Understanding the Elemental dignities part 1

We now move into a more advanced topic of the Tarot, and that is the elements and in particular how they can influence each other in a reading and how this can bring even greater depths to any reading you may give.

First though I would like to discuss the elements and particularly how they are symbolised within in the Tarot. In this section you may hear words that relate to the Qabalah. The links the Tarot has to this are many but for now do not worry about understanding them fully just yet as this will be the focus of another section.

However, one thing that must be kept in mind is that all elements require the support of the others. While one may stand out briefly from another at a point in time, it is still held up by the others. There is always a wonderful harmonious balance in nature, and the elements are no exception to this.   

Let us look at Fire as an example. On the surface it looks as if Fire does not need the others to support itself. But if you have ever wanted to get a small fire going in your garden, you would know that one of the best ways is to give it some oxygen, by either blowing on it or fanning. Both involve the element of air. Fire relies on it to get going, particularly if it wants to get bigger. Air also shows to Fire what direction it wants to move in. If Fire has a desire to move East, then it needs to call on Air to make it possible. Earth also plays an important part. If we want to keep that Fire going and not burn out, then we give it Earth through wood and other materials. We use Earth as the base and foundation to keep that Fire going. And lastly, what about water? Like much in life, too much of something is rarely a good thing and with Fire the potential to cause damage and destruction is high. Without Water, to bring Fire back into harmony, the world would look different today.

This need of other elements is the same when we look at any of them in isolation. The waves you see in the ocean? Without Air, these would not be possible. The beautiful natural earth structures we see would not be there without the erosion caused by rain, rivers and the sea. The clouds that are so often associated with Air in the sky could not take place without the water droplets inside them. As you can see the list is endless, and that is even before realising that without this harmonisation of elements the Earth we live in would be dead. No vegetation would grow, giving us crops to eat. Without Tree’s giving us oxygen, we would not survive. Without water or heat from the Sun, the outcome would be the same.

In our day to day lives its easy to forget how much we rely on nature for our very survival, and how nature relies on the elements to function in harmony. So why is this important when learning about the Tarot?

First, each element speaks to us through an assigned card that represents a part of our human faculties. Be it emotion, thought, will or the practical side of life in terms of our jobs and income. By understanding how these elements function in nature, gives us more insight to their significance when we look within. It also serves another affect, though. When we understand that no element is better than the other and that they work in balance, then we can understand when learning about elemental dignities within the Tarot there is no such thing as having the ‘perfect spread’ of cards when looking at their elements and even when the cards might look like they are in conflict or ‘ill dignified’ with one another there is often a deeper truth where this conflict is serving a greater healing within that person or situation. Equally, it’s also worth noting the elements missing in a spread. This can deepen further our knowledge of that the cards are telling us.

So, with all that said, let us explore each element in depth within in the Tarot before learning how what they are next to, can have a big impact on a spread.    

Note: When talking about the Elemental dignities, we work with the Thoth deck for a multitude of reasons beyond the scope of this section. If you come from the Rider-Waite deck,  one of the major differences is the difference of the court cards. Kings = Knights, Queens = Queens, Knights = Princes, whilst Pages = Princesses.