AUTHOR’S NOTE: “Leveraging” is the act of pressing one’s advantage in ways that optimize the benefit in practical terms; it’s the concept behind the Biblical proverb of “moving mountains” with simple conviction and affirmation (aka “faith” but I don’t subscribe to that concept, preferring to say that I’m a “man of certainty”). Here I will attempt to explain how it can be applied to our interaction with the elemental correspondences in tarot reading.

This act of will entails bringing just the right amount of force to bear on one’s circumstances, in just the right place and at precisely the right moment, to achieve one’s objective with the least amount of effort. Think of moving large objects with a fulcrum and lever, a form of “mechanical advantage.” The premise of “psychological advantage” is often more apropos when it comes to tarot reading.

I’ve been thinking about those situations where we might gain the upper hand in our affairs by putting elemental correspondences to work for us, and came up with two main opportunities. The first involves an abundance (also known as a “preponderance”) of one element among the cards of a spread and a consequent shortage of the rest, while the second assumes that a card that is sensitively placed in a spread (for example, as the outcome card or the “turning-point” card) will vault the energy of its associated element into high relief.

Suppose we have a five-card spread with four Fire cards and one Air card. The fundamental emphasis would be on action propelled by ambition and enthusiasm, while the elementally-friendly Air card could act as a “cheerleader.” This is an “all systems go” scenario in that nothing stands in the way of closing in on the goal. But the hidden downside of zero Water and Earth cards is that the querent may be insensitive to the impact of his or her unbridled aspirations on the emotional and material insecurities of other people involved in the matter.

If Water dominates and there is no Fire, an excess of caution may prevent “pulling the trigger” on critical projects or initiatives, while an overload of Air with no Earth could translate into “all talk and no action,” and too much Earth with no Water suggests a saturnine attitude with little patience for impractical feelings. In all cases, the nature of the dominant element “steals the show” with the element or elements that escape attention contributing nothing to the agenda other than serving as cautionary reminders that could be easily overlooked. The realization that they may in fact be “strengths in disguise” or “hidden weaknesses” often comes too late. How many times have we heard “I wish I had thought about that beforehand.”

A high-ranking card of any element sitting in a place of prominence can push that element to the forefront even if it isn’t otherwise prevalent in the spread. A powerful Fire trump card like Strength in the outcome position following several lackluster Water “pip” cards could be just the remedy for aimless dithering. The fiery Emperor would make all the subordinate Air pips stand at attention and salute. The World – a preeminent Earth trump – could pull a miscellany of other elemental cards into its orbit as contributing factors in the outcome. The watery High Priestess could calm the jitters of restless of Fire and Air pips, while airy Justice “reads the riot act” to wayward Earth pips.

“Leverage” is a valuable tool in telling querents how they might make the best use of the elemental energy present in a reading because it places emphasis where it can do the most good, or at least where it is most available for productive application. It adds another layer of discernment beneath the usual narrative focus on the inherent nature of the various cards, and offers an enveloping environment within which the detailed testimony of the spread can play out. Identifying a dominant theme can make the reader’s insights more profound and the sitter’s comprehension more assured.