What I love about the Tarot is the wisdom it contains about the human experience. A similar thing can be said about the chakras, as they are the (foundation of our) body’s energy system.
(To learn more about chakras, check out my article Chakras explained: A complete guide to the 7 chakras)
The idea that there is a connection between the Tarot and our 7 chakra system, would make sense, and would also provide a deeper understanding of the cards and the journey it portrays.
I did some research about the link between the chakras and the Tarot, and honestly, found very different ways to interpret this.. In this post, I will share what I found and which of these interpretations resonates with me the most.
Let me know in the comments what your interpretation is. Always curious to hear different perspectives 🙂
Tarot And Chakra Correspondence
These are the interpretations that I found on how the chakras are represented in the Tarot.
Interpretation #1
In the first interpretation, each of the suits is being linked to two chakras (source). Although, this seems to reflect the energy of the suits well, I find that it does not provide me with a much deeper understanding than the element of the suit does (earth, fire, water, air).
This interpretation also does not include the Major Arcana.
Suit of Pentacles (earth): Root & Sacral chakra
Suit of Wands (fire): Sacral & Solar Plexus chakra
Suit of Swords (air): Solar Plexus & Third Eye chakra
Suit of Cups (water): Heart & Solar Plexus chakra
Interpretation #2
In the second interpretation, every chakra is linked to particular cards in the Major Arcana.
I found this interpretation on various sites, but the interpretations of which chakra is linked to which card, is different almost everywhere.
What I like about this idea, is the fact that all the Major Arcana cards and linked to a chakra, while the Minor Arcana cards are linked to the elements (earth, fire, water, air). Using this interpretation could help to identify specific problems (related to a chakra’s energy) during a reading.
(f.e. The Chariot is linked to the solar plexus and therefore would indicate a focus on, or lack of, solar plexus energy etc.)
Cons of this interpretation, however, are that some of the links between the cards and the chakras are not directly logical to me, but that is personal and others may feel different about this. Definitely go with what resonates with you! It’s an intuitive process after all 🙂
Here is an example of one of the interpretations (source). Out of all the different ways to link them, I liked this one the most:
The Root Chakra : The Emperor, The Devil, The World, Death
The Sacral Chakra : The High Priestess, The Empress, Death
The Solar Plexus Chakra : The Chariot, The Sun, The Tower
The Heart Chakra : The Lovers, Justice, Strength, Temperance
The Throat Chakra : The Magician, The Hierophant, The Wheel of Fortune
The Third Eye Chakra : The High Priestess, The Hermit, The Moon
The Crown Chakra : The Hanged Man, The Star, The Fool, Judgement
Interpretation #3
Firstly, for this interpretation I would like to give credits to Mati Fuller, who shared this idea in her book The Tarot Blueprint. When I read this, it just felt that it made sense. If you want to deepen your knowledge of the Tarot, I strongly recommend getting the book. It will give you a whole new understanding of the Tarot 🤗 A must-read for every Tarot reader..!
In this 3rd interpretation, the four lower chakras (the Root chakra, the Sacral chakra, the Solar Plexus chakra, the Heart chakra) are represented by the 4 suits.
The three upper chakras: the Throat chakra, the Third Eye chakra and the Crown chakra (which are the chakras specifically linked to spiritual development), are linked to the highest cards in the Major Arcana: cards XI to XIX.
👉 The reason I really like this way of looking at the Tarot, is that it gives more depth and understanding to the stories of each of the suits. When I read about this idea, the stories of the suits just made more sense to me!
This interpretation assumes that each of the 7 main chakras in the body are associated with a level of consciousness (sort of similar to the Maslow pyramid). To learn more, read my post on The 7 chakras and levels of consciousness.
By understanding what type of consciousness each chakra represents, you will get a deeper understanding of the story behind the Tarot and the human experience as a whole.
The idea of linking the chakras to levels of consciousness also correlates with your chakra personality type. Read more, and find out what type you are in my post Which chakra personality type are you?
Tarot Cards Associated With Each Chakra
To determine which Tarot cards are assocated with each chakra, I will go with the 3rd interpretation, which resonates with me the most!
According to this idea, this is how each chakra is represented in the Tarot 👇
Root Chakra In The Tarot
The Root chakra is represented by the suit of Pentacles. It shows the journey of a person on the Root chakra’s level of consciousness.
The Root chakra is the chakra at our foundation and is all about finding safety and security in life. This can be related to money, shelter, food, work, and comes with the desire to be part of a group/tribe (finding safety in numbers).
