Tarot Card Interpretation: The 4 Elements

Let me first explain what it is that I am concentrating myself in this article, because, make no mistake, we are talking here about Tarot Cards and their Interpretation. But this rant is not going just like the good old fashion mambo jumbo you are probably used to reading when it comes to this and similar topics. I would like you to try and understand the essence. Because if we understand the basics of it all, we will be able to grasp the meaning of even new things and concepts we have no previous ideas about.

Tarot Cards nicely fit in the grand scheme of spiritual things, if we know where to put them. To give you an example, they are certainly related with the complex metaphysical teaching of the Kabbalah. Apart from that, you would need to master the other areas of spirituality, zodiac and workings of natural forces in order just to have a vague idea what you are doing. Therefore, if you just look for some spare time literature and/or quick and funny fortune telling or predictions about the next Tuesday lottery numbers, this is definitely not the sort of website that will satisfy your desires.

Here at this spot I would like to further discuss some beginner’s aspects regarding Tarot Cards, and for that matter also some other metaphysical disciplines. People often believe that if you are interested in Tarot Cards, Astrology and similar subjects, you automatically no longer stay in the domain of the Divine. This is a complaint you are likely to get from the so called “religious side”, represented through the surprise of your neighbor or your relative when they discovered what you do in your spare time.

The other objection you might get comes from the “science side”, as the scientists only believe in what is visible either with naked eye or via a material object so nicely called a scientific instrument. I guess you can call me a science heretic, since I have a PhD in physics, but my firm belief is that the scope of science is currently too limited to include also the spiritual levels of existence which we are obliged to touch and learn about when dealing with Tarot. As for the first type of objections, it is the intention and motivation of each single individual that decisive point which makes him/her stay within or depart from the Divine. If your intention is to transgress, you do not need the Tarot Cards, you can easily do so in everyday life. On the other hand, if you really want to understand the truth behind the complex reality of our life and existence, you really need to go one step further in your investigations that what the mainstream belief of your community is.

Our Being and our Planet

The moment we are born, we become a part of the common energy field of our planet Earth. With our first breathing in we receive our core — the psychic essence of our microcosm. Every thing and every one is born in a definite moment of time, and therefore, every thing and everyone has within an imprint of that moment of time. We cannot really know the full truth about somebody without considering that particular moment of their birth.

Now you ask me what this all has to do with the tarot cards. Well, each of the Tarot Cars from the Minor Arcana subset, corresponds roughly to 10 days of the Yearly Solar Cycle. There are exactly 36 Minor Arcana Cards if we exclude the Aces.

One guest can spoil the party. One individual can turn around the world. One individual for the better or for the worse. Therefore the psychological structure of one’s personality is very important. This psychological factor is influenced by the date of birth. Also, we should have in mind that there are four main groups in each Universe, no matter how small it might be, and our division into 36 10-day periods is based on these four groups.

Let us mention them right now: here we are talking about love, making money, getting along with other people, and physical disposition or physical environment. If you think about it, there are four main psychological types of man (according to Carl Gustav Jung). Since, this is not psychology we are talking about on this website, our Tarot nomenclature is four basic elements or TYPES of FORCE.

Each type of force has its potential, and finally to make things more complicated the third part is their frequency. Do not worry if the things are getting unclear right now. We will go through these concepts in detail and we will do that in our next lessons.

The Four Elements of the Tarot Cards

Fire, Water, Air and Earth are the four elements. These are the elements you would find in practically every religious or spiritual tradition, also in the western alchemy. In the higher areas of spirituality you would have to add also the Aether or Ether element. When considering Tarot we are almost exclusively restrained to the first Four elements, as the Tarot Cards are more grounded and more applicable to everyday practical situations. The following Table relates the four elements with the 4 types of Jung, as well as with the Pythagoras’s description.

Pythagoras Jung
Fire, imagination, feelings
Water, intuition, intuition
Air, rationality, cognitive
Earth, senses, senses

To translate all these element characteristics to more understandable language, let us mention the formulas that replace them in our potential Tarot practice:

The Fire element brings dynamic energy.
The Water element brings flexibility.
The Air element brings rationality.
The Earth element brings pragmatism and practical potential.

In the text above I hope we have gained some basic knowledge into the general theory behind the 4 Elements of the Tarot Cards. The more specific aspects of this subject will be given elsewhere. Also, in our next lessons we will present the 7 potentials and the 7 frequencies. If you are patient enough at the end we will apply this knowledge to the actual Cards. Then, I hope, you will be able to spot and interpret the symbolism of the Tarot Cards with ease and joy.