Reading the Cards -Suits

In Tarot, the Minor Arcana are divided up into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Coins (or Pentacles in some decks). Each suit ranges from Ace (one) to Ten, and then has four Court Cards accompanying them. Traditionally, these court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King. But for the reasons I’ve stated in the last section, I use different names. I have taken to using the names Seeker, Conqueror, Sovereign, and Ruler as is used in Blair Porter and Brit June’s Weaver Tarot decks. To keep from being confusing, I’ll refer to them clearly as both going forward. 

As you can imagine, with four suits of fourteen cards, there is a lot to keep track of. Thankfully, each suit has an element and theme that helps with differentiated what you’re dealing with. The suit of Wands is that of Fire, and encompasses the realm of passion, confidence, and creation. The suit of Cups has the element of Water, and deals in Spirit, Emotion, and Relationships. The suit of Swords is the Wind, and handles intellect, ambition, and judgment. Finally, the suit of Coins, or Pentacles, embodies the practicality, wealth, and health. Let’s dive deeper into each.

Wands

Wands, the suit of boldness, creation, and enthusiasm. The source of drive and aggression, the expression of control and personal power. In this suit we find momentum and constant change, boldness and conflict. It is the bursting forth of potential into barely defined shape. It is the fuel that powers our instinct and inspires our art. When we tap into the energy of these cards, we accept a wildness within ourselves that can be unleashed on a whim, but only controlled with time and skill. 

It is a polarizing element; some people would rather withdraw from the flame, ensuring peace and safety–but others would stand openly in its excessive heat. They would burn, and they would risk the consequences to themselves or others. I wouldn’t recommend either. Those that shy away from the flame shy away from the spark of their humanity, while those that express it without restraint can cause proverbial wildfires and devastate themselves and others. The secret of this suit is in moderation, in the pacing of creative power with the leash of self-control. Build yourself a solid firepit and nurture the blaze in its rightful place, so you always have a source to draw from when the world desires your power. 

 Cups

To quell the fires come the suit of water, symbolized by the imagery of Cups. This is the suit of emotion, insight, introspection, and spirituality. It is a sensitive suit, caring and malleable. Here we find connection and healing, we open ourselves to the subconscious, and we perceive the world without the mitigating filter of conventional rationality or pure science. There is a place for those things, but in my experience, many of us have let our inner wisdom wither. The suit of cup invites us to refill this resource and partake of the blessings and insight it brings. It coaxes us to join with others in this pursuit.

Cups are not all good, however. With emotionality comes sensitivity, and with introspection comes isolation. In the Cup’s shadow we find extreme introversion, reactivity, emotional instability and even ungroundedness from practicality and action. We cannot live in the clouds forever, and we can’t be so raw and vulnerable that there’s no withstanding the blows life brings. And while it would be nice to live in a monastery and forget about all those little things necessary for life to go on…it also wouldn’t. Let’s be real.

Swords

Speaking of rationality, the clarity of swords is the keenest route to intellectual pursuits. This suit, associated with the wind, calls in rationality, truth, ambition, clarity of thought, and power. Academics have a real affinity for this element. It also conveys a sense of impartiality and detachment in conflict, and when taken to extremes will trap one in a mire of apathy and arrogance. This suit’s shadow is the cutthroat businessman who mercilessly maneuvers his way to the top at others expense. It is the prideful and the ambitious, the critical and judgemental perfectionist, the authoritarian parent.

While learning Tarot, I read a book in which the author absolutely shit on this suit. And on the one hand, I can partially understand. Everything I said above is the essence of what a lot of people hate about the world and society–hell, it’s a lot of what I hate, too. But just because the Sword lacks emotional sentimentality does not make it a cruel and callous thing. To be calm in a crisis is to embody the sword. To see through illusion and understand the deepest truth of things is to embody the sword. To uphold truth and constantly seek to improve is to be one with the wind and Sword.

Some of the kindest people in the world do not naturally feel much empathy for others. I believe there is something singularly divine about a commitment to goodness that must come from active determination. 

Coins

Also known as Pentacles, this is the suit associated with the element of earth. Predictably, it is a pragmatic and grounded suit, governed by concerns of physical health and material abundance. When there are problems with finances or career, this is the suit to look to. And when there’s good fortune and an eventual lack of strain–rare these days, but it can happen–this is the suit to thank. Wisdom in all these down-to-earth pursuits is found in these cards, and it’s always worth checking in on.

Beyond health finances, though, this suit encompasses hardworking and nurturing traits. While Cups will emotionally heal and nurture with all its active and empathic energy, there is a more stately quality to the care that a Coins archetype provides. It’s the green thumb of a gardener, performing patient tasks over and over to allow flourishing growth. It’s a solid, healthy foundation from with life can spring forth. It may not be overly…sentimental, though. The practical mind will always win out, here–a Cups mother might sit with you and let you cry your eyes out, soothing your hurts, while a Coins mother might make you some soup so you’re not hungry and sad, wrap you in a blanket so you’re not cold and sad, and take some tasks off your plate so you’re not overwhelmed and sad.