the fixed signs are the second, fifth, eighth and eleventh (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius). They are characterised by the keyword “stability” or firm and dependable.
A note on Mutable Signs
The word “mutable” means “subject to change”. The mutable signs are the third, sixth, ninth and twelfth (Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces). The keyword for these is “adaptability“.
Therefore within the diamonds and hearts you have 6 signs. 2 cardinals (Aries, Cancer), 2 fixed (Taurus, Leo) and 2 mutables (Gemini, Virgo) 1 an equinox (Aries), 1 a solstice (Cancer)
Therefore within the Clubs and Spades you have 6 signs, 2 cardinals (Libra, Capricorn), 2 fixed (Scorpio and Aquarius) and 2 mutables (Sagitarius, Pisces)
How perfect is that, the red coloured suits and the black coloured suits.
