Tarot Foundations: The Structure of the Deck and Meaning of Each Card

The Overall Structure of the Tarot Deck

The Tarot deck contains 78 cards, divided into two main sections:

• 22 Major Arcana: Represent abstract spiritual elements, aspects beyond our control, and deep, long-lasting influences
• 56 Minor Arcana: Correspond to specific events, aspects we can influence, and shorter-term effects

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The 22 Major Arcana: A Spiritual Journey

The Major Arcana are numbered 0 through 21, symbolizing the arc of human development:

0 - The Fool: Embodies thoughtlessness and innocence, like a newborn child. Also references unplanned journeys.

1 - The Magician: Represents mastery of the outer material world—money, power, desire.

2 - The High Priestess: Symbolizes understanding inner thoughts and emotions—the soul and the intellect.

3 - The Empress: A feminine card, representing the mother figure—warmth, nurture, and loving care.

4 - The Emperor: Along with The Hierophant, depicts the father. The Emperor is the material provider—money, power, wealth.

5 - The Hierophant: The spiritual father, offering nourishment for the soul—spiritual growth, moral instruction, and education.

6 - The Lovers: Marks the transition from childhood (The Fool) to young adulthood (The Lovers). Here, one first tastes love and receives angelic protection. This is also the card of choice.

7 - The Chariot: Symbolizes masculine competition and formidable will. It represents youth leaving home for the first time. A card of victory and achievement.

8 - Strength: The principle of "using gentleness to overcome force." The ability to transcend inner fears, master desires and impulses, and move forward step by step through challenges.

9 - The Hermit: Symbolizes the pursuit of wisdom and the taste of solitude. A figure of mature wisdom.

10 - Wheel of Fortune: Represents the ups and downs of life.

11 - Justice: Represents choices based on reason, decisions made with perfect clarity.

12 - The Hanged Man: Symbolizes sacrifice for spiritual development, viewing the world from a different perspective.

13 - Death: Represents complete release, the ending of something—a situation or condition.

14 - Temperance: Represents adjustment and compromise.

15 - The Devil: Symbolizes struggling with material desires and falling into materialism. Where The Lovers receive angelic blessings, The Devil carries earthly curses.

16 - The Tower: Represents sudden change, major upheaval, destruction and rebuilding.

17 - The Star: Represents the subconscious, the recovery of trust and hope, inner peace and tranquility.

18 - The Moon: Symbolizes fear, instability, and the ability to see through illusion.

19 - The Sun: Represents success, joy, and happiness.

20 - Judgement: Symbolizes heeding the call of the heart, understanding how karma operates.

21 - The World: Represents the completion of the journey, ultimate success, the highest happiness.

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The 56 Minor Arcana: Specific Life Events

The Minor Arcana are divided into four suits, each containing 14 cards (numbered 1 through 10, plus four Court cards).

Wands: Action and Creativity

Element: Fire Characteristics: Represent action, creativity, energy, and latent power. Connected to business and entrepreneurship.

Associated Zodiac Signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Life Expression: Initiative, vitality, desire, intuition.

Cups: Relationships and Emotion

Element: Water Characteristics: Represent relationships between people, emotions, and mental states. Reflect love and sensitivity.

Associated Zodiac Signs: Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio

Life Expression: Interpersonal relationships, love, emotions, mood.

Swords: Thought and Conflict

Element: Air Characteristics: Represent thinking, reason, but also harm and conflict. Reflect problems and emotional contradictions.

Associated Zodiac Signs: Libra, Gemini, Aquarius

Life Expression: Problems, difficulties, sorrow, contemplation, intellectual strength without emotional balance.

Pentacles: Material Wealth and Prosperity

Element: Earth Characteristics: Represent material substance, physical reality, connected to health, clothing, and possessions. Linked to money, work.

Associated Zodiac Signs: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Life Expression: Money, power, possessions, security, work, transactions, spending, pleasure.

