Tarot cards can be a fun and insightful way to learn more about ourselves, but in order to get the most out of a tarot reading, you need to know a little bit more about tarot card meanings and the significance behind each card. To do this, we need to start with the basics about what tarot is and the role it can play in your life.
A team of experts from TarotAtlas.com suggest learning the basic meanings of each card to get the most insight from your tarot readings.
Understanding Tarot: The Basics and Meaning
Tarot is a centuries-old set of cards that were originally used to play card games. It is closely related to the modern deck of playing cards. Beginning in the eighteenth century, the tarot deck began to be used for cartomancy, the art of divining the future by drawing and interpreting cards. It was around this time that French scholars developed a mythic origin for the tarot that associated it with the ancient wisdom of the Egyptian pharaohs. This, however, is not supported by history.
There are 78 cards in the modern tarot deck. The first 22 are termed the Major Arcana and are related to major life events and spiritual lessons. The remaining 56 are termed the Minor Arcana and are related to everyday events and emotions. Each card in the Major Arcana has its own meaning, while the Minor Arcana are divided into four suits whose cards share general themes.
Whether you are reading the cards for yourself or for someone else, the tarot can help you to access deep tarot meanings and hidden truths within your subconscious that you might not otherwise experience. It’s important to recognize that tarot cards do not allow you to predict the future, but they are a useful way of engaging in contemplation and reflection that can help you to consider the future and prepare for challenges and evaluate decisions.
The Fool’s Journey Through the Major Arcana
The first 22 cards of the tarot carry numbers from 0 to 21 and are termed the Major Arcana. These 22 cards tell a story known as the “Fool’s Journey.” The Fool is the first card, numbered 0, and the story traces the path of the soul from new beginnings all the way to the final card of the Major Arcana, the World, which represents fulfillment and completion. Taken together, the Major Arcana explores the most important milestones in one’s spiritual journey.
When you draw a card from the Major Arcana, it prompts you to consider a major turning point in your life, and each card can reflect a specific energy and emotion that goes into a key moment of transformation. While we don’t have the space to go through every card in the Major Arcana in detail, exploring the tarot card meanings behind these key cards can help you understand the kinds of major changes they ask you to reflect on:
- The Fool. This card represents a new beginning and is about opening oneself to new experiences and adventures.
- The Magician. Symbolizes power to create your own reality.
- The High Priestess. Symbolizes intuition and inner wisdom.
- The Empress. Symbolizes fertility, abundance, and growth.
- The Emperor. Symbolizes authority, leadership, and control.
- The Hierophant. Symbolizes tradition, conformity, and established paths.
- The Lovers. Symbolizes love and relationships, often suggesting an imminent decision.
- The Chariot. Symbolizes willpower, victory, and confidence.
- Strength. Symbolizes inner resolve and overcoming challenges.
- The Hermit. Symbolizes introspection and quiet reflection and solitude.
- Wheel of Fortune. Symbolizes destiny and cyclical change.
- Justice. Symbolizes fairness, truth, and making balanced decisions.
- The Hanged Man. Symbolizes letting go, surrendering control, and new perspectives.
- Death. Symbolizes transformation and profound change.
- Temperance. Symbolizes balance and harmony.
- The Devil. Symbolizes temptation, addiction, and unhealthy attachments.
- The Tower. Symbolizes sudden change, destruction, or crisis.
- The Star. Symbolizes hope, healing, and renewal.
- The Moon. Symbolizes the unconscious, confusion, and hidden truths.
- The Sun. Symbolizes success, positivity, and joy.
- Judgment. Symbolizes reflection, regeneration, and accountability.
- The World. Symbolizes completion, fulfillment, and the end of a cycle.
The Minor Arcana Explained: Suits and Meanings
The Minor Arcana comprise 56 cards divided into four suits. Each suit includes cards numbered from the Ace to 10, followed by four court cards: the Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The Minor Arcana, as their name implies, are concerned with everyday experiences and minor issues of life. These cards are divided into four suits that each correspond to one of the four traditional elements. These suits therefore have their own themes relating to the types of issues they symbolize and address.
- Cups. This suit is associated with the element of water and deals with emotions, relationships, and intuition.
- Wands. This suit is associated with the element of fire and deals with creativity, willpower, and action.
- Swords. This suit is associated with the element of air and deals with communication, the intellect, and conflict.
- Pentacles. This suit is associated with the element of earth and deals with wealth, career, and physical health.
Each of the ten numbered cards in a suit has its own specific tarot card meaning related to the major themes of the suit. The four court cards for each suit represent the type of people you will encounter or deal with while working through each of the themes. The Page is associated with newness and beginnings, the Knight is associated with people who help bring action and energy to your pursuits. The Queen represents nurturing, wise, and supportive people. The King represents authority figures and those who mastered the theme.
