Advanced Tarot - Major Arcana Fire Elements
Elemental Correspondences of Fire - A Deeper Exploration
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 fire element and its dignity (i.e. active/passive):
Fire/Wands (active):
Fire brings passion! This element is active in our lives and expands our world. Following our inspiration with our ambition, will, and drive gives us a proactive path in life. In its shadow side fire is a destroyer. It burns away what we do not need, yet it drives us to action leading to lasting change.
Please note: I am using the comprehensive 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 suits 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 Element Element Alchemy
Benebell simplifies the impact in which elements serve the major arcana as external forces in the seeker situation. Which aspects of these cards create fire correspondences?
We should first start with the soul’s activity within the major arcana fire elementals, specifically its worldly and spiritual aspects.
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 activity2.
Emperor (4) worldly aspect - I RULE activity
Strength (8) spiritual aspect - I WANT activity
Wheel of Fortune (10) worldly aspect - I AM ALL activity
Temperance (14) spiritual aspect - I TRANSCEND activity
The Tower (16) spiritual aspect - I ESTABLISH VIRTUE activity
The Sun (19) spiritual aspect - I ILLUMINATE activity
Judgement (20) spiritual aspect - I DO JUSTICE activity
Major Arcana Fire Elements
Emperor (4) - Yang
I RULE. The Emperor (worldly aspect) opposes Death (spiritual aspect). The Emperor rules over all matter as opposed to Death who rules over all life. The interesting thing about The Emperor is that he is influential within his own circle of power, and in that respect he rules over both life and death, blurring the lines. Think of him as a young King Arthur, the father of the people and master all skills and subjects. He is charismatic to others because of his interest in his fellow people and their culture and skills. In return, his people want his governance.
The primary themes of The Emperor are: mind over heart, government, order and control, and regulation. He strives for a different established sovereignty and therefore conquers to change it using iron will.
Corresponds to Aries, Capricorn.
Strength (8) - Yang
I WANT. Strength (spiritual aspect) opposes The Fool (worldly aspect). The Fool focuses on materialistic growth, as opposed to Strength’s focus on ideas and principles without growth. Any material advantage is trumped by the emotional point of view, and both The Fool and Strength ultimately experience sacrifice within their own contexts.
Strength takes accountability for their actions regarding their captivation for ideas. They feel called to do this with all of their power, even if it brings them down. It’s based in belief, so outsiders may see the inherent risks but it will not sway Strength’s fortitude. In this respect, this fortitude supersedes their fears and reminds them that grace over force wins others over. Using this approach emphasizes knowledge with virtue and inner strength.
The primary themes of Strength are: calm, serene and assured fortitude, dominion of fears, reminder that gentle and subtle influence trumps force to exercise will over others, applying knowledge with virtue and inner strength.
Corresponds to Leo.
Wheel of Fortune (10) - Yang (Note: this is the card for 2026)
I AM ALL. Wheel of Fortune (worldly aspect) opposes The World (spiritual aspect). Humankind must fulfill its tasks, and that happens in the microcosm, planet earth - where our four dimensional life manifests reality. And so the wheel turns, cycling through birth, life, death, and then rebirth. The Wheel of Fortune brings all possibilities and opportunities for spiritual growth, which are realized in The World. In other words, the Wheel of Fortune represents the earthly level that we each carry out our soul assignments, whereas The World represents the heavenly level connecting our spiritual growth. These are the two aspects of creation.
The primary themes of Wheel of Fortune are: karma, dharma/wheel of life, a turning point, movement, what comes up must come down (and vice versa), forces in motion, luck.
Corresponds to Aquarius, Leo, Taurus, Scorpio.
Temperance (14) - Yang
I TRANSCEND. Temperance (spiritual aspect) opposes The High Priestess (worldly aspect). The spiritual soul activity interpretation took me by surprise. Traditional meanings encompass well-known themes. However, the soul activity of Temperance elevates them to new heights.
Traditional themes: balance, forbearance, attunement, healing, external forces righting the wrongs to restore ourselves, harmonious health, reconciling contrasting elements to harmony and balance, higher level consciousness flows into lower level consciousness symbolizing the temperance between the two, resolving depression/anxiety.
