Advanced Tarot - Major Arcana Water Elements

Elemental Correspondences of Water - A Deeper Exploration

Nov 25, 2025

I highly recommend reviewing part one on Air before proceeding, as I have truncated some of my text from that post to avoid overly repeating information.

Elemental Correspondances

Elements are universal across many cultures and spiritual traditions. Tarot’s elements help show us ways to navigate life, a reflection. Elemental correspondences are critical to understanding the function of the cards beneath its individualistic meanings - specifically air, water, fire, and earth.

I like think of this function as elemental alchemy. Understanding elemental alchemy brings a deeper understanding of how the cards interact with one another. If you you’d like to go deeper, please study my post on elemental dignities.

I pulled a section from Minor Arcana Elemental Duality Spread as a quick review on the water element and its dignity (i.e. active/passive):

Water/Cups (Passive):
Water brings attention to our emotional world as we feel, experience intuition, and engage in relationships. Emotions are passive and can be either shallow or deep. Emotions are akin to an ocean which responds to the moon. In its shadow side, water can bring deep emotions. Tears may fall, causing us to feel out of control and flooded.

Please note: I am using the comprehensive bible of all tarot bibles for this lesson, “Holistic Tarot “ by Benebell Wen1 and “The Complete New Tarot” by Onno & Rob Docters van Leeuwen

The Major Arcana and Elemental Correspondences

The major arcana correspondences are not as straightforward as the minor arcana - the minor suit correspond to the same the element for cards one through ten, and shares an element within the royal court. The major arcana cards are archetypes. Each card carries their own elemental alchemy.

Major Arcana Water Element Alchemy

Benebell simplifies the impact in which elements serve the major arcana as external forces in the seeker situation. In viewing these five water cards, it’s not so easy to spot at first glance. Which aspects of these five cards create water correspondences?

We should first start with the soul’s activity within the major arcana water elementals, specifically its worldly and spiritual aspects2.

The worldly aspect (first eleven cards) of the soul activates receiving, incoming, and material life cycles. The spiritual aspect (second eleven cards) of the soul activates giving, outgoing, and spiritual life cycles. They are paired together with a common shared soul activity.

High Priestess (2) worldly aspect - I TRANSCEND soul activity
The Chariot (7) worldly aspect - I MANIFEST soul activity
The Hanged Man (12) spiritual aspect - I SACRIFICE soul activity
Death (13) spiritual aspect - I RULE soul activity
The Moon (18) spiritual aspect - I COLLECT soul activity

Major Arcana Water Elements

High Priestess (2) - Yin

I TRANSCEND. The High Priestess is the initiate of the laws of life, as opposed to the laws of man. She commands these laws through safeguarding knowledge of them. Most importantly, her duality lies in being the secret keeper versus preparation for action. Her knowledge of the laws of life directly oppose the function of Temperance (above her) and Death (below her), as she is in between them ruling her domain of life through the activation of intuition.
The pool of water at The High Priestess’ feet blends seamlessly into her gown - this is her unbroken link to the unconscious, collective unconscious, intuition/psychic energy, and spirituality. The gateway of which our experiences are encoded, retrieved, and stored. The pillars, B and J, denote that duality (such as light and dark) are both sacred and present around her. Her position between them shows that her intuition guides her though the ambiguity and tension this duality creates.
Corresponds to Cancer, Pisces.

The Chariot (7) - Yin

I MANIFEST. The Chariot denotes integration. The soul’s restructuring manifests through the material world, as opposed to The Star’s spiritual world manifestation. The Chariot is about conquest and triumph - the water element is the full control of one’s emotions, self-control, and self-assertion.
We see a man in the chariot, two sphinx lying down until given the command to start the journey. This movement leads our man in the right direction to victory. This requires a high level of control over willpower to provide the needed momentum to encompass positive, spiritual forces in nature.
The Chariot is in a quest for acquisition - his personality encompasses body, mind, knowledge, and intuition. His objective is the accomplishment of his goals.
Corresponds to Cancer.

The Hanged Man (12) - Yin

I SACRIFICE. The Hanged Man, suspended upside down from a tree, has chosen sacrifice to initiate permanent, absolute change. The change is spiritual, the highest sacrifice, to transition from one dimension to another. Opposite The Hanged Man, focusing with his inward manifestation, lies our Magician with his outward manifestation.
The Hanged Man must trust himself - the wisdom he possesses emphasizes spiritual matters such as enlightenment, divine knowledge, and what is right and good. He does not need the approval of others. His crossed legs appear again The World card, offering the reassurance that he will attain what he is looking for.
Corresponds to Pisces.

Death (13) - Yin

I RULE. Death imposes change. He separates body from spirit, a welcome (or unwelcome) inevitable outcome to drive decisions and commitment to these choices. Interestingly, opposite Death as the ruler of the spiritual realm, we see The Emperor, the ruler of the laws of man in the material realm.
Death rules change amidst the human tendency to resist. It is the hard path rife with needed change out of one’s control. Beyond this painful change lies the ray of future hope if one perseveres. Politically, we see Death in revolutions.
Corresponds to Scorpio.

The Moon (18) - Yin

I COLLECT. The Moon gathers spiritual material and regroups it so renewed manifestation may occur. What The Moon has gathered lies beyond the pillars, unknown and mysterious. Opposite The Moon, the collector of spiritual matters, we see The Empress gathering matter in more tangible significant ideas.
The Moon represents our shadow self and unconscious mind reflected in our repressed weaknesses. When our shadows appear, our self-conscious suffers. This is the root cause of personal difficulties in waking life, specifically mental distress. The risen sun-moon above the pillars offers a path through, and this divine light offers clarity using intuition. This invisible force leads one through the push and pull of life to find balance once again.
Corresponds to Pisces.