How-to Guides · 6 min · 2026-07-14
Guide to Reading the Meanings of 78 Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Cards
How to look up and read the meanings of the 78 Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot cards effectively.
Why Start with This Section
The card meanings section is ideal to consult when you've drawn a card and want to quickly understand its basic meaning.
This content brings together the common meanings of the 22 Major Arcana cards, making it easy for you to look up each card, then continue exploring related meanings or suitable spreads.
Priority Cards to Learn First
The Fool
Decode the primary and reversed meanings of this card, explaining its signals in love, career, and life's transitional phases, along with appropriate tarot questions to ask.
Core Theme: New beginnings, risk-taking, trusting intuition.
- Upright: Open mindset, readiness to take on challenges.
- Reversed: Hesitation, or hasty action without reflection.
The Lovers
Decode the true meaning of this card in matters of love, relationship decisions, and partnerships, to distinguish between "passionate attraction" and "alignment of shared values."
Core Theme: Choice, deep connection, shared values.
- Upright: Mutual resonance, relationship elevation, partnership confirmation.
- Reversed: Misalignment of values, ambiguity, or refusal to commit.
Death
Explain why this card does not mean misfortune. Analyze its meaning when relationships end, careers shift, or a new phase begins.
Core Theme: Ending an old cycle, not catastrophe.
- Upright: Active or inevitable transformation, moving toward something new.
- Reversed: Prolonging, resistance to change, procrastination.
The Star
Decode how this card signals positive, pure-hearted messages about soul healing, self-repair, and long-term vision.
Core Theme: Restoring faith, hope, and new rhythm.
- Upright: Hope and repair, restored trust.
- Reversed: Disappointment, loss of faith, slower recovery.
The Magician
Decode how this card represents the power of initiative, execution ability, and transforming resources into results.
Core Theme: Turning ideas into action, taking control of situations.
- Upright: Proactive, resourceful integration, driving progress.
- Reversed: Over-control, inability to execute, misaligned direction.
The High Priestess
Decode how this card represents intuition, undisclosed information, and ambiguity that should not be forced.
Core Theme: Sensing deeper than words, observation, hidden information.
- Upright: Intuition, observation, secrets yet to unfold.
- Reversed: Sinking deeper, misunderstanding, excessive conservatism.
The Chariot
Decode how this card represents the ability to drive momentum forward, clarify goals, and maintain control of both inner and outer rhythm.
Core Theme: Control, focus, achieving results.
- Upright: Self-direction, clear direction, obtaining results.
- Reversed: Over-forcefulness, loss of control, chaotic rhythm.
Strength
Explain how this card represents inner stability, emotional regulation, and flexible influence.
Core Theme: Stabilizing yourself—not through force, but through inner management.
- Upright: Patience, self-control, flexible repair.
- Reversed: Low energy, self-doubt, loss of emotional control.
The Devil
Decode how this card represents bindings, amplified cravings, addictive habits, and tangible constraints.
Core Theme: Obsession, bondage, seeming inescapable.
- Upright: Amplified desire, restricted relationships.
- Reversed: Recognizing the issue, attempting to break free.
The Moon
Decode how this card represents obscurity, unconscious projection, haziness, and distorted information.
Core Theme: Cannot see clearly, worry, projection.
- Upright: Obscurity, anxiety, projection.
- Reversed: Fog gradually clearing, clarity gradually returning.
The Sun
Explain how this card represents clarity, positive outcomes, transparency, and vitality.
Core Theme: Clear, strong, positive signals.
- Upright: Success, transparency, vitality.
- Reversed: Delay, diminished warmth, good news obscured.
Judgement
Decode how this card represents reassessment, awakening, answering an inner call, and changing direction during a phase.
Core Theme: Review and decision-making, awakening, elevation.
- Upright: Awakening, remembrance, self-elevation.
- Reversed: Procrastination, self-doubt, unwillingness to face reality.
Continue Learning
Card meanings, spreads, question-framing, and guidance should be learned together. This will help you ask clearer questions and develop deeper understanding.
Reference source: tianjiyao.com — Comprehensive Tarot Meanings Dictionary: Introduction to High-Frequency Card Meanings and Decoding Upright-Reversed Positions