Tarot & The Elements Within
The 5 elements permeate the cards in an almost unavoidable way. Each Major Arcana is associated with either a planet or a sign that carries with it an elemental nature. The Majors as a whole depict Spirit, the 5th element. Then we have the minors. Each set governs an entire element, Pentacles are Earth, Wands are Fire, Cups are Water and Swords are Air. We can take it even further. Among the suit cards you’ll find 4 court characters - Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings. Each “type” of court also has its associated element. The Pages are associated with Earth, the Knights Air, the Queens Water and the Kings Fire. So while the Page of Cups is a “Water” card by its suit, the element of Earth would also apply and add an extra layer of information about the workings of that character.
It seems, with all this elemental focus, that these 5 forces almost weave their own language throughout the deck. Without knowing nothing else about a card, if we pulled a handful and looked at the spread at large, just knowing the elemental distribution of those cards could give us so much insight into what was in front of us.
But why so much focus on the elements? Why are they so intertwined in the system of tarot?
I am not sure, of course, but what I’ve come to recently, especially intuitively, is that the elements are so evident within the cards because they are also so evident within each of us. They live in the deck as they live within our own very vessels - steeped deeply into the underpinnings of our lives, both in a broad sense and a daily one.
It’s perhaps the equivalent of our own natural habitat, atmosphere or ecosystem. The planet, as we know, depending on where you live, has a certain kind of climate. Even within that, there are shifts that can occur and those are dependent on all kinds of circumstances. The same is true for us. Our own inner elements both shape us and are shaped by us and our environment. We may have some “natural” weather patterns or ways of being, just as a jungle has a kind of intrinsic system, however, we are also prone to fluctuations.
Tarot can talk to us about this. It can show us where we are elementally in any given moment, or even where a situation is elementally speaking. Looking for love, but pulling all swords? Well, that’s quite telling, because one would expect to find cups in a reading about love, and so to see a landscape of swords or something else might be an important clue.
How can we take this deeper though?
It occurs to me that our elemental health is an important component to our overall wellbeing. If there are imbalances at play, knowing where they show up is key. We can approach this through the idea of the 5 bodies, in association with the 5 elements. Let’s break it down.
Earth
The Physical Body. This is our relationship with our bodily needs, finances, general security, our groundedness, resources and assets, or even career.
Overactivity of the Earth element may lead to a hoarding of resources, a feeling of stuckness, too much rigidity.
Underactivity of the Earth element may feel like an ungroundedness, a disconnect from this physical realm, difficulty manifesting, trouble around security and resources.
Consider: The right dose of Earth can have us feeling comfy, secure, stable and “at home”. Too much Earth and we’re boxed in or worse, crushed; not enough and we’re floating away or at the whim of all the other elements without Earth to protect us!
Air
The Mental Body. This is our relationship with our mental needs, communication, ideas, thought patterns, inner dialogue.
Overactivity of the Air element may result in too much thinking, ruminations or obsessions, the inclination to get stuck in mental loops, jumping from one thought to the next.
Underactivity of the Air element may be evident by difficulty forming cohesive thoughts, trouble with problem solving, issues around communication, a lack of clarity where ideas are concerned, difficulty focusing.
Consider: The right dose of Air can feel like a fresh breath - life giving and sustaining. Too much air and we’re being blown away or whipped around. Not enough air and even worse, we suffocate!
Fire
Our Energetic Body. This is our relationship with our energetic needs, passions, creativity, desires.
Overactivity of the Fire element may lead to outbursts, an overexpression of anger, uncontrolled desire, issues around impulse control.
Underactivity of the Fire element may lead to feeling fatigued, having little energy or drive, a lack of inspiration, feelings of boredom or frustration.
Consider: The right dose of fire can light up a room, provide necessary heat and cook the food we love to eat. Too much fire and we run the risk of burning things down. Not enough fire and we may just freeze to death.
Water
Our Emotional Body. This is our relationship with our emotional needs, our feelings, relationships, dreams.
Overactivity of the Water element may mean that emotions are taking over in unproductive ways, feeling very intensely, being clouded by emotions, having an abundance of empathy and compassion which may lead to weak boundaries, having difficulty separating what one feels with how things actually are.
Underactivity of the Water element may mean one is disconnected from their feelings, has trouble empathizing, may struggle in relationship with others.
Consider: The right dose of water can cleanse, replenish and nourish every cell in our body. Too much water and we drown! Not enough and things dry out and die.
Spirit
Our Spiritual Needs. This is our relationship with our spirituality, the divine, universal law, life lessons and karmic obligations.
I am going to break the formula with this one and omit the idea of over and underactivity in this body. I’m not sure it makes sense in the way it does for the 4 that preceded it.
As I’m writing all this out, I’m thinking how elusive and out there elements as a concept can be. But I also think, given its deep integration into the system of tarot, there is a message that we would be wise to pay more attention to it. Especially as it shows up within us. For me, I know I have an abundance of Air and a low dose of Fire. I could be off, but I do wonder if the elements work in a closed system kind of way. In other words, is it possible to be deficient in one element without some overcompensation in another? Is it designed to “balance” itself anyway it can? Did my low Fire cause my high Air or vise versa? That’s probably a chicken and egg question - I wonder if maybe they work simultaneously without differentiation. This is too much to think about and also, a perfect demonstration of what I was saying above - too much Air.
So with all this in mind, how can we work with tarot to check in on the state of our elemental wellbeing? Our inner atmosphere? Our personal ecosystem? We have a reading designed just for that, if you are more inclined to third-party support with these kind of things. But, for the solo reader who just wants to know how to do it for themselves, here are a couple ideas.
Draw 10 cards (to allow for many statistical probabilities) and simply take in the elemental distribution of the landscape. How many of each suit showed up? What about majors? Did any courts make an appearance (remember, they have 2 elements!)? With 10 cards, you’re giving lots of room for a mix of elements, so it would be interesting to find that there really was an abundance of one over the other.
Pull 5 cards and designate each position to one of the 5 elements or bodies (Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit). Allow each spot to represent the current state of each center and then use the card you drew to interpret what is coming up. For example, perhaps you draw the 3 of Swords in the Water spot. No, Swords don’t represent emotions BUT this card could be speaking to some pain, grief or discomfort in that realm.
I hope this post has inspired you to consider where in your own inner world the elements are showing up (or not). If you take have a go at either of the techniques above, let us know how you made out!