Meaning of the number 7 in the four suits of the tarot deck
Generalities of the number 7
The meaning of the number 7 and its four suit cards once again bring us conflicts and choices to make. However, this time, these situations are not as personal or intimate; instead, they relate more to what surrounds you, your environment.
Nevertheless, you can’t be indifferent to what’s happening, and your own actions and impulses will either create change or not, because sevens are about taking a stand based on an invisible but deeply intense inner truth.
The Seven has historically been a mystical number. Its mythological and symbolic use is vast and profound. Many different religions and cultures see the seven as spiritual, related to luck, and highly significant.
It is the number of the philosopher, the wise person, and the seeker of knowledge. When a seven shows up in a reading, it’s understood that there’s more at play beneath the surface, involving spirituality, faith, and the vast esoteric realms.
The seven is an enigma, and as such, it’s hard to define. It’s like faith itself: you know what it is when you feel it.
Some of its importance comes from ancient Sumerian and Babylonian civilizations, which identified seven planets and framed the seven days of the week around them. Very early on among Middle Eastern peoples, the seven became known as a “perfect” number, a symbol of completeness and goodness.
It’s not “perfect” mathematically like six, but it symbolizes perfection, and as such, it’s often attributed to God. In the Bible, God rested on the seventh day because his work of creation was complete, whole, and perfect. Therefore, seven represents this perfect integrity.
In Judaism, every seven years, a Jubilee year is celebrated, as well as a sabbatical year every seven years. The “Counting of the Omer” leading to the giving of the Torah is expressed as “7 times 7 weeks.” It’s the name given to the counting of the 49 days or seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot.
In Christianity, similarly, the number seven remains significant. It is the number of churches of Asia addressed in the “Book of Revelation,” the number of deadly sins and virtues, the number of terraces of Mount Purgatory (one for each deadly sin), the number of sacraments in the Catholic faith, the number of heads of the beast in the book of Revelation, and the number of seals in the book of life.
Jesus tells Peter to “forgive seventy times seven” to indicate an unlimited number of times, but also that it’s the spiritual thing to do.
The number seven is important for the belief system and cyclical view of time held by the Ismaili Shia sect, also known as the Seveners. In Sufism or Islamic mysticism, ascetics model their path to enlightenment after the prophet Muhammad’s Ascension through the seven heavens.
The number seven appears again and again in rites of passage ceremonies to protect against evil spirits. For example, in a wedding ritual in Pakistan, seven happily married women touch the bride’s wedding dress to ensure a happy marriage.
It’s the number of Archangels according to some systems, the lesser-known symbol of the yang in Taoism’s yin and yang, the number of palms in an Egyptian sacred Cubit, the number of rows in Mithraism, and in Buddhism, Buddha took seven steps at his birth.
The meaning of the number seven represents the union of man and woman, as the number of women is four and the number of men is three. The triangle represents the woman and the element of fire, while the square represents the man and the element of earth.
The esoteric symbol of the triangle and square combination represents the union of spirit (fire) and matter (earth). Thus, sevens deal with the esoteric, academic aspects of magic and are representative of the quest for understanding through research and active pursuit of esoteric knowledge.
The seven engages the imagination and manifests results in our lives through the use of thought and awareness.
The connection with Major Arcana nº7
So, what does all this spiritual stuff have to do with the number 7 of the Major Arcana, The Chariot? Although the intentional unity, focus, and energy of the charioteer aren’t immediately evident, the esoteric symbolism in The Chariot illustrates these connections.
The Chariot is Netzach on the Tree of Life—victory, the seat of hidden intelligence. Netzach’s element is fire. If you draw a line from the charioteer’s hands to their crown, it forms the upright triangle of fire.
This rests on the square face of the chariot itself, so the complete figure is a triangle atop a square. This symbol is 3 + 4, or 7, and represents the union of spirit and matter.
The number seven represents experience and/or feeling. The experience of the Sevens is purely experimental. This is experience as it is, before any logical processing takes place.
We can associate this feeling with the fast pace and focus of the chariot as it rushes toward its destination. This is a card of acting on feelings—the feelings that call someone to action and the feelings one experiences while acting.
However, while a steadfast focus and strong action can be incredibly useful and successful, sometimes The Chariot is all about moving toward success and nothing else, knocking down anyone in its path.
Acting on inner conviction tends to bring with it a very strong, driving force, but sometimes it also suffers from too narrow a focus or a somewhat closed-off mentality.
The number 7 in the Minor Arcana
The 7 of Swords
The Seven of Swords is a card that many readers don’t particularly like. This is the card of the “thief,” the one who steals your belongings, your ideas, or even your heart. They’re cunning and calculated. Where’s the mysticism in this card? What’s so spiritual or elevated about it?
The sevens are action cards in a solitary place, where the seeker acts on their deeply rooted beliefs.
Our spiritual quest is ultimately a solitary one, and the sevens represent figures engaged in thoughts, actions, feelings, and reflections that are unique to themselves.
