Element: definition

The element is one of the four classical principles —fire, water, air and earth— associated with a suit or an arcanum, which brings an additional symbolic layer to the reading.

Fire corresponds to wands: energy and action. Water, to cups: emotions and intuition. Air, to swords: intellect and conflict. Earth, to coins: matter and stability.

This correspondence allows reading a spread by its elemental climate: a predominance of fire speaks of impulse and action; of water, of affectivity; of air, of thought; of earth, of the material and concrete.

The elements also dialogue with one another: fire and water oppose, air and earth balance. Observing which elements abound or are missing in a spread reveals underlying tensions and imbalances.

This elemental layer helps relate tarot to other symbolic systems —astrology, alchemy, depth psychology—, which share the same language of the four principles.

Used in measure, the elements enrich the reading without replacing it: they offer an overall key that overlays the meaning of each card and helps grasp the general tone of the spread.

Attending to the elemental balance of a spread, what abounds and what is missing, thus offers a very useful first intuition about the climate of the situation, even before going into the detail of each card.

Reading a spread by its elements is thus a quick, powerful first move: before any detail, it tells you whether the situation burns, flows, thinks or settles.