I previously published this on Exemplore and thought I would repost it here before someone decides to steal it. It might as well be me 😀
Tarot has so many fascinating aspects, not least is the way it incorporates and makes sense of, the four magickal elements. Actually, there are five, but we’ll come to that later, for now, we’ll stick to the four elemental pillars: fire, water, air and earth.
These elemental correspondences illustrate how the tarot is deeply intertwined with nature, and indeed how much we are influenced by them. By understanding how it all works, you can expand your tarot skills immensely.
I’ve explored the elements previously in another article, “Harnessing the Power of the Elements: A Practical Guide to Working With Them in Witchcraft,” but this one is focused wholly on the amazing mirror of life, tarot.
Let’s get right into it.
What Are These Magickal Tarot Elements?
They aren’t the same as the elements you study in science class. Although they once were considered to be the basis of the universe, today they are generally consigned to the realms of magick, astrology, and tarot. However, that doesn’t mean that the concept isn’t useful in day-to-day life, especially if you have an interest in any of the three disciplines above.
The four elements of fire, water, air, and earth can be connected to situations and personalities with a certain amount of accuracy. We all know people who we describe as passionate, emotional, intellectual or practical. Of course, we all incorporate a bit of all of them, but there is usually one overarching trait that dominates.
Often, we feel imbalanced and may talk about the need to increase our enthusiasm, check in with our emotions, require a dose of logic, or take practical action. That’s the incorporation of the elements into daily life. The elements can also be connected with levels of spirituality.
To see the embodiment of the pure elements in the Minor Arcana, look at the Aces. They show the pure potential of the element in each suit.
- Fire (masculine): inspired action, passion, enthusiasm.
- Water (feminine): emotion, empathy, intuition.
- Air (masculine): intellect, logic, communication.
- Earth (feminine): grounded, practical, material concerns.
Don’t get hung up on the gender thing. They are assigned according to their qualities. And such qualities have always been designated masculine or feminine, active or passive. They can still apply to anyone regardless of gender. It’s simply another way to classify them.
Fire: Passion and Transformation
Fire in the tarot is represented by the active masculine suit of Wands or Staves. The reason for this is that wood burns. You’ll often see budding branches in wands; they also symbolize the growth represented by fire. In nature, there is usually an explosion of new growth after a forest or heathland fire.
Fire is not restricted to the Wands suit; there are also several fire cards in the Major Arcana: the Magician, the Sun, and the Tower.
The element of fire in the tarot represents inspiration, creativity, passion, personal energy, and change/transformation. It’s associated with ambition, courage, positive action, and leadership.
An interesting observation in the suit of Wands is the progression from the fiery potential of the Ace of Wands to the only just smouldering Ten of Wands. The poor guy in the Ten is barely managing to put one foot in front of the other. Thus the energy of fire declines as the suit numbers increase. That doesn’t mean the higher numbered cards are negative, but merely that the fire has been harnessed and subdued. Another analogy would be the dawn of a bright summer day. The early morning is crisp and energizing. We emerge into the light full of enthusiasm. Yet as the day wears on and we become hot and tired by late afternoon, our energy dissipates or becomes stagnant.
A Simple Fire Meditation
Use the power of fire to increase your personal energy by choosing the cards that inspire you. For example, pick out the Ace and the Six of Wands, and the Sun. Place them in front of you with a lit candle.
Spend some time absorbing the symbolism of each card. Breathe in and imagine you are breathing in fire energy. Feel your emotions lift and your enthusiasm grow.
Embrace the feelings of potential transformation and growth. When ready, extinguish the candle and go about your day (or evening).
Similarly, incorporate fire cards if you are performing any kind of spell or ritual that requires extra energy or calls upon the qualities of inspiration and passion.
Water: Intuition and Emotions
Cups is the tarot suit that represents the element of water. Water rules emotions. When you think about emotions, they run (sorry, pun) from gentle empathy through to raging storms.
Water fills the space it occupies. It wants to level out, yet it is subject to disruptive external forces such as the influence of the Moon, currents, and wind. Similarly, our emotions are influenced by other people and events.