In this card, the main figure has decided to act on a plan they’ve come up with and are carrying it out on their own. Whether the action is just or unjust isn’t made clear by the card.
They could be claiming what’s rightfully theirs, or it could be plain theft. They are engaging in some risky activity, but ultimately, their main reason for doing this is for themselves alone.
Sometimes this card is called “The Lone Wolf” because it acts on the fringes of the group, keeping its thoughts to itself, perhaps acting a bit oddly. They believe they know what’s best and will go ahead with it, whether or not they have the support of others.
Take their advice, whether it’s wise or not. If you believe in it, go for it! For better or worse. But keep in mind, the card doesn’t always say you’re the thief—you could also be the one being robbed or deceived, whether materially, spiritually, or emotionally.
The 7 of Cups
The Seven of Cups is the card of the dreamer, of fantasies, and the temptations of what could be dancing in front of the mind’s eye.
The emotional power of these images is strong and can greatly influence one’s reality, even though these things aren’t of this world.
These are one’s own imaginations, even illusions, or possibly delusions. The sevens are very much about feelings and experiences, so the seven of cups represents the strong emotional pull of invisible and imagined possibilities. If you can believe it, you can create it, as the law of attraction goes.
This is a mystical card that can represent the visionary, the dreamer, in the act of conceiving their own reality beforehand in order to manifest it. In this kind of work, it’s essential to see oneself in the chosen reality and feel the emotions that come with desire in order to manifest the desired reality in the real world.
However, this card also represents a choice that must be made in order to focus thoughts and actions. If there are too many options, if one’s emotions are equally scattered among them, it’s more likely that none of them will happen, and you’ll remain just a dreamer.
This card sometimes reminds me of the phrase, “Too heavenly-minded to be any earthly good.” While there’s nothing wrong with daydreaming or fantasizing, and it’s actually healthy, dreaming just because it’s free is one thing, but following a dream is something else entirely.
All the options offered by the cups are tempting, but they all contain some risk, just as every dream is possible but comes with its own drawbacks.
Dream big, but be willing to face the dangers that come with it and be able to go after the dream, work for it—not just imagine it—or it will all be castles in the air, and that excess of imagination won’t let you deal with the real-life things you have in front of you at the moment.
The 7 of Wands
The Seven of Wands reminds me of a rebel, a freedom fighter, a revolutionary. This is someone who, against all opposition and being outnumbered, stands firm for what they believe in.
Once again, this card captures not only the isolated essence of the sevens but also the experimental act driven strongly by emotion.
When we see someone taking on a challenge like this, we often say that person has “spirit.” This reflects the spiritual seven, the inner spirit that drives someone, sometimes to extremes.
This card is generally a good omen; it’s very favorable for the lone fighter and indicates that if you find yourself in a similar situation, you’re likely to prevail. Most decks depict the figure standing on higher ground, symbolizing that they have the moral high ground, which gives them an advantage.
This is also the card of “putting your money where your mouth is.” Philosophizing and talking about one’s beliefs and understanding of spiritual things is one thing, but the moment of truth comes when those very beliefs are challenged, when it’s hard to live by them because others don’t accept them or criticize or fight you for them.
Standing before a crowd can be tough, whether they’re fighting you or simply wanting what you have or believe in. This seven is about opposition and competition, and that’s something we get plenty of throughout life. The good thing about this card is that you will come out victorious in the end.
The 7 of Pentacles
The Seven of Pentacles may not seem very spiritual, as it’s about work and material things, but remember that the seven represents the union of spirit and matter, and each of the sevens in tarot reflects some aspect of that union.
In this seven, the focus is on goals and plans based on one’s dreams and material circumstances. In this card, one assigns “value” to an effort, both in material and spiritual terms.
What’s the point of having all the wealth you desire if you’re bitterly unhappy doing whatever it is you’re doing to create that wealth?
In some ways, this card is about the “meaning of life,” as it represents a process of evaluation that measures one’s work or effort against an inner sense of satisfaction. It’s the “spiritual cost-benefit analysis.”
The dreamy aspect of the sevens is evident here in how the figure weighs their accomplishments against their own goals and dreams, contemplating various possibilities. Because Pentacles is the suit here, the focus is mainly on what can be achieved with the material resources one has and how to use those resources to follow one’s own dreams and desires.
This card brings the dreams of the seven of cups back down to earth, to reasonably consider what is truly feasible given the raw materials one has to work with.
Final Conclusions
The meaning of the number seven connects us spiritually to the forces we know exist but cannot see, both within and outside of us. This number inspires and drives us in many powerful ways, which is why there are many traps within each of the sevens.
The seven of swords could be up to no good, the seven of cups dangerously delusional, the seven of wands might be on the verge of getting a beating, and the seven of pentacles might foolishly throw all their money away or represent those who get rich quickly through scams, but all of these cards draw their energy from The Chariot, Major Arcana VII, whose will and focus are derived from a powerful inner conviction.
It’s better to stand for something, to live what you believe and how you believe, and to pursue your dreams with passion. The charioteer is well aware of the risks, but the journey is worth it. That’s just living life.
