What’s the Tarot Card for Libra?

A common question for Librans to ask when they first start learning tarot is, “What tarot card is Libra?”

The answer is a little more complicated than most people expect: There isn’t just one single tarot card for Libra. There are actually 5 different tarot cards that are associated with the Libra zodiac sign.

For those looking for a simpler answer, the good news is there’s only 1 Major Arcana card that represents Libra. The rest are all Minor Arcana cards.

So let’s start with the lone Major Arcana card:

The tarot card that represents Libra

The card that represents Libra is “Justice” tarot card of the Major Arcana.

The golden scales which dangle from Lady Justice’s left hand make for a somewhat obvious association with the sign of Libra.

Those born under the sun sign of Libra are driven to create harmony and equilibrium between all areas of their lives.  This concept of balance is of primary importance to both Libras and to the greater concept of Justice itself.

For those interested in tarot lore, The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, who’s members created the original Rider Waite tarot deck, swapped the positions of the Justice and Strength tarot cards over 100 years ago in order to make the two cards correspond better with their astrological correspondences. (In previous tarot decks, the Strength card was number 11, and Justice was number 8.)

This “correction” in numerical sequence allowed the Strength and Justice card to more closely map to the zodiac sequencing.

Minor Arcana tarot cards associated with Libra

It is notable that Justice looks almost like a court card from the Suit of Swords, because the other 4 cards in the Minor Arcana which are associated with Libra are all swords cards.

The Minor Arcana cards associated with Libra are:

• The Two of Swords
• The Three of Swords
• The Four of Swords
• The King of Swords

These 4 Minor Arcana Swords cards are linked to the sign of Libra for two reasons:

1. They share a primary elemental association to Air.
2. They share a cardinal astrological modality.

Cardinal astrological modalities all tend to represent actions and initiation. To read further about how astrological modalities and primary elements  connect the fields of astrology and tarot, see our longer article on the links between astrology and tarot cards.

Why learn the tarot card for Libra?

The worlds of tarot and astrology are often thought of as separate and distinct fields of study. While it’s not necessary to combine the two worlds, learning the astrological correspondences for each tarot card can add an additional layer of meaning to your tarot readings.

Being able to associate each tarot card with months of the year, or with signs and people born under those signs can bring new interpretations and make your tarot insights deeper and more accurate.

Now that you’ve connected Libra to 5 different tarot cards, try applying these correspondences in your next free tarot reading.