78 Tarot Cards Explained—Unlock the Secrets of the Full Deck!

Are you curious about what tarot cards might reveal about your life’s journey?

These mystical 78 cards have guided seekers for centuries, offering insights into personal challenges and opportunities. Discover how the ancient symbols of tarot can illuminate your path forward and help you make more informed decisions.

Continue reading to unlock the wisdom of the tarot and learn how these powerful cards can connect you with your intuition.

Let’s get started!

Table of contents

Tarot Cards

A Complete Guide to Their Meaning and Use

Tarot cards are an ancient and powerful system of symbolic imagery used for self-reflection, guidance, and spiritual exploration. Rooted in centuries of history, tarot offers a structured way to uncover insights about life’s challenges, relationships, and personal growth.

Whether you’re consulting the cards for clarity or incorporating them into a spiritual practice, tarot acts as a mirror, revealing deeper truths and hidden aspects of your subconscious mind.

What Are Tarot Cards?

Tarot cards are traditionally divided into two main sections:

• Major Arcana (22 cards) – These cards represent significant life events, universal lessons, and spiritual themes. They tend to have stronger influence in readings and highlight pivotal moments in your life journey.
• Minor Arcana (56 cards) – These cards deal with everyday experiences and practical matters. They are divided into four suits—Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands—each representing a different aspect of life.

Each suit contains:

• Ten numbered cards (Ace through 10)
• Four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King

How Tarot Cards Are Used

Tarot cards are laid out in patterns called spreads, each card falling into a position that carries a specific meaning. A few popular methods include:

• Three-Card Spread: Past, Present, Future
• Celtic Cross: A 10-card layout exploring the full depth of a situation
• Daily Pull: One card drawn each day for reflection and insight

Reading tarot doesn’t require psychic ability. With practice, you learn to interpret the meanings of each card and how they relate to your question or intention. The practice encourages intuition and self-awareness.

Key Benefits of Tarot Readings

• Clarity and Insight: Tarot helps identify underlying feelings, motives, or dynamics.
• Empowerment: It offers guidance to make informed and confident decisions.
• Self-Discovery: Tarot supports personal growth by highlighting patterns and lessons.
• Emotional Healing: It validates your experiences and encourages transformation.
• Mindfulness: Tarot readings create space to pause, reflect, and set intentions.

Common Misconceptions

• Tarot doesn’t predict a fixed future. It reveals energies and possible outcomes based on your current path.
• You don’t need to be “gifted” to read tarot. With study and practice, anyone can learn.
• Tarot is not evil or tied to dark forces. It’s a tool for personal insight, used across spiritual and psychological disciplines.

Before You Begin

To get started:

• Familiarize yourself with each card and its meaning.
• Keep a tarot journal to track your spreads and impressions.
• Begin with simple spreads and trust your intuition over memorization.

The magic of tarot comes from the blend of symbolism, storytelling, and inner wisdom.

78 Tarot Cards

Major Arcana (22 cards)
The Fool	The Magician
The High Priestess	The Empress
The Emperor	The Hierophant
The Lovers	The Chariot
Strength	The Hermit
Wheel of Fortune	Justice
The Hanged Man	Death
Temperance	The Devil
The Tower	The Star
The Moon	The Sun
Judgement	The World

Minor Arcana: Cups	Minor Arcana: Pentacles	Minor Arcana: Swords	Minor Arcana: Wands
Ace of Cups	Ace of Pentacles	Ace of Swords	Ace of Wands
Two of Cups	Two of Pentacles	Two of Swords	Two of Wands
Three of Cups	Three of Pentacles	Three of Swords	Three of Wands
Four of Cups	Four of Pentacles	Four of Swords	Four of Wands
Five of Cups	Five of Pentacles	Five of Swords	Five of Wands
Six of Cups	Six of Pentacles	Six of Swords	Six of Wands
Seven of Cups	Seven of Pentacles	Seven of Swords	Seven of Wands
Eight of Cups	Eight of Pentacles	Eight of Swords	Eight of Wands
Nine of Cups	Nine of Pentacles	Nine of Swords	Nine of Wands
Ten of Cups	Ten of Pentacles	Ten of Swords	Ten of Wands
Page of Cups	Page of Pentacles	Page of Swords	Page of Wands
Knight of Cups	Knight of Pentacles	Knight of Swords	Knight of Wands
Queen of Cups	Queen of Pentacles	Queen of Swords	Queen of Wands
King of Cups	King of Pentacles	King of Swords	King of Wands

By understanding each of these tarot cards and their relationships to one another, you’ll be well on your way to mastering tarot and unlocking deeper personal insights.

