The 72 Angels
The 360 degrees of the zodiac can be cut into 72 small spans of five days each, with one angel for each span; combined with tarot's table of decans, this system adds another layer of material for reading the number cards.
How the correspondence works
Jewish mystical tradition has a set of "72 names of angels" (the Shem HaMephorash), which divides the 360 degrees of the zodiac into 72 spans of five days each, with one angel for each span. The Golden Dawn system joined this division of time to tarot's decan correspondence table (see Astrological Correspondences). 36 number cards (Two through Ten; the four Aces take no part in the decans) × the 10-day span each card covers ÷ 5 days per angel = exactly 2 angels for each number card. This is how the numbers 36 and 72 fit together exactly.
Each angel has a Hebrew name, a rank in the angelic hierarchy (one of the levels of the "angelic choirs"), a specific five-day range of dates it governs, and a description of character traits or powers. Tradition holds that these traits "rub off" on people born on the corresponding dates, and they can also add a layer of material for reading the tarot card that matches that span.
How to use it in a reading
There are two common uses, both of them only as reference material:
- Adding a layer of character description to a number card: for example, the angel matched to the Six of Wands governs "peace, justice, science and the arts" and can "protect people from slander and false accusations." When this card comes up in a reading where the question happens to involve reputation or fairness, this description can serve as supplementary material and make the reading more specific. You don't need to use it every time, and it is not the card's standard meaning.
- The Birthday Card: find which of the 72 five-day spans a person's birth date falls in, match it to an angel and from there to a tarot card, and see whether the angel's character description fits. This is closer to a light, friendly exercise for getting to know each other, and there is no need to take its "accuracy" seriously.
Besides the 72 angels, the same system also lists 72 corresponding "demons" (taken from the Solomonic texts of ceremonial magic). This part has very limited practical value for tarot reading, and it belongs to a separate, more hands-on practice of evocation, so this page does not go into it.