The Structure of the Tarot Deck and the Essential Meaning of Each Card

The Overall Structure of the Tarot Deck

The Tarot deck comprises 78 cards organized into two primary sections:

• Major Arcana (22 cards): Also called the Greater Arcana, these cards reveal profound shifts in the spiritual realm—the currents of fate that lie beyond our control, the forces capable of shaking someone's core beliefs and values. Their influence runs deep and long.

• Minor Arcana (56 cards): Also called the Lesser Arcana, these cards speak to the specific events unfolding in daily life. They typically remain within our sphere of influence, their effects more immediate than sweeping.

The Fool's Journey

The Major Arcana tells a story of spiritual education through the journey of the Fool, moving from card 0 to card 21.

Three Ways to Read the Journey

Level One — The Linear Journey: Observe the 22 cards in sequence from 0 to 21 as a continuous narrative, tracing one complete cycle of development and transformation.

Level Two — The Comparative Journey: Arrange the cards into two rows (cards 1–10 and 11–20), then study the relationships between corresponding cards on each row to discover parallels or contrasts.

Level Three — The Three-Dimensional Journey: Arrange 21 cards into a 3-column by 7-row grid: - Left column represents the Conscious Mind (Body): what we perceive clearly - Center column represents the Subconscious (Heart): what we sense deeply within - Right column represents the Superconscious (Spirit): the invisible forces at work

A suggestion: Return regularly to the Major Arcana and arrange them using these two or three levels. The more you observe, the richer your understanding becomes.

The Minor Arcana (56 Cards)

The Minor Arcana portrays the specific events and circumstances of everyday life—the territories where we hold real agency and influence.

The Minor Arcana consists of four suits, each corresponding to one of the four elements: - Wands (Fire) - Cups (Water) - Swords (Air) - Pentacles (Earth)

Each suit contains 14 cards: 10 numbered cards (1 through 10) and 4 Court cards (King, Queen, Knight, Page).

The Meaning of Each Suit

#### Wands (Fire)

Element: Fire | Zodiac Signs: Taurus, Leo, Sagittarius

Keywords: Action, creativity, initiative, vitality, passion, desire, intuition, energy, optimism, risk-taking, effort, enterprise, exploration

People aligned with Wands act from instinct and impulse. They are bold, dynamic, radiating confidence and self-assurance. Yet they tend toward the "three-minute flame"—quick to ignite, quick to fade.

#### Cups (Water)

Element: Water | Zodiac Signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Keywords: Love, emotion, relationships, sensitivity, care, harmony, compassion, empathy, friendship, introspection, secrecy, reverie, illusion

People aligned with Cups move through feeling and intuition. They are loving, attuned to others, valuing connection above all. Yet they risk drowning in sentiment, allowing emotion to steer their choices.

#### Swords (Air)

Element: Air | Zodiac Signs: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Keywords: Conflict, difficulty, intellect, mental activity, clarity, organization, calm in crisis, but also detachment, coldness, heaviness

People aligned with Swords possess sharp intellect, precision, organizational skill, and composure in crisis. Yet their emotional distance can read as aloofness or burden to those around them.

#### Pentacles (Earth)

Element: Earth | Zodiac Signs: Virgo, Libra, Capricorn

Keywords: Money, nature, stability, security, health, family, legacy, daily life, work, exchange, pleasure

People aligned with Pentacles value the material world, labor steadily, and know how to enjoy the fruits of life. Yet they may veer toward avarice and stubbornness.

The Court Cards

Within each suit stand four court figures, each carrying distinct energy:

The King: A mature man, embodying positive masculine power - Represents: Leadership, achievement, authority, status, social responsibility - May signify: A father, elder, boss, expert, or any figure holding power - May also represent the masculine aspect (yang) within a woman's nature

The Queen: A mature woman, embodying gentle feminine power - Represents: Nurturing, teaching, sharing, caring for others - Unlike the King's focus on worldly control, the Queen tends to soul and inner essence - May also represent the feminine aspect (yin) within a man's nature

The Knight: A young person, the least mature figure - Represents: Inexperience, the extreme expressions of the suit's nature - Acts independently, idealistic, daring, willing to risk, romantic - Pitfalls: Impulsivity, haste, self-centeredness - Associated with air (swift, unstable) or fire (action, dispersal) - May also signify journey or travel

