The Four Elements of Tarot: A Deep Dive into the Minor Arcana
Welcome friends, and please join myself and witch extraordinaire Trece Spalten for a beginner-friendly journey into the four elements of Tarot. The Major Arcana cards get a lot of attention, but it is the “small cards,” the suit cards, that plunge us into the minutiae of our daily affairs. Need to wrestle deeply with the question of whether to write another draft of a completed manuscript? That’s the Seven of Pentacles talking to you. Have you been hurting your spirit with negative self-talk? That’s an insight we gain from the Five of Swords which nothing in the Majors can really express. And I personally would rather pull the Two of Cups, the sweetness of two open hearts positioned face to face, than the Major Arcana’s Lovers.
OK, but 56 Minor Arcana cards? That’s so many! How could I memorize all those meanings? While it’s true that each individual card in a Tarot deck has a couple hundred centuries of calcified lore attached to it, seasoned readers also use a cheat code - elements and numbers. And while I don’t imagine we will do too much with numbers in this class, where we can support you is with an immersive journey into Tarot’s four elements.
Cups, Wands, Pentacles, and Swords - each has their accompanying element. Swords are Air, the life of the mind, and often bring troubles and strife. Cups are Water, the language of love and mysticism. Pentacles are Earth, the element that teaches us about work, money, and practical life. And Wands are Fire, which signifies big dreams, bigger desires, and grand adventures.
The four Aces from the Ithell Colquhoun poured enamel Tarot
Each week, Trece and I will offer magickal exercises to help you welcome the synchronistic play of a different element into your life. Trece is a professional intuitive and reader, in addition to being a practicing Pagan and host of the podcast, That 90s Witch. The four elements are the foundation of Pagan practice; witches generally call the elements before doing any type of magickal work. So we also have the somatic knowledge of these energies working in our lives through ritual attunement. Also, did you know that you can work with Tarot cards as magickal portals? The Aces of each suit are especially potent, and can call in the archetypal energies of each element.
Trece and I are suggesting that you use the classic Rider-Waite-Smith deck as the common parlance of Tarot for class, since most modern decks are derived from this one. However, you’re free to use whatever deck you like in your personal practice. We just won’t be able to spend a lot of time on in-class interpretations of cards that deviate from the Rider-Waite-Smith standard.
Trece and I witchmaxxxing in Denver last summer
My contribution will be some lecture material that walks you through each elemental suit. As you know, I’m an occult history buff, lifelong Pagan, and astrologer, and the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot cards are steeped in esoteric lore. I’ll discuss how we can relate the astrological signs (which are also divided into four elements) to the Tarot as part of our understanding of the cards. I promise it will still be beginner friendly, but also suitable for intermediate Tarot students, and any advanced well-wishers who might enjoy the elemental immersion …
We’ll also dedicate a large portion of each two-hour session to your questions, and mapping pathways to memorization and practical use of the Minor Arcana. We’ll tackle the Court cards (King, Queen, Page, Knight) in elemental fashion too! Our goal is to leave you confident, comfortable, and empowered in your Tarot practice after this deep dive into the Minor Arcana.
Class meets Sundays in June at 2pm Eastern/ 11am Pacific over Zoom. Class meets for two hours. Each week we will harmonize our elemental focus with the day’s astrological energies. So you’ll be getting a little astral magick too!
June 7th: WATER
(Jupiter + Venus conjunct in Cancer, Moon and North Node in Pisces)
June 14th: AIR
(New Moon in Gemini, Uranus in Gemini)
June 21st: EARTH
(Summer Solstice, Mars in Taurus trine Virgo Moon)
June 28th: FIRE
(Grand fire trine: Venus in Leo, Moon in Sagittarius, Saturn and Neptune in Aries)