Water takes so many forms, from the extremes of the oceans to the tiny puddle inside an oyster. Liquid water is always subject to tidal forces wherever it is on the planet. And as watery beings, humans are also subject to tidal ebb and flow.
Unlike the apparent degradation in the Wands, the Cups suit moves towards a positive culmination of love in the ten.
Water-related cards in the Majors include the High Priestess, Temperance, the Moon, and the Star.
An Easy Water Visualization
When you want to tap into your intuition, this visualization may be helpful.
Select your choice of Cups and water cards from the deck. Place them on a surface in front of you. Fill a glass vessel with water.
Sit quietly and breathe steadily. Imagine that you are floating on a vast ocean of knowledge and wisdom and you want to access that which will help you. Visualize throwing down a weighted net that is able to capture the information, feelings, and intuitive knowledge you need. Bring the net back to the surface and know that you have all the guidance you need at this time. You could also perform this visualization in the bath.
Air: Intellect and Communication
Air is represented by Swords in the tarot. Imagine a sword swiping through the air, cutting through confusion and providing clarity with its shimmering blade.
Air is connected to the qualities of logic, analytical ability, clarity of thought, communication, etc. In other words, all the processes that are dominated by the realm of the mind.
Like water, air is vital to life, and we often say things like ‘blowing away the cobwebs’, when we mean getting out in nature and the fresh air to clear our thoughts.
And like Wands, the suit of Swords also degrades as the numbers increase, ending with apparent death in the ten.
Cards in the Majors that are connected to air are the Fool, the Magician, and Justice.
Breathing Exercise to Gain Clarity
Place your preferred air cards in front of you. You might choose the Ace of Swords for a breakthrough, or the Queen of Swords to discern the truth in a situation. Just choose the ones that seem to be the most appropriate. You could also include a representation of air/Swords, such as a feather, a leaf, a pair of embroidery scissors, or a letter opener.
Focus on the first card and breathe steadily in through your nose, out through your mouth. Visualize each in-breath bringing fresh oxygen into your body, cleansing your mind, and providing clarity and insight. As you breathe out, release confusion and cluttered thought. Do it until your mind feels clear.
You could also do this while outside without any cards. Sit under a tree and gaze up into the branches. Commence with the measured breathing and visualization as above.
Earth: Grounding and Stability
The element of earth is represented by the suit of Pentacles or Coins which highlight its material nature. However, the earth element is so much more than mere currency. The material world is everything we can see and touch. It is the ground upon which we stand, the body we inhabit, and the place where we manifest the ideas, the passions, and the feelings experienced via the other three elements.
Pentacles are connected to health, fertility, childbirth, work, the practical side of relationships, and, of course, wealth.
Like the suit of Cups, Pentacles grow and expand as the number increases, ending in the manifestation of family wealth and generations in the ten.
Earth cards in the Major Arcana include the Empress, Hierophant, the Hermit, and the Devil.
Create a Fast Connection to the Earth
Choose the earth cards that resonate with you or fit the situation you are contemplating. You could also have a rock or a small bowl of salt to remind you of the element of earth.
Sit or stand, and remove your shoes in order to experience the ground. Don’t worry if you are on an upper floor of a building; you are still connected to the earth via its structure.
Imagine the energy of the planet rising up through your feet and gradually through your body. When I do this, my hands begin to tingle with energy. Feel yourself physically strengthened and healed by the flow.
What About that Fifth Element?
The fifth element in the tarot is sometimes called ‘spirit’. It is the underlying, indefinable energy of the universe. Some might call it ‘God’, ‘All-that-is, or ‘Source’.
It is present in all the Major Arcana cards and particularly in Judgment and the World cards.
Each of the Majors has a life lesson that elevates the seeker’s self-knowledge and spiritual connection to Source. Ignoring the lesson will result in it being presented repeatedly, hence some people appear to be caught in an endlessly repeating cycle of destructive circumstances.
The Special Elemental Duality of the Court Cards
An aspect of the court cards that will help you in their interpretation and your understanding of them is that each rank has its own element. This element works with the element of their suit to create a unique ‘personality’.
