Did you know Tarot cards use pictures because pictures communicate information quickly. Long before people had guidebooks, they learned tarot by looking at the images and paying attention to what was happening inside them.
A person walking away from something. Someone clutching onto what they have. Two people facing each other. A dark scene versus a bright one. Those visuals were always part of how tarot was meant to be read.
When you first learn tarot, you start with meanings. Three of Swords means heartbreak. Ten of Wands means burden. Ace of Cups means new feelings growing. That’s a great way to start and it does give you foundational understanding. But meanings only tell you what type of situation is showing up. They don’t always explain what that situation feels like.
That’s where symbolism comes in.
Symbolism is not a secret code and it is not something you need to memorise. It’s simply noticing the details in the picture and using basic human logic. Snow feels cold and isolating. Sunlight feels warm and open. Chains feel restricting. Open roads feel like movement. Dark, cramped spaces feel all-consuming. Wide open landscapes feel freeing.
So symbolism is more about enhancing your reading and really fining out the smaller details around what’s going on.
A heartbreak card with rain and darkness feels different from a heartbreak card in bright light. A new opportunity surrounded by flowers feels different from a new opportunity surrounded by barren ground. The situation may be similar. The experience of it is not.
If this sounds interesting to you then this article will show you the main types of symbols that appear across tarot cards, what they usually point to in everyday terms, and how to start noticing them without overthinking.
You don’t need prior knowledge. If you can look at a card and describe what you see, you already have everything you need to start using symbolism.
The 5 Main Types of Symbols You’ll See
Instead of trying to notice everything in a card at once, it helps to sort symbols into a few simple mental buckets. You’re not analysing art. You’re just looking for clues that can tell you more about the situation, what area of life it belongs to, and how the person in the card is experiencing it.
These five categories cover most of what you’ll see across the deck.
1) Animals & Objects
Objects are usually the easiest symbols to work with.
Things like cups, swords, wands, pentacles, keys, books, crowns, tools, cats, wings, almost always point to either:
- What area of life the situation belongs to
- What the person is relying on, spending, or using to deal with the situation.
For example:
Cups tend to relate to feelings, relationships, and reactions.
Swords tend to relate to thoughts, communication, conflict, and decisions.
Pentacles tend to relate to money, work, stability, and health.
Wands tend to relate to effort, motivation, desire, and taking action.
If you’ve read my articles on the understanding the different suits then you’ll know this!
When you notice objects, you’re often just confirming the suit meaning in a visual way. A card full of cups is showing an emotionally driven situation. A card full of swords is showing a mentally driven situation. Nothing complicated is happening here.
But tarot isn’t made up of suit symbols alone.
You’ll also see extra objects layered into the images. These don’t change the core meaning of the card. They describe what the situation feels like.
For example:
Sunflowers usually suggest warmth, growth, and something turning toward what feels good. When they appear, the situation often has a more open, positive, or life-giving tone.
Cats usually suggest independence, self-trust, and doing things in one’s own way. A cat can point to someone who isn’t easily controlled and prefers autonomy.
Thrones usually suggest authority, responsibility, and holding a position that carries weight. Someone on a throne isn’t passive, they’re in a role where decisions matter.
These symbols don’t override meanings. They add more to the tapestry. They help to give you a much deeper understanding of what’s going on
2) Body Language & Posture
In the Rider–Waite deck, people are drawn in the middle of real situations. They aren’t posed for decoration. Their posture and stance are part of the message. How a person holds their body usually shows what state they’re in.
A slumped body often looks worn down or defeated, like the person in the Five of Cups who is hunched over, staring at what’s been lost. A rigid, upright body often looks tense or defensive, like the wounded man in the Nine of Wands who is braced and on guard.
Someone leaning toward something usually wants it. Like in the Page of Cups, who tilts toward the cup with curiosity and openness. Whereas someone leaning back or turning away usually feels uninterested, like the person in the Four of Cups, arms crossed, body angled away from the offered cup.
You don’t need tarot theory to read this.You already read body language in everyday life. Instead of asking, “What does this person represent?” ask: What does this person look like they’re doing right now?
I found this is another great way to find out exactly what someone is feeling in a reading.
3) Direction & Gaze
Where a person is facing and what they’re looking at often shows where their attention is. This is simple, but powerful.
Someone looking forward is usually focused on what’s ahead.
Someone looking backward is usually focused on what’s behind them.
Someone looking down is often discouraged, withdrawn, or introspective.
Someone looking up often appears hopeful or searching.
