Tarot Cards: spiritual meanings

The meaning of every Major Arcana card, upright and reversed, in love, work and inner growth, explained through the traditions behind the images.

24 articles

The Fool Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Fool is card 0 of the Major Arcana, the traveler at the start of the journey, standing for beginnings, trust and a leap taken beforeโ€ฆ The Magician Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Magician is card 1, the figure who channels will into form, standing for skill, focus and the use of available tools to make somethingโ€ฆ The High Priestess Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The High Priestess is card 2, seated between pillars before a veil, the guardian of inner knowledge, intuition and what is hidden. The Empress Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Empress is card 3, the abundant mother figure of nature, creativity and nurture, seated in a ripe garden. The Emperor Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Emperor is card 4, the sovereign on a stone throne, representing structure, authority and disciplined leadership. The Hierophant Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Hierophant is card 5, the teacher of tradition and spiritual institutions, standing for established belief and the passing of wisdom. The Lovers Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Lovers is card 6, which in many decks shows a couple beneath an angel, and speaks of love, union and the choices that define who youโ€ฆ The Chariot Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Chariot is card 7, a victorious figure driving two sphinxes, representing will, determination and the control of opposing forces. The Strength Tarot Card โ€” Meaning Strength is card 8, in which a woman gently closes the mouth of a lion, representing courage that comes from compassion and patienceโ€ฆ The Hermit Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Hermit is card 9, a lone figure on a mountaintop holding a lantern, representing solitude, introspection and the search for inner truth. The Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Wheel of Fortune is card 10, the turning wheel of fate, representing cycles, luck and the rise and fall of circumstance. The Justice Tarot Card โ€” Meaning Justice is card 11, holding scales and a sword, a figure of fairness, truth and the consequences of actions. The Hanged Man Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Hanged Man is card 12, a figure suspended by one foot with a calm face, representing surrender, pause and a new perspective. The Death Tarot Card โ€” Meaning Death is card 13 and almost never means physical death; it stands for ending, transformation and the clearing away of what must go. The Temperance Tarot Card โ€” Meaning Temperance is card 14, an angel pouring water between two cups, representing balance, moderation and patient blending. The Devil Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Devil is card 15, representing bondage, temptation and the chains we place on ourselves, with the chains often loose enough to beโ€ฆ The Tower Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Tower is card 16, a tall structure struck by lightning, representing sudden upheaval, revelation and the collapse of false foundations. The Star Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Star is card 17, a naked woman pouring water under a night sky, representing hope, renewal and calm after crisis. The Moon Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Moon is card 18, a night scene with a dog, a wolf and a crayfish, representing illusion, intuition and the unconscious. The Sun Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The Sun is card 19, a radiant sun above a child on a white horse, representing joy, success and vitality. The Judgement Tarot Card โ€” Meaning Judgement is card 20, in which an angel sounds a trumpet and figures rise from their graves, representing awakening, reckoning and a callโ€ฆ The World Tarot Card โ€” Meaning The World is card 21, the final card of the Major Arcana, showing a dancer in a wreath and representing completion, wholeness and the endโ€ฆ Reversed Tarot Cards โ€” Meaning A reversed tarot card is one that appears upside down in a reading, and many readers interpret it as the card's energy blocked,โ€ฆ The Four Tarot Suits โ€” Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles The Minor Arcana has four suits, each tied to an element and an area of life: wands to fire and action, cups to water and emotion, swordsโ€ฆ