Tarot History · 8 min · 2026-07-18
From the seed of potential to the material realm, each tarot card number from 1 to 10 corresponds to a Sephiroth on the Tree of Life. Discover how each element (Fire, Water, Air, Earth) reveals its nature through each stage of development.
Tarot's story runs from 15th-century Italian card games through 18th-century esoteric revival, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (1909), and today's mix of psychology and self-reflection. In practice, begin with the position's job, then let the card image sharpen the answer.
In hermetic kabbalaism, the ten numbered tarot cards are not random symbols. They correspond directly to the 10 Sephiroth on the Tree of Life—states of consciousness and energy from the spiritual source to the physical world.
The four card suits (Scepter, Cup, Sword, Coin) also match the four basic elements: Fire, Water, Air and Earth. This combination creates a perfect system for understanding how energy transforms through the layers of reality.
Aces are the pure source of each element. They are potential seeds, not yet shaped or confirmed. Although they contain infinite power, without going through the journey on the Tree of Life, they are still just abstract ideas.
Ace of Staff: Original fire, untamed vitality. The first spark of creativity.
Ace Cup: Pure water, source of undivided love. Hidden feelings, not yet expressed.
Ace Sword: Pure air, absolutely clear thinking, truth untainted by experience.
Ace of Coins: Pure soil, like sprouts that have not yet bloomed. Material wealth is hidden in creativity. When several cards repeat a theme, treat the pattern as emphasis rather than certainty.
Number two represents creative wisdom—the seeds are alive and manifest for the first time. The energy remains pure, undamaged, revealing the best aspects of each element.
Two Staffs (Burning Bright): Fire energy is at its optimal state, creative and decisive.
Two Cups (True Love): Emotions in a pure state, the power of love.
Two Swords (Yen Binh): The atmosphere finds harmony, thinking in silence.
Two Coins (Transmutation): Earth realizes the power of continuous growth. Everything transforms and comes alive. For a cleaner reading, translate the symbol into one observable choice or behavior.
Number three brings true understanding—when the pure energy of number two meets consciousness and reflection. The elements begin to recognize themselves and their place.
Three Staffs (Virtue): A powerful flame that recognizes its responsibility.
Three Cups (Abundance): Emotional water flows abundantly, nourishing all.
Three Swords (Each Sad): Air comes into contact with Binah's dark aspect. Swords speak of sadness.
Three Coins (Labor): The land understands that growth requires work. Without labor, there is no rebirth. If the card feels abstract, ask what it changes in the next small decision.
Number four is concentration and stability—from potential (Kether) to manifestation (Malkuth). Energy begins to have structure, to delineate its territory.
Four Scepters (Glory): Fire of stability, rule your domain with confidence.
Four Cups (Luxury): Water cannot create structure. This element is not suited to stability—it will seek to flow out.
Four Swords (Covenant): Air builds the foundation, dominating a quiet domain.
Four Coins (Strength): Land finds peaceful, non-aggressive strength. Stability builds on stability. The strongest interpretation usually connects image, position, and question in one sentence.
Number five shatters the balance of number four. This is change, movement, and destruction—numbers of powerful conflict.
Five Staffs (Controversy): Fire breaks up quarrels, burning fiercely in the midst of conflict.
Year of Cup (Disappointment): Water is not satisfied with the source of wisdom. It flows away with sadness.
Year of the Sword (Failure): The treaty is broken, the storm destroys all ideals.
Five Coins (Anxiety): The earth cannot withstand destructive shaking. It collapsed under the pressure.
Number six brings balance and a sense of harmony. The storm of number five has calmed, the elements have found awareness and harmony.
Six Staff (Victory): Fire wins debate, restoring its direction.
Six Cups (Joy): Emotional waters find perfect consciousness in balance.
Six Swords (Science): The storm subsides, the wisdom of the air reveals its true potential.
Six Coins (Success): The land returns to harmony, prosperity is restored. When an interpretation feels too dramatic, narrow it to the practical step it actually supports.
Number seven moves downward into Netzach—the realm of creation and chaos. This is the fall from heaven (Tiphareth) into the complex human world.
Seven Staffs (Determination): Fire burns out, struggling to survive.
Seven Cups (Depravity): Water is polluted, immersed in limitless oblivion.
Seven Swords (Useless): The wind loses control, reason falls into chaos.
Seven Coins (The Fall): The land gives up resistance, surrendering completely.
The number eight represents logic and wisdom—a recovery from chaos. If you learn from history, you can build a better future.
Eight Staff (Agile): Fire reignites, illuminating a path forward.
Eight Troops (Tired): Emotional waters are difficult to reconcile with reason. It's still sad because of the loss of glory.
Eight Swords (Intervention): The wisdom of the air restlessly wants to escape its chains, but is not ready.
Eight Coins (Be Careful): Earth learns from the past. It steadfastly resists instability with reason and cold observation.
Number nine is a spiritual mirror. This is where the elements return to their essence before entering the final physical world.
Nine Scepters (Power): Fire is reborn, revealing its eternal wild nature.
Nine Cups (Happiness): Emotional water flows into the foundation, reaching fulfillment.
Nine Coins (Reserve): The land is self-sufficient, peacefully waiting for the harvest.
Nine Swords (Evil): Storm sweeps through the mental mirror. Thinking never stops, lacking peace. This is the only leaf among the four elements that falls out of harmony—revealing the destructive nature of excessive rationality. When several cards repeat a theme, treat the pattern as emphasis rather than certainty.
Number ten concludes the journey from the crown to the material kingdom. The energy has concentrated into form, becoming reality.
Ten Scepters (Oppression): The fire burns out, leaving only ashes.
Ten Cups (Complete): The water is calm, the waves stop. Perfect satisfaction is achieved.
Ten Swords (Attack): Constant war creates desolation, but the wind never dies. Truth still exists in fragments.
Ten Coins (Wealth): Earth returns home, abundance complete. The only elemental Earth that can actually settle in the physical world.
Read deeper
The differences between the four elements indicate their readiness for matter:
This is the simulation of kabbalaistic understanding: there are no "good" or "bad" elements, only their suitability or inadequacy for each level of reality.
Reference source: zhihu.com — Tarot and the Sephiroth Tree: The Journey of 10 Numbers
Reading note: Check these meanings against the cards beside them before settling on one keyword. If the card feels abstract, ask what it changes in the next small decision.
Source: Zhihu
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