What Do Mountains Mean in a Tarot Card Reading?

Mountain Image Symbolism Might Mean Goals, Aspirations, Challenges

Jul 22, 2009

Mountains May Mean Challenges, Goals in Tarot, Papalars

Mountains are one of the most widely prevalent images that appear on tarot cards. They appear singly or in ranges and represent challenges, barriers, boundaries.

There are several tarot cards that have the image of mountains, some of them being the 10 of Swords card, The Judgment card, The Moon card and The Tower card.

Creator of the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck, A.E.Waite, said, "The tarot is symbolism;it speaks no other language and offers no other signs."

Understanding the meanings represented by the widely prevalent image of the mountain symbol can greatly aid the tarot reader perform an insightful reading.

Mountains appear singly, in pairs or in ranges in the tarot cards. The most important characteristic of the mountain is that, it represents issues and challenges that have to be dealt with and cannot be missed.

As physical structures, mountains can be merely observed or climbed, passed through, or dwelt upon. Besides being landmarks, they are also barriers, challenges, fortresses, retreats and boundaries. Tall mountains induce awe, worship and spontaneous ecstasy.

What Does the Mountain Represent in Tarot?

Mountains represent different meanings in different cards. There are at least 25 cards with mountains in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, some of them prominent and some of them only barely visible.

The mountain peak represents goals and aspirations, that one might strive to reach.
The mountain being immovable, unbending and inflexible, represents the change that's required from the individual to deal with a specific situation.
Mountains might represent challenges that stand in the way of a desired outcome.
The enormity of the mountains reduces the significance of everyday ordinary issues.
A mountain range might represent a boundary or a limit of the known realm. What lies beyond the mountain range is anybody's guess.
A mountain peak covered in ice, represents a place of ice-cold intelligence and domination of the use of the head, instead of the heart.
The mountains of the moon card, represent reward for patience, courage and perseverance.
Mountains could represent transcendent personal experience and a reminder turn one's focus on the extra-ordinary.

Since the tarot is a tool that's widely used to deal with the mundane events of everyday life, mountains are a useful symbol to extend the reading to what is beyond the normal or ordinary.

Mountains are a symbol that appear in more cards than any other imagery. They serve as a reminder that viewing the big picture is as important as noting the details.

Source:

The Secret Language of Tarot by Ruth Ann and Wald Amberstone.

The copyright of the article What Do Mountains Mean in a Tarot Card Reading? in Tarot Card Reading is owned by Subha Ekambaram. Permission to republish What Do Mountains Mean in a Tarot Card Reading? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.