by Sasha Graham
Angel—A group of spiritual creatures and heavenly guardians and messengers. The Rider-Waite-Smith features four Christian archangels: Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Michael.
Ankh—Egyptian symbol of life and death.
Apple—A mythological symbol serving many functions across cultures, from immortality to love charms, from magic to sexual bliss. The apple appears in the tarot as a symbol of the temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden.
Apron—Important Masonic symbol typically depicting heritage, degree, and the practice of speculative Masonry. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the apron is a symbol of operative Masonry.
Armor—Protection, experience in battle.
Bag—What you carry with you; past lessons.
Bandage—Healing properties, mending wounds, recent strife.
Banner—Proclamation.
Beach—Threshold and boundary space where the elements converge, particularly earth, air, and water.
Beard—The wisdom acquired by a long and rich life.
Bed—Sacred respite and sleep space.
Bench—Masonic symbol that also indicates an elevated plane and place on which to perform work.
Bind—To harness and contain.
Bird—Symbol of the human and cosmic spirit due to its ability to move between earth (human) and sky (spirit).
Blindfold—Occult initiation. Inner sight. Interior worlds.
Blood—Life force.
Boat—Passage from one reality to another. Also see “Ship.”
Book—Emblem of destiny, wisdom, and scholarship.
Bridge—Place of passage and space linking two worlds or realities.
Bunny—Fertility and life cycles.
Butterfly—Ancient symbol of the life cycle and elemental symbol of air.
Castle—Home, dwelling, safety, family, protection, familiarity.
Cat—Power of transformation and sensual beauty.
Chain—Heavy oppression.
Child—Purity and innocence. Mystic wisdom and openness.
City—Commerce and the urban environment.
Cliff—No going back, potential danger, landmark.
Cloak—Transformation, protection and devotion; a garment often infused with the magical qualities of a magician or with the power to conceal a true identity.
Clouds—Unseen and mysterious forces. Additionally, clouds, like water surfaces, often reflect the nature of the wind, which can be interpreted as the energy of the situation at hand.
Coffin—Death.
Coins—Commerce, money, and wealth.
Communion Wafer—According to the Christian faith, the communion wafer represents the body, or flesh, of Jesus.
Courtyard—Safety and childhood protection.
Crawfish—Subconscious urges.
Cross—Religion and spirituality, the four elements, axis mundi and celestial pole containing the tension of oppositional polarities and intersection.
Crown—The Hebrew name for the first Sephira on the Tree of Life. Reflects human connection to the Divine.
Crutches—Support and healing.
Cup—Feminine receptivity and the element of water.
Dawn—New beginning. Awakening.
Desert—Landscape used to evoke the element of fire in the wands court cards and reflects all qualities of fire, passion, willpower, courage, spirituality, energy.
Dog—To ancient and primitive religions, dogs were guides and guardians of the underworld. Modern thought assigns loyalty and companionship to the dog.
Dove—Peace, love, compassion. Symbol of Christian Holy Spirit/Holy Ghost. See also “Bird.”
Dragon—Primordial power. Mythological symbol of ancient and modern people combining multiple elemental creatures usually embodying snake or crocodile scales, forelegs and the head of a lion, eagle, or hawk. Often winged and in various animal combinations.
Eclipse—Unique and transitory moment in time.
Family—Home and the people you are related to, including marriage and adoption.
Field, Plowed—The fecund potential of elemental earth.
Fish—Conveys the suit of cups and element of water.
Flames—Fire and all elements associated with passion, instinct, and consummation.
Flowers—Manifestation of elemental earth and quantifiable growth.
Garden Tool—Object used to make work easier and encourage growth.
Garden—A perfected world of cosmic harmony, design, and manifestation.
Gate—Threshold and place of passage from one reality to another.
Globe—The world as seen from a wide point of view. The big picture.
Grape (Vine)—Fruit of earth and one of the oldest symbols of natural fecundity.
Halo (Nimbus)—Symbol of divinity in the form of glowing radiance. Used in Christian iconography dating back to the fifth century and adapted from ancient sun gods.
Hammer—Helpful or hurtful tool.
Hand Gesture—Imparts hidden language and directs the flow of energy.
Heart—The human-life-sustaining organ of tenderness and love.
Horn (Instrument)—A wake-up call.
Horns (Animal)—Symbol of strength, vitality, and masculinity based in ancient religions and cattle herding and hunting societies. Double symbolism revealed when the horn becomes the container and thus imbues the masculine symbol with feminine power, i.e., the sword transforms in the cup. Classic symbol of the Devil in Christian belief.
Horse—Universal symbol of power and mastery, associated with all elements. Death is usually reflected as a black horse, while white horses assume solar power, as seen in the Death and Sun cards. A horse’s gait reflects the energy of a situation at the heart of a tarot reading.
House—Domesticity, comfort, and home.
Iris—Flower connected to the Greek goddess Iris, intermediary of the gods.
Jewels—Riches, treasure, and wealth.
Key—Answers, locking and unlocking.
King—Mature masculinity.
Knight—Adventure, teen energy.
