The Four Elements in the Tarot

In the Western Mystery Traditions, the four primary elements—Earth, Air, Fire, and Water—are fundamental components that have been integral to occult sciences such as Tarot, Astrology, Magick, and Alchemy for over two thousand years.

The Greek philosopher Empedocles of Acragas (495—435 B.C.) developed the theory that the four elements were the basis for all life on earth and everything in existence. 

This theory was later endorsed and supported by Aristotle.

Since then, scientists and philosophers have studied and investigated the meaning and attributes of the four elements, their influence on our world, and their interactions with each other. 

Gradually, the four elements were incorporated into the Tarot, enriching the practice with their symbolic meanings.

To gain a deeper understanding of the Tarot, it is essential to familiarize yourself with the four elements in the Tarot.

Click on the links to learn more:

FIRE - WATER - AIR - EARTH

Tarot and the Four Elements: Earth

Just like Water, Earth is a feminine (yin) element; stable, sustaining and supportive; energy at its most solid; substance; matter; the body of the Great Mother of ancient times.

Our bodies are partly made of the earth and we return to it when we die. Our ancestors buried their dead in caves and burial mounds, the womb of Mother Earth; they realised our intuitive bond with earth.

Much of the food we eat comes from the soil, and many things we can touch are made of earth in many ways or forms.

Positive: knowledge, ability, stability, endurance, dependability, solidity, self-worth, success, financial prudence; in touch with nature; well-being.

Negative: greed, financial loss, material obsessions, inability to change, stubbornness, possessiveness.

Tarot Cards

Major Arcana: The Empress, The Hierophant, The Hermit, The Devil, The World

Minor Arcana: The Suit of Pentacles; Pages

In Tarot, the element Earth is concerned with the material world, form and substance; putting ideas into practice, practical matters, money, career, home and family, business projects, skills and labour, education, security. 

They also represent what grounds and stabilises a person; traditions and inheritance.

Earth Correspondences
Astrological signs	Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn
Atmosphere	Cold and dry
Direction	North
Moon	Dark
Season	Winter
Time	Night, Midnight
Animals	Cow, bull, snakes (earth-dwelling), rabbits, mice, stag, dogs
Chakra	Root
Colour	Brown, green, black, white, yellow
Plants	Ivy, oats, corn, rice, comfrey, barley, rye, wheat, fruit, flowers
Places	Forest, garden, field, caves, mountains, standing stones, rocks
Jungian Function	Sensation
Stones/Gems/Crystals	Green agate, coal, salt, turquoise, rock crystal, emerald, Cat’s eye, green jasper, jet
Spirit	The tenacious, hard-working gnome; Faery folk
Tools	Coin, pentacle, stone, shield
Tree	Oak

How to get  in Touch with the Earth Element

Walk barefoot in the garden on grass and soil; take your time and try to be aware of the earth energies slowly penetrating your feet and rising slowly up your body.

This should make you feel refreshed and replenished. Slowly let the excess energy flow back into the soil by visualising it like trickling water. Don’t overdo this or you will drain your own life force. Trust yourself to know when to stop.

Sit against a tree trunk. Close your eyes and imagine you’re becoming part of the tree and your feet are roots growing into the soil and drawing up energy, circulating it around your body. 

Visualise this energy as a greenish-gold light. After a while, imagine drawing back your ‘roots’ into your feet and disconnecting from the earth and the tree.

Lie on the ground in your garden. Relax and feel the heartbeat of the earth like a pulse deep under the soil. Imagine the growth of plants, swelling of seeds and unfurling of grass and leaves.

Visit ancient sacred sites. Standing stones were placed in a way that they utilised and intensified the earth’s currents, which can still be felt today if you touch or being near them. Something similar, usually a special aura or atmosphere, can be felt at the great ceremonial mounds.

Bring fresh flowers and plants into your home. Tend plants in your garden and feel their life force as you enjoy their beauty.

Observe the seasonal changes around you. The cycle of growth and decay; see the first buds appear on bare branches. 

Follow the cycle through to autumn observing the changing colours of the foliage and falling of the leaves. Note how the foliage is not wasted but turned into mulch to nourish future growth.

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Tarot and the Four Elements: Water

Just like Earth, Water is a feminine (yin) element. Its energy is flowing, cleansing and life-giving.

All life on earth originated from water; the human body contains up to 85% water (depending on height, weight, age and gender), which suggests a dominance of its energy on our bodies.

Water is the most receptive of the four elements; it can easily absorb any form of contamination from its surroundings and needs to be purified.

