Tarot Meanings

MAJOR ARCANA
The Major Arcane cards consists of 22 cards they are numbered from 0 to 21 the Fool is not numbered in many traditional decks but I have came across some decks that gave the Fool the number 22 thus the journey of the Tarot start with the 0 card of the Fool I suppose I can understand the theory behind the Fool unnumbered to a mere zero.
 
The Fool is the birth of our journey of life’s lessons being naïve and stepping out into the unknown and ready to take on the journey and challenges of what life has laid out for us.
 
The Major Arcana cards can be used to do a formal reading on their own without the details given in the Minor Arcana.
 
The spirit does not need to give us detail we the mortals need more detail to make sure we are following and understanding every instruction given that is why the Minor Arcana has been added to the Major Arcana.
 
Their message is much stronger and straight to the point so you need to pay extra attention to their meanings by learning and memorizing the key words very well, their messages has a more spiritual connection to them if you get in touch with your gut feelings your intuition start to reveal the answers you are looking for.
 
By practicing the 3 card layout for about four weeks you can start doing some of your friends and let them come through with their feedback.
I hope you enjoy learning as much as I did many years ago.
MAJOR  ARCANA  KEY  WORDS
I am only giving upright meanings to avoid confusion for beginners and this will help you to practice more on your own, you can place some of the cards in a reverse position before you shuffle, basically the upright meanings can be easily reversed and used as the opposite meaning if any reverse cards appeared in the reading .
 
The Fool
Naivety – Free Spirit – Innocence – going on a journey -Stepping out on a new venture – Moving on – Free to go.

 

 

The Magician
Learned – Confident – Skilled – Professional – Salesperson
Mastering a new venture – Taking charge of things – Power.

 

 

The Priestess
Hidden Knowledge – Intuition – Secrets – Strong character
Mystery – Spiritual Person – Keeping something in reserve.

 

The Empress
Growth – Fertility- Abundance – Planting Seeds – Good Harvest – Reaping rewards after hard work and sacrifice.

 

The Emperor
Authority figure – Controlled person – Self disciplined
Responsible – Self – sufficient -Tenacious – Tangible -Solid
Not influenced or impressed by new trends – Very practical

 

The Hierophant
Conventional -Traditional – Strong moral values – Traditional marriage – Servitude – Committed to Religious values and teachings – Tolerance – Perseverance -Unyielding – Compassionate.

 

Lovers
Correct choice – Right decision – Romantic interest – Commitment
Responsibility – Honesty – Moral intention – Marriage – Attraction

 

Chariot
Inner guidance – Successful endeavor – Mental Control – Focused
Emotional balance – Changing course – Confident -Travel Transport – Direction – Stable – Clear path – Well skilled – Secure

 

Strength
Courage – Energy – Power – Mental strength – Physical fitness
Strength of character – Robust – Strong attraction – Good Health

 

Hermit
Knowledge – Insight – Guidance – Wisdom through experience – Spiritual quest -Alone – Likes own company – Enlightened path

 

The Wheel of Fortune
Opportunity – Successful undertaking – New activity – Changes
Evolving – Good timing – Traveling – Happiness – Life cycles

 

Justice
Balance – Harmony – Law – Honor – Favorable outcome – Justice served – Legal matters – Karmic balance – Good friendships

 

The Hanged Man
Sacrifice – Contemplation – Surrender – Spiritual awakening – Having faith
Meditation – Self – retreat – Silence – Waiting for situation to manifest

 

Death
Renewal – Transformation – Endings – Regeneration – Rebirth Action – Immortality – Leaving outgrown ideas behind you.
Moving toward changing your goals. This card does not predict physical death as the name and the images suggests, it is more to do, of the above key words.

 

Temperance
Moderation – Tests – Balance -Adjustment – Self control – Patience Trials – Putting more time and thought before making a decision – Balancing harmony – The right chemistry – Purification – Tolerance

 

The Devil
Stagnation – Wrong choices – Bad company – unpleasant situations
Dealing with negative people around you – Dishonest intentions
Jealous people around you – Feeling trapped – Sexual desires – Lust – Restrictions – Delays – Mistrust – Fear – Ties that bind.  

 

The Tower
Destruction of hopes and fears – Unwelcome changes – False hopes  Unexpected changes – Caught by surprise -Distress – Releasing anger – Breakdowns either of Partnerships, Health -Machinery etc:  Ruined plans – Separations –  Deception uncovered -Adversity.

 

The Star
Renewed hope – Faith – Bright prospects – New opportunities
Positive changes – Difficulties passing – Deserved rewards approaching – Relief and calmness after a difficult phase.

 

The Moon
Uncertainties – Deceptive situations events or people – Strong intuition at work – Unfolding of lies and deceit – Illusions – Hiddenmotives – Obsessive behavior – Surrounded by superficial people -Hidden enemies – Erroneous actions – Full facts or evidence hidden

 

The Sun
Positive changes – Happy ending – New beginnings – Successful
undertakings – Contentment – Happy union, marriage – Children Commitment – Positive meeting or merger – Inner peace of mind – Blessings – Best choice – Right direction – Go ahead and smile .

 

Judgement
Second chance – Change of an on going situation – Renewing ties – Changing jobs – Major movement – Relocating – Having no regretsGood outcome with legal disputes – Spiritual development – Retire.

 

The World
Completion – Accomplished undertakings – Successful negotiations
Long journeys – Assured success – Significant changes – Freedom
from struggles – Rewards for studies –  High attainment and achievements in goals – Diploma or Degree successfully attained.

 

Having finished the Major Arcana keywords I hope you can get a grasp of the meanings, you can also buy the Rider Waite book of the card descriptions it can further develop your mental awareness of the images so you can easily identify the meanings and by looking at the cards you draw and focus on the card at hand to get your own version, having said this you must keep in mind for each card drawn the meanings can change by what is next to each card.

As a general rule the cards that fall on the left are always the base of a situation or just passing influences so the meaning has lesser strength because your client already experienced the impact but if the cards fall to the right their meaning will be intensified as your client has not yet experienced the full force of the situation, this is where your intuition needs to be sharpened and prepare your clientfor the event to happen with tact and diplomacy.

 Wishing you all the best with your learning for the good of all.