THE TAROT STUDIES GLOSSARY · A–Z
The Letter E
Explore Tarot terms beginning with E, including elemental relationships, energetic and esoteric reading language, numerology, and influential historical deck traditions.
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Earth
One of the four classical elements used in Tarot correspondences. In the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, Earth is commonly linked with Pentacles and describes the body, resources, work, skill, stability, material conditions, and what is built or sustained over time.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: Pentacles, Elemental Correspondence, classical elements
Ego vs. Shadow
A reflective contrast between the identity a person consciously presents and qualities, fears, or desires they may avoid recognizing. In Tarot study, the distinction can help explore projection and self-protection without turning the cards into a clinical diagnosis.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: shadow work, projection, self-reflection
Egyptian Tarot
A family of decks and occult interpretations shaped by the once-popular belief that Tarot preserved ancient Egyptian wisdom. Egyptian imagery became influential in later esoteric Tarot, but the historical evidence places Tarot’s development in Renaissance Europe.
Subject: History and Systems
Related terms: occult revival, Tarot history, esoteric decks
Eight
A number associated in Tarot numerology with power, movement, skill, adjustment, and the consequences of sustained effort. Its expression changes by suit: each Eight shows a different way energy becomes organized, restricted, redirected, or mastered.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: numerology, numbered card, Minor Arcana
Element
One of the classical forces used as a symbolic correspondence in Tarot: Fire, Water, Air, and Earth. Each element describes a broad mode of experience and is commonly connected with one Minor Arcana suit.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: Fire, Water, Air, Earth
Elemental Correspondence
The relationship between a Tarot card or suit and a classical element. In the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, Wands are usually Fire, Cups Water, Swords Air, and Pentacles Earth. These associations help readers compare motivations, emotions, thoughts, and practical concerns.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: suit, classical elements, Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot System
Elemental Counteraction
The way opposing elemental qualities can weaken, restrain, or complicate one another within a spread. Fire and Water, or Air and Earth, may describe competing needs. The surrounding cards determine whether that tension is disruptive, productive, or balancing.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: elemental conflict, card relationships, tension
Elemental Dignity
A method of evaluating how the elemental associations of nearby cards strengthen, weaken, or remain neutral toward one another. The technique is especially associated with Golden Dawn–influenced reading systems and should be applied consistently rather than as a fixed shortcut.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: Golden Dawn, elemental interaction, card combinations
Elemental Imbalance
A noticeable excess or absence of one or more elements in a spread. Many Cups may emphasize emotion, while very little Earth may suggest that practical matters are receiving less attention. Imbalance is an interpretive clue, not an automatic judgment.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: dominant suit, missing suit, spread pattern
Energetic Flow
The perceived movement of attention and action through a Tarot spread. Readers may follow figures’ gazes, repeated colors, directional symbols, suit progression, or the sequence of positions to see where momentum gathers, stalls, or changes direction.
Subject: Symbols and Imagery
Related terms: directional reading, movement, visual narrative
Energy Clearing
An optional ritual intended to mark a fresh beginning for a deck, reading space, or reader. Methods may include shuffling, sound, breath, prayer, smoke, or simply tidying the table. No single clearing method is required for responsible Tarot practice.
Subject: Tarot Foundations
Related terms: clearing the deck, ritual, reading space
Esoteric Color Theory
The use of color as a structured symbolic language within an occult or spiritual system. A reader may study how particular colors are connected with elements, planets, states of consciousness, or stages of transformation rather than relying only on personal color associations.
Subject: Symbols and Imagery
Related terms: color symbolism, correspondences, visual language
Esoteric Symbolism
Symbols interpreted through specialized occult traditions such as astrology, alchemy, Hermeticism, or Kabbalah. These systems can add layers to Tarot study, but they are learned frameworks rather than the only possible meaning of an image.
Subject: Symbols and Imagery
Related terms: alchemy, astrology, Hermeticism
Etteilla Tarot
The divinatory Tarot tradition associated with Etteilla, the professional name used by Jean-Baptiste Alliette. His writings and decks helped establish a systematic approach to Tarot fortune-telling and influenced later occult deck traditions.
Subject: History and Systems
Related terms: Jean-Baptiste Alliette, divination, occult Tarot