Due to its receptivity and flowing, formless nature, the element of Water is associated with psychic powers, dreams, divination, the subconscious as well as cleansing the spirit.

Although Water is regarded as a passive element, it can be quite forceful in nature: waterfalls, enormous ocean waves, floods can be destructive and overpowering; so can be the feelings and emotions Water is associated with.

Positive: love, nurturing, creativity, imagination, serenity, contentment, compassion, happiness, understanding.

Negative: moodiness, jealousy, hate, sadness, psychic drains, excess, addiction, illusions.

Tarot Cards

Major Arcana: The High Priestess, The Chariot, The Hanged Man, Death, The Moon

Minor Arcana: The Suit of Cups; Queens

In Tarot the element Water represents feelings and emotions; relationships, imagination, fantasy, dreams, astral worlds and the psyche, intuition. 

Cups indicate a love for pleasure, intuitive art, beauty and serenity.

Water Correspondences
Astrological signs	Cancer, Pisces, Scorpio
Atmosphere	Cold and moist
Direction	West
Moon	Waning crescent
Season	Autumn (Summer in Tarot)
Time	Dusk, twilight
Animals	Fish, seals, walrus; dragons (as serpents), dolphins and porpoises, water-dwelling snakes, dragonfly, all water creatures and sea birds
Chakra	Sacral Plexus
Colour	Blue, aquamarine, bluish-silver, blue-green, green, grey, indigo, black, shades of green; purple
Plants	Willow, lettuce, kelp, ferns, lotus, mosses, rushes, seaweed, water lilies, and all water plants
Places	Rivers, lakes, oceans, beaches, swamps, pools, springs, wells
Jungian Function	Feeling
Stones/Gems/Crystals	Moonstone, silver, pearl, Aquamarine, Lapis lazuli, coral, jade, quartz crystal, amethyst, sapphire
Spirit	Undines
Tools	Cups, chalice, cauldron
Tree	Willow

How to get in Touch with the Water Element

Next time you have a bath, feel the comfort of immersing yourself in water and the trancelike condition it invokes; where thoughts and feelings are suspended, peace and serenity taking over. Feel the water moving around your skin washing away the psychic baggage accumulated during the day.

When you go swimming, experience the water carrying you; close your eyes and float; let the water take control.

Take a walk when it rains; summer rain after a hot day can bring refreshment and a sense of purification. Watch the plants being replenished with water.

Children love water; they don’t mind getting wet. They love bath time and playing with containers in the paddling pool in summer. Try it for yourself; perhaps you notice how relaxing that can be.

If you have a garden, why not create a pond? Plant water plants and create spaces for frogs. Enjoy watching tadpoles transforming into frogs. If your pond is big enough, consider getting some fish and create a little eco-system.

Visit the seaside and enjoy the sea with all its riches: shells, crabs, pebbles. Savour the waves and the changing tides. Feel the water and see if you can smell the sea. Be hands on and experience the effects of the sea on you. Do you feel calm, carefree and content or perhaps lonely or sad?

Visit a lake or a river. Sit beside a stream and watch the water move. Perhaps you can see some fish. Can you look down to the ground? Is the water clear or murky? Feel any tension slowly leaving you, when you listen to the gurgle of water over pebbles and rocks.

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Tarot and the Four Elements: Air

Air is a masculine (yang) element; fast moving, abundant, the least dense of the four element. 

It is invisible, but we can see its effect on the things around us: blowing trees in the wind, fluttering paper on a desk in a draft, clouds moving across the sky. 

We can feel it every time we breathe as it keeps us alive.

Air energy is light and can feel almost any temperature when it is being worked with. 

It is most powerful during the fury of a storm.

The Air element represents our need to keep moving and learning, our quest for knowledge and curiosity. 

It is the energy of intellect, wisdom, and understanding. It also supports communication and friendship.

Positive: Truth, justice, courage, strength, organisation, ethical principles, decisiveness

Negative: thoughtlessness, being judgemental, sharp-tongued, fear, confusion, disharmony, conflict, animosity, unhappiness and sometimes illness.

Tarot Cards

Major Arcana: The Fool, The Lovers, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Star

Minor Arcana: The Suit of Swords; Knights

In Tarot the element Air symbolises mind, rational thought, intellect, conflict; uncomfortable processes. 

It can also indicate communication, a desire for truth and justice and necessity to decide about (or separate from) past attachments.