Again, you can see this clearly in the Five of Cups. The person is staring at the spilled cups behind them. Their attention is on loss, not on what remains. The two upright cups behind them exist, but they aren’t being acknowledged.
In the Six of Swords, the two people are facing away from the reader as the boat moves on, showing how done with the situation they are.
This also becomes useful when you’re reading spreads with multiple cards. Sometimes you’ll notice someone looking back toward earlier cards in the spread. That often means the situation is still being influenced by something from the past.
Whereas, sometimes a person is looking toward later cards in the spread, showing their attention is on what’s coming next.
And of course, sometimes they look straight ahead, showing they’re fully in the present moment.
It’s important to remember you don’t have to force this into every reading. But when you notice it, it adds another quiet layer of context. Direction and gaze don’t override a card’s meaning. They refine it.
4) Environment & Background
You should also pay attention to where the scene is taking place. Because the setting gives you the mood of the situation.
Just like real life, being in a warm, bright place feels different from being in the cold or dark. Being somewhere full of life feels different from being somewhere empty. Tarot uses background in the same common-sense way.
A lot of Cups cards include water. Water connects to emotions and inner states. Calm water usually mirrors calmer emotions. Rough or choppy water usually mirrors emotional turmoil.
You can see this in the Eight of Cups. The person walks away under a dark sky with pools of water behind them. The whole scene feels quiet and heavy, which matches emotional withdrawal and dissatisfaction.
Or mountains for example, appear in a lot of cards such as The Fool, The Hermit, and The Lovers. Mountains usually point to long-term challenges, distance, or something that requires effort to reach.
So when you look at the cards, make sure you’re looking at the background as well, so you can get more clues to what the card is REALLY telling you.
5) Repetition Across Cards
Noticing a symbol in one card helps. But noticing the same symbol across several cards helps more. If you keep seeing the same things, animals, or actions, they’re probably important.
If multiple cards show people walking away, walking away is likely part of the story.
If multiple cards show people holding onto things, attachment or fear of loss is likely part of the story.
If multiple cards show people reaching out, wanting or hoping for something is likely part of the story.
If multiple cards show closed or defensive postures, guarding or protecting oneself is likely part of the story.
This isn’t something you need to over analyze, but if you do notice it, it does help point to what the reading is really trying to tell you.
A List Of Symbols And What They Mean
| Symbol | What It Usually Means |
|---|---|
| Angels | Messages, guidance, reassurance or support. |
| Blindfold | Not seeing the full truth, denial, inward focus. |
| Boat / Ship | A journey, transition, crossing over. |
| Butterfly | Transformation, change, evolution. |
| Cat | Independence, intuition, self-direction. |
| Chains | Restriction, attachment, things that bind. |
| Clouds | Thoughts, confusion, things not yet clear. |
| Crowns | Authority, sovereignty, leadership, mastery. |
| Dog | Loyalty, guidance, companionship. |
| Eagle / Birds | Higher perspective, freedom, vision. |
| Fish | Emotions, intuition, inner flow. |
| Flowers / Sunflowers | Growth, optimism, openness to life. |
| Hands (raised) | Calling in, asking, seeking attention or help. |
| Keys | Access, answers, opportunity. |
| Lion | Strength, courage, inner power. |
| Moon | Mystery, intuition, subconscious, cycles. |
| Ocean / Water | Emotions, mood, flow of feelings. |
| Pillar / Arch | Support, stability, structure. |
| Rain | Sadness, cleansing, renewal. |
| Stars | Hope, guidance, larger perspective. |
| Tree | Growth, strength, grounding. |
| Wreath | Victory, success, achievement. |
So To Wrap Things Up
Learning symbols in tarot isn’t about memorising what everything means.It’s about looking at the card and asking:
What’s happening in this picture?
How does this person seem to feel?
What kind of situation does this remind me of?
That alone will take you a long way. Most traditional meanings come from those same things. Someone struggling, waiting, celebrating, avoiding, choosing, letting go, starting over.
So if you can describe what you see in normal language, you are already reading symbols. As you practise, you’ll start noticing patterns across different cards. Similar things happening. Similar moods. Similar situations showing up again and again. That’s how understanding builds.
And if you want help putting all of this into actual readings, read my How to Read Tarot Cards for Beginners guide next.
And if you want a deck that supports learning, my Star & Strength Tarot Deck has upright meanings, reversed meanings, and yes/no meanings printed directly on the cards, so you can check your interpretation while you practice.
