Symbol Cards for Jungian & Depth Therapy

Q: How many cards are in Quiet Signs?

{{cardsCount}} cards and one shared back, in seven families: passages, depths, hidden and revealed, cycles and time, guides, opposites and wholeness, forces and change.

Quiet Signs is a 55-card deck of universal symbols for depth-oriented work. A key, a well, a labyrinth, a bridge, a mended bowl — each painted in flat gouache with a thin gold line on midnight blue. The cards have no words and no fixed meanings: a symbol means what it means to the person holding it, and that is where the session begins.

Who it's for

For work that happens below the surface

Jungian & depth therapists

Amplify an image the client brings — from a dream, a memory or a feeling — by finding it on the table and talking to it.

Coaches & group facilitators

Symbols get past rehearsed answers. A bridge or a locked padlock says in one second what a question takes ten minutes to reach.

Dream journaling & self-reflection

Draw a card before writing down a dream, or pick the symbol that matches today. The picture opens the page.

The cards

Old images, painted quietly

Symbols that appear in dreams, myths and everyday speech across cultures — none of them tied to a religion, a tradition or a divination system.

+40 more

Open the deck to see all 55 and choose the ones for your session.

Three cards up close

A symbol has no answer key

Gouache painting: an old ornate key outlined in gold on midnight blue

The key

What would you open if you had this? And who gave it to you?

Gouache painting: an old stone well with a gold circle of moonlight deep inside

The well

What lies at the bottom — and how deep are you willing to look today?

Gouache painting: a mended bowl with its cracks filled with gold seams

The mended bowl

Which of your cracks has already become part of the shape?

What's inside

55 symbols in seven families

Families help you narrow the table to one theme. Symbols from different families side by side often tell the clearest story.

Passages8 cards

Bridge, labyrinth, spiral stair, half-open gate, tunnel with light at the end.

Depths7 cards

Well, cave, roots, anchor, iceberg, a trapdoor with light below.

Hidden and revealed8 cards

Key, padlock, sealed envelope, nested boxes, an empty cage with its door open.

Cycles and time8 cards

Hourglass, moon phases, spiral, wheel, acorn, cracking egg, falling leaf.

Guides8 cards

Compass, lighthouse, lantern, one star, a gold thread, a blank map.

Opposites and wholeness7 cards

Scales, sun and moon together, a mended bowl, a reflection, a rope between cliffs.

Forces and change9 cards

Candle flame, cocoon, shed skin, lightning, anvil, a river meeting the sea.

Cards55 gouache paintings + 1 back

Format2:3 portrait, 1024×1536 px

Text on cardsNone — images only

People on cardsNone — objects, places and natural forces

SymbolsUniversal; no religious, occult or astrological signs

Typical session15–50 minutes

How to read a symbol

The meaning is not printed anywhere

There is no booklet of meanings for these cards, on purpose. A labyrinth can be a trap for one person and a slow way home for another. Ask what the symbol does, not what it stands for — and let the person's own associations lead.

Example spreads

Three layouts to start from

Positions give the conversation a direction; they never decide what a card means.

The dream image

3 cards

1What I saw
2What it reminds me of
3What it wants

Timeline matrix

Lock and key

2 cards

1What is closed
2What might open it

Two-sided desk

The crossing

4 cards

1Where I stand
2What I cross
3What waits on the other side
4What I carry with me

Quadrants matrix

Questions to ask

Prompts for symbolic work

“What does this symbol do? What is it for?”

“Where have you met this image before — in a dream, a story, your childhood?”

“If this object belonged to you, where would you keep it?”

“What is the gold line pointing at?”

“What would happen if you stepped into this picture?”

“Which card on the table is the opposite of this one?”

When to reach for it

Conversations this deck opens

Dream work. Find the dream's key image on the table and let it speak before interpreting anything.

Active imagination. Stay with one symbol, describe it slowly, and follow where it moves.

Transitions. Bridges, gates and tunnels give a shape to the in-between: no longer there, not yet here.

Hidden resources. Keys, lanterns and threads help name what already guides you.

Loss and repair. The mended bowl and the shed skin make room for what breaks and what stays.

Inner conflict. Scales, sun and moon, two cliffs — lay the two sides out and look at the gap between them.

Group openings. Each person picks the symbol for what they bring today and says one sentence about it.

Journaling. One card in the morning, one line in the evening: where did this symbol show up today?

Gouache painting: an old lantern with a small gold flame hanging from a hook

The artwork

Gold line on midnight blue

Every card is original artwork created for MindTrays: flat, matte gouache in shades of midnight blue, with the symbol drawn in a fine gold line. One symbol per card, lots of quiet space around it — nothing competes with the image the person is looking at.

The deck avoids religious, occult and astrological signs, so it works in any room and any culture. Cards render at 1024×1536, sharp enough to share on screen in an online session.

How to work with it

From symbol to story

1

Set the question

Name the theme — a dream, a decision, a stuck place — or leave it open.

2

Choose face up or face down

Face up to pick the symbol that calls you; face down to meet one you didn't choose.

3

Describe before you interpret

Say what you see: shape, place, what the gold line touches. Meaning comes after.

4

Keep the image

Note the symbol and the words that came with it. The spread saves with the session.

Questions

About this deck

What are symbol cards used for in therapy?

Symbol cards give clients an image to talk to and through. In Jungian, depth-oriented and expressive therapies they support dream work, amplification and active imagination; coaches use them to get past prepared answers.

How many cards are in Quiet Signs?

55 cards and one shared back, in seven families: passages, depths, hidden and revealed, cycles and time, guides, opposites and wholeness, forces and change.

Is this a Tarot or oracle deck?

No. There is no divination, no guidebook of meanings and no correct reading. A symbol reflects what the person brings to it.

Does the deck include religious symbols?

No. It uses everyday and natural images — keys, wells, bridges, the moon — and leaves out religious, occult and astrological signs, so it fits any client and setting.

Can I use it online with a client?

Yes. Start a collaborative session from this deck and send the link. Your client joins with a display name — no account needed — and you both move cards on the same desk.

Can I use it on my own?

Yes. Pick a symbol before journaling or after waking from a dream, describe it, and write what it brings up. If a topic feels too heavy, take it to a professional.

Other decks

Pairs well with

MindTrays Still Hours

48 cards

MindTrays Slow Ripening

52 cards

MindTrays Where Light Falls

50 cards

Pick the symbol that has been waiting for you

Open MindTrays Quiet Signs, lay out one family, and let a single image start the conversation. Working remotely? Start a collaborative session and send the link.