The Historical Evolution of Tarot Through the Ages

Though shrouded in mystery, the tarot’s journey began not as a divination tool but as playing cards in 14th-century Europe.

These early decks, crafted for Italian nobility, featured artistic renderings that would later evolve into the symbolic imagery we recognize today.

You’ll find that tarot’s origins underwent a dramatic transformation during the 18th century, when occultists discovered its potential for spiritual insight.

They infused the cards with esoteric wisdom from Egyptian, Kabbalistic, and alchemical traditions, forever altering their cultural significance.

As you explore tarot’s evolution, you’re connecting with centuries of hidden knowledge.

From Renaissance parlor games to modern psychological tools, these cards have evolved to meet humanity’s enduring quest for meaning.

The tarot’s enduring power lies in its ability to evolve while preserving ancient wisdom.

Understanding the Major Arcana

22 Archetypes and Their Meanings

The heart of any tarot deck lies in its Major Arcana, a powerful collection of 22 cards that represent universal archetypes woven into the fabric of human existence.

These archetypal symbols trace a spiritual journey from innocence to enlightenment, inviting you to access your inner wisdom along the way.

When interpreting these cards, you’ll encounter universal themes like transformation, choice, and balance.

Each archetype – from the Fool’s leap of faith to the World’s completion – offers intuitive insights into your current life lessons.

You’ll find that Major Arcana appearances in readings often signal significant energy shifts and pivotal moments in your personal growth journey.

Trust your intuition when these powerful cards appear; they’re not just images on cardstock but portals to understanding your deeper purpose and potential.

Suits and Symbolism

Navigating the Minor Arcana

Beyond the Major Arcana’s cosmic journey lies the Minor Arcana’s four suits—Cups (Water), Pentacles (Earth), Swords (Air), and Wands (Fire)—each flowing with elemental wisdom that you’ll recognize in your daily experiences.

Within each suit, you’ll encounter court cards (Pages, Knights, Queens, and Kings) representing personality aspects and developmental stages as you progress through life’s royal court.

The numbered cards (Ace through Ten) tell stories of cyclical evolution, where you’ll witness how each number carries unique energies—from the Ace’s pure potential to the Ten’s completion—forming the elemental narrative that resonates with your intuitive understanding.

Suits’ Elemental Connections

Deeply intertwined with nature’s primal forces, the four suits of the Minor Arcana each channel a specific elemental energy that flows through our existence.

• The fiery Wands (fire suit) ignite passion, creativity, and spiritual awakening.
• Cups (water suit) flow with emotions, intuition, and subconscious depths.
• Pentacles (earth suit) ground you in physical reality, abundance, and sensory experience.
• Swords (air suit) cut through illusion with intellect, communication, and mental clarity.

These elemental dynamics aren’t isolated—they create powerful suit interactions affecting your readings.

Notice how fire and air feed each other’s intensity, while water and earth create nurturing harmony.

Your intuitive associations with each element deepen these suit correspondences, revealing hidden connections between cards that transcend their individual meanings.

Court Card Hierarchy

Each royal family within the Minor Arcana reveals a progression of spiritual development and manifestation power through four distinct archetypes. You’ll notice these court card roles follow a natural evolution from potential to mastery.

Court Card	Energy Level	Key Attribute
Page/Knight	Beginner	Learning
Knight/Cavalier	Adventurer	Action
Queen	Nurturer	Inner Mastery
King	Authority	Outer Mastery

When interpreting these figures in your readings, consider how court card dynamics reflect your own journey. Pages represent curious potential and new beginnings. Knights embody passionate movement, sometimes recklessly pursuing their goals.

Queens illuminate mastery expressed through receptive wisdom, while Kings manifest complete authority in their domain. Your intuition will reveal which court energy currently influences your path toward freedom and self-discovery.

Numerical Card Meanings

The numerical cards within the Minor Arcana form an energetic progression that mirrors our soul’s journey through life’s cycles.

As you explore each number’s vibration, you’ll discover that Aces represent pure potential and divine gifts, while Twos bring balance, choice, and duality into your experience.

The numerical significance deepens as you advance: Threes manifest creativity, Fours establish foundations, and Fives challenge with conflict.

