Essay 4: The Minor Arcana and the Elements of the Psyche — Fire, Water, Air, Earth

Essay 4: The Minor Arcana and the Elements of the Psyche — Fire, Water, Air, Earth

“The psyche is a self-regulating system that maintains its equilibrium just as the body does.” – Carl Jung

The Minor Arcana of the tarot often receives less attention than the Majors, but it is in these 56 cards that the rich, textured work of individuation truly unfolds. If the Major Arcana reveals the soul’s overarching narrative, the Minor Arcana illustrates the day-to-day operations of the psyche.

Through the suits of Wands (Fire), Cups (Water), Swords (Air), and Disks (Earth), the Minor Arcana maps our experiences in desire, emotion, thought, and materiality. These four elements reflect Jung’s four psychological functions and are essential to the balance and integration of the Self.

I. The Four Suits as Jung’s Four Functions of Consciousness

Jung taught that there are four primary ways of engaging with reality

Each person has a dominant function, but individuation requires developing all four. Imbalance leads to neurosis or spiritual stagnation.

Let’s explore each suit and its psychological dimension.

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II. The Suit of Wands – Fire / Intuition

Keywords: Will, passion, creativity, energy, initiative.

Wands reflect the intuitive function, which grasps meaning instinctively and sees the bigger picture.

In Jungian work, Fire relates to:

• The Hero archetype—seeking purpose and transformation.

• The libido—not merely sexual energy, but psychic vitality.

• The spirit of direction and striving.

Low-numbered Wands (Ace–4) show the rise of desire and will.

Middle Wands (5–7) represent conflict and assertion—the battle for identity.

Upper Wands (8–10) reflect burden and burnout, the cost of ambition.

Working with Wands helps balance:

• Drive vs. burnout.

• Aspiration vs. aggression.

• Purpose vs. impulsiveness.

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III. The Suit of Cups – Water / Feeling

Keywords: Emotion, connection, imagination, vulnerability.

Cups govern the feeling function—valuing, harmonizing, and relating.

Jung saw this function as critical to moral awareness and empathy, but it is often repressed in modern society.

Psychologically, Water represents:

• The Anima, inner emotional depth and receptivity.

• The personal unconscious, rich with dream and symbol.

• Longing, grief, romance, and spiritual communion.

The Ace–4 of Cups explores new feeling states.

5–7 brings emotional disillusionment, projection, and longing.

8–10 moves into maturity, detachment, and spiritual love.

Working with Cups may involve:

• Healing the wounded child.

• Grieving lost ideals.

• Opening to authentic intimacy and emotion.

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IV. The Suit of Swords – Air / Thinking

Keywords: Thought, analysis, discernment, conflict.

Swords represent the thinking function, critical for logic, boundaries, and clarity—but prone to distortion.

Air also symbolizes:

• The Shadow’s rationalizations.

• The ego’s defense mechanisms.

• The inner critic, and the battle between truth and illusion.

Ace–4 of Swords explores the formation of beliefs.

5–7 depict conflict, deception, and cognitive dissonance.

8–10 reflect mental suffering, overthinking, and despair—but also release.

Jung stressed the importance of aligning thinking with feeling to avoid dissociation. Sword cards often point to the need for:

• Honest self-examination.

• Breaking false narratives.

• Surrendering mental rigidity.

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V. The Suit of Disks – Earth / Sensation

Keywords: Body, resources, work, manifestation.

Disks (or Pentacles) represent the sensation function—what is concrete, present, and grounded in the body.

Jung valued sensation for its connection to embodied reality, but warned against becoming trapped in materialism.

This suit reflects:

• The archetype of the Builder or Steward.

• The instinctual self—gut-level knowing.

• The container for psyche: the body, the home, the world.

Cards 1–4 show material potential.

5–7 deal with scarcity, investment, and perseverance.

8–10 portray skill mastery, community, and abundance.

Disks remind us:

• Psyche lives in the body.

• Grounding spiritual insight requires earthly responsibility.

• Integration is meaningless if not embodied.

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VI. The Minor Arcana and the Work of Wholeness

These 56 cards show how individuation is not a one-time event, but a daily discipline. They reveal:

• Where our functions are underdeveloped or overused.

• What our psychic environment looks like.

• Where we need balance, attention, and adaptation.

Through reflection and ritual, each card becomes a tool for self-awareness.

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Conclusion: Building the Temple of the Psyche

If the Major Arcana is the map of the quest, the Minor Arcana is the terrain. These cards are not “lesser”—they are essential tools for navigating the deep woods of consciousness.

Through Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, we build the temple of the integrated Self—one thought, one feeling, one act at a time.