The Major Arcana
The 22 Major Arcana represent significant lessons, transitions, and turning points. Cards such as The Fool, The Magician, The Lovers, Death, and The Tower describe broad stages of growth and change.
When several appear together, a reading often focuses on the larger meaning of a situation rather than a temporary detail.
The Minor Arcana
The 56 Minor Arcana reflect everyday experiences and are divided into four suits:
- Wands · Fire: action, initiative, energy, and passion
- Cups · Water: emotions, relationships, intuition, and creativity
- Swords · Air: thought, communication, decisions, and conflict
- Pentacles · Earth: work, money, health, resources, and stability
Reversed cards
A reversed card can suggest blocked energy, an internal process, delay, or another side of the upright meaning. It is not automatically negative and should be read in the context of its position and surrounding cards.
Numbers and progression
Aces often signal beginnings, twos balance, threes growth, fours structure, fives change, and tens completion. Repeating or progressing numbers can reveal how the story of a spread is developing.