What Are The Meanings Of Each Tarot Card

There are 78 cards in the Tarot deck, each with unique imagery, symbolism, and narrative.

The karmic and spiritual lessons of life are represented by the 22 Major Arcana cards. They represent a route to spiritual self-awareness and show the several phases we go through as we look for deeper insight and significance. The Major Arcana cards contain profoundly important truths on a soul level in this way.

The 56 Minor Arcana cards are a reflection of the difficulties we face every day. These Tarot cards emphasize life’s more practical components and can allude to current events that have a fleeting or insignificant impact.

There are 16 Tarot Court Cards in the Minor Arcana, each of which represents a distinct personality trait that we may choose to display at any given time. Along with the 40 numbered cards, there are also the four suitsCups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wandseach having ten cards, reflecting the numerous scenarios we face on a daily basis.

Tarot cards may be viewed by some as little more than ink on paper. But here’s what I’ve learned from daily Tarot card reading for more than 20 years:

In This Article...

How do the 21 tarot cards translate?

The World card has multiple tarot connotations, according to A.E. Waite’s 1910 book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot:

THE WORLD, 21

Guaranteed success, payment, travel, route, emigration, flight, and relocation.

Inertia, fixity, stagnation, and permanence inverted.

The World is the culmination of one cycle of life and the interim period between that cycle and the following one, which starts with the fool. Between the heavens and the earth, the figure is masculine and female from above and below. It’s completion. The possibility for perfect oneness with the One Power of the universe is claimed to be represented by it as well as cosmic consciousness. It teaches us that in order to truly be happy, we must also give to the world by imparting what we have learned or acquired. According to Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene’s book The New Mythic Tarot (p. 82), the woman’s image, known in Greek mythology as Hermaphroditus, represents wholeness unrelated to sexual identity but rather of combined male and female energy on an inner level, integrating opposite traits that emerge in the personality charged by both energies. The opposite traits of male and female that cause us stress are united in this card, and the idea of becoming entire is portrayed as an ideal goal rather than something that can be attained.

The four creatures on the Universe card, according to Robert M. Place in his book The Tarot, symbolize the fourfold framework of the physical world, which encloses the holy center of the world, a location where the divine can incarnate. The fifth element is spirit, or the sacred center, and its name is Sophia, which means Prudence or Wisdom (the dancing woman in the middle). The fourth Cardinal virtue in the Tarot is prudence. The woman in the middle represents the aim of mystical seekers. This prominent character can be Christ in some older decks or Hermes in others. This card represents what is actually desired whenever it appears.

What categories are there in tarot cards?

Wands, batons, or rods are used for clubs; cups are used for hearts; swords are used for spades; and coins, pentacles, or disks are used for playing cards (diamonds). Four court cards are in each suit. 10 numbered cards, a king, queen, knight, and jack, as well as The value sequence in each suit is from aces to ten, followed by jacks, knights, queens, and kings (though the ace is sometimes assigned a high value, as in modern playing cards).

How can I interpret tarot cards on my own?

How to Conduct Your Own Tarot Reading

First, make the space.
Step 2: Discover the question’s core.
Choose the layout in step three.
Step 4: Sort the cards and shuffle them.
Read the cards and tell the story in step five.
Answering your question is step six.

What is the Tarot card number 22?

One of the 78 cards in a tarot deck is The Fool. It is one of the 22 Major Arcana in tarot card reading, sometimes denoted by the numbers 0 (the first) or XXI (the last).

What is the Tarot card number 12?

In contemporary tarot decks, a guy is seen hanging upside-down by one foot. Most frequently, the figure is hung from a tree or a wooden beam (such as a cross or gallows). Due to the possibility of viewing the card itself upside down, there is ambiguity.

A. E. Waite, the creator of the Rider-Waite tarot deck, described the symbol in his 1910 book The Pictorial Key to the Tarot as follows:

The figure from the location of the legs creates a fylfot cross, and the gallows from which he is hanging forms a Tau cross. The apparent martyr’s head has a nimbus around it. It should be noted that the tree of sacrifice is made of living wood and has leaves on it, that the face conveys intense fascination rather than agony, and that the figure as a whole conjures up the idea of life in suspension rather than death. False names for it include “card of martyrdom,” “card of caution,” “card of the Great Work,” and “card of duty.” It expresses the relationship between the Divine and the Universe in one of its dimensions, I will state simply on my behalf.

According to Waite, the card has the following connotations in divination:

THE HANGED MAN 12.

Prudence, insight, sacrifice, testing, prophecy, divination, and wisdom. Reversed: Selfishness, the masses, and the governing body.

