Tarot Series: Part 1 - Quick intro. to the Major 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 as a great starting point is two wonderful books.

 

Lastly, it is very important to realise that knowing every single traditional Tarot card meaning is not completely necessary  to make a good reading and can occasionally 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. Not when you THINK you need them. I will go further into the “why?” of this on a later article.

Traditional divination meaning for Major Arcana cards 0-10

  • Fool- Air/Uranus- A whole new adventure; take a risk; innocence
  • Magician- Mercury- Initiation of new ideas or projects; action; al the skills in place; communication
  • High Priestess- Moon- Be guided by your intuition; passivity; stillness; shadow
  • Empress- Venus- Love, creativity, motherhood, pregnancy; mother and nature
  • Emperor-Aries- Authority; struggles of independence; father; structure and control; stand your ground
  • Hierophant- Taurus- Spiritual lessons; dogma; tradition; religion; teacher; university
  • Lovers- Gemini- Romantic or intense relationship; choice between head and the heart
  • Chariot- Capricorn- Conflict in direction; need to regain control; travel; victory
  • Strength- Leo- Use inner strength and reason rather than anger
  • Hermit- Virgo- Looking within; inner wisdom; solitude; not much happening
  • Wheel of fortune- Jupiter- Destiny; out of your hands; beginnings and endings of cyclic periods
  • Justice- Libra- Honesty; fairness; legal matters; reaching out for a new sense of balance
  • Hanged man- Water/Neptune- Suspension of affairs; seeing from a different perspective; sacrifice
  • Death- Scorpio- Rebirth; endings and new beginnings; can be difficult endings
  • Temperance- Sagittarius- Healing process; slowing down; patience; moderation; soulmate
  • Devil- Capricorn- Depression; negative thinking; obsession; addictions; jealously; lust; inappropriate behavior; illusory bonds
  • Tower- Mars- Spiritual awakening; upheaval; build your life/home/relationships upon stronger foundations
  • Star- Aquarius- Giving or receiving hope; serenity; tranquillity; hope; healing; good health
  • Moon- Pisces- Confusion; way unclear; keep your feet on the ground; intuition; psychic ability; dreams; unconscious; Deception
  • Sun- Sun- Growth and development in all areas of your life; happiness; success
  • Judgement- Fire/Pluto- Good judgement has bought major transformation; rebirth; vocation  
  • World- Earth- Completion and success; ending of a cycle bringing happiness