Clouds in tarot

Clouds both hide and reveal. In religious art they surround heaven and part to let a hand, an angel or a light through. The hands of the four Aces come out of clouds; the angel of the Lovers and the trumpeter of Judgement rise from them; the four creatures of the Wheel and the World sit on them. Heavy grey clouds darken the Tower and many cards of the Swords suit, where the weather of the mind is unsettled. In readings clouds can mean uncertainty, but more often in this deck they mark the place where something higher breaks into the scene.

Cards that show clouds

The Lovers
The Lovers: The angel
A large winged figure with hair like flames and a grey-purple robe rises from a pink-edged cloud, arms spread in blessing. It is often identified as the archangel Raphael, though Waite does not name it. Its presence makes the union sacred, seen and approved from above.
Wheel of Fortune
Wheel of Fortune: The clouds and sky
The wheel floats among heavy grey clouds in a blue sky, with no ground anywhere beneath it. It belongs to the heavens: whatever turns it lies beyond ordinary reach.
The Tower
The Tower: The dark sky and grey clouds
The background is almost black, with heavy grey clouds. Like the Devil just before it, the Tower is set against black: unlike the yellow skies of the more hopeful cards, nothing here is calm.
Judgement
Judgement: The clouds
Thick grey clouds billow around the angel, who appears to emerge from them rather than descend. The call comes from a realm that is usually hidden, breaking through for a moment.
The World
The World: The clouds at the corners
Each creature looks out from a puff of white cloud. Clouds mark the boundary between earth and heaven, and here they set the four creatures slightly apart from ordinary space, as guardians of the whole scene.
Ace of Wands
Ace of Wands: The hand from the cloud
A pale hand, drawn in outline rather than coloured, emerges from a billowing grey cloud on the right. The same device opens all four suits in the Smith deck: the gift arrives from outside, as if given rather than made.
Ace of Cups
Ace of Cups: The hand from the cloud
A pale hand emerges from a curling grey cloud on the right, palm up, with fine rays of light around it. As on all four Smith aces, it marks the card as a gift from beyond the person: the feeling arrives rather than being manufactured.
Four of Cups
Four of Cups: The cup from the cloud
A hand reaches from a small grey cloud on the left of the card and holds out a fourth cup. It echoes the hand of the Aces: a gift from outside, perhaps a new chance or a new feeling, which the young man appears not to notice.
Seven of Cups
Seven of Cups: The clouds
All seven cups rest on heavy grey clouds. Clouds are the stuff of dreams and confusion here: the visions hang in the air, unsupported by solid ground.
Ace of Swords
Ace of Swords: The hand from the cloud
As on all four aces, a hand appears from a cloud, here on the left, with faint rays around the grip. The gift seems to come from outside ordinary effort: the insight that arrives rather than one that is worked out step by step.
Three of Swords
Three of Swords: The storm clouds
Dark grey clouds crowd the upper half of the card. They set a mood of heaviness and closeness, the kind of weather that blocks the light without yet promising when it will clear.
Five of Swords
Five of Swords: The torn clouds
Jagged grey clouds streak diagonally across a pale blue sky, as if blown apart by wind. Air is the suit's element, and here it is turbulent: a mental storm, tempers still high after the fight.
Seven of Swords
Seven of Swords: The distant smoke
Far off on the left a grey puff of cloud or smoke rises near what may be a few small figures. It is hard to read clearly, but it hints at activity elsewhere: perhaps others are watching, perhaps the distraction that allows the theft.
Page of Swords
Page of Swords: The billowing clouds
Large white clouds gather around him against a blue sky. Waite described them as 'collocated wildly'. They belong to air, the suit's element, and to a head full of rapidly changing ideas.
Knight of Swords
Knight of Swords: The streaked clouds and flying birds
Clouds are pulled into long ragged streaks across the sky, and a few birds scatter near the top right. Everything in the background moves in the same direction as the knight, as if the whole scene were caught in his rush.
Queen of Swords
Queen of Swords: The cloud-patterned cloak
Over a grey gown she wears a blue cloak patterned with white clouds. Clouds belong to air and thought, so she wears her element like a garment.
King of Swords
King of Swords: The clouds and trees
Low white clouds and dark trees stand on either side of the throne. He is set high and calm in his element, with weather and growth around but not above him.
Ace of Pentacles
Ace of Pentacles: The hand from the cloud
As on every Smith Ace, a hand reaches from a curling grey cloud on the left. Here the palm is turned up and open, holding the coin out rather than gripping it. Traditionally the hand is a gift from beyond the self, offered rather than earned.