Tarot Card

Similar: Minor Arcana, Major Arcana, Tarot

Tarot cards are used to foresee future events and answer specific questions and are often used in fortune-telling and astrology. A Tarot deck is usually made up of 78 cards, each with a unique image, symbolism, and meaning.

Cards can be read in many ways, but often are used in a Tarot spread to answer specific questions or give an overall theme to a period of time.

Popular Tarot spreads include the

You can also come up with your own DIY Tarot spread to fit your needs.

All cards can be read right-side-up or reversed, meaning that all 78 cards can have (at minimum) 2 separate meanings based on how it is pulled.

The most common 78-card Tarot decks are divided into two main groups — Major Arcana and Minor Arcana — with the latter divided into four suits.

Major Arcana Tarot Cards

Tarot cards drawn from the Major Arcana group are said to symbolize and predict major events or major turning points in a person’s life, such as a marriage or career change.

These cards can also represent a person within the reading, often identified by their associated signs (Sagittarius is Temperance) or symbolized clues (The Hierophant represents authority).

Find your identifier by taking our quiz: Which Tarot Card Are You?

The story of the Major Arcana starts at The Fool (labeled as 0) and ends at The World (labeled as 21).

As we travel through the meanings of the card we see that a story forms, The Fool begins naive on the journey and eventually finds closure and conclusion in The World.

Minor Arcana Tarot Cards

Tarot cards drawn from the Minor Arcana group are said to represent or predict experiences in daily life, such as an issue with a friend or lover, or a message that may be on its way to you. Within the Minor Arcana, there are four suits.

The four Tarot suits are:

Each suit has numbers 1 (ace) through 10 all labeled in roman numerals, and the court cards – king, queen, knight, and page cards.

Want more? Get a free 3-Card Tarot Reading here.