The importance of colour when reading tarot cards is very under rated. Colour speaks to our emotions. Different colours invoke different feelings within us, unconsciously and often instantaneously. Tarot cards are often highly coloured, they invoke all sorts of feelings and emotions within us without our conscious knowledge. Therefore, the more you know about how colour affects you individually and what the general meanings of colours are in different cultures then you are increasing the depth and scope of your Tarot Readings by bringing your unconscious feelings into consciousness. For the purposes of this article, we will be looking at colour briefly in relation to reading tarot cards
but follow the link to a much more in-depth article about the Meaning and Importance of Colour or the module of the Essential Skills course entitled Understanding Colour.
Different colours carry different vibrations, and we are all drawn to particular colours. There are colours we like and colours we don’t. If you look in your wardrobe you will see the colours you predominately like. You will also notice how when wearing certain colours how different you feel. I am sure there are times when you have stared into the wardrobe and been drawn to an outfit you don’t usually wear but “feel” like it today. This is when you probably intuitively know that you need the vibration of that colour for the events of that day. Just like everyone has something black for certain occasions.
Below we discuss some of the more general meanings and how they related to tarot cards in particular. Tarot cards are often brightly coloured because you get that instant sense of whether the card is a happy card or not.
Different colours become a feature of the different suits within the tarot.
Swords: Grey
Grey is the colour of the element of air and the suit of Swords. Shades of grey and white represent out thoughts which can sometimes be down in the dumps when we are worrying about what” might” happen and sometimes uplifting and vibrant if we are planning something fun and exciting. The darker the grey the darker the feelings that accompany the thoughts. The lighter the grey the happier those thoughts can be. Clouds also represent our thoughts and come in different shades from light fluffy clouds to rain clouds and storm clouds. They each conger different feelings within us. As with all thoughts and ideas they start and stay in the mind unless they feel good then we will take action and manifest them into the reality.
Cups: Blue, Green, Turquoise
In the tarot blue represents the element of water and our feelings. Water (although completely clear like air) can appear to be many different shades of blue, green, and turquoise depending upon so many different things. Think about the colours you see in the sea, rivers, streams, and lakes. Sometimes the water is calm and flowing slowly, at others it is raging and overflowing. Just think of the sea or a river, we have the calm both before the storm, we have the storm itself and then the calm after the storm. Just the same way we feel our emotions
Blue is often associated with feeling at peace as well. It is known as a healing colour, whilst turquoise is known as the colour of communication, transition and often travel. As we know whatever we think about affects how we feel and if something feels bad, we do nothing but if it feels good, we take action.
Wands: Brown, Green, Orange, Vermillion Red
Wands represent the element of fire energy and the actions we take. Brown is the colour of earth of growth, of action. We plant the seeds of our thoughts and feelings into the brown earth and nurture them with actions and wait for them to grow. They grow Green leaves before they produce the fruit of the seed. This green is what nourishes them. This is the active, creative part of the cycle of manifestation. The greens and browns in wands are usually vibrant and earthy. Vermillion red is the colour of anger and active fire energy, with the orange of creativity and joy.
Orange is representative of ambition, self-expression, of still working hard and achieving. It can be very creative. Dark dull orange can also relate to addictions such as food, alcohol, drugs, etc.
Pentacles: Red, Yellow, Green
Pentacles represent what we have achieved. What the combination of those thoughts, feelings, actions have manifested, so in tarot red is the colour of manifestation. The things we have created in our world. Pentacles are always about results and as we know from life, sometimes we get what we wish for then wish we hadn’t.
There are many shades of red and they each invoke slightly different reactions from each of us. Our culture also makes a difference to how we respond to some colours. In Western cultures we associate white with purity and marriage. In Eastern cultures white is associated with death and funerals, whereas Red is the colour associated with marriage. Anger is often depicted as a vermillion red, whereas rose red is associated with love and passion.
Yellow is usually seen as a happy joyful colour. We have reached out goals we are enjoying the fruits of our labours and preparing to begin another cycle. Yellow is also the colour of gold, so it all represents the money we have earned.
Bright Emerald Green represents healing, abundance and growth.
Other Colours
Black, White
Often brings feelings of depression, and fear even though it is created by mixing the primary colours of Red, Yellow and Blue so it also holds the vibrations and energies of those colours as well. It is, however, usually associated with endings and beginnings, with change and rebirth. Black also comes in many shades depending upon the ratio’s between those primary colours so you can have blue black, red black and yellow black. It is a colour which shows off other colours as well because if something is pure black then there is nothing which is why it is used to describe endings and beginnings because there is black for completion and the opposite of black is white for rebirth.
Purple, Indigo, Violet
These are collectively shades of the spiritual colours. Purple being the traditional colour of Kings and Emperors. Representing spiritual guidance and transformation, clairvoyance, and mysticism. Depending upon if and where it appears in a reading then the person may be clairvoyant themselves.
Rainbows
When working with tarot cards, the look at the general colour of a card and the overall colour of a spread and you will give you an immediate and initial impression of the feeling of the reading before you even begin to go into the cards individually. You automatically have a feeling for the meaning of the whole spread before you start on each individual card.
The colours and imagery on the cards play a large part in conveying to you the meanings of the cards for both your own personal and spiritual development as well as for doing readings.
As you can see Colour is a vast subject and if you would like to learn about it more in-depth have a look at the Understanding Colour Course or for more information as to the meaning of colours in auras and healing see my In-Focus Auras Book published by Wellman Press, available on Amazon or a signed copy from this website. There is also a more in-depth article The Meaning and Importance of Colour.