Tarot cards are a deck of 78 cards, each with unique imagery and symbolism. They are used for divination, self-reflection, and spiritual guidance, helping people gain insight into their lives and situations. Today, tarot is used worldwide for personal growth, spiritual exploration, and intuitive readings. The tarot deck consists of 78 cards divided into two main sections: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced reader, understanding the symbolism and interpretations of all 78 tarot cards is essential for insightful readings. This guide explores the structure of the deck, the meanings of the cards, and how to approach interpretations for love, career, and personal growth.
The Structure of the Tarot Deck
The tarot deck is divided into two main sections: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana represents transformative life lessons, while the Minor Arcana consists of four suits—each corresponding to an element and different aspects of daily experiences. The tarot deck consists of 78 cards divided into the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana, each card offering unique guidance for love, career, health, and personal growth.
Major Arcana
The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards representing major life events and spiritual lessons. These cards are often considered the most important cards of the deck, revealing the foundations and pillars of the Querent's life. The Major Arcana represents life's karmic and spiritual lessons, significant life events, and turning points on your soul's journey. Following The Fool's Journey, these cards tell the story of humanity's spiritual evolution into enlightenment and individuation.
In readings, the Major Arcana usually represents significant issues in the life of the Querent. They are key principles core to human life, such as life and death, ethical dilemmas, spirituality, and interaction with other people. One can view the Major Arcana as a spiritual chart that the Querent can use to plot their course as they make their journey through life and beyond.
Minor Arcana
The Minor Arcana includes 56 cards divided into four suits, focusing on everyday experiences and challenges. The Minor Arcana often deal with the mundane and superficial, and how the Querent reacts to them. However, when doing a reading the distinctions between Minor and Major often blur, as the cards interact with each other and paint a seamless picture of the Querent's life and influences.
The Minor Arcana is made up of 56 cards across four suits—Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles—reflecting everyday situations and challenges. Each suit contains ten numbered cards and four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King), symbolizing different aspects of human experience.
The Four Elements and Their Suits
Understanding the four elements (Fire, Water, Air, Earth) and their associated suits helps deepen your readings. Each suit corresponds to a specific element and governs different areas of life.
Wands (Fire)
Wands are linked to the element of Fire, representing creativity, ambition, and action. This suit is associated with energy, passion, and the drive to achieve goals. In a reading, Wands often indicate new beginnings, inspiration, and the energy required to pursue dreams.
Cups (Water)
Cups are connected to the element of Water, symbolizing emotions, relationships, and intuition. This suit governs the heart and matters of the soul. All Cup cards generally relate to emotions, feelings, and relationships. When Cups appear in a reading, they often point to matters of love, friendship, and emotional well-being.
Swords (Air)
Swords are ruled by the element of Air, representing intellect, truth, and challenges. This suit deals with the mind, communication, and the power of thought. Swords can indicate conflict, decision-making, and the need for mental clarity. They remind us that thoughts have power and that truth often cuts through confusion.
Pentacles (Earth)
Pentacles are aligned with the element of Earth, representing stability, finances, and material concerns. This suit governs the physical world, including work, money, property, and health. Pentacles often appear when practical matters need attention, emphasizing the importance of groundedness and tangible results.
Interpreting Tarot Card Meanings
Interpret tarot cards by considering their imagery, symbolism, and traditional meanings. Trust your intuition and reflect on how each card's message applies to your question or situation. Upright and reversed positions can offer different insights.
How to Interpret Tarot Cards for Beginners
For those beginning their journey, it is recommended to start by studying each card's basic meaning in both upright and reversed positions, then consider how it relates to the question being asked. Look at the imagery and symbols, trust your intuition, and practice regularly with simple three-card spreads.
Reversed Tarot Cards
Reversed tarot cards often indicate blocked energy, internal challenges, or the need for introspection. They can also represent the shadow aspect of a card's meaning or suggest that you're resisting the card's spiritual lesson and guidance.
Tarot as a Tool for Guidance
Tarot is best used as a tool for guidance and self-discovery rather than fortune-telling. It can highlight potential outcomes and offer advice, but your actions and choices shape your future. There are no "correct" or "right" interpretations of the cards, but foundational meanings should guide you towards the answers you seek.
Tarot for Specific Life Areas
Certain cards are traditionally associated with specific themes, such as love or career success. Understanding these associations can help clarify the messages in a reading.
Tarot Cards Representing Love
The Lovers, Two of Cups, and Ten of Cups are primary love cards in tarot readings. The Empress represents nurturing love and fertility, while the High Priestess indicates intuitive connection. All Cup cards (Water element) generally relate to emotions, feelings, and relationships.
Tarot Cards Indicating Career Success
The Magician, Three of Pentacles, and Ten of Pentacles represent career achievement and success. The Chariot shows determination and willpower, while the World indicates completion and accomplishment. The Pentacles suit (Earth element) generally relates to work, material matters, and financial prosperity.
A Brief History of Tarot
Tarot cards originated in the 15th century as playing cards in Europe and evolved into a tool for divination and self-discovery. Today's Tarot deck has fixed upon the 78 card standard that was popular in Northern Italy during the 16th century. Over centuries, tarot has become a mirror to the soul, offering guidance, clarity, and insight into life's mysteries.
Conclusion
The Tarot is a very accessible tool that can be used for divination, reflection, and personal development. Depending on what you want to use it for, it is possible to learn things from it in just a few minutes. But to do this it is essential to know the meaning of the cards. The tarot deck offers a comprehensive system for exploring the human experience, from the spiritual lessons of the Major Arcana to the everyday concerns of the Minor Arcana. By understanding the symbolism of the 78 cards, the elements associated with each suit, and the basic principles of interpretation, anyone can begin to use the Tarot as a mirror to the soul and a guide for personal growth and intuitive development.