Seasons and zodiac signs tarot quiz
Equinoxes, solstices and the four trumps that open the seasons: test which signs and cards begin spring, summer, autumn and winter in the Golden Dawn system.
- 5 questions
- ≈ 2 min
- +5 bronze keys for a flawless run
How do the seasons connect to the signs and tarot cards?
This quiz tests how the four seasons map onto the zodiac and the tarot. The zodiac Tayna uses is tropical, which means it is tied to the equinoxes and solstices. The spring equinox opens Aries, the summer solstice opens Cancer, the autumn equinox opens Libra and the winter solstice opens Capricorn. These four are called the cardinal signs, the ones that open a season.
Each season has three signs. The first opens it, the second holds the season at full strength, and the third prepares the turn to the next. Spring is Aries, Taurus and Gemini. Summer is Cancer, Leo and Virgo. Autumn is Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius. Winter is Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. In the Southern Hemisphere the seasons swap places, so Aries falls in autumn there, though the sign's symbolism stays the same.
Which trumps open the seasons?
In the Golden Dawn system the cardinal signs get the Emperor, the Chariot, Justice and the Devil. It is a telling foursome: spring opens with will and order, summer with movement that guards its own, autumn with balance and a fair reckoning, and winter with attachments and frames worth becoming aware of. The mid-season signs take the Hierophant, Strength, Death and the Star, and the signs of transition take the Lovers, the Hermit, Temperance and the Moon.
Among the Minor Arcana the Twos open the seasons. The Two of Wands sits in the first decan of Aries, the Two of Cups in Cancer, the Two of Swords in Libra and the Two of Pentacles in Capricorn. If you read in the first days of a new season, these cards are useful images of a beginning to keep in mind.
How the quiz works
Each round draws five of twelve questions. Tayna keys go to a flawless round, with unlimited replays. The season you were born in does not fix your character; it is just one more colour worth comparing with.
The questions are built so you can work the links out by logic. Keep three steps in mind: an equinox or solstice opens a cardinal sign, the sign has its trump, and its first decan is the Two of the suit of its element.
All questions and answers
Open after you play: the full question set with right answers and explanations.
1. Which sign begins astrological spring?
Right answer: Aries
The spring equinox opens Aries, and the whole zodiac wheel begins with it too.
2. Which trump opens astrological winter?
Right answer: The Devil
The winter solstice opens Capricorn, whose card is the Devil: frames and attachments worth noticing.
3. In the Southern Hemisphere the season of Aries falls in autumn.
Right answer: True
The seasons swap there, so March starts autumn. The symbolism of the sign stays the same.
4. Which number card opens summer in the wheel of decans?
Right answer: Two of Cups
The summer solstice opens Cancer, whose first decan is the Two of Cups. Twos open the seasons.
5. Which event in the sky opens the season of Libra?
Right answer: The autumn equinox
At the autumn equinox day equals night, a fitting image for Libra and its card, Justice.
6. Which trump belongs to the sign of mid-spring?
Right answer: The Hierophant
Mid-spring is Taurus, whose card is the Hierophant: tradition and values taking root like a garden in May.
7. You read in the first days of spring and draw the Emperor. How does it fit the season?
Right answer: Give the new a structure
The Emperor is the card of Aries, which opens spring. He suggests giving a new venture a plan and limits.
8. How many zodiac signs fall in one season of the year?
Right answer: Three
Twelve signs over four seasons: in each one, a sign opens it, a sign holds it and a sign closes it.
9. Which number card opens autumn in the wheel of decans?
Right answer: Two of Swords
Autumn opens with Libra, an air sign, whose first decan is the Two of Swords: a hard choice held in balance.
10. Which sign closes astrological winter?
Right answer: Pisces
Winter is Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. Pisces is the bridge: after it come the spring equinox and Aries.
11. In what order do the season-opening trumps run, starting with spring?
Right answer: Emperor, Chariot, Justice
Spring is the Emperor, summer the Chariot, autumn Justice and winter the Devil.
12. Signs born in winter are colder by nature than the others.
Right answer: Myth
A season is a symbol, not a thermometer for character. Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces vary as much as summer signs.