Suits in the Tarot – What do the suits in the Tarot mean?
Just like a normal deck, there are 4 suits in Tarot decks. Commonly, they are called “pentacles”, “wands”, “cups” and “swords”. The diamonds, hearts, clubs, and spades are the same as the suits in the Tarot decks, in the order listed here. But that is far from the only meaning, as we are about to see. The suits in the Tarot also correspond to the four directions and various emotional and physical states of being, among other things.
Pentacles, or diamonds, represent the earthly element, physical things. Health and home fall under this suit in the Tarot. The compass direction of East is shown below. In the Tarot, pentacles represent the season of fall. It is feminine in nature and influences the zodiac signs of Capricorn, Virgo and Taurus. When interpreting a reading, any of these synonyms may be intended by the cards.
Wands indicate creativity and passion. His elemental force is that of fire, and alludes to the power of spiritual forces. The south is shown with wands and its seasonal attribute is spring, a time of spiritual growth and energetic action. The masculine gender is usually shown. In astrology, the signs are Aries, Leo and Sagittarius for this suit in the Tarot. In a normal deck of cards, these are clubs.
The cups or hearts represent love and empathy, and the heart is their sphere of influence. Of the Tarot suits, this one indicates summer, and is governed by the force of water. Its sex is female and it can be emotional in nature. West is the cardinal direction and the sun signs of Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces are represented. The cups can indicate frankness in feelings or bold decisions to be made in a spread.
Swords show observation and thought in a reading. This is reflected in their air element and winter insulation. Swords exist in the realm of the mind and can sometimes be abstract. This follows points to the north and often proves a challenge to be reckoned with. It is masculine in nature and in astrology contains the signs of Gemini, Libra and Aquarius.