Tarot elements and seasons

[dantarot]

I am familiar with the four elements correlation with the seasons: air/spring; fire/summer; water/autumn; and earth/winter. Do any of your know any alternative correlations with the elements and seasons? And if so, I would be interested in also know their source.

 

[Fulgour]

I don't think the "elements" match up to seasons
in an exclusive sort of way. Zodiac Signs combine
Cardinal, Fixed, and Mutable Houses, throughout
the circle of the heavens. Tarot is the same way.
Let you imagination discover what each card has.

 

[mythos]

and ... when you add that there are two hemispheres, and Leo - The Sun-, in the Southern Hemisphere, for example, welcomes in winter, and not summer ... things can get a tad complicated if you try and find a specific system to fit all occasions.

mythos

 

[dantarot]

south of the equator

I'll admit, I don't think we north of the equator types often think of the differences south of the equator with christmas at the beginning of summer and easter at the beginning of fall and other differences in calendar and seasons that I haven't even thought of. I was thinking a lot about the seasons right now because I plan on using as my computer wallpaper the four elements from the Tarot of Dreams CD. Fire works for me for summer, but the other three could go either way. I could see earth as autumn because of the harvest of earth. And somehow Air can seem very wintery. But at any rate I'll will plan to change my "wallpaper" at the solstices and equinoxes to better keep in touch with the changing seasons. I'm so glad our earth is tilted!

 

[MareSaturni]

Here where i live, that's the southern hemisphere, north isn't correspondent to earth and winter. Because if you go to the north, it gets hotter. So for me, north is summer and fire.

There is no ONE system, because the important thing is to be connected to YOUR reality. There is no point to me saying that south is fire because the south pole...kinda cold to be fire, don't you think?

Yuko

 

[Sophie]

There is no ONE system, because the important thing is to be connected to YOUR reality.

Now that sentence should be handed out with every deck on every continent! Tarot is a mirror of our own world, not someone else's, and not some idealised world. The Christian churches dogmatically did not adapt their calendars when they spread to the Southern Hemisphere (Easter in autumn makes no sense) - but there's no reason for Tarot to be so narrow-minded.

Having said that I am playing with ideas here. Fire/winter - why not? Winter makes me think of burning log fires

 

[Eco74]

I am familiar with the four elements correlation with the seasons: air/spring; fire/summer; water/autumn; and earth/winter. Do any of your know any alternative correlations with the elements and seasons?.

The one I've learned, which is somewhat related to the witch-culture of northern Europe is Air/Winter, Fire/Spring, Water/Summer and Earth/Autumn.
This is related mainly to the properties of the seasons here.

Winter is very cold, with clean crisp air and even the water freezes to make more room for it.
Spring is warmth, explosive growth and often very warm days when the first flowers come up through little cracks in the remaining snow. Fire/wands represent the life that persists and breaks through.
Summer is all about water. Brooks, streams, and the constant need for finding the water, or even struggle to remain near the water. It's a necessary detail for anything to grow and live. Summer is also "playtime of the year" when less work needs to be done and life is easier somehow.
Autumn is connected with the harvest. The giving earth, providing for her inhabitants.

But ofcourse, this varies greatly.
Sometimes the swords are related to water, and that makes sense too when seen from that perspective.

 

[dantarot]

The Way of Four by Deborah Lipp

I was at a bookstore this evening and found myself browsing in the "new age" section when I came across this new book called The Way of Four, which analyzes the four elements both historically and cross-culturally. I am always amazed when syncronicity crosses my path so often. I don't know Deborah Lipp, but she dedicates this book to Scott Cunningham who was a wonderful pagan writer, so I suspect it will be excellent. And of course tarot is also included in her study. Well, I must end here and begin to read it.
Peace,
DanTarot

 

[Arcana]

I am familiar with the four elements correlation with the seasons: air/spring; fire/summer; water/autumn; and earth/winter. Do any of your know any alternative correlations with the elements and seasons? And if so, I would be interested in also know their source.

I used to work with this same correlation, but a few months ago I experienced a small revelation and I discovered that fire/spring; air/summer; water/autumn; and earth/winter works much better for me. I say 'for me' because I completely agree that there are no fixed correlations, that everyone has to figure them out for themselves.

Fire primarily represents impulse to me, beginnings, spring. Air and summer may be harder to understand, but air is the element that rises to the greatest heights, like the sun does in summer.

But there's more to it than that... Fire/air/water/earth, in this order, it also corresponds with the consecutive states of matter: plasm/gas/fluid/fixed.

I know in wiccan and pagan circles both correlations are used, although air/east/spring is probably more common. I really like some of Caitlin (and John) Matthews books, and there the spear is related to the east, and the sword to the south. In a book by Philip Carr-Gomm (Druid Mysteries) I've found the same.

 

[fall_guy]

The one I've learned, which is somewhat related to the witch-culture of northern Europe is Air/Winter, Fire/Spring, Water/Summer and Earth/Autumn.

This order seems the most natural to me too. I wonder though how the court cards would figure in this? The info on this site suggests:

King = Fire (and therefore Spring)
Queen = Water = Summer
Knight = Air = Winter
Page = Earth = Autumn

The Queen and Page seem appropriate, but I think swapping the King and Knight around seems more natural:

King = Air = Winter (i.e coldness, intellect)
Knight = Fire = Spring (i.e heat, passion/enterprise)