What Tarot Card Represents Neptune?

[Mdenergycards]

So Neptune is one of my favorite planets but I was wondering what tarot card may represent Neptune.

[Guest]

Hi Mdenergy cards!

 

I'm about to draw on my knowledge of Western Astrology to answer your question.. I know that Neptune governs Pisces, which is the sign that relates to these themes:

• dreams
• intuition
• our subconscious mind
• healing
• spiritual enlightenment
• endings 

The more negative manifestations of Pisces are:

• delusion/denial
• addiction
• deceit

So there could actually be a few cards that represent Neptune. The Shadow (The Devil) card and the 7 of Swords come to mind for the negative manifestations of Neptune. The High Priestess, The Star, and the Moon cards come to mind for the positive manifestations of Neptune.

[katrinka]

The Hanged Man, at the Corax site.
https://www.corax.com/tarot/gematria/alephbeth.html
Crowley did assign Pisces to the Moon, though.

I don't find outer planets to be that relevant to my readings, though, so I never worried about it overmuch. Carry on.

[and_it_spoke]

Would it be too banal to suggest the King of Cups from a mthological one-to-one standpoint?

[Guest]

Represent Neptune, how?  As Katrinka says, some would argue that the Hanged Man is the likeliest candidate. The GD did not assign that card a planetary influence, but subsequent authors have suggested it as Neptune’s associated card. How that fits is debatable - but we can say that about the majority of the associations (Moon as the Papesse rather than the Moon, Saturn and le Monde). 

 

As an astrologer I do not like to conflate the cards and stars. In addition I practice Perso-Arabic astrology, and do not use the trans-Saturn bodies. Jupiter is Pisces’ ruler for me; “rulership” derives from the Thema Mundi. Jupiter has Sagittarius and Pisces as they’re in trine to a Cancer and Leo.  

[Rose Lalonde]

Unless I were to work with a deck in which the deck creator included Neptune as an inspiration for a card or cards, I feel like I'm going against the grain trying to add it, so for the Golden Dawn, Waite-Smith, and Thoth decks, my personal answer is none of the cards.  Partly because I came to tarot before astrology. But as @katrinka pointed out, some modern astrologers attribute Uranus, Neptune and Pluto to the 3 majors that correspond to the Hebrew mother letters in the decks above: The Fool, The Hanged Man, and Judgement. They were given elements -- Air/Ether (Fool), Water (Hanged Man), and Fire (Judgement) -- instead of planets, but since Neptune is the god of the sea, the card corresponding to water is a good place to look. (The Celestial Tarot is one deck that has these correspondences on the cards.) And I can see why @and_it_spoke brings up the King of Cups for similar reasons. 

I think what matters are the correspondence that make sense to you, and how they test out when you read with them over and over. That's kind of funny coming from me, since all my correspondences are as the GD and Thoth give them, but those work for me. For some people, part or all of those correspondences irritate the $%^$ out of them, and that doesn't make for a great place to be when you're reading. But there are other systems of astrological correspondences besides the GD... or you could create your own if you're consistent in applying it and find that it works. The only drawback with the latter, if you consider it one, is that correspondences of your own won't be a 'shared language' that other readers would already understand, so in a forum exchange, you might need to take time to explain in more detail if you said something like The Hermit is Neptune. 

Edited January 29, 2020 by Rose Lalonde

[ThePerceptivePsychic]

IMO when I think of dreamy Neptune, I immediately think of 7 of Cups. You're talking about living in a fantasy world, hallucinations, and delirium because you're so overwhelmed with all of the numerous possibilities in front of you. So much to the point that your judgement is clouded, literally {like the clouds in the card}. Also, at times I've had this card come up in readings as partying too much and dealing with intoxication/addictions to create false happiness which is yet ANOTHER reason why I equate it to Neptune. He likes to self medicate. 

[TarotHeaven]

Each major arcana either represents a zodiac sign or a planet. The Hanged Man corresponds with Neptune. The HP is the higher octave of Neptune, but is ruled by the Moon.