The Tarot is a system of symbolic divination that has been utilized for centuries to provide insight into life's various circumstances. Originating as a card game in northern Italy over 500 years ago, the Tarot deck was eventually adopted as a tool for prediction, a practice known as cartomancy. The deck comprises 78 cards, divided into the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana consists of 22 picture cards numbered one through 22, representing life’s spiritual and transformative lessons. The Minor Arcana is divided into four suits, which correspond to different aspects of daily experiences and elements. These suits are Wands (Fire, representing creativity, ambition, and action), Cups (Water, symbolizing emotions, relationships, and intuition), Swords (Air, representing intellect, truth, and challenges), and Pentacles (Earth, representing stability, finances, and material concerns).
Understanding the meanings of these cards allows individuals to interpret the messages and advice they offer. The cards are generally read in spreads, where their positions can indicate the past, present, and future. For example, a 21-card spread may place the top row for the past, the middle row for the present, and the bottom row for the future. This practice requires skill in combining card meanings into a meaningful narrative.
Major Arcana Interpretations
The Major Arcana cards reveal messages about the big picture of one's life and long-term direction. Each card carries a specific archetypal meaning.
- The Fool (0): Represents new developments, fresh starts, taking a risk, innocence, and a free spirit. Reversed, it can indicate recklessness or being taken advantage of.
- The Magician (1): Signifies opportunities, working with hands, communication skills, willpower, desire, creation, and manifestation. Reversed, it suggests trickery, illusions, or being out of touch.
- The High Priestess (2): Represents intuition, hidden motivations, inner wisdom, and the unconscious mind. Reversed, it may indicate a lack of center, lost inner voice, or repressed feelings.
- The Empress (3): Symbolizes creativity, abundance, motherhood, fertility, and nature. Reversed, it can point to dependence, smothering, emptiness, or nosiness.
- The Emperor (4): Represents authority, control, fatherhood, and structure. Reversed, it suggests tyranny, rigidity, or coldness.
- The Hierophant (5): Also known as The Pope, this card represents good advice, conforming to rules, tradition, morality, and ethics. Reversed, it indicates rebellion, subversiveness, or new approaches.
- The Lovers (6): Represents emotional choices, relationships, partnerships, duality, and union. Reversed, it suggests loss of balance, one-sidedness, or disharmony.
- The Chariot (7): Symbolizes assertiveness, progress, direction, control, and willpower. Reversed, it indicates a lack of control, lack of direction, or aggression.
- Justice (8): Represents decision, clarity of mind, cause and effect, and truth. In the Rider-Waite Tarot (1909), Justice is card 11. Reversed, it suggests dishonesty, unaccountability, or unfairness.
- The Hermit (9): Represents going it alone, listening to your own counsel, contemplation, and a search for truth. Reversed, it indicates loneliness, isolation, or having lost your way.
- Wheel of Fortune (10): Signifies changes, cycles, and inevitable fate. Reversed, it suggests no control, clinging to control, or bad luck.
- Strength (11): Also known as Fortitude, this card represents quiet strength, good health, dealing with petty problems, inner strength, bravery, and compassion. In the Rider-Waite Tarot (1909), Strength is card 8. Reversed, it indicates self-doubt, weakness, or insecurity.
- The Hanged Man (12): Represents sacrifice and waiting.
- Death (13): Represents the end of a situation.
- Temperance (14): Represents balancing and moderation.
- The Devil (15): Represents materialism, greed, lust, bondage, and anger.
- The Tower (16): Also known as Lightning, this card represents sudden catastrophic change.
- The Star (17): Represents hope for the future, a good omen, and education.
- The Moon (18): Represents confusion and loss of control.
- The Sun (19): Represents success and fame.
- Judgement (20): Represents rewards, karma, and judgement.
- The World (21): Represents completion, success, and seeing the whole picture.
Minor Arcana: The Suits
The Minor Arcana consists of four suits, each with numbered cards and court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King).
The Wands
The Wands cards are about action, initiative, and invention. They guide how one moves through life, advising when to move and when to hold back. Linked to the element of Fire, they represent creativity, ambition, and action. The deck includes Ace through Ten of Wands, as well as the Page, Knight, Queen, and King of Wands.
The Cups
The Cups cards represent emotions, intuition, and relationships. They can guide individuals in love and help them process feelings. Connected to the element of Water, they symbolize emotions, relationships, and intuition. The deck includes Ace through Ten of Cups, as well as the Page, Knight, Queen, and King of Cups.
The Swords
The Swords cards are all about challenges. Ruled by the element of Air, they represent intellect, truth, and challenges. The deck includes Ace through Ten of Swords, as well as the Page, Knight, Queen, and King of Swords.
Pentacles
Pentacles (or Coins) represent stability, finances, and material concerns. Aligned with the element of Earth, they deal with material aspects of life.
Variants of Tarot Cards
There are several variants of the Tarot deck used for readings:
- Tarot de Marseille: Dating from the 15th century, this is one of the standard patterns for tarot card design. Traditionally, the Fool card is unnumbered, and the Death card is unnamed. The suits are identified as Staves/Rods (Bâtons), Swords (Épées), Cups (Coupes), and Coins (Deniers).
- Rider-Waite: Developed by Arthur Edward Waite in 1909, this deck features detailed but simple illustrations created by Pamela Colman. It is recognizable by the position of the Justice and Strength cards. In the Rider-Waite Tarot, Strength is Card 8 and Justice is Card 11 (reversed from traditional ordering) to better fit astrological correspondences.
- Thoth: This deck was developed by Aleister Crowley.
Oracle Guidance: The Concept of "Serena"
In the context of spiritual guidance, there is a card known as "Serena" (from the "Messages from Your Angels" Oracle Card Deck by Doreen Virtue). This card is a message about letting go. It advises stopping the forcing of one's own will or control over a situation. It suggests that individuals often get caught up in what they think the solution should be, blinding them to other possibilities. The guidance is to let go of the sense of control and be open to whatever may come. Worrying and stressing close down one's energy, hindering positive energy and joy from entering. Receiving this card is a sign that one may be pushing away, rejecting, or not noticing the gifts, possibilities, or solutions being offered. It aligns with the principle of "Let go and let God."
Reversed Cards
When Tarot cards appear reversed in a spread, their meanings can be interpreted in two ways: as the opposite of the upright meanings listed above, or as the upright meanings but with delays, obstacles, or a weakening in strength. Experience will reveal additional personal meanings along the way. The key to successful divination is to believe and remain consistent.
Conclusion
The Tarot offers a structured system for exploring the unconscious and gaining perspective on life's direction. By understanding the Major and Minor Arcana, along with specific oracle messages, individuals can navigate challenges and opportunities with greater clarity. Whether using the traditional Tarot de Marseille, the Rider-Waite, or specific oracle decks, the practice relies on the consistent interpretation of symbols to provide insight.