Learn more about tarot

And discover how the cards can help you journal

You don’t need to be a tarot expert to read Tarot Journaling, or to create a tarot journal. However, ‎your work will be easier — and your journal will be enhanced — if you understand the basic structure and ‎symbolism of the tarot deck. ‎

The tarot is a deck of 78 cards, divided into two sections: The Major Arcana, and the Minor ‎Arcana. The Minor Arcana has four suits. Each suit has ten numbered cards, and four court cards ‎‎— much like a standard deck of playing cards.‎

While that might seem like a lot to comprehend, it’s actually an elegant design that combines ‎to form a single, unified whole. Each component simply fits neatly inside the one that came before, ‎kind of like a set of Russian nesting dolls. Individually, each section of the deck seems complete in ‎and of itself. Then you open it, and there’s another whole world tucked neatly inside. ‎

What’s more, the structure and the symbolism of the tarot deck is grounded in the real ‎world. And because it reflects our shared experience as human beings, it’s easier to understand than ‎you might think.‎

The Major Arcana: Cosmic Forces

The Major Arcana, which is Latin for “greater secrets,” is made up of 22 cards. The greater ‎secrets are the big mysteries of life — like how we live, learn, fall in love, and find our true calling. ‎For the most part, Major Arcana cards represent powerful, cosmic forces that are frequently outside ‎our control.‎

The Major Arcana cards use a series of images to depict our journey through life, starting ‎with the card of the Fool — a naive, innocent traveler about to embark on a journey of adventure ‎and excitement. The Major Arcana also depict archetypal images that you will probably recognize ‎immediately, such as the Lovers, the Hermit, Death, and the Devil. ‎

Each one of those Major Arcana cards represents a universal concept, such as freedom, ‎wisdom, patience, and optimism. Many of them also depict ancient gods and goddesses, who once ‎served as role models for ordinary mortals. In today’s more scientific parlance, each one of the ‎Major Arcana cards represents an archetype. ‎

Archetypes are universal expressions of the human condition. All cultures and civilizations, ‎no matter where they sit in time or space, share similar archetypes — like the wandering fool, the ‎powerful magician, and the mysterious, wise woman. Not coincidentally, those are the first three ‎cards of the Major Arcana. ‎

Each card of the Major Arcana depicts one stage in human development. All together, the ‎Major Arcana cards combine to portray an allegorical view of our journey through life. The journey ‎is sometimes called the “Fool’s Journey,” in honor of the unnumbered Fool card who leads the ‎parade.‎

The rest of the Major Arcana cards are usually easy to tell apart from the rest of the deck, ‎because they are usually numbered with Roman numerals: I, II, II, and so on. ‎

The entire Major Arcana consists of the Magician, the High Priestess, the Empress, the ‎Emperor, the Hierophant, the Lovers, the Chariot, Strength, the Hermit, the Wheel of Fortune, ‎Justice, the Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, the Devil, the Tower, the Star, the Moon, the Sun, ‎Judgment, and the World. ‎
Set the Major Arcana cards aside, and you will find that the second half of the tarot deck is ‎equally fascinating. It consists of the fifty-six cards of the Minor Arcana.‎

The Everyday Cards of the Minor Arcana

The term Minor Arcana stands for the “lesser secrets” of the tarot. Minor Arcana cards tend ‎to depict average people doing ordinary things like dancing, napping, eating, and shopping. ‎

While the Major Arcana cards depict cosmic forces, Minor Arcana cards illustrate everyday ‎people and events that we can control. While the Minor Arcana cards are no less important than ‎their Major Arcana counterparts, but they do focus more on the activities of everyday life: going to ‎work, or taking time to play.‎

The structure of the Minor Arcana will probably seem familiar to you if you have ever played ‎poker, rummy, or any game with ordinary playing cards. Just as a deck of playing cards is divided ‎into the four suits of Clubs, Hearts, Spades, and Diamonds, the Minor Arcana is divided into the ‎four suits of Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Wands correspond to clubs; Cups correspond to ‎hearts; Swords correspond to spades; and Pentacles correspond to diamonds. ‎

The Four Suits of the Minor Arcana

Each suit of the Minor Arcana represents a separate realm of existence. ‎

Wands. The fiery suit of Wands corresponds to the realm of spiritual existence. Wands ‎cards usually picture freshly cut branches from leafy trees, symbolic of the fire and burning passions ‎of spiritual life, our inspirations, and our primal drives — our quest for fire. Wands, which usually ‎look like freshly cut branches from leafy trees, symbolize the fire and passions of spirit. One way to ‎remember that is by picturing each wand as a flaming torch that can be used for light and heat -– or, ‎in other words, enlightenment and inspiration. Depending on the tarot deck you use, Wands may be ‎called Rods, Batons, Staves, or Staffs.‎

Cups. The watery suit of Cups corresponds to the world of emotion. The Cups cards, which ‎usually depict drinking, toasting, and celebration, are centered on our relationships and ‎commitments to other people. Cups, like their playing-card counterparts, the hearts, symbolize the ‎richness and satisfaction of emotional life. Remember that cups hold water and wine — the essence ‎of life — and cups can be used to toast our friends and family. Cups may be called Chalices.

Swords. The airy suit of Swords corresponds to intellectual life. The Swords cards depict ‎airy issues of thought and communication, and the words that can be used both to defend our own ‎selves and to attack others with whom we disagree. Swords symbolize intellectual life and ‎communication. Swords, after all, move through the air, like words. Remember, too, that words can ‎be used just like swords, to fight, to cut, to defend, and to wound. ‎

Pentacles. The earthy suit of Pentacles corresponds to the physical world. The Pentacles ‎cards symbolize the tangible realities of physical life. In the tarot, Pentacles usually look like coins, ‎and they represent the things we treasure, both material and spiritual. Pentacles, which look a lot like ‎coins in most decks, symbolize the tangible realities of physical life. They represent the things we ‎can touch, the things we can feel, and the things we treasure, both material and spiritual. (In some ‎tarot decks, Pentacles are called Coins or Discs.) ‎

Numbered cards. There are ten numbered cards in each suit. Each card represents one step ‎in a series of events, from beginning to end. Aces represent beginnings; tens represent conclusions. ‎

The Court Cards

The only structural difference between a deck of playing cards and the tarot’s Minor Arcana ‎is the addition of a few extra court cards. In addition to jacks, which are called Knights in tarot, each ‎suit includes a King, Queen, and a Page. Occasionally, court cards carry other titles, such as Knave, ‎Prince, and Princess. In most tarot decks, however, the four figures constitute a complete royal ‎family: father, mother, son, and daughter. ‎

Court cards have a wide range of functions. Court cards can represent other people, or they ‎can reflect aspects of your own personality. In a tarot reading, even cards that obviously refer to ‎other people in your life actually relate to how you see yourself, and how you project your own likes, ‎dislikes, and personality traits onto other people. For the most part, court cards tend to illustrate ‎what you secretly think of yourself, by helping you recognize and identify traits that you like and ‎dislike in others.