How-to Guides · 7 min · 2026-07-29
Discover the profound connection between Kabbalah, the Tree of Life, and the 78 cards of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. This guide will help you understand how numbers, elements, and sacred symbols create the true meaning of each card.
When you begin learning Tarot, you might quickly realize that these cards are not simply tools for divining the future. They are a complex symbolic system, built upon an ancient sacred foundation: Kabbalah and the Tree of Life.
As Aleister Crowley wrote: "The Tree of Life is the skeleton of this system of truth. Every part of it must be studied with care." This means that to truly understand Tarot, you need to grasp how it connects to the sacred pathways and the sephiroth (points) on the Tree of Life.
The Tree of Life comprises 10 sephiroth (from Hebrew, meaning "to shine" or "emanation") connected by 22 pathways. These numbers are far from arbitrary:
The sephiroth, from top to bottom, are:
1. Kether (Crown) — the absolute source 2. Chokmah (Wisdom) — masculine creative force 3. Binah (Understanding) — feminine formative force 4. Chesed (Mercy) — expansion and abundance 5. Geburah (Strength) — power and discipline 6. Tiphareth (Beauty) — the center, balance 7. Netzach (Victory) — emotion and creativity 8. Hod (Splendor) — intellect and communication 9. Yesod (Foundation) — the unconscious mind 10. Malkuth (Kingdom) — the material world
Kabbalah describes four levels of existence, and each Minor Arcana card relates to one of them:
This is the highest level, where Infinite Light radiates outward. Chokmah (Wisdom) governs this level.
Where creation moves from non-being into being. Binah (Understanding) governs this level.
Where creation takes on form-related patterns. The sephiroth from Chesed to Yesod govern this level.
The lowest level, purely the material realm. Malkuth governs this level.
The Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot contains 78 cards:
The cards from "The Fool" to "The World" represent a spiritual journey. Each card connects two sephiroth and a pathway between them.
Divided into four suits: - Wands — Action, Creativity, Fire - Cups — Emotion, Love, Water - Swords — Thought, Conflict, Air - Pentacles — Material, Finance, Earth
Each suit contains 14 cards: numbered cards 1 (Ace) through 10, plus four Court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King).
Each Ace represents the source of power within a suit. They speak of new beginnings, news, and opportunity.
Ace of Wands: Force, authority, creative energy Ace of Cups: Abundance, blessing, love Ace of Swords: Justice, truth, resolve Ace of Pentacles: Material prosperity, work, success
The 2s relate to the sephira Chokmah (Wisdom). They speak of decisions, of hovering between two choices.
Two of Wands: Dominion, power Two of Cups: Love, harmony Two of Swords: Balance, peace after conflict Two of Pentacles: Change, flexibility
The 3s relate to the sephira Binah (Understanding). They speak of creation, development, first steps forward.
Three of Wands: Solid force, completion Three of Cups: Abundance, joy Three of Swords: Sorrow, loss Three of Pentacles: Skill, labor rewarded
The 4s relate to the sephira Chesed (Mercy). They speak of safety, structure, a pause to breathe.
Four of Wands: Completion of work, achievement Four of Cups: Blended pleasures, comfort Four of Swords: Rest from conflict Four of Pentacles: Earthly power, accumulation
The 5s relate to the sephira Geburah (Strength). They speak of difficulty, conflict, yet also the power to overcome.
Five of Wands: Strife, competition Five of Cups: Loss within joy, disappointment Five of Swords: Defeat, weakness Five of Pentacles: Material hardship, worry
The 6s relate to the sephira Tiphareth (Beauty), the center of the tree. They speak of balance, harmony, victory.
Six of Wands: Victory, the hero Six of Cups: Joy, remembrance Six of Swords: Success attained, science Six of Pentacles: (Not traditionally distinct in the Rider-Waite system)
The four Court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King) represent different facets of human nature and energy:
Represent children, messengers, news, the youthful aspect of each suit.
Represent movement, action, seeking, boldness and daring.
Represent the nurturing realm, attention, emotional intelligence of each suit.
Represent authority, dominion, rulership, the mastered aspect of each suit. The strongest interpretation usually connects image, position, and question in one sentence.
When you see a card, identify its suit. This immediately tells you the energetic context: - Wands = Action, mind, projects - Cups = Love, relationships, emotion - Swords = Conflict, communication, truth - Pentacles = Finance, work, material
The number tells you the stage of that energy: - 1–3: Beginning, potential, creation - 4–6: Development, balance - 7–9: Challenge, depth, preparation - 10: Completion, cycle's end
Whether a card appears upright or reversed is also crucial to interpretation, but that's a lesson for another day. Revisit the spread later and compare what changed in real life with what the image suggested.
Learning Tarot is not about memorizing 78 neat definitions. It's about understanding the structure beneath—the numbers, the elements, and how they interconnect. Once you grasp these, you can read creatively and with sensitivity to your querent's situation.
Start with a single suit you love and study it deeply. Then gradually expand. Tarot is a lifetime of learning—and that's its beauty.
Read deeper
Reading note: Check these meanings against the cards beside them before settling on one keyword. When an interpretation feels too dramatic, narrow it to the practical step it actually supports. In practice, begin with the position's job, then let the card image sharpen the answer.
Source: Zhihu
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