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The Meaning of Numbers in the Minor Arcana

One - Beginning and Origin

Each first card represents a new beginning:

• Wand One: The beginning of action and creation
• Cup One: The beginning of relationships and intuition
• Sword One: The beginning of intellectual activity and challenge
• Pentacle One: The beginning of transforming thought into matter

All four Ones offer new opportunity, like seeds with infinite potential. The challenge lies in discerning good seed from bad, and whether you can grasp it well.

Two - Combination and Opposition

Each second card contains two competing forces:

• Wand Two: Weighing two choices
• Cup Two: The union of relationship
• Sword Two: Opposition and stalemate between two forces
• Pentacle Two: Oscillation between two powers

When combined well, the result is one plus one exceeds two. Poor combination creates opposition and paralysis.

Three - Cooperation and Initial Results

• Wand Three: Business cooperation and preliminary results
• Cup Three: Cooperation and preliminary results in relationships
• Sword Three: The preliminary result of harm
• Pentacle Three: Cooperation and preliminary results in work

Three represents the first preliminary results—business ventures begin to launch, relationships harmonize, cooperation flows smoothly. Even with Swords (harm), the Three shows initial wounds that run deep, bringing profound sorrow.

Four - Stability and Order

• Wand Four: Celebration of career stability
• Cup Four: Setting aside emotion to enter meditation
• Sword Four: Finding refuge amid chaos, maintaining equilibrium
• Pentacle Four: Finances as solid as a mountain

After achieving preliminary results at Three, Four maintains a certain stable state. Yet it's inevitable that one easily falls into narrowness and limitation, feeling unsatisfied.

Five - Conflict and Loss

• Wand Five: Conflict in action
• Cup Five: Loss of emotion
• Sword Five: Conflict causing harm
• Pentacle Five: Financial loss

The stability of Four finally reaches a dead end, and at Five, everything breaks apart.

Six - Sharing and Compromise

• Wand Six: Sharing victory with others
• Cup Six: Offering emotions
• Sword Six: Gradual recovery from harm through compromise
• Pentacle Six: Generous sharing of wealth

Six is the sum of one plus two plus three. After achieving preliminary satisfaction at Three, now comes the need to share with others. The weakness lies in easily falling to extremes—success becomes arrogance, giving becomes charity.

Seven - Self-Reflection and Struggle

• Wand Seven: Struggle to achieve victory
• Cup Seven: Falling into dreams, self-reflection
• Sword Seven: Struggle amid difficulty
• Pentacle Seven: Self-reflection after achieving small success

Self-reflection and struggle initially appear entirely different concepts, but their common purpose is to break through barriers and evolve. The receptive suits (Cups and Pentacles) work toward self-reflection to progress; the active suits (Wands and Swords) struggle through difficulty to achieve victory. The challenge for Cups and Pentacles is not avoiding reality; for Wands and Swords, it is avoiding overconfidence.

Eight - Reassessment and Action

• Wand Eight: Incomparable agility in action
• Cup Eight: Reassessing emotions, then taking action
• Sword Eight: Facing limitations in action, needing to reassess the situation to break free
• Pentacle Eight: Unceasing diligence in work

The challenge of Cups and Swords is potentially slow decision-making; of Wands and Pentacles, potentially becoming lost in endless action without reaching conclusion.

Nine - Fulfillment and Solitude

• Wand Nine: Facing difficulties alone
• Cup Nine: Holding joy alone in emotion
• Sword Nine: Bearing suffering alone in the night
• Pentacle Nine: Holding wealth alone in a garden

All Nine cards reach the peak of the suit's fulfillment, yet fall into solitude.

Ten - Completion and Transformation

• Wand Ten: The burden of action grows too heavy, requiring release and transformation
• Cup Ten: The perfect result of emotion and relationship
• Sword Ten: Final harm completes and transforms into hope
• Pentacle Ten: Final completion of wealth, yet contains the hidden risk of material excess

All Ten cards may contain hidden risks from excess that require transformation.

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Reference source: Zhihu—Tarot Foundations