The Page: A child, or the childlike aspect within the adult soul - Represents: Innocence, kindness, eagerness to learn and explore, curiosity, openness to information, attentive listening - Associated with opportunity, information, study, discovery - Linked to earth (nascent) or air (information)

The Numbered Cards (1–10)

Number 1 — Beginning and Source

Each suit holds a card numbered 1, marking the beginning of that suit's theme: - Wands 1: The beginning of action and creation - Cups 1: The beginning of relationship and intuition - Swords 1: The beginning of intellectual pursuit and trial - Pentacles 1: The beginning of manifesting idea into matter

All four Ones carry the promise of new opportunity, like seeds. The querent must discern whether the seed is fertile or barren.

Number 2 — Union and Opposition

• Wands 2: Weighing two choices
• Cups 2: Union in relationship
• Swords 2: Two forces meeting in deadlock
• Pentacles 2: Wavering between two pulls

Every Two holds two forces at play. When aligned well, they create synergy greater than their parts. When misaligned, they breed opposition and stagnation.

Number 3 — Collaboration and Preliminary Result

• Wands 3: Business collaboration and early fruit
• Cups 3: Relational harmony and its expression
• Swords 3: The first taste of sorrow
• Pentacles 3: Work collaboration and skill recognized

Every Three manifests the preliminary result of the suit's nature. Business gains momentum, relationships bloom, work flows—or sorrow begins to weigh.

Number 4 — Stability and Order

• Wands 4: Celebrating the stability of enterprise
• Cups 4: Emotional withdrawal into contemplation
• Swords 4: Finding refuge amid chaos, preserving peace
• Pentacles 4: Finances solid as a mountain

After reaching the threshold of Three, the Four holds the line, crystallizing gains into something stable. Yet it risks becoming narrow and confined, leaving one unsatisfied.

Number 5 — Conflict and Loss

• Wands 5: Conflict within action
• Cups 5: Loss within emotion
• Swords 5: Conflict that wounds
• Pentacles 5: Loss in material form

The stability of Four eventually fractures. By Five, the structure collapses.

Number 6 — Sharing and Compromise

• Wands 6: Sharing success with others
• Cups 6: Giving from the heart
• Swords 6: Making peace with hardship, beginning to heal
• Pentacles 6: Generous distribution of wealth

Pitfall: Excess generosity can turn success to arrogance, gifts to condescension.

Number 7 — Reflection and Effort

• Wands 7: Steadfast effort to prevail
• Cups 7: Lost in reverie, self-reflection
• Swords 7: Striving through difficulty
• Pentacles 7: Self-assessment after modest gains

Both reflection and effort aim to transcend obstacles and advance. The receptive suits (Cups, Pentacles) turn inward to examine themselves. The active suits (Wands, Swords) battle outward through layers of resistance. Cups and Pentacles face trials as inevitable truths. Wands and Swords fight against their own excess confidence.

Number 8 — Reassessment and Action

• Wands 8: Swift and nimble movement
• Cups 8: Reassessing emotion, then moving forward
• Swords 8: Confronting constraint, needing fresh perspective to break free
• Pentacles 8: Diligent labor in craft

Cups and Swords struggle because they may lack decisiveness. Wands and Pentacles risk endless motion without true conclusion.

Number 9 — Fulfillment and Solitude

• Wands 9: Standing alone to overcome hardship
• Cups 9: Savoring joy in solitude
• Swords 9: Bearing sorrow alone in the night
• Pentacles 9: Enjoying abundance within one's own garden

Every Nine reaches the apex of its suit's expression, yet transforms into aloneness.

Number 10 — Completion and Transformation

• Wands 10: The burden of action grown too heavy; release and reinvention needed
• Cups 10: The fulfillment of emotional and relational satisfaction
• Swords 10: Complete wounding, yet harboring the seed of hope beyond
• Pentacles 10: The fullness of wealth, yet concealing an excess that demands renewal

Every Ten stands at the threshold of completion, carrying within it the shadow of crisis born from excess.

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Reference: zhihu.com — Tarot Fundamentals | Deck Structure and Core Meanings