Tarot Card Meanings [All 78 Cards Explained]
Hermano I
Seventy eight cards. Every situation a human life can hold.
A tarot deck holds 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana that mark the great turning points of a life, and 56 Minor Arcana across four suits that describe the daily texture of it. Cups are emotion, Pentacles are money and the material world, Swords are thought and conflict, and Wands are passion and action. Below is every card, upright and reversed, in one place.
Bookmark this one. It is the reference I wish someone had handed me when I began.
How the deck is built
The Major Arcana are the twenty two cards that carry the weight. When one appears, it is speaking about something significant, a fate, a lesson, a genuine turning point rather than a passing mood. The Minor Arcana are the remaining fifty six, divided into four suits of fourteen, and they describe the ordinary business of living: what you feel, what you own, what you think, and what you burn for. A reading full of Major cards is a reading about your life. A reading full of Minor cards is a reading about your week.
The Major Arcana
| Card | Upright | Reversed |
|---|---|---|
| 0 The Fool | New beginnings, innocence, a leap of faith | Recklessness, naivety, holding back |
| 1 The Magician | Manifestation, willpower, having what you need | Manipulation, illusion, wasted talent |
| 2 The High Priestess | Intuition, mystery, knowing without proof | Secrets withheld, ignoring your own instinct |
| 3 The Empress | Abundance, fertility, nurturing, sensuality | Creative block, dependence, neglect of self |
| 4 The Emperor | Authority, structure, protection, control | Domination, rigidity, weak leadership |
| 5 The Hierophant | Tradition, guidance, marriage, institutions | Rebellion, breaking convention |
| 6 The Lovers | Love, union, a choice made from the heart | Disharmony, misalignment, avoiding the choice |
| 7 The Chariot | Drive, determination, victory through will | Loss of control, no direction |
| 8 Strength | Courage, gentleness, mastery of self | Self doubt, raw and unruled emotion |
| 9 The Hermit | Solitude, soul searching, inner guidance | Isolation, loneliness, hiding away |
| 10 Wheel of Fortune | Change, cycles, fate turning in your favour | Bad luck, resisting an inevitable change |
| 11 Justice | Truth, fairness, consequences arriving | Injustice, dishonesty, dodging accountability |
| 12 The Hanged Man | Pause, surrender, seeing it from a new angle | Stalling, resistance, needless delay |
| 13 Death | An ending, transformation, rebirth. Rarely literal. | Clinging to what is already over, stagnation |
| 14 Temperance | Balance, patience, the middle path | Excess, imbalance, impatience |
| 15 The Devil | Bondage, addiction, an attachment that owns you | Breaking free, reclaiming your power |
| 16 The Tower | Sudden upheaval, revelation, a false thing collapsing | Fear of change, disaster merely postponed |
| 17 The Star | Hope, renewal, faith after the storm | Despair, lost faith, disconnection |
| 18 The Moon | Illusion, fear, dreams, what is not yet clear | Truth revealed, confusion lifting |
| 19 The Sun | Joy, success, vitality, everything in the open | Temporary gloom, happiness delayed |
| 20 Judgement | Reckoning, awakening, a calling you must answer | Self doubt, ignoring the call |
| 21 The World | Completion, wholeness, the circle closed | Unfinished business, a delay before the end |
The four suits at a glance
| Suit | Element | Governs |
|---|---|---|
| Cups | Water | Emotion, love, relationships, intuition |
| Pentacles | Earth | Money, work, home, the body |
| Swords | Air | Thought, truth, conflict, communication |
| Wands | Fire | Passion, drive, creativity, action |
Cups: the heart
| Card | Upright | Reversed |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | New love, an emotional beginning | Blocked feeling, love withheld |
| Two | Mutual attraction, partnership | Imbalance, a break between two people |
| Three | Celebration, friendship, community | Gossip, a third party, overindulgence |
| Four | Apathy, discontent, missing what is offered | A new interest, waking up again |
| Five | Grief, loss, regret over what spilled | Acceptance, beginning to move on |
| Six | Nostalgia, the past, someone returning | Stuck in the past, unable to let go |
| Seven | Choices, fantasy, too many options | Clarity, the decision made |
| Eight | Walking away, leaving something behind | Indecision, or a return |
| Nine | Contentment, a wish granted | Smugness, a wish that did not satisfy |
| Ten | Lasting happiness, harmony, family | A broken home, disconnection |
| Page | A message of love, sweet curiosity | Emotional immaturity, a hollow flirtation |
| Knight | A romantic offer, charm, an invitation | Moodiness, promises he will not keep |
| Queen | Compassion, emotional depth, intuition | Insecurity, martyrdom, giving too much |
| King | Emotional mastery, a steady heart | Coldness, manipulation through feeling |
Pentacles: the material world
| Card | Upright | Reversed |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | A new opportunity, money arriving | A missed chance, a bad investment |
| Two | Juggling, adaptability, balancing demands | Overwhelm, dropping something |
| Three | Skill recognised, good collaboration | Poor work, no teamwork |
| Four | Saving, security, holding on tight | Greed, or finally letting go |
| Five | Hardship, exclusion, feeling left out | Recovery, help arriving at last |
| Six | Generosity, fair giving and receiving | Strings attached, an unequal exchange |
| Seven | Patience, waiting for what you planted | Impatience, effort spent on the wrong thing |
