Does it matter if two cards are switched in a deck?

[Jessica]

hey, so i’m new to this stuff and i had a question about card orders being switched in a deck.

i just bought a new deck online and got to reading the reviews and a few of them mention the 8 and 13 are switched in this specific deck (which i think is the empress and strength, so instead strength would be III and empress would be VIII).

does this matter at all? is there even a “correct” way the order of the cards should be?

Discussion

[Sleavlog]

Is is not 8 and 11, strength and justice? RWS switched the order but all other traditional decks keep the original order

[canny_goer]

RWS ordering bothers the pants off of me, but if you like that system, then it should be fine. Waite wanted to pervert the traditional ordering so that it falls in line with the zodiac in his understanding. Marseille readers believe that 8 is a better fit for Justice because it’s an even number that can be read as being about balance. Plus, that ordering has at least 2 or 3 centuries of tradition going for it before the esoterics came along. Also, one method of traditional numerology is to read the pips as corresponding to the ordering of the trumps. If you fuck up the order, that whole system stops making sense. But most people read RWS and are just fine with that. So do whatever you think suits you as a reader. If you care about astrological correspondence, then you might enjoy the wrong order (although plenty of continental European diviners use the Marseille and astrology both and do just fine). If you think the cards have enough to say without dragging the planets into the mess, then you might like the real procession of the trumps.

[honorthecrones]

I think if it is possible f concern to you, you should study how that progression does or does not affect your practice. Do you consider the progression of the Major Arcana when doing readings? If not, it should make no difference.