Tarot card reading is a mystical tool that provides direction, understanding, and self-awareness. Although tarot reading is a complex subject, but with the help of tarot card elements, you can easily and quickly learn how to read the tarot cards. The intriguing field of tarot element reading is not widely known, despite the fact that many enthusiasts are familiar with the standard tarot card spreads and their meaning. 

The elemental energies in a tarot spread paint a broad picture of the querent's current situation. If you are also not really aware of the tarot card elements and their meaning, don't worry. There are five primary elements of nature - Soul/Spirit, Fire, Air, Water, and Earth that are essentially represented by the tarot. 

Thus, we will discuss the five elements of tarot cards in this article, along with the ways in which you can relate to them personally. In addition, we will discover what these elements have in store for us. So, continue reading to find out the connection between tarot cards and the five elements.

5 Tarot Card Elements and Their Meaning

In this article, we will look into the details of the different tarot card elements and their meaning. We will also walk you through the insights these elements provide about the Tarot suits and how to apply them with ease in your readings. So, let’s dive in.

1. The Soul/Spirit Element (Major Arcana)

There are 78 cards in a standard tarot deck. The 78 cards are divided into two different groups: major arcana cards (22 total) and minor arcana cards (56 total). The 22 Major Arcana cards stand for the spiritual lessons that a person is destined to learn throughout their lifetime. The Major Arcana cards reflect the life lessons you have learned, the karmic influences on your path to enlightenment, and the major archetypal themes that influence your life.

They outline a route to spiritual self-awareness and symbolize the different stages we encounter on our quest for deeper comprehension and significance. Thus, there are important spiritual lessons to be learned from the Major Arcana cards. Thus, Major Arcana cards represent the Soul element of nature. Now let’s explore the other 5 tarot card elements associated with the Minor Arcana cards.

2. The Air Element (Suit Of Swords)

Air is always moving even though it is invisible and intangible. Air can become a breeze or a strong wind, or it can remain motionless and largely undetected. It is strong but also energizing and purifying. The air element is symbolic of power, knowledge, action, and transformation. Even though it is invisible, this masculine energy can be guided by strength and force.

The tarot card element of air is associated with the Suit of Swords in the Tarot. It is related to action, transformation, force, oppression, power, ambition, bravery, and conflict. The Suit of Swords is concerned with the mental level of consciousness, which is centered on the mind and intellect. Swords reflect your mental state as it manifests in your beliefs, attitudes, and thoughts. 

Since swords have two edges, the Suit of Swords represents the delicate balance between power and intellect and how these two tarot card elements can be used for good or evil. This means that spirit (Wands) and feeling (Cups) must balance the Swords. The Suit of Swords can also be associated with negative emotions such as rage, guilt, severe judgment, lack of empathy, and verbal and psychological abuse. 

Also know: Symbolism in Tarot Cards

3. The Fire Element (Suit Of Wands)

Fire is hot, unpredictable, wild, and energizing. It can be useful when it comes to building tools or cooking, or it can be destructive when it comes to devastating housefires or bushfires. The fire tarot card element represents ardor, vigor, excitement, and sexuality. It is a characteristically masculine element that embodies the determination and strength of male energy.

The suit of Wands in the Tarot represents the fire element. The meanings of the Tarot card Suit of Wands are linked to raw energy, spirituality, inspiration, willpower, courage, strength, intuition, creativity, aspiration and growth, unique ideas, and the seeds that nourish life.

The Wand's cards reflect your innermost values and deal with the spiritual plane of consciousness. They deal with the things that make us human, such as our egos, passions, personalities, and internal and external sources of personal energy.

The Suit of Wands can be detrimental when it comes to illusion, egocentric behavior, impulsivity, a lack of focus or direction, or a sense of meaninglessness.

4. The Earth Element (Suit Of Pentacles)

Earth is tangible, earthy, and tactile. In addition to supporting and caring for the plants and trees, it lays the groundwork for the planet's continued growth and development. Earth is fertile, supportive, steady, and grounded. It is a receptive feminine element. It absorbs solar radiation and nutrients, using these energy sources to support the life that sprouts from it.

The Suit of Pentacles in the Tarot represents the earth element. The meanings of the Tarot card Suit of Pentacles deal with material things such as employment, commerce, trade, real estate, finances, and other material belongings. The Suit of Pentacles has benefits such as prosperity, manifestation, realization, and proof. 

Pentacles are associated with the physical or exterior level of consciousness, reflecting the external circumstances surrounding your work, finances, health, and creativity. They deal with the construction, shaping, transformation, and growth of our external environment. Pentacles are connected to the ego, self-image, and self-esteem on a more esoteric level.

The negative characteristics of the Suit of Pentacles involve arrogance, greed, and excessive materialism; overindulgence and inactivity; ineffective money management; and an excessive concentration on one's career at the expense of other priorities in life. Going back to nature can help one ground themselves and come back to what's really important, which is often what is needed to mitigate these adverse effects.

Also know: One Card Tarot Reading Guide

5. The Water Element (Suit Of Cups)

The tarot card element, Water is incredibly strong and formative, yet it is also agile, fluid, and in motion. It can be strong and even violent, like a raging river, or it can be soft and gentle, like waves crashing against the sandy shore. Water is a symbol of relationships, intuition, feelings and emotions, fluidity, healing, and purification. It has a feminine quality to it and symbolizes the underlying strength that many women possess. It is flowing, purifying, flexible, and responsive.

Water is associated with the Suit of Cups in the Tarot. The meanings of the Tarot card suit of cups are related to love, emotions, connections, and relationships, and they deal with the emotional plane of consciousness. The Tarot Cards of Cups suggest that you are making decisions based more on your emotions than on logic, which reflects your impulsive choices and routine responses to circumstances. 

Moreover, cups are associated with imagination, romanticism, fantasy, and creativity. The negative aspects of the Suit of Cups include having unrealistic expectations and daydreaming about what might have been, as well as being extremely emotional, utterly detached, and uncaring. There might be repressed emotions, a deficiency of creativity, and an inability to completely express oneself.

Final Takeaway

Gaining proficiency with the tarot card elements is essential to learning how to read tarot cards. Tarot readings will become even more detailed and perceptive once you establish a strong connection with the elements. You will also have an enhanced understanding of how the Tarot suits operate.

Tarot readers can gain deeper insights into the complex life story of a querent by utilizing the elemental forces. A deeper, more complex reading experience is guaranteed by the elemental dimension, regardless of your level of experience with tarot cards.