The hanging man’s head has a glowing halo around it, denoting a better understanding or enlightenment.

The Hanged Man card is connected to the astrological signs of Pisces and Neptune.

What does the Tarot card 3 Cups mean?

The Three of Cups’ symbolic connotation denotes a happy time. You’ll be able to set aside your daily concerns and spend meaningful time with loved ones.

The Three of Cups might represent a joyful reunion with a loved one, family, or friend who has been lost for a while. It can also refer to a celebration, be it for yourself or a loved one. The occasion can be a birthday, a wedding, or another joyous event. In general, it involves spending quality time with the people in your life that are important to you.

Spending meaningful time with the people you value most in your life is the theme of The Three of Cups.

The three maidens stand in for your closest group of friends, to whom you can turn for affection, sympathy, and assistance when you need it most. Old college friends, coworkers, or those with whom you have a special connection can all qualify.

This card may indicate the conclusion of social difficulties you’ve been experiencing. You’ll be able to settle disputes and discover how to handle the issue.

What should you do initially while using a tarot deck?

What to Do First:

Get out your tarot deck.
The cards are in your hand.
“Knock or tap the pile of cards numerous times while holding them in your palm to disseminate your energy throughout the deck.
Shuffle the cards completely.
The cards are divided into three heaps, which are subsequently reassembled into one pile.

After a breakup

Draw one card for each of the following inquiries if you’ve recently broken up with someone and want to know more about the reason or determine whether you’ll get back together:

How energetic is the partnership right now?
What caused the divide in the first place?
What do they really think of me right now?
What do they intend for me right now?
What kind of relationship will this be in the future?
Which action is ideal for me to take right now?

When job searching

You can use this spread to explore what kind of career guidance the tarot can offer if you’re feeling uncertain about your career path or thinking about a new employment. Draw one card once more for each query.

How active am I in my career right now?
What challenge must I overcome?
What is my calling in life?
How can I follow this calling more closely?
What should I do to prepare for the upcoming month?

When deciding between two options

This spread can highlight the benefits and drawbacks of each option, guiding you toward the best decision if you’re using tarot to pick between two possibilities (two job offers, two apartments, perhaps a love triangle???). Getting the deal Per card, ask one question.

What is the fundamental cause of this fork in the road?
What is the likely result of choosing option A?
What is the most likely result for option B?
What more should I take into account that was overlooked?
What’s the best thing I can do right now?

When something is off with a friend

If you’re concerned about the state of a friendship or feel like something is wrong but are unable to pinpoint the cause, you might be interested in seeing what conclusions and solutions this spread offers. Ask one question per card, once more, I repeat.

What makes this friendship so crucial?
What led to this sudden change in tone, and why?
What has changed, in my friend’s opinion?
What can I do to make this matter more urgent?
What is the future of this friendship?
What should I do at this moment?

Pentacles stand for what?