| Eight | Diligence, mastery through repetition | Perfectionism, or going nowhere |
| Nine | Self sufficiency, earned comfort | Dependence, overworking for it |
| Ten | Wealth, legacy, family security | Financial loss, instability at home |
| Page | A new venture, study, an offer | Lack of focus, procrastination |
| Knight | Steady effort, reliability, patience | Stagnation, boredom, no movement |
| Queen | Nurturing, practical, secure and warm | Smothering, work and home out of balance |
| King | Success, wealth, a reliable provider | Greed, control through money |
Swords: the mind
| Card | Upright | Reversed |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | Clarity, breakthrough, the truth cutting through | Confusion, information withheld |
| Two | Stalemate, a hard choice, refusing to look | The truth revealed, the deadlock broken |
| Three | Heartbreak, betrayal, a painful truth | Healing beginning, forgiveness |
| Four | Rest, retreat, recovery after a blow | Burnout, restlessness, no peace |
| Five | Conflict, a victory that costs too much | Reconciliation, laying down the fight |
| Six | Transition, leaving for calmer water | Stuck, unable to make the crossing |
| Seven | Deception, strategy, something done in secret | Confession, coming clean |
| Eight | Feeling trapped, restriction largely self made | Release, seeing the way out |
| Nine | Anxiety, sleepless nights, dread | Hope returning, the fear easing |
| Ten | A painful ending, rock bottom | Survival, the worst is behind you |
| Page | Curiosity, watchfulness, gathering facts | Spying, gossip, words used badly |
| Knight | Haste, ambition, charging forward | Recklessness, aggression, burning out |
| Queen | Clear judgement, independence, honesty | Coldness, bitterness, a cutting tongue |
| King | Truth, authority, intellect ruling | Harshness, manipulation, abuse of power |
Wands: the fire
| Card | Upright | Reversed |
|---|---|---|
| Ace | A spark, inspiration, new passion | Delay, a false start, no energy |
| Two | Planning, standing at the edge of a decision | Fear of the unknown, playing it small |
| Three | Expansion, foresight, ships coming in | Delays, obstacles, plans stalling |
| Four | Celebration, homecoming, stability | Instability, a home that is not settled |
| Five | Competition, friction, rivalry | Avoiding conflict, or resolving it |
| Six | Victory, recognition, public success | Ego, or success that goes unseen |
| Seven | Standing your ground, defending what is yours | Overwhelm, giving up the fight |
| Eight | Speed, news arriving, things moving fast | Delays, everything slowing to a crawl |
| Nine | Resilience, the last stand, nearly there | Exhaustion, paranoia, defences too high |
| Ten | Burden, carrying far too much alone | Putting it down, delegating at last |
| Page | Enthusiasm, exploration, exciting news | Hesitation, disappointing news |
| Knight | Passion, adventure, bold pursuit | Recklessness, a man who will not settle |
| Queen | Confidence, warmth, magnetism | Jealousy, insecurity beneath the fire |
| King | Leadership, vision, natural authority | Arrogance, domineering, all heat no aim |
How to read a reversed card
A reversed card is not simply the opposite of the upright one, and reading it that way will flatten your readings into nonsense. A reversal usually means one of three things. The energy is blocked, present but unable to move. The energy is internal, happening inside the person rather than out in the world. Or the energy is excessive, present in such quantity that it has curdled. The Sun reversed is not misery. It is joy delayed, or joy that cannot get out. Read the card first, then ask which of those three is happening.
How to actually use this
Do not memorise it. Nobody worth reading for has ever memorised a table. Pull one card each morning, look it up here, and then sit with it through the day and watch where it shows up. In a month you will know fifty cards without ever having tried to learn them, because you will have met them. The list gives you the words. Only the practice gives you the meaning.
A reading with thirty years behind it
A cheat sheet gives you the words. A reader gives you what the spread is actually saying about your life, and what to do about it.
Book my reading →Frequently asked questions
How many tarot cards are there?
Seventy eight. Twenty two Major Arcana, which mark the great turning points of a life, and fifty six Minor Arcana across four suits of fourteen, which describe daily life.
What do the four tarot suits mean?
Cups are water and govern emotion and love. Pentacles are earth and govern money, work, and the body. Swords are air and govern thought, truth, and conflict. Wands are fire and govern passion, drive, and action.
Is the Death card bad?
No, and it is almost never literal. Death means an ending that makes room for something new: a transformation, a chapter closing. Reversed, it more often warns of clinging to something already over.
What does a reversed tarot card mean?
Not simply the opposite. A reversal usually means the card's energy is blocked, turned inward, or present in excess. Read the upright meaning first, then ask which of those three is happening.
Which tarot cards are the most powerful?
The Major Arcana carry the most weight. When several appear in one spread, the reading is speaking about fate and genuine turning points rather than passing circumstance.
Seventy eight cards. One of them is about you.
If you want to know which, and what it is telling you to do, that is what I am here for.
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