What Do Mountains Symbolize on Tarot Cards?

Mountains are found on these Tarot cards:

Scroll down to see each card

Mountains are a well-known Tarot symbol used on twenty different cards in the seminal Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck.

The same identical symbols don't necesariliy appear in all newer decks, however many modern Tarot sets do include variants of the same, widely accepted Tarot symbols.

Here's What mountains indicate in Tarot

Mountains in the background are one of the most ubiquitous symbols depicted in Tarot imagery. In most cases, mountains symbolize trials which need to be passed, and hardships which need to be overcome.

Mountains in the background are one of the most ubiquitous symbols depicted in Tarot imagery

Depending on the Tarot card where mountains appear, these hardships may either represent future circumstances which wait along the current path, or they may remind us of past challenges and hardships which have already been completed before arriving at this time.

It is worth noting that even though mountains represent challenges, they should not be seen as having an entirely negative interpretation. Mountains may also indicate a healthy competition, or well-planned response to a challenge. How they are interpreted will depend in many ways on their placement in any reading or tarot spread.

Here Are the 20 Tarot Cards Where Mountains Appear

The Eight of Cups

The Knight of Cups

The Ace of Pentacles

The Nine of Pentacles

The Page of Pentacles

The Queen of Pentacles

The Ace of Swords

The Five of Swords

The Eight of Swords

The Ten of Swords

The Page of Swords

The Two of Wands

The Three of Wands

The Fool

NOTE: The young man appearing on The Fool card of the Major Arcana is surrounded by high mountains, representing not only hardships but his potential doom. The inattentive young man seems utterly unaware of the challenges and looming dangers before him — and is aware only of his own thoughts and emotions.

The Emperor

NOTE: The dry red mountains and blazing red sky of The Emperor card conjure images of the planet Mars. This subtle connection to the ancient god of war, implies that the trials and conflicts symbolized by these specific mountains are physical more than mental.

The Lovers

NOTE: The fire-colored mountain on the horizon of The Lovers Tarot card is worth noting: For a card representing harmony and bliss, the presence of any mountain at all may seem puzzling. The volcanic mountain shown here, like the presence of the serpent on the tree, remind us that even here in a state of happiness and simplicity, tests and trials await. The firey passion of creation is not without its challenges — and even in Eden there are tests to overcome.

Strength

NOTE: The mountains in the Strength card serve as a reminder that the pictured woman's impressive and effortless display of power and confidence is the result of past hardships which were successfully overcome. The impressive woman shown on the card isn't strong because she's empowered with superhuman physical strength. She is strong because of hardships she has previously endured.

The Hermit

NOTE: The mountains on The Hermit Tarot card are quite a bit different from other cards in the deck. The Hermit himself is depicted at the top of a mountain. This isn't a mountain range far in the background. The mountain in this case serves to illustrate the Hermit's chosen state of isolation and life of challenges. For him, the world is lonely and arduous by his own choice.

Death

The Moon

NOTE: It is worth noting that the two tall towers which frame the The Moon Tarot card, representing a gateway to the mystical and to the subconscious, seem to lead to mountainous terrain. Since mountains represent hardships, challenges and trials in the Tarot, the meaning here is that exploring these dark lands of the unknown is a challenge in and of itself to all those who would enter here. Here lies a path for the determined and the adventurous. Exploration of the spiritual, or even understanding one's own emotions and subconcsious motivations — will not be easy.

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