The suit of Pentacles is showing the journey of this person. It begins by finding a way to gain money or possessions. When this is working, the person starts to feel the need to protect his wealth, and then experiences losing it all.
Then he realizes there is no point in hoarding it all, but that it is better to share it with others. He also learnes that growth and dedication will lead to wealth. After working hard, the dream comes true, it is now time to reflect.
Where are you now? Are you fullfilled in life?
Sacral Chakra In The Tarot
The Sacral chakra is represented by the suit of Wands. It shows the journey of a person on the Sacral chakra’s level of consciousness.
Now that the Root chakra feels safe and secure, the Sacral chakra starts to become more of a focus.
The Sacral chakra is all about personal enjoyment in life and following a passion. Being part of the tribe is no longer as important. Now, the journey has become all about finding fulfillment and joy.
The suit of Wands is showing the journey of a person getting an idea, pursuing it and celebrating the initial achievements. Then he realizes that not everybody is happy about his success and finds some conflict on his path.
After fighting through this, the person comes out victorious but soon finds out there are many invisible enemies because of his success. Again blasting through will work, but it takes its toll. He realizes that it is lonely at the top and ends up feeling exhausted and alone.
Is this still what you want? Or do you need a change?
Solar Plexus Chakra In The Tarot
The Solar Plexus chakra is represented by the suit of Swords. It shows the journey of a person on the Solar Plexus chakra’s level of consciousness.
Now that the person knows what it feels like to have a passion fulfilled and learned about the struggles of this success, the next focus will be on personal power. He believes that this will end his suffering.
The swords represent the element of air, which is related to the mind. In this suit, the person takes all decisions with the mind, without considering the heart.
Even initial heartbreak and rest won’t help. The ego (the mind) keeps wanting to win more than anything. Even after moving away from conflict, this has not yet been resolved. The ego wants to win, no matter what, but the person will never be satisfied when the heart is not open.
After pursuing this frame of mind, while not seeing what is really going on underneath the surface, the person will end up in a dark night of the soul before being able to see what is missing..
Heart Chakra In The Tarot
The Heart chakra is represented by the suit of Cups. It shows the journey of a person on the Heart chakra’s level of consciousness.
After finally seeing past the ego and opening up the heart, the person goes on a journey to find emotional fulfillment. He finds love and community, but does not yet know how to appreciate it and will therefore lose it all.
Wanting to reconcile with the past, the person eventually decides to choose to follow his heart and moves on in this direction. This time, valuing it all, his wishes will come true and he will find happiness.
Throat Chakra In The Tarot
The heart chakra is the first step on the ladder of the spiritual path. While this big hurdle (from the ego to the heart) has been taken, the journey toward the higher realms will begin. Starting with the Throat chakra.
As the first half of the Major Arcana leads up to this point, the journey on the level of consciousness of the Throat chakra starts at the Justice card, nr. XI, all the way up to the Tower card, nr. XVI.
The Throat chakra journey is all about speaking up for justice and wanting to do the right thing. This is where the ego starts to sublimate and the person feels part of a higher plan.
Before the ego dies and Kundalini energy can fully rise up the spine, there will be a lesson to learn about self sabotage (learning self discipline). Once this is dealt with, the person is ready for the next step…
Third Eye Chakra In The Tarot
While the ego has been dealt with, the person can now become the star he is meant to become. He can find his way in life by just ‘being’.
The journey on the level of consciousness of the Third Eye chakra starts at the Star card, nr. XVII, and ends with the Moon card, nr. XVIII.
The final lesson here is to surrender fully to a higher power and purpose. This means accepting what cannot be seen or known (the darkness of the moon). Everything that seemed important in the past, does not seem to matter to you anymore..
Crown Chakra In The Tarot
After this amazing journey, the person arrives at the level of consciousness of the Crown chakra, which begins with the Sun card, nr. XIX, and ends with the World Card, nr. XXI.
These are the final steps to enlightenment. The person finds back his child-like radiance and innocence while having gained all of this wisdom.
This is the time where all karma from the past (lives) can be released, where the journey has come to an end, and all wisdom now needs to be shared with the world.. 🙂🌎
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Love it! This post and the links contained in it are very enlightening. I’ve shared it with friends and bookmarked it to come back to. I plan to check out some of the posts recommended at the end.
Thanks, Kat! Glad you enjoyed it!