Splot Arkanów

Point A and your birth day: your way of acting in the matrix

Where point A comes from, how to calculate it for days 23 to 31, what it describes and what it cannot tell you, with examples.

Links to pages without a translation lead to the Polish version.

Point A is the first number the calculator derives from your birth date. It comes from the day of the month alone, so it is easy to work out in your head. In the calculator it is called “Personality (A)” and sits on the left side of the diamond. The calculator describes point A as your first instinct: what you bring into new places and conversations.

This guide develops that description. We look at point A as your way of acting: how you tend to approach things when something needs to be started, arranged or solved. First the calculation, then the meaning, and finally what point A cannot tell you.

Where point A comes from

The formula is short: A is the reduced birth day. The month and year play no part.

Reduction works the same way throughout the matrix. Each point represents one of the 22 Major Arcana, so the number must be between 1 and 22. If it is greater than 22, add its digits. The guide to calculating the matrix explains the complete calculation, including all sixteen points.

Days 1 to 22: the number stays unchanged

If your birth day is between 1 and 22, point A is simply that day. People born on the 8th have A = 8, Justice. Those born on the 17th have A = 17, the Star.

This matters because many numerology systems add digits until only one remains. We do not do that here. Day 10 gives Wheel of Fortune, day 20 gives Judgement, and day 22 remains 22, the Fool. None exceeds the range of the arcana, so no reduction is needed.

Days 23 to 31: add the digits once

Nine days of the month exceed 22. For these, add the two digits:

A month has at most 31 days, so for point A one addition of digits is always enough. The largest result is 11, from day 29. For days 28 and 29 the calculation ends at 10 and 11; both are within 1⁠–⁠22, so do not add their digits again.

The list also shows that nine arcana, from 3 to 11, can reach point A from two different days: for example, the Hermit from the 9th or the 27th. Each of the other thirteen comes from just one day. If you have the Hanged Man at point A, your birth day is the 12th and there is no other possibility.

Two dates, the same matrix

Take 26 March 1994. The calculator records at point A: “Day of birth: 26, that is 2 + 6 = 8”. Point A is therefore 8, Justice.

Now compare 8 March 1994. Point A is again 8, this time without adding. The month and year are the same, so both dates give an identical matrix: all sixteen points match, from A = 8 through to a spiritual goal of 6. The matrix cannot distinguish these days because only the reduced day enters the rest of the calculation.

The difference appears in the year theme, where the day enters the sum unreduced. In 2027, 26 March gives 26 + 3 + 11 = 40, so 4 + 0 = 4 (the Emperor), while 8 March gives 8 + 3 + 11 = 22 (the Fool).

What point A describes

We read point A as the style in which you most naturally act. It concerns your first instinct when you have something to do: whether you plan first, try immediately, ask others for their views, or find quiet space to think. It is the way you find it easiest to begin.

You can find all the arcana in the arcana index: each one’s gift is a starting point for describing your style. Six examples of what that might look like:

  • The Magician, A = 1. You start with what is at hand. You put your tools on the table and make the first move without waiting for perfect conditions.
  • The Empress, A = 3 (day 3 or 30). You start by caring for people and ideas. Things grow around you because you return to them regularly.
  • Justice, A = 8 (day 8 or 26). Before starting, you establish who is responsible for what. You work best when the rules are clear to everyone, including you.
  • Strength, A = 11 (day 11 or 29). You start calmly and persistently. You handle difficult matters with patience and kindness rather than force.
  • The Star, A = 17. Starting is easier when you can see a distant goal, even an indistinct one. You move forward with hope and give yourself time.
  • The Fool, A = 22. You set out without a complete map. Curiosity takes you further than a plan, and the first step comes easily.

Each arcanum page has a section called “Gifts and potential pitfalls”, with three short descriptions: gift, shadow and first step. The shadow is usually the same style taken to excess. For Justice, it can mean keeping count of who contributed what and who owes whom, until you judge yourself most harshly of all.

These descriptions are not evaluations. The same style can be very helpful in one situation and a hindrance in another.

Point A in the rest of the matrix

Point A does not stand alone. It directly enters five sums: D, E, F, I and Earth, and through them all the other points except B, C and G. Take 29 July 2001:

  • A: day 29, so 2 + 9 = 11 (Strength). B = 7 because it is July. C = 3 because 2 + 0 + 0 + 1 = 3.
  • D = A + B + C = 11 + 7 + 3 = 21.
  • Centre E = A + B + C + D = 11 + 7 + 3 + 21 = 42, so 4 + 2 = 6.
  • F (upper left corner) = A + B = 11 + 7 = 18.
  • I (lower left corner) = D + A = 21 + 11 = 32, so 3 + 2 = 5.
  • Earth = A + C = 11 + 3 = 14.

That is why a different birth day can change as many as thirteen of the sixteen numbers. Only B, C and G are certain to stay the same. The exception is days that reduce to the same result, such as 11 and 29 with the same month and year.

What point A cannot tell you

Point A is one number out of sixteen. It is a useful place to begin looking at your habits, but it does not describe a whole person. Here are some things it cannot tell you:

  • The rest of the matrix. Two people with the same point A may have completely different remaining numbers. Both 8 November 1988 and 26 March 1994 have A = 8, but their centres are 9 and 5, and their spiritual goals 9 and 6, respectively.
  • What will happen. Point A describes a style of acting. It does not tell you what situations you will encounter or how they will end.
  • Whether you act well or badly. Every arcanum has a gift and a shadow. Number 1 is not better than 22, and Strength is not more important than the Hanged Man.
  • Other people’s decisions. Point A concerns you. It does not tell you how your boss, partner or friend will behave.
  • That your style is fixed forever. The number never changes, because your birth date is fixed. How you use the style can change: over time you learn when to strengthen it and when to rein it in.

The matrix is a tool for self-reflection and fun. If the description of point A does not fit, you can set it aside and see what the other points suggest.

How to explore your own result

  1. Enter your date in the calculator. Select point A on the diagram to see which day produced it and whether reduction was needed.
  2. Expand the “Personality” row in the result to see your arcanum’s gift, shadow and first step. Open the full arcanum page from the list above or the arcana index.
  3. For a week, notice how you begin tasks at work, at home and in conversations. Write down two or three examples.
  4. Compare your notes with the description. Keep what fits and treat the rest as a question to consider.

To see how the other fifteen points are calculated, visit the guide to calculating the matrix.