Working with the Elements

All of the minor arcana in the tarot deck have a suit assigned to them. In the traditional Smith-Rider-Waite deck the suits are Swords, Wands, Cups, and Pentacles. Each suit is associated with an element. This is helpful because if you're familiar with the elements it can help you learn and remember the meanings of each minor arcana card. This also becomes helpful because if you're using a deck that follows the rules of Smith-Rider-Waite but has different images and suits, you can easily understand the connection.

Let's start with the swiftest moving element: Air

In the Smith-Rider-Waite deck the suit of Swords is connected to the element of air. Air is related to things having to do with the mind and voice. Often these cards focus on questions around the way you are thinking about a situation and communication. Air can be very still, filling the room without you paying any attention to it, like a calm mind, or a soft whisper. It also can command your attention, big gusts of wind moving the trees and rattling your windows, like a mind filled with anxiety, or a person who speaks loudly for the entire crowd to hear. When you pull a sword contemplate your mind and voice, how are you being asked to use them, how are you using them currently?

Almost as fast as the air our next element to explore: Fire

The suit which is governed by the element of fire is Wands. Fire related to the all consuming life force within us. Often these cards focus on creativity and taking action. Fire is the spark of life and divine creativity. It is the passion that keeps us going, the heat that keeps us warm, and the flicker of hope when the world seems so dark. When you pull a wand consider creative endeavors that burn low and slow and sparks of wisdom that can change things in an instant, what is your connection to your creative spirit?

Swift but deep the third element is: Water

The suit governed by the element of water is Cups. Water contains the multitudes of emotion that exist within us all. Often these cards focus on tapping into the emotions of the current moment. The calm nature of a pond, the swift moving current of a stream, the depth and hidden treasures within the ocean, all of these can be translated to our emotional states. When you pull a cup, consider your emotional state. Are you aware of how you are feeling, or is it down among the depths and you need to seek it out?

The last one to discuss is the most steady of all elements: Earth

The suit governed by the element of Earth is Pentacles. Earth represents the tangible Things in our lives. Often these cards highlight money, how we handle it and the ways we interact with it, but can also show up as the things we create with our hands. Earth is abundant, it provides for us, we can cultivate and grow things in it. We can make things from clay and stone and plants. When you pull a pentacle, consider your relationship with abundance. Do you have an open hand and are willing to exchange with others and the universe, or are you bumping against barriers?

Keeping the elements in mind as you work your way through the tarot deck will add some helpful guidance. The elements also show up in the major arcana, keep an eye for symbols and images that depict the elements and it will help you better understand as you tap into your intuition. Good luck and remember to have fun with the process.