Kings are fire, Queens are water, Knights are air, and Pages are earth. Therefore:
- King of Wands: Fire of Fire
- Queen of Wands: Water of Fire
- Knight of Wands: Air of Fire
- Page of Wands: Earth of Fire
- King of Cups: Fire of Water
- Queen of Cups: Water of Water
- Knight of Cups: Air of Water
- Page of Cups: Earth of Water
- King of Swords: Fire of Air
- Queen of Swords: Water of Air
- Knight of Swords: Air of Air
- Page of Swords: Earth of Air
- King of Pentacles: Fire of Earth
- Queen of Pentacles: Water of Earth
- Knight of Pentacles: Air of Earth
- Page of Pentacles: Earth of Earth
I’m not going to go into too much detail here, just to say, it’s a good field to study, journal, and think about (try applying the idea to people you know). I also cover this in my series on Court Cards.
The Elements in a Reading
When you lay out your cards, quickly assess what elements are present and in what number.
For example, say you are doing a three-card reading and you have two water cards and one earth. That water element will overwhelm the earth and create ‘mud’. Therefore indicating the seeker’s emotions are ‘muddying’ their perspective.
For more information (no affiliation), visit Paul Hughes-Barlow’s site, Elemental Dignity. There is a wealth of information regarding the interaction of the elements in readings.
Five-Card Elemental Tarot Reading
Formulate your question, shuffle your deck, and lay out five cards from left to right.
1. Earth (Foundation): This card shows you the basis of the situation. It relates to the physical realm and material resources. It may also highlight the obstacles and blocks that could be causing issues.
2. Air (Intellect): This one shows the mental aspects of the situation. Thoughts and beliefs that help or hinder.
3. Fire (Passion): Card three, points to what may be the overriding factor that cannot be resisted. Again, depending on the question, situation, and card, it may be showing positive or negative influences.
4. Water (Emotions): This card shows you where your (or the seeker’s) emotions are regarding the issue. There may be insights into suppressed feelings or inner guidance.
5. Spirit (Integration): The final card is an advice card that shows how to balance the elemental energies which will help the seeker move forward. It will offer a direction of travel or avoidance, or even point to ‘no action required.’ As always, the reader must take into account all the other factors present in a reading.
The Elemental Tarot
The Elemental Tarot by Caroline Smith and John Astrop specializes in connecting the cards to the elements.
I’ve had my copy for years but have never used it for readings. I dug it out for the purposes of this article and noted that it could quite easily be used by any reader with a sound understanding of a traditional deck. The names of the cards are different and, in many cases, enlightening.
On each of the Majors are two pithy sentences. For example, on the left side of the Fool card, it says, “I am the unlearned.” And on the right, “And they can learn from me.”
The Majors all carry the symbol of an oval, zero, or perhaps it is an egg? In fact, on checking, the book says it is the symbol of potential and is an egg.
All the cards display their astrological and planetary connections.
One of the most interesting aspects is that each suit shows a clear progression through a theme. Air/Swords, for instance, starts with the Ace = Breath, and goes through Two = Zephyr, right up to Ten = Cyclone. Earth/Pentacles starts with Seed and progresses to Desert.
I wouldn’t recommend this deck for a beginner, but for any tarotist wanting to expand their understanding of the tarot elements, it is an ideal study deck.
Last Word
As you develop your own reading style, experiment with integrating the elemental energy into your practice. Create your own spreads, and observe how the elements interact within the individual cards, with each other, and with the seeker’s situation.
I hope this was interesting and helpful to you in your exploration of the tarot. Personally, I find the topic of elements in the tarot to be endlessly fascinating. And extremely helpful when performing readings. I trust you will too.
Further Reading
The Tarot Elements: Five Readings to Reset Your Life by Melissa Cynova: In this book, the author explores the five elements (earth, air, fire, water, and spirit) and offers tarot spreads and readings that focus on each element’s transformative power and how they can be applied to personal growth and self-discovery.
Previously published at Exemplore. © Beverley Gee June 2023
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