Lantern—Protector of light.
Lemniscate—Symbol of infinity.
Lightning—Illumination, weapon of spiritual transformation.
Lily—Rebirth, motherhood, purity, virtue.
Lily Pads/Lotus Flowers—Regenerative symbol of the soul.
Lion—Symbol of gold, royalty, the sun, strength, and Leo.
Mermaid—Elusive, mercurial water creature carrying the power and potency of the sea. Symbol of the unconscious. Associated with water gods and goddesses.
Monk—Organized religion.
Moon—Occult power, femininity, intuition, and emotion.
Mountain—Meeting place of heaven and earth. The highest any individual can reach toward the infinite; sometimes marks barrier or obstacle.
Nudity—Openness, vulnerability, and freedom. Depicted on Adam and Eve, it reflects the state of primal innocence before their fall.
Ocean—Adventure, emotion, unknown.
Olive Branch—Peace.
Ouroboros—Symbol of a snake or salamander eating its own tail as a symbol of infinity and eternity. The phrase “one is all” often accompanies the image.
Page—Childlike youth, innocence, and curiosity.
Palm Branch—Suffering when in conjunction with the Virgin Mary but also victory and longevity.
Parents—Family.
Path—The road that appears before you.
Pentacle (Pentagram)—Five-pointed star and geometric symbol signifying the four elements and the human soul. It was used as the seal of Jerusalem from 300 to 150 BCE. Masons call the symbol a “flaming star,” and it enjoys a long history of magical and protective use. When one point is up and two points are down, the pentacle is a sign o
f white magic. Reversed, with one down and two up, it is considered a sign of the Devil, with the two upward points reflecting Devil horns.
Pentagram (Inverted)—A reversed pentacle, with one point down and two up, is considered the sign of the Devil and an inversion of natural things.
Pillar—Support and structure. Used to symbolize the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Two pillars usually reflect the left and right side of the tree, with a human in the middle as the center pillar.
Pitcher—Feminine symbol for the womb and liquid vessel similar to a cup.
Pomegranate—Fertility.
Pool—The wellspring of psychic life and symbol of human consciousness.
Pumpkin—Manifestation and harvest.
Pyramids—Suggests the immortality of the Egyptian pharaohs who lie within, also temples to the sun.
Queen—Mature feminine energy.
Rainbow—A celestial bridge linking spirit and earth.
Ram—Solar, hot-headed, bullish energy. Symbol of Aries.
Red Feather—Red is the energy of the spirit, and a feather is the link between world and spirit, therefore the red feather is soaring spiritual energy.
River—Rivers reflect the natural state of energetic flow. Passage of time. High Priestess energy running through the deck.
Salamander—An emblem of the element of fire and all that fire represents. The fire association is likely due to the ancient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder, who claimed that a salamander could quench a fire with its body, and by the fact that salamanders often took refuge under logs and wood. The wood was brought in for a fire, and the salamanders would appear from the flames.
Scale—Divine judgment, law and order, and the sign of Libra. It represents the point when the sun crosses the equator southward.
Scepter—An ornate symbol of power and authority often taking on spiritual connotations.
Scroll—Secret information, prophecy, and ancient wisdom.
Sea Monster—Adversary, myth, deep-seated fears in the unconscious.
Shell—Feminine symbol of water, beauty, and eroticism.
Ship—Feminine symbol of security, as the ship’s interior acts as a womb. Messages, commerce, quest, adventure, passage. Intentions set forth into the world.
Skeleton—Death of the flesh.
Skull—Symbol of mortality but also spirit and energy because the skull is the most resistant part of the human body to decay.
Snail—A typical symbol of slowness and ease. Ancient cultures associated the snail with the moon because it shows and hides its horns like the moon slowly reveals itself. The spiral shell evokes the Golden Spiral and infinity.
Snake—Ancient and complex animal symbol associated with fertility, the penis, the umbilical cord, gyration of birth, and the primeval life force. The snake suggests earth, water, darkness, and the underworld. Regenerative and self-sustaining properties are reflected in the shedding of its own skin. Duality of strength and danger as seen in the latent spiritual power suggested in the coiled yogic Kundalini snake said to reside at the base of the spine.
Snow—Crystalline form of water suggesting moments of intense transformation.
Soldier—Authority and law.
Sphinx—An eternal enigma who is the source of ancient wisdom containing the power to unlock the future. Guardians of the mystery. Originally a human-headed lion in Egypt offering sun god qualities, the symbol was romanticized by occultists.
Staff (Crook)—A male symbol of supreme power and authority often held by wizards, kings, and wise men.
Stained Glass Window—Christian spirituality and parables are depicted inside the glass.
Star—Stars in the sky, embedded on royal crowns or on fabric reflect heavenly bodies and the celestial realm.
Sun—A universal symbol of life force and creative energy as the center of our solar system and the source of all life and manifestation.
Sunflower—All solar qualities, radiance, joy, and expansion can be applied to the sunflower, who echoes the sun in its bright yellow petals and warm face.
Sword—Symbolizing element of air.
Tav—Hebrew letter meaning “mark.”
