The Symbology Within Tarot
Pentacles
Pentacles represent the element of earth, and the direction north. Pentacles are about material resources and finances, which can encompass things like home, money, jobs, and health matters. It shows the hard work you need to expect, and can also represent charity. A reading heavy in pentacles wants you to pay attention to these areas, because there might be something you are not working on enough and it will not yield what you need. A reading heavy in pentacles can also symbolize that you are a focused, dedicated, grounded person. You are very well rounded when it comes to your physical life, job, school, finances, and you have a deep understanding of the material world.
Swords
Swords are the symbol of thought, air, and the East. It is our analytical, metaphysical, spiritual, logical, and psychological thought. It is the embodiment of our decision making, illogical over thinking and anxiety. Swords are your intelligence, and intuition. The unseen introspective aspect to your life and to the universe. It is the air around us, and the constant train of thought that runs through every creature. It is the cycle of ideas that have been manifested throughout time and space. A reading heavy in swords can mean that you are very wise, intellectual, intuitive and analytical. You think about everything on a level that many people don’t understand. But that can also lead to over thinking and anxiety.
Wands
Wands represent fire, action, south, the burning passion and motivation inside you. Wands symbolize your energy and participation in the actions and reactions within your life. It is the work you put into everything around you, and how you choose to spend each moment. A reading heavy in wands can mean that you are someone who is very motivated, and determined, someone who isn’t afraid to act on their decisions. It can also mean that there is something about your motivations or your desires that needs to be evaluated.
Cups
Cups represent emotions, water, and the west. It can be the quiet ripple of a stream, or the fierce, crashing waves of the ocean. Our emotions are unpredictable and flow through us without permission. They affect everything around us, and they shape our perception of the world. Cups are our anger, sadness, depression, love, fear, excitement, and joy. Cups are the way that we express ourselves and they can overflow, spill, and dry up. Like the moon, the ocean, and bodies of water, our emotions go through cycles. They can consume us with grief and immobilize us, as well as lift us up and motivate us. Cups are true love, and they are emotional trauma. They are the yin and the yang of our emotional stability. A reading heavy in cups can mean love, grief, euphoria, depression, and many other emotions that have consumed our mind, body, and spirit. The direction of the card helps define the way that we handle our emotions. The numerology connected to the card helps us explain and organize the emotions cycling through us.