The Ace of Coins is pictured as a hand emerging from a cloud clutching a Pentacle or a coin with a five-pointed star on it. Behind is a lovely garden that suggests a lot. It can also be compared to Eden’s Garden. Two mountain peaks can be seen outside the garden, which could symbolize the right and left pillars of the Qabalah. Both result in increased wealth. White flowers in the garden represent innocence, maybe in innocent relationships like Adam and Eve’s friendship before the fall. One of the blossoms has a cross-like shape, maybe signifying self-sacrifice. Since self-sacrifice is the only way to reach heaven, this sacrifice could be as straightforward as passing away naturally. The Ace of Pentacles, like all the Aces, represents a new beginning and something that is being presented. This is frequently a new source of income for someone. Usually, it is additional recurring money of some kind. It can represent fresh chances that bring about greater fortune. The card suggests a change in one’s financial condition for the better, or at the very least, that opportunities exist to do so. It may also indicate increased cash flow as a result of better financial management.
When upright, the Two of Coins represents juggling, striving in a positive direction, balancing (in fact, juggling and balancing at the same time), and maintaining. Here, the equilibrium is actively being preserved; part of the preservation is self-realized. The card’s reversed meaning refers to imbalances, excessive juggling and struggling, and the card’s advise is to restore equilibrium.
The Three of Coins has many positive connotations attached to it, including the accomplishment of perfection, the mastering of a skill in trade or job, creative aptitude, and dignity via recognition, status, or authority. When the card is in reverse, negative characteristics include sloppiness that results in a lower-quality output, a lack of expertise, cliched ideas, and obsession with off-task issues.
The Four of Coins represents a person who loves material wealth and hoards valuable items with no intention of sharing them. The Four of Pentacles, on the other hand, gives a caution against the propensity for being wasteful when it is in reverse.
The Five of Coins portends a challenging and terrible circumstance, one from which the victims won’t soon be able to escape. The Querent may be ambivalent, mired in uncertainty, and feeling excluded or cut off, but they are nonetheless resolute. The charities and hopes depicted in the cathedral windows are challenging to realize but nonetheless worthwhile. The man on crutches is not immediately apparent to be the right figure’s friend or foe, implying a tense relationship.
In The Six of Coins, a businessman is shown weighing money on two scales and giving it to people in need and trouble. It represents satisfaction, but it also calls for attention because not every distressed person can be appeased. The card’s reversed meanings include desire, cupidity, envy, jealousy, and illusion.
The Seven of Coins frequently represents motion.
In The Eight of Coins, a stone craftsman is seen working on pieces that he displays as trophies. Work, employment, commissions, craftsmanship, business acumen, possibly in the planning stages. These are the meanings associated with divination. persistent patience while keeping success in mind. Ambition, conceit, cupidity, exaction, and usury are reversed. It could also mean having skill in the sense of having an inventive mind that has been bent toward guile and intrigue.
The Nine of Coins shows an aristocratic woman surrounded by a big estate’s worth of grapevines, most likely signifying a high level of material status. She is wearing a floral-patterned robe, and a hooded falcon is lazily perched on her arm. The ancient sport of falconry was particularly well-liked by historical nobility and kings. Given that falcons are predators, it is likely that the woman is familiar with the money and power that this sport entails and feels at ease with it because she clutches her falcon without any excitement or fear. It is also important to note that the falcon is hooded, which means it is not actively pursuing its prey. This implies that the woman is conscious of her influence yet chooses to restrain it. She is wise because she is aware of her power and knows when and how to use it. She comes across a young snail with a blue shell that is moving across her path. She has no idea that it could be fatally close. Being upright entails having wealth, sophistication, knowledge, and success.
The Ten of Coins arranges the coins in a tree-like pattern that corresponds to the kabbalistic Tree of Life. It shows an elderly man conversing with a woman while being guarded. It frequently has to do with either family issues, financial issues, or a combination of the two. Some sources link it to wealth or even luxury. It might represent a workplace. This card is referred to as Wealth in the Thoth Tarot deck and is connected to Virgo’s third decan, which is ruled by Venus. Mercury is said to rule Virgo’s second decan, which is said to be ruled by Venus.
A youthful individual is frequently represented by the Page of Coins.
The young guy with a dark complexion and features is represented by the Knight of Coins. This mixes the imagery of knights and black completeness, as well as the suit of coins and male adolescents and young adults. The card could also stand for someone who is determined, tenacious, serious, or set in their ways. This card can also be used when a person is struggling with a dilemma where one of those problems is involved, such as when they are debating whether to stick up for themselves in a conflict or not. With the exception of the Knight of Swords, the knights of the tarot represent defense. The Marseilles Tarot and other earlier representations of these Knights were disarmed, but the Rider-Waite deck gave them armor. The Knight of Coins might therefore stand for protecting one’s assets or one’s well-being.
“Sensual and earthy, she appreciates abundance in many facets of her life,” is how the Queen of Coins is defined. She enjoys luxury and is generous with her fortune. A pregnancy or fertile times are suggested by the Queen of Pentacles. The Queen of Coins, like all court cards, is typically taken to refer to a person who has some significance in the questioner’s life, however it could also symbolize the asker. According to legend, queens stand for mothers, mature ladies, or young women who are wise beyond their years. She can also be a hard worker for material success, a businesswoman, a supporter of the arts, a provider, etc. She is a caring, maternal, down-to-earth individual who is interested in the wellbeing of others, particularly those she looks out for. Dark hair and eyes, a dark complexion, and a strong physique are among the physical traits associated with the suit of coins. In the Reversed version, this Queen disregards her duties while maintaining her persona regardless of the situation.
The King of Coins shows a wise, experienced adult with significant earthly power; he is typically shown as a diplomatic businessman. The King of Pentacles has a reputation for being frugal. He enjoys receiving material presents and sensuous treats. This man has social prestige and values keeping up with the Joneses highly. On the down side, he could have an ego so enormous that the querent would be foolish to offend him. The image on the card shows a man who may assist the reader in gaining the social and practical understanding necessary to get money or respectability. The occurrence of this card, like the other court cards, could indicate interaction with a person of this great standing. Unless previous cards have further backed this, it does not always represent material wealth to the querant. A guy is shown seated on a black throne that is decorated with a gold bull in the Rider-Waite deck. His clothing is covered in grapes, and a castle may be seen in the distance.