Tent—Temporality because the tent is portable and usually assembled and disassembled.
Tetramorph—Tarot’s tetramorph is based on the four biblical tetramorphs found in the first chapter of Ezekiel who have the heads of a man, lion, ox, and eagle.
Threshold—Space marking the boundary between realities.
Throne—Seat marking power, authority, and stability.
Tower—Ambition, aspiration, watchfulness, and strength. Link between sky and earth.
Tree—Universal symbol of life, interconnectedness, and bridge to other realms.
Veil—Separation and protection. The skein or caul marking the division between the unseen metaphysical world and the seen manifest world. What separates the material from the spiritual world.
Wall—Boundary line and a symbol of separation.
Wand (Ceremonial or Magic Wand)—Wand held in hand to be used in a ceremony, not the organic wand used to symbolize the suit of wands. Connection to the Divine. An object used to direct will and intention.
Wand—Symbol of the suit of wands, representing fire.
Water—Element represented by the suit of cups. Universal symbol of life suggesting the fluidity of emotion, dreams, creativity, and love.
Waterfall—Space of energy, creativity, and positive ions.
Waves—Symbol reflecting quality of air in a tarot card but also a sign of tides, lunar power, and forces of fate and the ups and downs of life.
Wheat—Fertility, sustainability, and new life as the regular cultivation of grain in a grain-based culture represented continued life and assured sustenance for all.
Wheel—Symbol of cosmic, karmic, and ceaseless momentum. Time, cycles, life and death.
Wings—Speed, ascension, and inspiration. Linked with the element of air and often found on intermediaries between human and gods. Angels depicted with wings began in sixth century CE art.
Wolf—Humanity’s animal nature and fear of letting it show.
Wreath—Celestial symbol of perfection. In life, a symbol of domination and victory; in death, it is a symbol of resurrection.
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Glossary
Alchemy, Alchemical—A seemingly magic transformation or a medieval practice that predated chemistry which attempted to transmute elements, specifically items into gold. The work was often expressed via art, symbols, and metaphors and carried a spiritual allegory.
Arcana (Major, Minor)—Secret or mystery, usually used in reference to the tarot deck’s cards.
Archangel—An angel of the highest rank, archangels are “higher” angels and considered more powerful than traditional angels.
Archetype—A fundamental concept or universal ideal.
Associative Memory—Spontaneous mental conditioning occurring in all humans where emotional and physical links are made between two separate things. Associative memory is not intuition but learned conditioning.
Astrology—Divination via celestial events.
Attribution—The qualities or features attributed to or given to something. Tarot cards carry multiple attributions, often magical or astrological.
Benediction—Hand blessing given during holy services (Hierophant, Devil, Ten of Swords).
Binah—Third Sephira on the Tree of Life, meaning “understanding.” Associated with all tarot threes.
Bodhi (Bo) Tree—Worshiped by Buddhists and Hindus, the sacred tree under which Buddha gained enlightenment.
Card-a-Day—A daily tarot practice where a tarotist pulls a single card every day for guidance, inspiration, education, or divination.
Cardinal Virtues—Four essential values identified by ancient philosophers Plato and Aristotl
e, which were later adapted by forerunners of the Christian church as desirable characteristics: Justice, Prudence, Temperance, and Fortitude. Three of the four virtues appear in the major arcana. The virtues were a popular topic of Renaissance art.
Cartomancer—An individual who divines using tarot, oracle, or playing cards.
Cartomancy—Divination by cards.
Chakra(s)—Wheels of spiritual energy located inside the human body.
Chesed—The fourth Sephira on the Tree of Life, meaning “mercy.” Associated with all tarot fours.
Chokmah—The second Sephira of the Tree of Life, meaning “wisdom.” Associated with all tarot twos.
Cipher Alphabet—An alphabet used to conceal secrets; a secret code. In relation to the RWS deck, Mathers decoded the cipher alphabet in the Cipher Manuscripts, which were the foundational documents of the Golden Dawn.
Clairalience—The ability to smell scent outside the natural world.
Clairaudience—The ability to hear messages but without actually using your ears.
Claircognizance—The ability to know something without knowing why you know it.
Clairvoyance—The ability to “see” an image or picture in your head.
Consciousness—Awareness or individual perception.
Cups—The tarot suit reflecting the element of water, also signifying emotion, feelings, and love.
Dee, John—Queen Elizabeth’s astrologer and occult philosopher.
Deity—Divine god or goddess.
Direction—Refers to the traditional four directions, north, south, east, or west.
Divination—The act of foretelling a future event via supernatural means.
Divine/Divinity—The state of being divine; refers to godlike qualities.
Dweller at the Threshold—Guardian of the subconscious.
Ego—Part of the mind containing personal identity.
Element, Elemental—Referring to the four classical elements, earth, air, fire, and water.
Empathy/Empath—The ability to feel the emotional state of others by being near them. Empaths actively experience this ability on an ongoing basis.
Empowerment—Becoming stronger and more confidant in the self.
Esoteric—A thing intended to be understood by a small or select group. Confidential. Private. Secret.