Tarot by HH
Hello Lauren, welcome to the Forum
The questions you are asking about numbers across suits while seeming to be a simple question is anything but: for many of us those numbers on the pip cards are the foundation of our tarot system
Thus there are as many ways to determine and describe how the numbers relate across the suits as their are people who do so
One way to do this is to see the aces as planting the seed of the suit, sixes being the ripening of the seed, and nines being the harvest, with tens being the rest place before planting for a new cycle
Another way is numerological associations from either a standard approach to numbers and their influences or based on one's experience with the cards in readings and meditations
One more way is to see the aces as the birth of the energy of the suit and 10's as the death of the energy
And some folks work from the tens to the aces
As for the symbols in the RWS and its variants, such as the [b]salamander[/b] on the court cards from the suit of Wands, that is a life-long study! A good place to start learning symbols is with a dictionary of encyclopedia of symbols
Another step is to read several tarot authors to get an idea of how they see and use the symbols, and then to talk with as many other tarotist as you can to get their insights and ideas
I currently have four three inch looseleaf notebooks filled with notes on the symbols from the decks I use most often
It's in the cards, the numbers, and the symbols! HH
other posts in this tarot thread
numbers across suits/ symbolism by lauren
by HH
by bluemoon
by karen
by lauren