Tarot Series –Part 1- Quick Intro. to the minor Arcana
As mentioned previously this “Tarot series” will not be devoted to telling you what each card means. Instead it will look to show you the hidden depths of Tarot and ultimately how you can improve as a reader more rapidly.
The reason I have chosen this approach is twofold. The first in that I believe there is a wealth of books and other websites that offer excellent explanation of each individual Tarot card and I would simply be going over old ground. Knowing Tarot meanings is literally at our fingertips. Saying this what I would suggest for any beginner is two wonderful books…………
Lastly, it is very important to realise that knowing every single traditional Tarot card meaning is unnecessary to make a good reading and can at times cause more problems.
So you may ask why bother including any meanings at all? Having a few good keywords for each card is good to fall back on and stimulate your intuition. However, once read a few times, trust that your sub-conscious has absorbed them and will bring them to you when you need them, and not when you THINK you need them. I will go further into the “why?” of this on a later article.
Suit of Wands- Action, energy, will power, fire, summer, South
Ace of Wands- Birth or a new idea or enterprise; energy; vocation
Two of Wands- Looking and wondering about new horizons; moving house or country
Three of Wands- Preparation and ideas taking shape; gearing up for action; homesick; testing the waters of a new idea; a new vision that has yet to be materialized but it felt as right
Four of Wands- ‘Happy Homecoming’; new home; wedding; reunions or celebrations
Five of Wands- Arguments; office politics; need for boundaries; sparring not an actual fight;
Six of Wands- Success and achievement with recognition
Seven of Wands- Self- defence, take a firm stand; just about keeping on top of things
Eight of Wands- Movement and progress; period of waiting coming to an end; travel
Nine of Wands- Battle weary; exhaustion; need for self-protection; perseverance; keep going
Ten of Wands- An overburdening of too many problems and responsibilities; working too hard; martyrdom
Suit of Cups- Feelings, emotions, relationships, creativity, love, water, autumn, West
Ace of Cups- A fresh start; emotionally spiritually or creatively; new relationship; fertility; birth of a child; gift from God
Two of Cups- A new relationship or a fresh start in an existing one; soulmate contract activated;
Three of Cups- Friendship and good times; celebration; reunion
Four of cups- Depression and broodiness over the past; missing out on other opportunities and hand
Five of Cups- Grief; disappointment in others or broken commitments; lost love; life does go on however and goes on well
Six of Cups- Memories and links to the past; the reappearance of someone the past; childhood; the beginning of something that will go well
Seven of Cups- Your dreams and choices are confused; procrastination; prioritize and make a decision
Eight of cups- Having to move on and turn away from a good situation; unbalanced; giving more then you are getting; bad timing
Nine of Cups- ‘The wish card’; contentment and satisfaction; enjoying the pleasures of life; not taking life too seriously; selfishness
Ten of Cups- Emotional commitments or emotional fulfillment; marriage; children; deep contentment and security
Suit of Swords- Conflict, pain, intellect, and need for communication, air, spring, East
Ace of Swords- A new beginning in the areas of ideas and intellect; a major breakthrough; truth and justice
Two of Swords- A cross roads; cannot see the way ahead; paralysis; open up your heart
Three of Swords- A heart break; sorrow and pain
Four of Swords- Convalescence; recuperation; time out
Five of Swords- Defeat; surrender; loss; falling out; the parting of ways; need to walk away from a difficult situation
Six of Swords- Quiet place through a difficult time; a sad journey; transition; moving onto calmer waters
Seven of Swords- Escape and non-confrontation; stealth; cunning and manipulation
Eight of Swords- Self made prison; power given away; frustration; and impatience; playing the victim; spiritual recognition of ignorance to spiritual development
Nine of Swords- Anxiety; isolation; depression; need to open up to new channels of communication; the same though over and over
Ten of Swords- An ending; major difficult inevitable changes probably for the better; betrayal; death of the lower egoic mind
Suit of Pentacles- Material and physical world, money, security, earth, winter, North
Ace of Pentacles- New doorways for money and work; promotion
Two of Pentacles- Juggling of finances when money is tight; just about balancing act;
Three of Pentacles- Apprentice; learning new skills and abilities; preparations for a project; third party expertise; the need to collaborate
Four of Pentacles- Fear concerning money; and security issues; a miser; feeing vulnerable
Five of Pentacles- Illness; disability; poverty; unemployment; the outsider card; co-dependent relationship
Six of Pentacles- Repayment; loans and financial help; charity
Seven of Pentacles- You will reap the rewards of your hard work soon; time of reflection and assessment; keep persevering
Eight of Pentacles- Craftsman perfecting skills and abilities; work opportunities and new projects
Nine of Pentacles- Prosperity and independence; independent wealth
Ten of Pentacles- Excellent prosperity and security in relation to money and/or property; financial assistance from family members; money coming your way