Sixes offer harmony after struggle, Sevens test with introspection, and Eights accelerate momentum toward your goals.

Card symbolism reaches its culmination with Nines, which represent fulfillment before the Tens arrive, bringing completion and change.

Each number carries its unique frequency across all four suits, creating a sacred pattern that reveals your intuitive understanding of life’s rhythms.

Common Tarot Spreads for Beginners and Advanced Readers

When you first approach the mystical array of tarot spreads, you’re stepping into a sacred geometry of possibilities where cards arrange themselves to illuminate your path.

Begin with the three-card spread—past, present, future—a gateway that offers immediate clarity without overwhelming your intuition.

As your connection deepens, the Celtic Cross beckons with its ten-position pattern, weaving together influences, obstacles, hopes, and outcomes into an intricate tapestry of insight.

This ancient formation reveals hidden dynamics that simpler spreads can’t access.

For seasoned seekers, horseshoe and astrological wheel spreads reveal temporal dimensions, while shadow work spreads delve into your unconscious spheres.

The Psychology Behind Tarot

Why It Resonates With Modern Seekers

Tarot cards serve as mirrors reflecting your inner landscape, allowing you to engage with symbolic representations of your unconscious mind.

You’ll find that these ancient archetypes resonate deeply because they tap into universal human experiences that transcend time and culture.

In your search for meaning, tarot offers a structured framework to organize chaotic thoughts and connect with the narrative patterns that shape your understanding of self and world.

Self-Reflection Tool

Beyond mere fortune-telling lies tarot’s most profound power—its ability to reveal hidden chambers of your consciousness. When you shuffle the deck and lay out the cards, you’re not simply asking what’ll happen—you’re engaging with symbols that mirror your deepest concerns and desires.

This reflective quality makes tarot a catalyst for personal growth. You’ll find that certain cards persistently appear during periods of transformation, serving as gateways to intuitive insights you might otherwise ignore. The High Priestess beckons you to trust your inner knowing; The Tower invites you to examine what structures in your life need dismantling.

Don’t approach tarot seeking definitive answers. Instead, use it as a mirror—one that reveals not just who you are, but who you’re becoming.

Archetypal Meaning Making

Carl Jung’s concept of the collective unconscious illuminates why tarot cards speak so powerfully to modern seekers. When you engage with the tarot, you’re tapping into archetypal symbols that resonate across time and culture. These universal patterns exist within your psyche, creating an intuitive bridge to wisdom you already possess.

Archetype	Tarot Representation
The Hero	The Fool’s Journey
The Shadow	The Devil/Tower
The Anima	The High Priestess
The Wise Elder	The Hermit
Rebirth	Death/Judgment

You’ll find the cards mirror your inner landscape, revealing hidden truths through symbols that transcend conscious understanding. This connection to the collective unconscious isn’t mystical coincidence but psychological resonance—your mind recognizing patterns that have guided humanity through millennia of meaning-making.

When cards speak, listen not with your mind but with the quiet spaces of your heart.

Developing Your Intuitive Connection With the Tarot Cards

While technical knowledge provides a foundation for tarot reading, the true magic emerges when you develop your intuitive connection with the cards. Beyond memorizing meanings, you’ll discover that each image whispers unique messages meant just for you.

Begin your intuitive practice by simply sitting with your deck. Hold it, shuffle it, feel its energy merging with yours. Notice which cards draw your attention through color, symbol, or inexplicable attraction. This emotional connection transcends intellectual understanding.

Trust the spontaneous impressions that arise when you view a card. That fleeting vision, memory, or feeling contains wisdom. Your unconscious mind recognizes patterns that your conscious mind might miss.

The tarot cards become mirrors reflecting your inner knowing rather than external authorities dictating meaning.

The Last Slice

As you journey through the tapestry of tarot, you’ve glimpsed its ancient wisdom and modern relevance. You’re now part of an unbroken chain of seekers who’ve peered into these mystical mirrors. Trust the whispers of your intuition as the cards reveal what your soul already knows.

The universe speaks through these symbols—you’ve only to listen with your heart’s ear and watch your path unfold.

Before You Go

If you’ve found insight in these tarot teachings, consider sharing this wisdom with friends or family who might benefit from its guidance. The mysteries of the tarot become even more profound when shared, fostering connections through ancient symbolism.

By passing along this article, you help keep the tradition alive and vibrant in our modern world, perhaps inspiring another soul to begin their own journey of discovery.