Tarot Symbolism 102: Reading Color in the Cards

Tarot Symbolism 102: Reading Color in the Cards

Last time, we looked at numerology and how the number on a card tells you where a situation sits in its natural cycle. Today we are moving into the next layer of tarot symbolism: color. Color is one of the first things your eye lands on when you pull a card, and it is doing a lot of quiet work before you even start thinking about the card’s traditional meaning.

You have probably already felt this without realizing it. A card dominated by dark grays and blacks reads differently than one filled with gold and white, even before your brain processes the image. The artists behind the Rider-Waite deck did not choose colors at random. Every shade in those illustrations carries meaning, and once you know what to look for, color becomes one of the fastest ways to get an immediate emotional read on a card before you consult any other reference.

What Color Adds to a Reading

Traditional card meanings tell you what a card is about. Color tells you how it feels. A card with warm reds and oranges has a different energy than the same type of card rendered in cool blues and grays, even if the structural meaning is the same. Color speaks directly to the emotional temperature of a situation.

When you are reading a spread, notice whether the cards are dominated by warm tones, cool tones, or a mix. A reading full of warm reds and yellows often signals action, urgency, or passion. A reading heavy in blues and purples tends to point toward inner work, spirituality, or a situation that calls for calm reflection. A mix of dark and light throughout the spread can indicate tension between what is known and what remains unresolved.

Color Chart

Here is a quick reference for the colors most commonly found in Rider-Waite tarot cards and what each one generally brings to a reading.

Color	Core Energy	General Meaning
Red	Passion	Action, desire, courage, and raw energy
Orange	Drive	Ambition, creativity, and enthusiasm
Yellow	Clarity	Optimism, intellect, and mental energy
Green	Growth	Abundance, healing, and connection to nature
Blue	Truth	Calm, communication, intuition, and spiritual awareness
Purple / Violet	Wisdom	Mysticism, higher knowledge, and spiritual depth
White	Purity	Clarity, innocence, spiritual protection, and new beginnings
Black	Mystery	The unknown, transition, endings, and the subconscious
Gray	Neutrality	Uncertainty, ambiguity, and situations not yet resolved
Brown	Grounding	Practicality, stability, and connection to the earth
Gold	Radiance	Divine energy, success, spiritual illumination, and high achievement

Quick Examples

The Fool is surrounded by white and yellow. The white sun behind him signals purity and divine protection. The yellow background reinforces optimism and the open, unguarded energy of someone stepping into something entirely new. Even before you think about the cliff or the little dog, the color palette alone tells you this is a card of bright, unfiltered possibility.

The High Priestess is almost entirely blue. Her robes, the curtain behind her, and the water at her feet all carry that cool, still, inward quality. Blue here is not melancholy. It is the color of deep knowing, intuition held quietly rather than spoken aloud. The card feels calm because it is meant to. That stillness is the point.

Compare that to The Tower. The dark sky, the gray stone, and the burst of orange and red flames tell the story before you read a single word. The warm tones of fire against the cold structure signal sudden disruption. Nothing about that color palette is comfortable, and it is not supposed to be.

The Star brings a shift back to blues and soft neutrals, with a single figure pouring water under a clear sky full of stars. After the chaos of The Tower, the color palette alone signals relief and renewal. Even without knowing anything else about the card, it reads as calmer and more hopeful than what came before it.

How to Use This When You Read

When a card comes up in a spread, try asking a few quick questions about its color:

•  What is the dominant color on this card?

•  Does the color feel warm, cool, or neutral?

•  Does the color match or contrast with the card’s traditional meaning?

•  Is this color repeated anywhere else in the spread?

That last question is worth sitting with. When the same color appears across multiple cards in a spread, it is rarely a coincidence. A spread with blue showing up in three or four cards is pointing toward a theme of intuition, communication, or spiritual awareness, even before you read the individual cards in detail. Color repetition strengthens a message the same way number repetition does.

Color is meant to add depth to a reading, not replace the card’s traditional meaning. Keep the question, the position in the spread, and your intuition in the mix.

