Mary K. Greer’s method · calculator
Tarot birth card calculator
Your tarot birth cards are one to three Major Arcana worked out from your full date of birth. The method was developed by tarot author Mary K. Greer. The personality card describes how you show up in the world, the soul card points to the deeper theme of your life, and the hidden teacher is the lesson that comes through challenges.
- Personality card
- Soul card
- Hidden teacher
Calculate your birth cards
The calculation runs in your browser; your date is not sent anywhere.
How to calculate your tarot birth card
Mary K. Greer describes the method in her book Who Are You in the Tarot? It takes three steps.
- Add your birth month, day and year as ordinary numbers. For February 3, 1960: 2 + 3 + 1960 = 1965.
- Add up the digits of the result. 1 + 9 + 6 + 5 = 21. If the total is more than 22, add the digits again. The number from 1 to 22 is your personality card: here it’s 21, the World.
- Reduce that number to a single digit. 2 + 1 = 3 — your soul card, the Empress. If step two already gives a single digit, your personality and soul cards are the same.
Every pair belongs to one of nine constellations of Major Arcana that share a digit — for example 3, 12 and 21. Greer calls the cards in your constellation that are not among your birth cards your hidden teacher. In the example that’s 12, the Hanged Man: a lesson in patience and letting go.
Special cases: 19 gives three cards — the Sun, the Wheel of Fortune (1 + 9 = 10) and the Magician (1 + 0 = 1); 22 is the Fool, paired with the Emperor (2 + 2 = 4).
The 9 birth card constellations
Major Arcana that reduce to the same digit form a constellation. Your soul card is its main theme.
1 The Magician · 10 Wheel of Fortune · 19 The Sunwill and self-expression
The constellation of the Magician, the Wheel of Fortune and the Sun is about conscious will. People of this group come into the world to express themselves: to start things, to create, to lead. They need to see the results of their actions and to feel that life is a field to play on, not a string of accidents. The lesson is that luck comes to those who act, and that real power lies in a clear intention rather than in controlling everything around you.
Hidden teacher. The Wheel of Fortune and the Sun teach you to accept change and to share your light, not just to get your own way.
2 The High Priestess · 11 Strength · 20 Judgementintuition and inner knowing
The constellation of the High Priestess, Strength and Judgement is about what a person knows from the inside. People of this group sense others keenly, see what is hidden and often understand a situation before it can be put into words. Their strength is a quiet one: patience, composure, the ability not to react at once. The lesson is to trust your inner voice and, at the right moment, step out of the shadows to say what you have long known.
Hidden teacher. Strength and Judgement teach you to guide your feelings gently and not to fear the changes your inner voice calls for.
3 The Empress · 12 The Hanged Man · 21 The Worldcreativity and abundance
The constellation of the Empress, the Hanged Man and the World is about creation. People of this group know how to make things grow: children, projects, gardens, ideas, relationships. They need beauty and life around them. The lesson is learning to let go: not everything can be hurried, and sometimes you have to pause and look at things from another angle to see how they come together into a whole.
Hidden teacher. The Hanged Man and the World teach you to wait, to change your point of view and to see things through to completion.
4 The Emperor · 13 Death · 22 The Foolorder and renewal
The constellation of the Emperor, Death and the Fool is about structure and freedom. People of this group know how to build: systems, rules, a home, a business. They are reliable and responsible. Yet the same group carries the theme of renewal: old forms wear out sooner or later, and then you have to dare to start again with a clean slate. The lesson is to create order without clinging to it when the time for change has come.
Hidden teacher. Death and the Fool teach you to close what is finished and not to fear a step into the unknown.
The Emperor · Death · The Fool
5 The Hierophant · 14 Temperancemeaning and harmony
The constellation of the Hierophant and Temperance is about the search for meaning and passing on knowledge. People of this group often become teachers, mentors and keepers of tradition — or, on the contrary, look for their own path outside the usual rules. Harmony and moderation matter to them. The lesson is to find your own beliefs and values and to bring opposites together rather than choosing one extreme.