Soul activity interpretation: Temperance’s soul activity resides in the astral level of existence where time and space converge, the transit from life to death via the soul leaving the body. The law of conservation of spirit guides death via the initiation of a transfer of motion, whereas The High Priestess initiates of the laws of life. This brings a confrontation with these ruling powers to return to the void and therefore reincarnate.
These interpretations seem far apart, and yet not. It’s just that soul activities by default are transcendent in nature. When consulting the “Secrets of the Waite Smith Tarot” by Marcus Katz and Tali Goodwin to reconcile these interpretations, I think I have found our connection. The card illustration features an Iris. This flower is also the name of the Goddess depicted as the winged figure in the card. She is the messenger of the gods, rainbows, balance, and the bridge between heaven and earth. Here we find our connection of life and death at the soul level. The images on the card are ultimately born from union to create the keys to union.
The rainbow is representative of the three lower paths on the Tree of Life with Temperance the central path arising out of those three lower paths. The arrow shot from the bow, and reflects the archer Sagittarius.
Corresponds to Sagittarius.
The Tower (16) - Yang
I ESTABLISH VIRTUE. The Tower (spiritual aspect) opposes The Hierophant (worldly aspect). The connection is fascinating, something I have not previously connected in my own practice. The Hierophant focuses on higher level themes of actions and commitments surrounding spiritual structures and truths, expressed in common morality and social guidelines. Truth reflects acceptance and refinement heard through intuition. This ultimately leads to the lower level of The Tower, where norms and values of humanity are destroyed by truth. The Tower smashes everything down into spiritual bankruptcy because it rips off the covers to reveal only essential soul structures.
These two archetypes connect to one another - they reflect the polarity of acceptance (The Hierophant, higher level) versus the dismissal (The Tower, lower level) of moral mind structures.
The lower level does not understand the higher level.
The higher level understands the lower level.
With this in mind, The Hierophant focuses on moral actions and commitments to truth until The Tower collapses everything. The untrue norms and values eliminated in The Tower show the core truths once again.
The primary themes of The Tower are: downfall as a result of selfish and egotistical ambition, sudden jolt of change, loss of security/stability with an aftermath of truth. The subsequent epiphany opens spiritual growth after a needed fall.
Benebell summarizes The Tower’s fall succinctly: “The Tower card can denote important spiritual revelations sprung from fire. It tells a story of people who held one notion of divinity only to have that same divinity break down their notion and cause the people to reevaluate their spiritual purpose,” (p.111).
Corresponds to Scorpio, Aries.
The Sun (19) - Yang
I ILLUMINATE. The Sun (spiritual aspect) opposes The Hermit (worldly aspect). The Hermit focuses on one’s inner wisdom and light. The evolved soul illumination becomes The Sun, wherein the reborn, naive child is still in the womb, setting out to live on the earth. Solar intelligence nourishes the soul’s development to be reborn - they then shine a light onto others, illuminating potential prospects and perspectives that could be. This mutual reciprocity benefits the world with spiritual power and light. As we develop, helping others goes hand-in-hand benefiting all.
The primary themes of The Sun are: attainment, glory, majesty, spiritual righteousness bringing success which then brings recognition, radiance, liberation from hardship, mastery of ego, affirmations. 19 is the number of light, and of God.
Corresponds to Leo.
Judgement (20) - Yin/Yang
I DO JUSTICE. Judgement (spiritual aspect) opposes Justice (worldly). Judgement represents heavenly justice, a new soul-creation will be born. What is their purpose on earth? This purpose now becomes reality reborn - out of heaven and life begins. This heavenly justice completes past life cycles, no longer dwelling on the past and focusing on what’s to come. Breaking this down, when we have the “coming to God” moment, we give up past realities and fully surrender to rebirth on earth. Conversely, Justice focuses solely on earthly matters.
The primary themes of Judgement are: awakening, epiphany, spiritual revelation, rebirth, salvation, putting the past behind you, change in personal consciousness, resurrection.
Corresponds to Scorpio/yang or Pisces/yin. Judgement, depending on the viewpoint, may be considered water or fire.
Thank you for reading this lesson the elemental fire correspondences for the major arcana.
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Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen.
The Complete New Tarot by Onno & Rob Docters van Leeuwen.
I love how this deepens our understanding of the Major Arcana not just as individual symbols, but as elemental forces that shape our spiritual and inner journeys — a beautiful reminder that each card carries both fire and reflection in its own way.