Coming Up Next

Color is just one more layer of the symbolic language running through every tarot card. In the next blog, we will look at direction and body language: what a figure’s gaze, posture, and position on the card reveal about the energy at play. From there, the series continues through clouds and weather, animals, plants and flowers, the four elements, celestial symbols, clothing, objects, landscapes and buildings, and repeated symbols.

Have you started noticing color in your readings? If so, what are your thoughts?

Tarot readings are intended for adults aged 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.

Tarot Symbolism 101: Understanding Numerology in the Cards

Before we get into individual meanings for each tarot card in future blogs, I want to spend a little time on tarot symbolism.

This builds on the foundation from the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana overviews, so if you haven’t read those yet, they’re a great place to start.

Every tarot card is more than its name and traditional meaning. Each image is built from layers of symbolism, including colors, numbers, animals, clothing, weather, objects, and landscapes. See the full list below. Once you learn to read these details, you stop memorizing definitions and start seeing the story each card is telling.

This post kicks off a series on tarot symbolism. Below is a quick look at the types of symbols we will cover, followed by a deep dive into the first one: numerology.

Types of Tarot Symbolism

• Numerology – the meaning of numbers and numerical cycles
• Colors – how color influences the mood of a card
• Direction and body language – what a figure’s gaze or posture reveals
• Clouds and weather – the atmosphere surrounding a situation
• Animals – instinctive and spiritual meanings
• Plants and flowers – symbolism found in nature
• The four elements – Fire, Water, Air, and Earth
• Celestial symbols – the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets
• Clothing – what robes, crowns, and armor reveal
• Objects – keys, swords, cups, and other meaningful items
• Landscapes and buildings – mountains, towers, bridges, and paths
• Repeated symbols – patterns that strengthen a message

First Up: Numerology

Numerology looks at how numbers shape the meaning of a card. The number tells you where a situation sits in its natural cycle: just beginning, developing, stable, being challenged, or wrapping up. The suit tells you which area of life that energy is showing up in.

• Wands – passion, creativity, and action
• Cups – emotions, relationships, and intuition
• Swords – thoughts, communication, and conflict
• Pentacles – money, work, and physical security

Numerology Chart

Number	Core Energy	General Meaning
0	Potential	Freedom, possibility, and stepping into the unknown
1	Beginning	Initiative, opportunity, and new starts
2	Balance	Partnership, choices, and patience
3	Growth	Creativity, communication, and expansion
4	Stability	Structure, security, and strong foundations
5	Change	Conflict, disruption, and necessary adjustment
6	Harmony	Healing, support, and restored balance
7	Assessment	Reflection, strategy, and discernment
8	Power	Momentum, discipline, and mastery
9	Culmination	Wisdom, resilience, and near completion
10	Completion	Fulfillment, closure, and renewal

Quick Examples

The Two of Cups and the Two of Swords both carry the balancing energy of Two, but the suit changes the story. The Two of Cups often points to connection, partnership, or mutual attraction, while the Two of Swords often points to a difficult choice or feeling stuck between two options. Same number, same underlying theme of balance, but a very different experience depending on the suit.

The same pattern shows up with the Five of Cups and the Five of Pentacles. Both carry the disruptive energy of Five, but they show up in different areas of life. The Five of Cups often points to grief or disappointment, while the Five of Pentacles often points to money, job loss, or feeling left out. The number sets the theme, and the suit shows you where that theme is playing out.

How to Use This When You Read

Next time a numbered card shows up in a reading, ask a few quick questions:

• What does this number generally represent?
• What area of life does the suit point to?
• Is this number repeated elsewhere in the spread?

Numerology is meant to add depth to a reading, not replace the card’s traditional meaning. Keep the question, the position in the spread, and your own intuition in the mix too.

Coming Up Next

Numerology is just one layer of tarot’s symbolic language. In the next blog, we will work through colors before continuing on to the rest of the series: direction and body language, clouds and weather, animals, plants and flowers, the four elements, celestial symbols, clothing, objects, landscapes and buildings, and repeated symbols.

Have you used tarot symbolism 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.