3 Tarot Symbols Nobody Notices

Tarot cards are rich in symbology. The best decks of Tarot cards bury multiple layers of hidden meaning inside subtle symbols like animals, clouds, rivers and bridges. Sometimes the color of the sky or the posture of a figure can reveal important messages that might be overlooked by those who fail to understand their significance.

One of the most interesting parts of reading Tarot cards, is the “deep reading” of these hidden images and symbols which lie waiting to be discovered within Tarot artwork.

While there are thousands of available Tarot decks available for purchase, many of them “tip their hat” in one way or another to the iconic imagery of the seminal Ride-Waite Tarot cards — a deck which is bursting with symbolism and hidden meaning.

Here are three important symbols that appear on dozens of cards, that you might not even recognize as symbols at all:

Water: The Tarot Symbol That’s Almost Everywhere

Water is such a common feature in the artwork of the Rider-Waite Tarot, you might even forget that it’s a symbol at all. No less than 28 cards of the 78 card Rider-Waite deck feature water symbolism — seen in rivers, streams, small pools and oceans.

In the simplest sense, water implies emotion. But it’s also important to remember that like emotions, water represents something that is mutable and changeable. Both water and emotions have the capacity to influence, but can also be influenced.

Therefore, water on Tarot cards can be seen as symbolizing emotional depth, but also something that is shifting, changing, impermanent and mysterious.

Mountains: A Tarot Symbol Lost in the Background

Another symbol that’s easy to ignore on Tarot artwork, are the appearance of mountains in the distance. Because they’re nearly always a feature that’s tucked into the background, it’s easy to consider this important symbolism as something of an afterthought.

Mountains in a nutshell, symbolize trials and hardships. On some cards, those hardships may be seen as something far off in the distance. On other cards, mountains are seen as something that has already been passed-through — or hardships that have brought you, the card-reader, to the current time or place.

Mountains shouldn’t be seen as a “discouraging” feature however. They may also represent the need to rise to a challenge — or the idea of healthy competition.

Grey skies: The symbol nobody notices

Grey skies on Tarot cards are a symbol so subtle that it’s nearly invisible — but it’s actually one of the most important symbols in the entire Tarot deck.

The quickest way to understand grey skies is that they point to an uncertain outcome. In other words, “Things can go either way from here.”

While some may say grey skies are a gloomy symbol, they’re actually just as much a symbol for hope. Take the iconic 3 of Swords card. While the surface meaning of the 3 of Swords one of mourning and sadness, the grey skies on the card remind us that things can actually take a turn for the better here.

NOTE: Actually, every sky color has its own meaning in Tarot — not just grey skies. Here’s a deeper dive into all the different sky colors in the Rider Waite Tarot deck.

Remember that when grey skies appear in your reading, it’s like the cards are reminding you that there’s a bit of uncertainty surrounding a particular situation. Things can go in one direction, but they might also go in another. In most cases, you’re going to need to look at other cards in your Tarot spread for more confidence about some issue.

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