Tarot Cards

The original deck of 78 Tarot cards were divided into 4 suits of 14 cards (the standard ace to 10, page, knight, queen, and king) and 22 un-numbered trumps. Over the years the trumps were re-numbered 1 to 21 with the Fool remaining un-numbered or considered zero. Click here for the complete history of tarot cards.

The Tarot deck consists of the Major and Minor Arcana

• Trumps – Major Arcana
• 4 suits – Minor Arcana (wands, cups, swords and pentacles)

Major Arcana

The Fool
  • The fool can either represent 0 or 22.
  • It represents the God force before it enters manifestation.
  • 22 is an ancient symbol for a circle representing God and infinity.
  • The infinity of the circle indicates that a person has not yet reached his/her potential.

The Magician focuses on an idea and brings it to life.

High Priestess is the link between the conscious and subconscious mind.
  • The letters B and J as seen on the pillars in the picture are symbolic of their numerical place in the alphabet; B being 2 and J as 10.
  • Numerology reduces the numbers to 1, signifying man and woman.

The Empress card indicates creativity and imagination that brings forth the manifestation of things.
  • The stars on her crown represent the 12 zodiac signs that indicate time brings desire into fruition.

The Emperor is older and wiser than the Magician. It rules the conscious elements in the material world.
  • The world in his hands is represented in numerology by the number 4.
  • This card represents the fashion in which things are done.

The Hierophant represents our inner self, the teacher, and intuition. He collects the facts based on reason.
  • The 5 points on his crown signify the five senses.
  • The three levels indicate the levels of mind; conscious, subconscious and super-conscious.

The Lovers card symbolizes relationships and partners. A union of opposites indicates that we must follow a path to understanding by using our conscious, subconscious and super-conscious minds.

The Chariot card is symbolic of the soul and the physical shell that controls the positive and negative forces.

The Strength card represents the power of control over material forces. The Hermit has reached a place where he has mastered all elements of the past.
  • The lantern light is made of 2 triangles that when combined represent coming full circle.

Wheel of Fortune represents the grasp on the persona by understanding who you really are.
  • Number 10 represents a new cycle.

Justice rules the laws of cause and effect by correcting the wrongs of the past.

The Hanged Man represents a change of view signifying that everything is not as it seems.

Death represents transformation or rebirth.

Temperance is a blend of positive and negative that provides a balance between the conscious and the subconscious mind.
  • Temperance holds the path to a higher knowledge.

The Devil represents blindness and misconception. It is a wasting of energy or denial.

The Tower symbolizes abrupt understanding.

The Star gathers knowledge from the pools of the conscious and the subconscious mind.

The Moon represents the evolution of spirit that slowly begins to learn and focus more clearly.
  • The 32 tongues of fire falling from the moon symbolize the 32 paths to the tree of life.

The Sun is the giver of life. It is a neutral card that teaches us to understand that love for all things must be achieved without bias.

Judgment represents a healthy mind and spirit that has acquired a better understanding of everything spiritual.

The World represents a never-ending cycle of life that remains unchanged and orderly.

 

Minor Arcana

The Suit of Wands - Clubs - Fire - Creative
The realm of spirit - Represents ideas as the primary or original thought.
  • The presence of wands in a reading indicates ambition and growth.

The Suit of Cups - Hearts - Water - Emotions
The realm of mental – Manifestation of ideas
  • It becomes the link to the next step in the order of things.
  • The presence of cups in a reading points to desires and feelings.

The Suit of Swords - Spades - Air - Intellect
The realm of astral – Swords represent action of thought.
  • The presence of swords in a reading indicates the struggle of bringing the idea into reality

The Suit of Pentacles - Diamonds - Earth
Realm of the physical or material – This represents the actual outcome of the matter. The presence of the suit of pentacles in a reading points to realization, and manifestation.