THE TAROT STUDIES GLOSSARY · A–Z
The Letter H
Explore Tarot terms beginning with H, including Hermeticism, Hebrew letters, the Higher Self, Horseshoe and Hexagram spreads, and visual details such as halos and hands.
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Halo
A circle, glow, or radiant shape surrounding a figure’s head. In Tarot imagery, a halo can suggest illumination, spiritual authority, awakened awareness, or a figure whose role reaches beyond ordinary identity. Its meaning depends on the card’s larger visual context.
Subject: Symbols and Imagery
Related terms: radiance, illumination, sacred imagery
Hands
Symbols of action, skill, offering, control, protection, or exchange within a Tarot image. What a figure holds—and whether the hands are open, hidden, raised, or restrained—can reveal how the card’s energy is being directed.
Subject: Symbols and Imagery
Related terms: gesture, tools, body language
Harris, Frieda
A British artist who worked with Aleister Crowley to create the Thoth Tarot. Harris painted the deck’s seventy-eight images during the late 1930s and early 1940s, developing a layered visual language shaped by modern art, geometry, astrology, alchemy, and Hermetic Qabalah.
Subject: History and Systems
Related terms: Thoth Tarot, Crowley, Aleister, Qabalah
Hebrew Letters
Letters connected with the twenty-two Major Arcana in several Kabbalistic and Hermetic correspondence systems. Different occult traditions may assign the letters differently, so readers should identify which system a deck or source follows.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: Kabbalah, Major Arcana, Tree of Life
Hermeticism
A broad philosophical and esoteric tradition associated with writings attributed to Hermes Trismegistus. Later occult Tarot systems draw on Hermetic ideas alongside astrology, alchemy, Kabbalah, and ceremonial magic to create layered networks of correspondence.
Subject: History and Systems
Related terms: Hermes Trismegistus, alchemy, occult philosophy
Hermetic Numerology
An esoteric approach that interprets number as a process through which energy moves from unity into increasingly complex forms. In Tarot study, it can help readers follow the development of a suit from Ace through Ten rather than treating each number as an isolated keyword.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: number progression, Minor Arcana, Hermeticism
Hero’s Journey
A narrative pattern in which a central figure leaves the familiar world, faces trials, changes through experience, and returns with new understanding. Tarot teachers sometimes compare it with the Fool’s Journey, but the two are related teaching models rather than identical systems.
Subject: Tarot Foundations
Related terms: Fool’s Journey, archetype, narrative pattern
Hexagram Spread
A Tarot layout arranged as a six-pointed star, often with an additional card at the center. Position meanings vary, but the structure may be used to examine interacting forces, inner and outer influences, or the relationship between spiritual and practical concerns.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: six-pointed star, spread structure, central card
Higher Self
A spiritual or reflective term for the wiser, more integrated, or expanded aspect of a person’s awareness. In Tarot practice, a Higher Self position may invite perspective and values-based guidance rather than claiming access to unquestionable truth.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: inner wisdom, spiritual guidance, reflection
Horseshoe Spread
A curved multi-card layout, often using seven cards, that examines the development of a situation across several influences. Position meanings vary, but commonly include the past, present, hidden factors, obstacles, outside influences, advice, and likely direction.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: seven-card spread, timeline, likely outcome
House (Astrology)
One of twelve areas in an astrological chart, each associated with a field of life such as identity, resources, relationships, work, or public role. Tarot spreads may borrow the twelve-house structure to organize a broad life review.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: astrology, natal chart, twelve-house spread
Hybrid Deck
A deck that intentionally combines features from more than one card system or tradition. It may blend Tarot with oracle or Lenormand structures, merge Rider-Waite-Smith and Marseille influences, or introduce additional cards. The creator’s guidebook is especially important for understanding how it works.
Subject: History and Systems
Related terms: deck structure, oracle deck, deck-specific language