Tarot Cards Symbolism: List of 100 Symbols in Rider-Waite’s Deck

The Tarot cards’ Rider Waite symbolism is extraordinary. Today, we will discuss the meaning of Rider Waite tarot cards, piece by piece.

There is a lot of symbolism in the cards deck of the Rider-Waite Tarot. Looking closely at the many symbolic elements on a card makes it easier to read/interpret the Tarot cards.

The symbols on the list below appear on Rider Waite’s Tarot cards, but the list can also be used for other Tarot cards. Here is the list of symbols that you can find on the Rider-Waite Tarot cards.

Tarot cards symbolism – list of common symbols:

1. Beard: wisdom
2. Bergen: overview
3. Leaves on the bars: a new beginning
4. Flower wreath: fertility with regard to the theme
5. Bunches of grapes: fertility with regard to the theme
6. Angels: helpers, mediators
7. Large coats / wide scarves: built up a lot of inner knowledge
8. Harness: protection
9. Dog: instinct
10. Dog with the fool: companion
11. Dog by the moon: fear
12. Crown: connected to the higher
13. Laurel wreaths: laurels, honoring
14. Leo: power
15. Lemniscate: eternally continuous life force
16. Moon: subconscious
17. Horses: processes
18. Someone on a horse: movement
19. Cat: magic, being able to make/do something
20. Red roses: willpower, life
21. Snail: patience
22. Snake: circle of infinity
23. Staff in hand (not “staff”): wisdom
24. Star: connecting, radiating cosmic energy
25. Pisces: emotion, healing, anointing, water
26. Butterflies: transformation
27. Birds: communication with higher consciousness
28. Fruits: fertility related to the theme
29. White dress: spiritual purity
30. White lilies: spiritual purity
31. Clouds: another dimension
32. Sun: awareness
33. Sunflowers: awareness
34. Pillars/temple: wisdom, respect

Tarot Cards Symbolism and Rider Waite symbolism at a glance:

Wands, Swords, Cups, and Pentacles

The Tarot deck consists of 78 cards. These cards are divided into two Arcanes (“secrets”):

1. The Major Arcana (big secret) consists of 22 cards.
2. The Minor Arcana (little secret) consists of 56 cards.

This Minor Arcana consists of four sets of 14 cards that represent the four elements.

• Wands (element of fire): willpower
• Swords (element air): the rational mind of man, judgment, conflict(s)
• Cups (element of water): feeling, subconscious, creative ability
• Pentacles (element earth): practical, our ability to become aware of the things around us

The Ace, the Page, the Knight, the King, and the Queen

Within each set of 14 cards you have:

• An Ace (card one); this card symbolizes the beginning of something, a wish, something that is potentially present
• The cards 2 to 10
• A page; this card represents the beginner level, the student
• A knight; this map indicates that a few things have been learned and has the assignment to take this somewhere
• A queen; this card symbolizes the feminine perspective, the intuitive, is full of expectations
• A king; this card represents the male perspective, the responsibility to the outside, the arranging and the rational aspect

How can you use this list with the Tarot deck from Rider-Waite?

Learning to read/interpret Tarot cards is primarily a matter of doing. For that, you can draw a so-called day card (the name says it all, you draw a card every day and study it) or you can do Tarot cards spread very regularly.

First, look at the spread without the symbol list (you will eventually need it less and less often) and pay attention to the big picture. What do you see, what do you feel? Then zoom in on all sorts of details and look for the Rider Waite symbolism behind this. Depending on previous interests in your life, you can often go a long way without the list. Finally, take the list and combine all the symbols into one story/message.

What does this card mean to you (for the day to come and check back in the evening to what extent you saw this back), or what does this card mean in this place in the Tarot cards spread (in most Tarot books, one or more Tarot cards spread can be found) and what do I want / can do the message that comes out of these cards spread.

Hope this will help you to better understand the tarot cards symbolism that you often see in the famous and perhaps most popular Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot cards deck.

Tarot cards are rich in symbolism, and if you grasp the symbols on the cards, you may provide a complete tarot reading by interpreting them, even if you don’t know the exact meanings of each card. Symbols can be drawn from numerology, archetypal energies and symbols, color meanings, astrology, and spiritual Rider Waite symbolism, among other colors, depending on the tarot decks you select. Look to the card’s symbols for extra information if you get stuck during a tarot reading.

