Birth Card Calculator
Step-by-step method to find your tarot birth card from your birthdate.
Interactive calculator coming in Phase 3. Until then, use the algorithm below to compute your birth card manually — the method is straightforward and takes less than two minutes.
The calculation algorithm
The birth card system follows the Angeles Arrien and Mary K. Greer convention. The steps are:
- Write out your full birthdate as two-digit month, two-digit day, and four-digit year. Example: September 15, 1987 → 09 / 15 / 1987.
- Sum all digits — add each individual digit of the month, day,
and year together.
Example: 0 + 9 + 1 + 5 + 1 + 9 + 8 + 7 = 40. - Reduce by digit-sum until the result is 22 or less. If
it is already 22 or less, stop here.
Example: 40 → 4 + 0 = 4. Since 4 ≤ 22, stop. - Map the result to a Major Arcana card. The number is your birth
card index (1 = The Magician, 2 = The High Priestess … 21 = The World).
Example: 4 → The Emperor. - Find your soul card. If your birth card number is 10 or higher,
reduce it one more time to a single digit (1–9). That single digit is your soul
card index.
Example: birth card 17 (The Star) → 1 + 7 = 8 (Strength) as soul card.
Worked example
Fictional birthdate: March 22, 1994 (03 / 22 / 1994).
| Step | Operation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 – Write digits | 0, 3, 2, 2, 1, 9, 9, 4 | — |
| 2 – Sum digits | 0 + 3 + 2 + 2 + 1 + 9 + 9 + 4 | 30 |
| 3 – Reduce (30 > 22) | 3 + 0 | 3 |
| 4 – Map to Major Arcana | 3 → The Empress | Birth card: The Empress |
| 5 – Soul card check | 3 is already single-digit | Soul card = Birth card (The Empress) |
A birth card that is already a single-digit number (1–9) is simultaneously its own soul card. See the soul card explainer for more on what this means.
Edge cases and clarifications
- What if my result is 22?
- 22 maps to The Fool (Major Arcana 0). Under the Arrien / Greer convention The Fool is conventionally excluded from the birth card system — if you calculate 22, reduce one more time: 2 + 2 = 4 (The Emperor). Some teachers treat 22 as a valid birth card; this site follows the Greer convention of excluding it.
- What if my calculation yields 0?
- Under standard Gregorian dates and the digit-sum method, 0 is not reachable (the smallest realistic date-sum is at least 2). If you arrive at 0, recheck your arithmetic.
- Does birth card change with interpretation tradition?
- Slightly. Some traditions treat numbers 1–21 only (Greer), while others accept 22 as The Fool. This site follows the 1–21 convention.
All 21 birth-card archetypes
Click any card to read its full birth-card archetype page.
Tarot birth cards are a tool for self-reflection rooted in the numerological tradition of Angeles Arrien and Mary K. Greer. They do not constitute professional psychological, medical, financial, or legal advice.