Elemental Dignity Basics

The 5 Elements and the Suits

ED's - or 'Elemental Dignities' are based on the 5 elements that are associated with the tarot.

Fire - Usually associated with the suit of Wands/Rods/Staves
Air - Usually associated with the suit of Swords
Water - Usually associated with the suit of Cups
Earth - Usually associated with the suit of Pentacles/Disks/Coins
Spirit - Always associated with the Major Arcana

The 5th element of 'Spirit' which is associated with the Major Arcana can be a little tough to integrate when using them with ED's.  Normally the element most associated with a given Major Arcana card is what's used when dealing with the Spirit and ED's (see Majors Chart below).

So with the elements and suits you end up with the following associations;

Fire - Wands
Air - Swords
Water - Cups
Earth - Pentacles
Spirit - Major Arcana (individual element associations - see Majors Chart below).

The Active - Passive Elements

Each of the elements/suits can also be broken down into other categories that help you define them.

Active - Masculine - Energizing - Extroverted
Fire - Wands
Air - Swords

Passive - Feminine - Inert/Nurturing - Introverted 
Water - Cups
Earth - Pentacles

The Majors Arcana cards vary according to element association, (see Majors Chart below).

The Suit and Element Meanings

The suits and thus the elements are broken down into certain meanings which play an important part in using ED's.

Placement

Cards usually only elementally effect one another when placed next to each other.  Most spreads that use elemental dignities are set out in a linear fashion (one after the other).

1 ... 2 ... 3

1 .. 2 .. 3 .. 4 .. 5

And so on.

Elementally card #1 effects card #2 and vise-versa - Card #2 effects card #1.
In turn card #2 effects card #3 and vise-versa - card #3 effects card #2.
But, because there is a card (#2) between card #1 and card #3 they DO NOT effect each other elementally.
And so on depending on the number of cards being used.

Only cards situated next to each other effect each other elementally.  So if you had three cards in a triangle layout all the cards would effect each other elementally.

Examples

.1.
2 3

Since a 'circle' in essence is nothing more than a straight line that's curved, and who's ends meet then circular type spreads also work well with ED's.

Be aware that if you use the center card, as in the image above - technically the other 12 cards could be effecting it elementally.

Rules for ED's

Here are the normal rules for Elemental Dignities

Normal Rules for ED's

1. Fire and Air are friendly and active and strengthen each other
2. Water and Earth are friendly and passive and strengthen each other
3. Fire and Water are enemies; they weaken each other
4. Air and Earth are enemies; they weaken each other
5. Fire and Earth strengthen each other but are neutral
6. Water and Air strengthen each other but are neutral

The only difference between the normal rules and the rules I use to determine elemental dignities is that 'Neutral Elements DO NOT Strengthen Each Other!'.  The word 'Neutral' means just that and since the elements are neutral they don't effect one another.

Don's Rules for ED's

1. Fire and Air are friendly and active and strengthen each other
2. Water and Earth are friendly and passive and strengthen each other
3. Fire and Water are enemies; they weaken each other
4. Air and Earth are enemies; they weaken each other
5. Fire and Earth are neutral and do not effect each other elementally
6. Water and Air are neutral  and do not effect each other
elementally

Note: When you see Fire and Air are friendly this also means;
Air and Fire strengthen each other
Fire and Fire strengthen each other
Air and Air strengthen each other

The same thing goes for Water and Earth;
Water and Earth strengthen each other
Earth and Water strengthen each other
Water and Water strengthen each other
Earth and Earth strengthen each other

In other words any combination of Fire and Air ... OR Water and Earth elements/cards are friendly.

Note: Just because the rules say certain elements are friendly - that does NOT necessarily make that a 'good thing'.  For instance; Fire & Fire usually means something - a situation and so forth - is 'excessively active'.  Air & Air can mean 'Very active, unstable'.

See:
http://www.supertarot.co.uk/lessons/04perm.htm
Elemental Stress Factors

Major Arcana Chart

For a more complete Major Arcana Chart click here.
For a Minor Arcana Astrological Card Chart click here.

• Fool - Uranus/Air
• Magician - Mercury/Air
• High Priestess - Moon/Water
• Empress - Venus/Earth
• Emperor - Aries/Fire
• Hierophant - Taurus/Earth
• Lovers - Gemini/Air
• Chariot - Cancer/Water
• Strength/Lust - Leo/Fire
• Hermit - Virgo/Earth
• Wheel of Fortune - Jupiter/Fire
• Justice - Libra/Air
• Hanged Man - Neptune/Water
• Death - Scorpio/Water
• Temperance/Art - Sagittarius/Fire
• Devil - Capricorn/Earth
• Tower - Mars/Fire
• Star - Aquarius/Air
• Moon - Pisces/Water
• Sun - Sun/Fire
• Judgment/Aeon - Pluto/Fire [or Water]
• Universe/World - Saturn/Earth

Lust, Art, and Aeon are from Crowley's Thoth tarot deck.

Q&A's

What are Elemental Dignities and what can they do for me?
Elemental Dignities is a powerful system of Tarot divination and analysis based upon the relationships between cards rather than on the divinatory meanings. Since tarot readings are usually about relationships, a more sophisticated reading is possible. The Supertarot Website is dedicated to teaching and explaining the power and uses of Elemental Dignities and Tarot.

Donster Note: Many people, me included, use elemental dignities 'in place of reversed cards' and some even use them 'with reversed cards' - along with reading many aspects of the elements into a reading.

Is this different from "normal" Tarot reading?
To some extent, every Tarot reader has his or her own individual style and techniques. Elemental Dignities are one such technique. We have found it to be very effective in getting to the heart of the matter quickly and efficiently. It was part of the method taught by the Order of the Golden Dawn.

I suggest you print this out and keep it handy for doing ED's.

Don S.