The Minor Arcana’s Symbols

The 56 cards that comprise the Minor Arcana of the tarot card deck are split into suits in the same way that conventional decks of 52 playing cards are. The minor arcana suits are pentacles, wands, cups, and swords. The meanings of each suit are based on the four traditional elements of Earth, air, fire, and water.

Rider Waite Symbolism of Pentacles

Pentacles represent the traditional element of Earth. This is a physical element that is grounded. When a pentacles card occurs in a tarot spread, it either gives knowledge about the querent’s physical state or discusses information about the physical (material) world in which the querent lives. The following are some of the topics that a pentacles card may address.

• Finances
• Health
• Property
• Business or trade
• Career

Symbols Related to Cups

Cups represent the water element. Cups hold water, which is an easy way to remember this. Because water is an emotional element, when the cup comes in your tarot spread, it addresses themes that are mostly emotional in nature. The following are some examples of topics that a cup card could represent.

• Emotions and feelings
• Relationships and love
• Relationships with others
• Interactions with others
• Attempts at creativity

Symbolism of Wands

Wands represent the element of fire. Imagine sparks shooting from the end of a wand to help you remember this. Fire is a primitive and powerful force associated with spirituality and higher thought. It is also connected with passion and drive. When wands appear in a reading, they may indicate one or more of the following.

• Ambitions and objectives
• Purpose
• Motivation and significance
• Change is motivated by passion.

Symbols Found in the Swords Suit

Swords represent the air element. Imagine a sword swishing in the air to help you remember this. Air represents your mental self and the domain of thought. The following are some of the things swords may represent when they appear in a tarot reading.

• Challenges
• Confrontation
• Courage
• Disagreements and disagreements
• Decisions

Number Symbolism in the Tarot

Like a standard deck of cards, each minor arcana tarot card is either a number card (aces through ten) or a court card (Page, Knight, Queen, King). Each of these has its own symbolic significance.

Minor Arcana Court Card Symbolism

The court cards are the face cards of each tarot suit. Each suit contains four cards that represent the following:

• Page of Card Symbolism
• Youthful vitality, service
• Knight
• Taking action, maturing energy, and forging ahead
• Queen
• Empathy and compassion reign supreme.
• Leadership, achievement, and success

What Colors Mean on Tarot Cards

Tarot cards are bright, and the colors used in the illustrations have symbolic meanings based on the psychological effects of colors and the spiritual energy color relationship with chakras or auras. When interpreting a tarot card, consider the colors used by the artist or printer and the imagery and numerology. As you will soon see, tarot cards associated with each chakra have colors corresponding to them.

Rider While Meaning Behind Color Symbolism in Tarot

• Black – Protection, grounding, darkness or a lack of elements, disease, negativity, root chakra
• Red – Grounding, safety, security, passion, rage, and the root chakra
• Pink – Love, femininity, compassion, forgiveness, and the heart chakra
• Orange – Sacral chakra, joy, creative ideas, optimism
• Brown – Sacral chakra is associated with stability, neutrality, comfort, earthiness, muddiness, or a lack of boundaries.
• Yellow – Opportunity, spontaneity, and zeal are all associated with the solar plexus chakra.
• Gold – Majesty, divinity, spiritual leadership, crown chakra, or higher
• Green – Healing, love, harmony, balance, envy, bitterness, and the heart chakra
• Blue – Communication, peace, self-expression, trust, melancholy, judgment, and criticism are important. The throat chakra
• Purple – Third eye chakra, intuition, psychic ability, spirituality, reason, critical thinking
• White – The connection to the Divine, the higher self, newness, inexperience, birth, The crown chakra
• Silver – Crown chakra, emotion, sensitivity, empathy

As you can see, color symbolism in Tarot has a lot of depth and meaning.

Symbols & Images Related to Tarot Art

Each card on most tarot decks has elaborate artwork.

The elements of the scenario can assist the reader in interpreting the insights gained during the reading. Many of these elements are not as they look, but they are symbolic and may have a meaning that differs slightly from the visible picture.

Angels are used as symbols in this image.

• Inspiration
• Pay attention to your inner voice.
• Pay close attention to the details.

Blindfold

• The client’s vision is blurry.
• Someone is unwilling to accept the truth.
• Someone is concealing the truth.

Cat

• Unseen power
• Psychic power
• Before acting, be aware of all circumstances.

Dog

• Truthfulness Loyalty Honesty
• We’re on the right track.

Flag

• Take note: A significant shift is on the way.

Grapes

• Abundance of Fertility

Hammer

• Finishing a task
• Vocation
• Use force to complete a task.

