During the fifth and sixth centuries BC, a variety of men in Greece concerned themselves mainly with the development of philosophy and science. Aristotle referred to these men as phusikoi or students of nature. Their quest was to discover the origins of nature and they believed they found it in the elements: earth, air, water, and fire. To the phusikoi, all matter on Earth was made up of these four elements. Although we have a more sophisticated understanding of the material world today, many of the same principles apply. Back when the phusikoi studied nature, some of them thought that all things in the material world were made up of one of the elements. Others believed it was a combination of them. Today’s students of nature, or scientists, either believe that all things are make up of a combination of elements or one primary element that has yet to be discovered.
During the fourth century, Aristotle also studied nature. He believed that there were two components to life: essence and matter. According to Aristotle, matter itself was devoid of characteristics. It was merely a possibility of being something. Essence was what gave matter the qualities by which we come to know it. Entelechy, which means coming to fruition, is the process by which essence provides matter with substance. (1)
The reason for briefly discussing the ancient Greeks and their quest(ions) to understand the natural world is that their learnings have been handed down to us. During the Renaissance period of the West, individuals who were part of the earliest development of the Tarot, built their understanding of these Greek teachings into the deck. The four elements may be considered as the essences of form or matter as we come to experience them in their physical condition. These elements are reflected in the cards as Pentacles (earth), Cups (water), Wands (fire), and Swords (air).
Pentacles commonly represent the material world. One of the first things that come to mind when hearing the word pentacle is the pentagram. They are both five-pointed stars, but the pentacle is a five-pointed star enclosed by a circle. In the Tarot, the pentacle represents the earth in mineral form. We often tend to think of the Pentacles as representing finances, property, or career, but they can also represent physical health, our bones, teeth, hair, organs, skin (also an organ), etc., which our physical structure is composed of. Pentacles are the crystals that are essential nutrients are bodies need to stay healthy. Think of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulfur, as examples of the earth represented in our health system.
Cups represent a receptive vessel. Since they hold liquid, their affiliation is with water. The ancient Greeks affiliated water with emotions. Too strong of emotions can affect our health. When many Cups cards appear in a reading, depending on their relationship to other cards, and whether the cards appear as reversed in a reading, they could point to physical or psychological health issues. The first idea we might think of when relating water to emotions is the tears we shed when we cry. However, tears are actually a Tarot compound of Cups (water), Pentacles (minerals), and Wands (amino acids) reversed.
The Swords are connected with air, which the ancient Greeks related to the mind and the soul. You might think that the Cups, representing emotions, correlate to the mind because excess sadness or depression, and mania, are considered a psychological issue. However, what is really happening is that the emotions and the mind are interactive. It is possible that the material properties of Pentacles could interact with our liquids, and lead to an experience of strong emotions, which in turn can affect our thought processes. The fluids coursing through our bodies are responsible for our emotions but are not our emotions. The liquids are the essence of the substance of emotions, following Aristotle’s logic on the elements. Both air and water are invisible and transparent. We cannot see them, but that doesn’t stop us from experiencing them. Our thoughts and emotions are very real, ghostly phenomena of human experience. In antiquity, air was associated with blood. It is pretty obvious how vital air is to our health. We wouldn’t survive too long if we didn’t breath. When we have too little oxygen in our blood, we get hypoxemia, and this damages our organs.
The reason that the mind links with the experience of emotions is because there is a relationship between the mind and the emotions. If you feel good, your thoughts will be positive, and if you have positive thoughts, you will have positive emotions. Mind and emotions both represent environments in which the other resides. They have a symbiotic relationship. Consider your emotions as the stream that runs through the meadow of your thoughts. Without the stream, the meadow would become dry. When we experience dehydration, our thoughts become delirious. Our mental apparatus begins to skew our perception of our reality. With over hydration, we experience intoxication and a sodium/blood (Pentacles/Swords) imbalance. If you have more liquids in your body than your kidneys can keep up with the body experiences a sodium deficiency (hyponatremia). Overhydration may be a sign of liver disease (cirrhosis), kidney problems, congestive heart failure, or syndrome of inappropriate anti-diuretic hormone (SIADH).
Neurochemicals are compounds that also affect our cognitive thought processes. What are they made up of? For our purposes, we would say Cups (liquids), Pentacles (minerals), and Wands (acids). Without Neurochemicals, we would not be aware of our existence or our experiences. So it is safe to say that these are decently important to the mind. What I find interesting is that there are so many contributing factors to the mind, and the notion of absence of mind without them. This isn’t to say that the mind is the fruit of matter as much as to say that for the mind to experience matter, certain material substances are necessary.
Wands relate to fire. They describe our energy, assertiveness, passion, and motivation. But for health purposes the ancients regarded the Wands in terms of heat. They believed fire to represent bile. Although bile consists of water, electrolytes, cholesterol, phospholipids and bilirubin, we most commonly think of it in term of its acids that are highly critical to digestion. When our emotions are intense, our thoughts negative, and the pressure is intense, cortisol facilitates the recycling of bile acids, and we end up with reflux, which can be quite hot. We may even experience the sensation of hunger because our digestive system is working extra hard. Heat is also important in terms of temperature range within the body. In the brain, the hypothalamus contains the temperature regulation mechanisms and sensors. If we get too hot, the body will begin to sweat to cool itself off, but the more we sweat, the more nutrients we lose in the liquids. This action would be akin to a Wand and a Cup reversed. Excess heat also taxes the heart. With not enough heat, the heart slows down, and blood flow speed also decreases. Essential nutrients won’t distribute to the external parts of the body. Blood vessels nearer to the outer part of the body close off to preserve heat at the core.
As we can see, there are some definite ways in which the Tarot can help us identify imbalances in our health. It can definitely point out issues we may bring to a medical practitioner for discussion. But in cases where the situation may not seem too serious such as, “why are my elbows always dry, no matter how much lotion I apply?”, “why do spiders and mosquitos like me more than my family and friends?”, or “how can I get more energy?” The Tarot is happy to provide advice.
1. Vella, John. Aristotle : A Guide for the Perplexed. London, GBR: Continuum International Publishing, 2008.
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