Learn to Read Tarot
Receiving a Tarot card reading is an experience that can help you better understand your unique journey through the spiritual, emotional, and physical world.
A Tarot reading gives you a glimpse within, offering you a mirror into your own soul. The key to getting the most from the Tarot is understanding the intricate and multi-layered meanings of Tarot cards, including what each card expresses individually and how they can work together to provide you with even greater insight.
What Does Each Tarot Card Mean?
Discover the meaning of individual Tarot cards by clicking below.
The Major & Minor Arcanas
Major Arcana Definitions | Minor Arcana Definitions
The Tarot Suits
Cups Definitions | Pentacles Definitions | Swords Definitions | Wands Definitions
Tarot card definitions are by no means complete: no single meaning or interpretation is carved in stone. Each reading is influenced by the training and intuition of the reader and the perspective of the individual receiving the reading.
The cards present symbols and imagery, and we make sense of them in our living context. What’s important is what the cards represent to you individually.
These Tarot descriptions are meant to act as an online guide to help you understand the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. By understanding the meaning of the Tarot cards, you can begin to add your own perspective, intuition, and inspiration to your future readings.
The Major Arcana
It’s important to know that there are 22 Major Arcana cards in an average 78-card deck. They represent archetypal images and energies and tell the Fool’s story, as he starts at number 0 and travels through all of life’s experiences, ending with the World card at number 21.
The Major Arcana cards are the anchor of the Tarot and deal with the significant details within your life and can even represent a person.
Whenever a Major Arcana card reveals itself in your reading, pay special attention to it—the meaning of these cards specifically impacts the overall interpretation of your reading.
The Minor Arcana
The 56 cards of the Minor Arcana are meant to complement the Major Arcana.
These cards help you focus on the current challenges and opportunities you face daily. They can help you better understand when opportunity knocks or prevent you from making decisions you are not 100% sure of.
The 56 Minor Arcana cards are divided into four suits (similar to playing cards).
These suits are:
Another purpose of this category is to better understand the Major Arcana cards in your reading. They give you additional details or perspectives that you need. Each suit contains court cards—pages, knights, queens, and kings—that contribute meaning in your reading.
Cups
Cups represent a person’s emotions or situation being inquired about.
This suit is associated with the element of Water, a symbol found on almost every one of these cards. The water will either be in the scenery or the cup being presented.
Suppose you are a Water sign (Cancer, Scorpio, or Pisces). In that case, you will feel most represented by these cards, as their symbolism will tie directly to your driving forces of creativity, inspiration, attachment, feelings, and intuition. Cups bring clarity to the emotional depth and connections we all feel, whether happy, joyful, or sad.
Pentacles
Pentacles represent the path to success, varying based on what your definition of success means.
This suit is associated with the element of Earth and is represented on each card by a pentacle, often on a golden disk. These star-shaped symbols will either be in the scenery or held in the hand of the person featured.
Suppose you are an Earth sign (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn). In that case, you will feel most represented by these cards, as their symbolism will tie directly to your core values of tradition, ambition, rationality, and reaching wealth and career goals. Pentacles bring the concepts of greed, loss, failure, and reality to the forefront of our readings.
Swords
Swords represent the obstacles you face regarding a person, place, or situation.
This suit is associated with the element of Air and is represented on each card by a silver or gold sword. The higher the card, the more of this weapon is featured, either in the scenery or held in the hand of the person featured.
If you are an Air sign (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius), you will feel most represented by these cards. These cards channel the challenges you face in social situations, such as power, intellect, growth, and good vs. evil. Swords allow us to tap into the thoughts of the people or situations we face to make the best decision for ourselves.
Wands
Wands represent the actions we are taking or should be taking in order to show us how to make the next move.
This suit is associated with the element of Fire and is represented on each card by a wooden stick or pole. This symbol of wood ties to fire as these cards show us what is already there in front of us, we just need to light the flame.
If you are a Fire sign (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius), you will feel most represented by these cards, as they channel your main drivers such as activity, ambition, enthusiasm, and passionate thought.
Wands allow us to get to the core of our being and discover what “lights our fire.” In turn, Wands allow us to understand and put into motion our dreams and passions.