Ice

• Isolation Separation
• Growth as a result of a season of completion

Keys

• Opportunity for Knowledge Discovery

Lizard

• Vision
• Conscious effort produces significant results.

Moon

• The passage of time
• Change in Femininity Reflection

Ocean

• Possibility
• Relax and allow the universe’s power to work in your life.
• Emotions/emotional states
• Movement

Pillar

• Balance
• Look for a balanced solution.
• Support

Rain

• Possibilities for Growth after Sadness Cleaning

Ship

• Transformational personal journey
• Keeping afloat

Tree

• Strengths of Shelter Regeneration

Wreath

• Triumphant Victory

Symbolism in the Major Arcana of the Tarot

The Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck has 22 major arcana cards. Each of the major arcana cards has numerology and archetype-based symbolism. The major arcana cards are numbered 0 to XXI (21) and reflect the soul’s journey from innocence to enlightenment. LoveToKnow contains articles that detail each of the major arcana cards, as well as their symbolism and meaning.

Symbolism of the Major Arcana Tarot cards:

1.    0 The Fool – Innocence, the beginning of a journey  
2.    I The Magician – Creation, alchemy  
3.    II The High Priestess – Subconscious, intuition  
4.    III The Empress – Feminity, compassion, wise woman  
5.    IV The Emperor – Power, authority  
6.    V The Hierophant – Spiritual guidance  
7.    VI The Lovers – Relationships, partnerships  
8.    VII The Chariot – Goals, ambitions, and motivation  
9.    VIII Strength – Courage, perseverance, and standing up to life’s challenges  
10.    IX The Hermit – Going within to find wisdom  
11.    X Wheel of Fortune – Impermanence, change  
12.    XI Justice – Fairness, balance  
13.    XII The Hanged Man – Patience, perspective  
14.    XIII Death – Change, new beginnings, endings  
15.    XIV Temperance – Moderation
16.    XV The Devil – Temptation, control or lack thereof  
17.    XVI The Tower – Cataclysmic change  
18.    XVII The Star – Healing, hope, encouragement  
19.    XVIII The Moon – Subconsciousness, deep fears or emotions, reflection
20.    XIX The Sun – Happiness, joy, excitement, awakening  
21.    XX Judgment – Recognizing how your past actions affect others, taking stock, righting past misdeeds
22.    XXI The World – Fulfillment, the end of a cycle or quest 

Various Frameworks for Interpreting Tarot cards Symbols

Tarot card symbols can also be interpreted in a variety of ways. Universally is the most universal way to interpret them. Jungian archetypes, for example, are thought to be universal symbols. That is, they are symbols that everyone recognizes, regardless of race, religion, culture, or family origin, because they stem from humanity’s collective consciousness. 

Pregnancy and birth as symbols of creativity, or a heart as a symbol of love, are examples of universal symbolism. The following are some more frameworks for interpreting symbols.

Personal Experiences and Beliefs Give Rise to Symbols

These are usually unique and personal. For example, if you had a pet cat as a child, a cat may represent joy, love, or happiness to you.

Symbols Related to a Family’s or Tribe’s Origin

Within the tribal unit, families and tribes have their own symbols, which differ from tribe to tribe. For example, family coats of arms, family crests, or Scottish family plaids contain symbolism exclusive to a tribe or family that may not be universally recognized.

Symbols of Local and Regional Interest

The environment in which you live impacts how you see particular symbols. For example, if a local high school uses a dolphin as a mascot, the dolphin may represent regional learning or athletic excellence.

Religion, Culture, Race, Nation, or Heritage Symbols

Each of these societal groupings has its own symbolism that is meaningful and identifiable to that group. For example, the eagle represents freedom in the United States, and the cross depicts Christ’s crucifixion in the Christian religion. As another example, the swastika is nearly universally associated with the Nazi party and the atrocities of World War II in Western countries, while in Hinduism, it represents the sun, prosperity, and good luck.

Tarot Symbol Interpretation

All of the preceding factors are considered when interpreting tarot cards based on their symbolism. As a result, thorough consideration of each is beneficial while performing a tarot reading. Because you don’t always know what a querent’s personal, tribal, or cultural symbolism is, if you’re reading their tarot cards, you might ask them what they observe in the visuals of the cards and what those things represent to them before moving on to a more generalized reading. What do you think about tarot symbolism in the Rider Waite deck? I hope this post revealed a lot of tarot symbolism Rider Waite deck to you.