Hidden teacher. Temperance teaches patience, balance and the art of mixing different things in the right proportion.
6 The Lovers · 15 The Devilchoice and love
The constellation of the Lovers and the Devil is about relationships and choice. For people of this group, their bonds with others are the main stage of life: love, partnership, passion, attraction. The lesson is to choose with your heart and to tell love apart from dependence. The Lovers speak of a free union, the Devil of what holds us against our will. The task is to understand your attachments and to choose what makes you freer.
Hidden teacher. The Devil teaches you to look honestly at your desires and dependencies without condemning yourself for them.
7 The Chariot · 16 The Towermovement and breakthrough
The constellation of the Chariot and the Tower is about the will to move forward. People of this group don’t like standing still: they need goals, a road ahead, victories. They know how to pull themselves together and drive a task to its result. The lesson is to understand that sometimes the path runs through the collapse of old walls: upheavals clear space for what is real, rather than only getting in the way.
Hidden teacher. The Tower teaches you not to hold on to what is already falling and to see release in a crisis.
8 Justice · 17 The Starhonesty and hope
The constellation of Justice and the Star is about inner balance and faith. People of this group have a keen sense of what is fair and what is not, and they try to live in harmony with their conscience. The Star adds hope, openness and the ability to inspire others. The lesson is not to judge yourself too harshly and to trust that an honest path leads towards the light, even if the results take time.
Hidden teacher. The Star teaches you to hope, to share your gifts and to trust life.
9 The Hermit · 18 The Moonthe search for truth
The constellation of the Hermit and the Moon is about the inward journey. People of this group search for truth and meaning and need time alone. They notice what is hidden from others and are attuned to the subconscious. The lesson is to pass through doubts and fears (the Moon) in order to find your own light (the Hermit), and then to share your experience with those who come after you.
Hidden teacher. The Moon teaches you not to fear uncertainty and to trust your dreams and intuition.
Birth cards vs arcana by birth date and the year card
All three calculations use the Major Arcana, but they answer different questions.
- Birth cards (Greer’s method) are a fixed set for your whole life, calculated from the sum of the month, day and year as numbers.
- Arcana by birth date comes from the Russian tarot-numerology school: the personality arcana is your birth day, the destiny arcana is the sum of all the digits of your date. The numbers may differ from Greer’s cards — that’s fine, they are different systems.
- The tarot year card changes every year and describes that year’s main theme.
For a full picture with talents, money and relationships, try the destiny matrix.
Numbering: Strength and Justice
Mary K. Greer uses the Rider–Waite numbering, where VIII is Strength and XI is Justice. This site follows tarot-numerology numbering: VIII is Justice and XI is Strength. The calculator shows cards by the site’s numbering. If you get 8 or 11, read both cards: in Greer’s book the numbers are swapped.
Ask the cards your own question
Birth cards describe the lasting themes of your life. To look at a specific situation, do a spread.
Frequently asked questions
What is a tarot birth card?
It is one, two or three Major Arcana calculated from your full date of birth using Mary K. Greer’s method. The personality card shows how you express yourself in the world, the soul card the deeper theme of your life. Your birth cards never change.
How do I calculate my personality and soul cards?
Add your birth month, day and year as numbers, then add up the digits of the result. If it’s more than 22, add the digits again. That’s your personality card. Reduce it to a single digit to get your soul card.
What does it mean if my personality and soul cards are the same?
This happens when the digit sum is a single digit straight away — common for people born after 2000. It means your outer and inner self share one theme: you live your lesson openly and directly.
What is the hidden teacher?
These are the cards from your constellation that are not among your birth cards. Greer sees their energy arriving through challenges and the people who test us. People with 19/10/1, 18/9, 17/8, 16/7, 15/6 and 14/5 have no hidden teacher: the whole constellation is already among their birth cards.
Why doesn’t my birth card match my arcana by birth date?
They are different methods. In tarot numerology the personality arcana is your birth day and the destiny arcana is the sum of all the digits. Greer first adds the month, day and year as numbers. You can read both results — they describe different sides of you.