Tarot Beginner's Guide · Part 2
Major and Minor Arcana Explained
Understanding how the deck is organised is the easiest win in tarot. Once you know which group a card belongs to and where it sits, you already know half of what it means.
The 22 Major Arcana: the big themes
The Major Arcana run from 0, The Fool, to 21, The World. They deal with deeper subjects such as character, beliefs and life stages. The Lovers points to a meaningful choice, Death to the end of a chapter, and The Star to hope returning after a hard time.
When a reading contains many Major Arcana, it usually suggests the situation matters a lot to you, or that it touches something deeper than day-to-day details.
The Fool's journey
Many readers see the Major Arcana as one continuous story called the Fool's journey. The Fool sets out full of curiosity and first meets The Magician and The High Priestess, learning to act and to listen. Then come The Empress, The Emperor and The Hierophant, who teach care, structure and tradition.
In the middle of the story he faces the choice of The Lovers, the drive of The Chariot, the patience of Strength, the solitude of The Hermit and the ups and downs of the Wheel of Fortune. Later he meets the pause of The Hanged Man, the ending of Death and the collapse of The Tower, then moves through The Star, The Moon and The Sun toward Judgement and The World, completing the cycle.
This story is a memory aid, not historical fact. When you draw a Major Arcana card, it can help to ask: where am I on this journey right now?
The 56 Minor Arcana: numbered cards
Each suit has ten numbered cards, and the numbers follow a rough arc from beginning to completion:
Ace: a seed or new opportunity. Two: choice, balance or partnership. Three: early results and growth. Four: stability, or sometimes standing still. Five: conflict, loss or challenge.
Six: adjustment and recovery. Seven: testing, assessing or holding your ground. Eight: movement, change or effort. Nine: nearly complete, with strong reward or strong worry. Ten: the end of a cycle, where fulfilment or burden peaks.
Combine the number with the suit and you can work out many cards on your own. Five carries conflict, so the Five of Swords is about arguments and clashing views, while the Five of Cups is about emotional disappointment.
The 16 court cards: four roles
Each suit has a Page, Knight, Queen and King. A court card can stand for another person in your life, or for an attitude you are showing or need to show.
The Page is the learner: curious and just starting. The Knight is the doer: energetic and sometimes hasty. The Queen is mature inner strength: perceptive and caring. The King is mature outer authority: making decisions and taking responsibility.
The Queen of Swords, for example, often describes someone clear-headed and direct who is not easily swept along by emotion, or suggests that this is the attitude your situation calls for.