Tarot Symbolism 103: What Posture and Gaze Reveal in the Cards
We have covered two layers of tarot symbolism so far: numerology tells you where a situation sits in its cycle, and color tells you how that situation feels. Today we are adding a third layer: direction and body language. This one tends to surprise people, because once you start seeing it, you cannot unsee it.
Every figure in the Rider-Waite deck is positioned with intention. Which way a character is facing, where their eyes are pointed, whether their arms are open or closed, whether they are standing or seated or on the move: all of it is part of the message the card is delivering. When I pull a tarot card, I always make sure to scan the entire card, including the figures and the direction they are facing. The body rarely lies, and that is just as true in tarot as it is in real life.
Why Body Language Matters in a Reading
Traditional card meanings give you the broad strokes of what a card is about. Body language narrows it down. Two cards can share a similar core meaning but feel completely different depending on how the figures are positioned. A figure facing right carries a different energy than the same figure turned away, even if every other element of the card is identical. Direction tells you where the energy is going. Posture tells you how the figure relates to that energy.
This is especially useful in spreads where you are tracking the movement of a situation over time. Cards whose figures face toward each other suggest connection or momentum. Cards whose figures face away from each other can point to disconnection, diverging paths, or something being left behind. You do not need to analyze every limb of every figure. You just need to notice the dominant impression the posture gives you before anything else.
Direction and Body Language Reference
Here is a quick reference for the most common physical signals in Rider-Waite tarot and what they generally indicate in a reading.
| Signal | What It Shows | General Meaning |
| Facing right | Forward motion | Moving toward the future, openness to what is coming |
| Facing left | Looking back | Reflection, the past, or resistance to moving forward |
| Facing forward | Direct engagement | Confronting the situation head-on, full presence |
| Gaze upward | Spiritual focus | Looking to higher guidance, hope, or divine connection |
| Gaze downward | Inner focus | Grief, contemplation, withdrawal, or shame |
| Eyes closed | Inward awareness | Intuition, rest, deep inner knowing, or denial |
| Arms open | Receptivity | Welcoming, openness, generosity, or surrender |
| Arms crossed or held | Guardedness | Self-protection, withholding, or internal conflict |
| Standing upright | Confidence | Authority, stability, and readiness to act |
| Seated | Deliberation | Stillness, judgment, patience, or established power |
| Kneeling or bowed | Humility | Reverence, submission, defeat, or receiving grace |
| Turned away | Avoidance | Refusal to engage, loss, or moving on from something |
| Dancing or leaping | Freedom | Joy, abandon, spiritual liberation, or breakthrough |
| Figure in motion | Urgency | Action underway, speed, or a situation in flux |
| Figure still | Resolution | Certainty, completion, or a moment held in suspension |
Quick Examples
The Fool steps forward with his face tilted slightly upward and his arms loose at his sides. Everything about his body language says openness: he is not braced for impact, not looking back, not guarding himself. He is moving into the unknown with complete ease. That posture alone communicates the card’s core energy before you think about the cliff, the dog, or the white sun behind him.
The Two of Swords shows a seated figure with arms crossed and a blindfold over her eyes. She is not moving. She is not looking at anything. Her body is closed off in every direction at once. The message is not just indecision; it is a deliberate refusal to see what is available to see. The posture makes the meaning more specific and more personal than the card’s name alone ever could.
The Eight of Pentacles shows a figure bent over his work, eyes down, focused entirely on the coin in front of him. He is not looking at the coins already finished and hanging behind him. He is not looking ahead. He is just working. That downward gaze and concentrated posture tells you this is a card about diligence and practice, not about pride in what has already been accomplished.
The World shows a dancing figure at the card’s center, body mid-motion, arms extended, face turned slightly to look back over one shoulder. The posture captures both completion and continuation at once. She has arrived somewhere, but she is still moving. That specific body language is doing something a static figure never could.
How to Use This When You Read
When a card lands in a spread, spend a moment with the figures before you reach for a meaning:
• Which direction is the figure facing, and what does that suggest about the energy at play?
• Are their arms open or closed? Are they in motion or at rest?
• Where is their gaze directed, and what does that point toward in the context of your question?
• If there are multiple figures in the card, how are they oriented in relation to each other?
That last point matters especially in relationship readings. Two figures facing toward each other suggest mutual engagement. Two figures facing away suggest distance or divergence, even if the card’s traditional meaning is a positive one. Let the bodies tell you what the situation actually looks like on the ground.
Direction and body language are meant to add specificity to a reading, not replace the card’s traditional meaning. Keep the question, the position in the spread, and your intuition in the mix. The posture is one more lens, not the whole story.
Coming Up Next
Now that we have covered numerology, color, and body language, we are going to look upward: clouds and weather. The atmospheric conditions surrounding the figures in a card are never accidental. Storm clouds, clear skies, rough seas, and still water all carry meaning, and in the next blog we will work through what the weather is telling you. From there, the series continues through animals, plants and flowers, the four elements, celestial symbols, clothing, objects, landscapes and buildings, and repeated symbols.
Have you started paying attention to the direction figures are facing in your readings? If so, what are your thoughts?
Tarot readings are intended for adults age 18 and older and are provided for entertainment and personal reflection. Tarot should not replace professional medical, legal, mental health, or financial advice.
© 2026 Kim’s Esoteric Tarot Journals. All rights reserved.
Kim's Esoteric Tarot Journals
Kim's Esoteric Tarot Journals 