How do the colors within a Tarot card influence its meaning and interpretation? Going beyond memorizing the meanings of all 78 cards, color symbolism in tarot cards can add an extra layer of meaning to your readings.
The colors in a Tarot card influence the meanings and interpretation by tapping into the subconscious mind, triggering emotional responses, and enhancing intuitive connections with the symbolism on the card.
Color helps amplify its message and guide the reader’s interpretation.
Read on to find out how understanding how colors affect you can enhance your tarot practice.
Exploring Color Symbolism in Tarot
Understanding the Color Symbolism in Tarot Cards
The energy of colors extends beyond mere optics. It resonates with our subconscious minds, creating emotional responses.
Due to your upbringing and experiences in life, you may associate some colors with a different feeling or emotion than what I am about to list, and THAT’S OK! Go with it, we don’t all have to think the same.
Color Magic: Symbolism in Tarot
Red:
Symbolizing passion, vitality, and willpower, red ignites the flames of action and ambition. Associated with the element of fire and masculinity
Yellow:
Symbolizing intellect, optimism, and vitality, yellow illuminates the mind and spirit with clarity and optimism. Associated with the element of air, it promotes mental clarity, stimulates intellectual pursuits, and uplifts the spirit with its sunny disposition.
Blue:
Evoking serenity, communication, and intuition, blue soothes the soul and facilitates clear communication. Associated with the element of water and femininity, it symbolizes intuition and fosters deep connections with the subconscious mind.
Green:
Emblematic of growth, healing, and abundance, green embodies the nurturing energies of nature and renewal. Associated with the element of earth, it promotes balance, harmony, and vitality, fostering physical and emotional healing.
Orange:
Radiating warmth, creativity, and enthusiasm, orange infuses life with a sense of joy, courage, and inspiration. Associated with the element of fire, it sparks creativity, enhances communication, and encourages social connections.
Purple:
Purple unlocks the doors to higher consciousness and divine connection by radiating spirituality, wisdom, and mysticism. Associated with the element of spirit, it stimulates psychic abilities, enhances spiritual awareness, and fosters inner wisdom.
Pink:
Pink is a gentle and nurturing hue associated with various aspects of love, compassion, and emotional healing. It symbolizes romantic love, friendship, and soulmate connections, evoking feelings of sweetness and warmth in relationships. Pink is also linked to emotional healing, offering comfort and support during times of distress or heartache. It represents family love and nurturing, embodying qualities of compassion, forgiveness, and understanding. Additionally, pink radiates a youthful energy, inspiring feelings of innocence, playfulness, and beauty.
White:
Symbolizing purity, clarity, and spiritual cleansing, white purifies the mind, body, and spirit. Associated with the element of spirit or ether, it promotes spiritual enlightenment, clarity of purpose, and divine protection.
Black:
Emblematic of mystery, protection, and transformation, black holds the secrets of the unseen and the hidden. Associated with the element of earth or spirit, it provides a protective shield against negative energies, facilitates spiritual transformation, and enhances personal power.
Gray:
Gray represents neutrality, invisibility, and navigating the realms between light and shadow. Its subtle energy allows practitioners to move between worlds. With its ability to neutralize and balance energies, gray facilitates the exploration of hidden realms and the unraveling of mysteries, making it a powerful tool for those seeking deeper insights and spiritual growth.
How Colors Evoke Different Emotions and Energies in Tarot Readings
The artist, Pamela Coleman Smith, understood this well and intentionally used it in her classic images found in the Raider Waite Smith Deck, a staple in most tarot readers’ collections.
As you pull and examine each card in your spread, the colors evoke emotional responses whether you know it or not.
By understanding what the colors mean and what they represent to you, you can gain some insight from the card. This helps you read the cards more intuitively and aids in your interpretation.
Examples of Color Symbolism in Tarot Cards
I am going to use the classic Raider Waite Smith deck for examples. However, you can use color symbolism in tarot with any deck. Each artist has different ways of expressing the meaning with their artwork and color selection. Color symbolism is another layer you can add to your interpretations.
Color Magic: Red in the Magician
In the Magician card, the man wears a bright red coat. This card is often interpreted as “manifestation,” To manifest, we need to take action, and that’s where the red color comes in.
Red is often connected to things like passion and willpower, which are important when we want to achieve something.
So, the red coat on the Magician shows us that it takes a lot of energy and determination (like the energy in the color red) to make our goals a reality. It’s like a reminder that we need to be determined and focused to make our dreams come true.
Color Magic: Blue in the High Priestess
Usually depicted as a card about secrets, wisdom, and the subconscious. A woman is covered in a blue cloak.
The color blue helps us feel the calm energy coming from this woman. The blue helps represent the inner knowing she has and the secrets she is aware of. Blue is also associated with the feminine energy.
By her feet lies a crescent moon supporting the aspect of the subconscious and mysteries found behind the pillars.
Color Magic: Yellow in the Fool
The Fool Card from the Tarot is full of the color yellow. The yellow Sun is shining down on our adventurer and he is seen in front of a bright yellow sky.
This card evokes so much optimism and there is no doubt why. Yellow is associated with happiness. This card is classically read as a sign of potential and new beginnings. I feel the yellow in the card does a good job of making this come through to the reader.
You can use Color Symbolism in Tarot throughout the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. The Magic of Color can be used with any deck as well. Use my associations as a starting point but explore your associations for a deeper connection to Color Magic and your Tarot practice.
Practical Applications for Color Symbolism in Tarot
How to Incorporate Color Symbolism into Tarot Readings
1. Paying attention to the dominant colors in Tarot cards
What color fills the majority of the card? Look at what this color means or what it means to you and add that to the card’s meaning.
2. Color psychology affects us. What is the feeling you get from the card? What color(s) are making you feel that way? How does that enhance the meaning of the card? Or does it change the meaning? Let your intuition take over.
3. What object or symbol in the card stands out to you? What color is that symbol? Combine what you know about that symbol and the association you have with that color. It can provide a very clear message.
Using Color Combinations to Enhance Interpretation
1. Analyzing colors within Tarot spreads.
When multiple cards are used in a spread, take stock of the colors you see repeated throughout. A large amount of brown shows stability. Whereas, if you see green throughout it may indicate that growth is necessary.
2. The presence of multiple colors and their collective symbolism in Tarot
Does one card contain mostly white and one mostly black? Look at how those color’s meanings work together and contrast each other. What could this mean for your reading?
3. Interpreting reversed cards and their color symbolism in Tarot readings.
Do you read reversals? If so, reflect on how your color symbolism in tarot would change if in a reversal. Or would you change it at all?
Developing Intuition through Color Symbolism in Tarot
1. Trusting intuitive responses to color symbolism in Tarot cards
As explained above, there is no one meaning or interpretation for color and its symbolism in Tarot. Everyone has different upbringings and experiences that shape how colors affect them. Go with your gut and trust your instincts and intuition when it comes to assigning meaning to your tarot card readings.
2. Keeping a Tarot journal to track personal insights and experiences with color symbolism
I encourage everyone, beginners and advanced readers, to keep a journal to record their tarot readings. Keep one yourself to record how colors in the cards make you feel and how they shape your reading. Over time you will get a good idea of how color symbolism in the tarot shapes your practice.
Check Out the Tarot Journal I created to use for your weekly or daily tarot readings. It contains a quick reference guide containing keywords associated with each of the 78 tarot cards. Plus, it has tarot and astrological associations to add an extra layer of meaning to your readings.
Now you have a good foundation of the meaning of each color and how to use it to enhance your Tarot practice. Now, go grab your tarot cards and practice your color symbolism in tarot.