Air Correspondences
Astrological signs	Gemini, Libra, Aquarius
Atmosphere	Hot and moist
Direction	East
Moon	Waxing Crescent
Season	Spring (Autumn in Tarot)
Time	Dawn
Animals	Birds, butterflies
Chakra	Throat
Colour	Yellow, pastels, steel grey, crimson, ice blue, blue-white
Plants	Dandelion, Frankincense, myrrh, pansy, primrose, vervain, violet, yarrow
Places	windswept hills, plains, windy beaches, high mountain peaks, high towers
Jungian Function	Thinking
Stones/Gems/Crystals	Aventurine, pumice, Topaz
Spirit	Playful sylphs, who looked like the winged fairies of folklore
Tools	Wand, aromatic; Athame, sword, censer; incense
Tree	Aspen

 How to get in Touch with the Air Element

Stand outside on a windy day; the gusts will cleanse your aura and revitalise you, clearing your thoughts and making you feel fresh and alert.

The idea of each of the elements can be conveyed through the medium of air: depending on the seasons, the east wind can be sharp and harsh, the north wind cold, the south wind dusty and dry and the west wind warm and gentle.

Visit places that are subject to a lot of strong winds: beaches, hills, cliff tops, grassland, open desert. Feel the clarity of the place and observe how it affects you.

Pick up twigs and leaves that have been blown by the wind; they often retain a vigorous, blustery feeling. Windy places can give you a sense of cleanliness and lucidity.

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Tarot and the Four Elements: Fire

Just like Air, Fire is a masculine (yang) element; it is vital, energetic and vigorous.

Fire energy is difficult to control, and it can easily destroy everything in its path. Yet when contained, the energy can provide light, warmth, comfort and used to prepare food.

When our ancestors learned how to use fire, it transformed their lives.

In religions, fire is regarded as a great purifier, cleansing sacred space. It is also a symbol of the soul, a metaphor for spirit.

Fire cannot exist without fuel to consume including oxygen. In order to put it out, it needs to be dowsed with water or the air supply needs to be cut off with soil or a wet blanket.

Fire energy is the hot, devouring power of the most intense emotions: anger, lust, love.

Just like a real fire, people with a “fiery” temperament need the element Water in the form of feelings and emotions to calm down and find balance as well as the Element Earth for grounding and stability.

Positive: creativity, enterprise, drive, enthusiasm, passion, determination.

Negative: restlessness, wilfulness, pride, reckless behaviour.

Tarot Cards

Major Arcana: The Emperor, Strength, Temperance, The Tower, The Sun, Judgement

Minor Arcana: The Suit of Wands; Kings

In the Tarot, the element Fire represents growth, inspiration, energy, creativity, self-development and passion. 

Fire refers to career, work, enterprise and ambition.

Fire Correspondences
Astrological signs	Aries, Leo, Sagittarius
Atmosphere	Hot and dry
Direction	South
Moon	Full
Season	Summer (Spring in Tarot)
Time	Noon
Animals	Komodo dragon, fire-breathing dragons,  desert-dwelling animals, lion, horses (when their hooves strike sparks), salamander
Chakra	Heart
Colour	Red, orange, gold, crimson, white (the sun’s noon light)
Plants	Sunflowers, basil, fennel, onion, garlic, hibiscus, mustard, nettle, red peppers, red poppies, chillies
Places	Deserts, volcanoes, hearth, bonfire
Jungian Function	Intuition
Stones/Gems/Crystals	Amber, ruby, carnelian, garnet, lava, Bloodstone, Tiger’s Eye, topaz
Spirit	The joyful, exuberant Salamander
Tools	Censer, wand, candle
Tree	Almond in flower

How to get in Touch with the Fire Element

1. If you have a fireplace, kindle a fire in the comfort of your home, or make a fire safely outside. 

If this is not possible, light a candle instead and watch the flames; observe its movements, change of shape and strength. 

Watch it flicker and flare up, when you add more fuel or the flame is affected by a draught or wind. 

If you burn a fire in a fireplace, experiment with burning different fuels: coal, wood, paper, some twigs and leaves from the garden. 

If you burn a candle, add some essential oils, but keep the candle safely on a fireproof surface. Notice the different colours of the flames; orange, yellow, white, blue, sometimes green. 

What sort of emotions does the fire or the burning candle invoke in you? Energy, passion, anger or a feeling of warmth and cosiness?

2. On a sunny day, take some time to sit outside and enjoy sunbathing. Sunlight is relaxing, and after a while, you can feel your skin slowly warming up. Just be sure not to get burned!

After a long winter, sunshine is invigorating and enhances our sense of well-being. The heat of the sun gives summer life an “easy” feel, but tempers and passions can also flare up quickly.

Notice the impact sunbathing has on you: do you feel relaxed, enlivened, cheerful, or irritated and unnerved? This may depend on how long you are exposed to the sun 😃

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