Tarot Symbolism: Water
by Carolyn Naiman
Water Symbolism and Meaning in Tarot Reading
Water symbolism can be found throughout the Tarot. There are flowing rivers, pouring vessels, great oceans, reflecting pools and flowing streams all of which carry deep symbolic meaning. Water symbolizes life and its very presence calls for a deep appreciation and exploration of its many gifts. Water nurtures, cleanses, heals and soothes. Water can also reflect as well as flow.
When still or reflecting water appears in a tarot reading, it can refer to the need for reflection and self-exploration. Water serves as a mirror. It is deep, dark and mysterious. To see beyond its surface, one must use their intuitive nature to grasp what lies beneath its facade. The same can be said for the process of self-exploration. It requires a willingness to look beneath our own surfaces and discover who we truly are.
The symbol of water also has feminine attributes and often refers to the feminine aspects of the psyche. Because of water’s association to the life force, it symbolically functions as the “great womb” of mother earth. Thus, in the Tarot, water can refer to fertility, birth and creation. It can also refer to the unconscious realm and the world of dreams, both of which are considered to represent feminine attributes.
Water also encourages us to go within. It always serves as reminder that our very souls have depths beyond our conscious perceptions. Symbolically water can represent the realm of our emotions which are constantly flowing and changing. In a tarot reading, flowing water asks us to relinquish our ideas of control and reminds us to go with the flow and follow its path. It represents an emotional surrender and urges one to stop fighting the natural flow of the Universe. If we struggle against it’s currents, we will find ourselves stuck, unable to open ourselves to divine intervention and purpose.
Water gives support, life and energy. It purifies the body and soothes the heart. In tarot, water symbolism always teaches us about our inner beings. Its flow always follows the path of the soul.
About the Author
Carolyn Naiman is a professional Tarot reader and the webmaster of http://tarotreadingpsychic.com She has a Masters in Psychology and has been a Tarot advisor since 1998.
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