Playing Cards Numbers: The Power of 4

The numbers are the first of the archetypes to emerge from the void.  All other archetypes like the suits, planets, etc. are extended from the numbers and represent access points to the deeper wisdom contained within the number.  The basis of this system is rooted in the field of number.  Therefore, any aspect of this system (or of nature in general) can be analyzed in terms of number.  In this sense, number represents the fundamental construct that underlies the manifest world.  There are two main aspects of the numbers that are carried out to infinity, that being the odd and even sequences:

• Zero is actually the container for number rather than a number itself.  It represents the boundary that surrounds our visible world, essentially the arena within which creation unfolds.  From the great void, the '0' coalesced to contain the emerging One. 

• One is the creative force of spirit that works to animate the visible world.  The birthing process for the '1' is two-fold, though both processes happen simultaneously.  As the active, creative force concentrates into a single point of consciousness, the '0' congeals as a barrier to contain this single point.

Since the creation of the '0' and the '1' are Dependant upon each other they cannot be separated, though they can be analyzed independently.  Where the '1' represents the creative force behind creation, the '0' represents the space within which creation occurs.  This discussion of the zero and the one is an abstract subject, though it does underscore a fundamental principal of nature: Duality.  However you choose to see it—positive/negative, active/passive, yang/yin—the workings of duality are indicated.  The zero and one are dualistic aspects of Spirit, where zero represents the void ('no thing') and one represents unity ('all things').  There is actually no separation, the zero and one are different polarities of the same concept.  Separation does not occur until the abstract becomes tangible. 

The zero reflects into the tangible as the Two.  Like the zero, two is always potentially pregnant, awaiting to birth the creative force of spirit.  This is a passive force, accessed as a function of the self-reflective nature of the subconscious.  The emergence of two however causes the one to realize itself through self-reflection, revealing that one has a tangible nature as well.  This internal revelry causes the one to reach out, wanting to touch itself in some way.  And true to its nature, one impregnates the two who births their son: Three.  At this point we are starting to see the overwhelming power that One holds within itself. 

It is the seeking nature within One that then becomes the dominant paradigm of the three.  Like the One, Three cannot help but create.  This is an innate desire, the highest form being the desire to seek creator—or unity.  As a rule, all odd numbers align with this innate desire and are involved with the conscious mental processes, often playing an active or creative role.  Equally, all even numbers carry the same potentiality of the zero, essentially providing the space necessary for creation to play out.  The zero is linked to the subconscious and to all processes that are self-reflective, often, but not always, playing out in the background as a passive role.

Playing Cards Numbers: General Descriptions:

Below is a list of some common generalities that have been associated with the numbers.  The odd numbers are colored yellow to indicate that they represent the active principle of nature, the creative ability and obligation associated with evolution.  The even numbers are colored blue to indicate the passive principle of nature, the force within nature that responds to and makes physical its creative ability.