Tarot Basics: The 78 Cards and the Major/Minor Arcana

What is Tarot?

Tarot is a deck of 78 cards that has been widely used in Western astrology and divination since the 18th century, the most popular today being the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (published in 1909). Each card carries its own symbolic imagery, used to reflect on or open up a situation or question for the reader through the way the cards are laid out (the spread) and the interpretation of the images.

What made the Rider-Waite-Smith deck the standard lies in how it handled the 40 pip cards of the Minor Arcana. Arthur Edward Waite conceived the idea, the artist Pamela Colman Smith drew it, and William Rider printed and published it in 1909. Instead of merely repeating the suit symbols as in the Tarot de Marseille, each pip card here is drawn as a scene with people and objects, so the reader can work out the meaning directly from the image. For this reason, most modern tarot guidebooks take this deck as their foundation.

Three deck systems that beginners often encounter, each naming and ordering a few cards differently:

• Tarot de Marseille: French in origin, dating from the 17th century, printed by woodcut technique, the pip cards only repeat the suit symbols rather than depicting scenes.
• Rider-Waite-Smith: 1909, as said above, the pip cards are drawn as scenes.
• Thoth: developed by Aleister Crowley, with paintings by Lady Frieda Harris between roughly 1938 and 1943.

For more detail on the flow of the decks, see the article The History of Tarot Cards: From 15th-Century Italian Playing Cards to an Occult Tool.

A summary table of the four suits of the Minor Arcana by the domain they relate to and their corresponding element.

What do the 22 Major Arcana cards mean?

The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards numbered from 0 to 21, representing the great, highly symbolic themes of life's journey. The Major Arcana cards are generally regarded as carrying important meaning and having a strong impact when they appear in a spread.

The table below lists all 22 cards by their number in the Rider-Waite deck, with the Vietnamese name and a few keywords following the understanding common in reading tradition.

The positions of Strength and Justice are not the same across decks. Rider-Waite places Strength at number VIII and Justice at number XI. The Tarot de Marseille deck places them the other way round: Justice at number VIII, Strength at number XI. Whichever deck you read with, you follow that deck's order, and there is no single correct number for all decks.

What are the 56 Minor Arcana cards?

The Minor Arcana divides into 4 suits, each with 14 cards (Ace through 10, plus the 4 court cards Page/Knight/Queen/King):

• Wands: relating to action, passion, career, creativity, corresponding to the element Fire.
• Cups: relating to emotions, feelings, relationships, corresponding to the element Water.
• Swords: relating to thought, conflict, decisions, corresponding to the element Air.
• Pentacles: relating to the material, money, practical work, corresponding to the element Earth.

How do you do a basic Tarot spread?

Some popular spread types: the 1-card spread (a quick question, the energy of the day), the 3-card spread (Past - Present - Future), the Celtic Cross spread (10 cards, an in-depth analysis of a situation). Beginners should practise getting used to 1 to 3 card spreads before trying the more complex layouts.

Was Tarot originally meant for divination?

No. The oldest surviving tarot decks are playing cards commissioned for the dukes of Milan (Visconti, Sforza) in the mid-15th century, not divination tools. The use of tarot for divination is only recorded from the 18th century, when French occultists linked the deck to fortune telling. This development is told in detail in the article The History of Tarot Cards: From 15th-Century Italian Playing Cards to an Occult Tool.

Does the Death card mean death?

No. In common reading practice, card XIII Death is understood as the end of a phase and a transition, not read in the sense of physical death. It is one of the most commonly misunderstood cards when first getting to know the deck.

Things to keep in mind when approaching Tarot

Tarot should be seen as a tool for inner reflection, opening up perspectives, not a means of certain prediction about the future. Interpretation is subjective and depends heavily on the context of the reader's question.

Articles in the Tarot topic

• The Four Minor Arcana Suits in Tarot: Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles
• The Cups Suit in the Tarot Deck: An Overview of Meaning by Element
• The Wands Suit in the Tarot Deck, an Overview of Meaning by Element
• The Swords Suit in the Tarot Deck: An Overview of Meaning by Element
• The Pentacles Suit in the Tarot Deck: An Overview of Meaning by Element
• Common Tarot Spreads: The 1-Card Draw, the 3-Card Spread and the Celtic Cross
• How to Teach Yourself to Read Tarot Cards for Beginners
• How to Read a Basic 3-Card Tarot Spread: Past, Present, Future
• The Tarot Card 10 of Cups, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 10 of Pentacles - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 10 of Swords, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 10 of Wands: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 2 of Cups, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 2 of Pentacles, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 2 of Swords - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 2 of Wands - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 3 of Cups, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 3 of Pentacles, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 3 of Swords - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 3 of Wands, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 4 of Cups - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 4 of Pentacles - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 4 of Swords, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 4 of Wands: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 5 of Cups - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 5 of Pentacles, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 5 of Swords, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 5 of Wands, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 6 of Cups, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 6 of Pentacles - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 6 of Swords - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 6 of Wands: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 7 of Cups: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 7 of Pentacles, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 7 of Swords: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 7 of Wands, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 8 of Cups, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 8 of Pentacles - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 8 of Swords, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 8 of Wands - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 9 of Cups - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 9 of Pentacles, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 9 of Swords: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card 9 of Wands - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Ace of Cups - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Ace of Pentacles: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Ace of Swords - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Ace of Wands - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Death Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• The Tarot Card Judgement - Phán Xét: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Justice - Công Lý: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card King of Cups, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card King of Pentacles, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card King of Swords - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card King of Wands - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Knight of Cups - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Knight of Pentacles, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Knight of Swords - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Knight of Wands: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Page of Cups - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Page of Pentacles: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Page of Swords - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Page of Wands - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Queen of Cups, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Queen of Pentacles, Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Queen of Swords - Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Card Queen of Wands: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Tarot Strength Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• Tarot Temperance: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• The Chariot Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• The Devil Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• The Emperor Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Empress Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-depth Meaning
• The Fool Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Hanged Man Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Hermit Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• The Tarot Card The Hierophant - Giáo Hoàng: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The High Priestess Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• The Tarot Card The Lovers - Tình Nhân: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Magician Tarot Card: In-Depth Symbolism and Meaning
• The Moon Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• The Tarot Card The Star - Ngôi Sao: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The Sun Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-depth Meaning
• The Tower Tarot Card: Symbolism and In-Depth Meaning
• The World Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• The Wheel of Fortune Tarot Card: Deep Symbolism and Meaning
• The History of Tarot Cards: From 15th-Century Italian Playing Cards to an Occult Tool
• Does Tarot "predict" the future accurately: A view on the limits of a reflective tool
• The 1-Card Spread (Daily Draw) in Tarot: How to Lay It Out and the Meaning of Each Position
• The New Year Prediction Spread in Tarot: How to Lay It Out and the Meaning of Each Position
• The V-Shaped Spread (Love - Relationships) in Tarot: How to Lay It Out and the Meaning of Each Position
• The Celtic Cross Spread in Tarot: How to Lay It Out and the Meaning of Each Position
• The Meaning of The Fool and the 22-Stage Journey of the Major Arcana