The Major Arcana is comprised of the cards that have no equivalent in a standard playing card deck. Each of the Major Arcana cards is named as well as numbered normally by Roman numerals. Beginning with The Fool, card 0, the Major Arcana traverse through the cards to end at card 21, The World. The journey through the Major Arcana is often referred to as “The Journey of the Soul”.
One of the first things that I look for in reading tarot is how many, if any, of the Major Arcana appear in the spread. If I am doing a three card spread and all three cards are Major Arcana, I know that this reading will be intense for the person I am reading for. If there are no Major Arcana it does not mean that the reading has no value, it just means that the context of the reading is more outside the individual than inside.
What is the big deal about these cards anyway? Signifying its importance, the Major Arcana in a deck tends to be more richly decorated. More importantly, the Major Arcana cards are full of specific symbolism which brings more information to the reading. In fact, there are some readers who only use the Major Arcana for doing their readings. The symbolism buried within the artwork of these cards can make a direct connection to the heart of the matter in the interpretation by an experienced reader.
These are the 22 cards of the Major Arcana, their corresponding number and the basic concepts they portray:
0 – The Fool – Innocence, exploration
I – The Magician – Growing independence
II – The High Priestess – Intuition, confidence
III – The Empress – Caring authority, fertility
IV – The Emperor – Disciplined authority, establishment
V – The Hierophant – Safety in tradition
VI – The Lovers – Two become one
VII – The Chariot – Difficult situations
VIII – Justice – Is the world fair?
IX – The Hermit – What can change?
X – Wheel of Fortune – Go with the flow.
XI – Strength – Fortify yourself
XII – The Hanged Man – take a step back
XIII – Death – Moving on, change
XIV – Temperance – Moderation
XV – The Devil – Temptation
XVI – The Tower – Upheaval, change
XVII – The Star – Hope, faith and inspiration
XVIII – The Moon – Hidden depths, things not seen
XIX – The Sun – Life, vitality, true love
XX – Judgment – Outcome, closure
XXI – The World – The complete picture
Some readers classify the Major Arcana into five groups of similar cards:
People – The Magician, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hermit
Concepts – Justice, Temperance, Strength, The Chariot, and Judgment
Qualities – The High Priestess, The Hanged Man, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, The Devil, The Hierophant
Cycles – The Fool, The Wheel of Fortune, The World, The Lovers
Change and Transition – Death, The Tower
This, of course, is only a basic primer on the cards of the Major Arcana. With just these twenty-two cards, a reading that holds great depth and information is possible.
Editor’s Note: Be sure to catch Dr. Nikki’s LIVE Stream show on Oranum every Sunday at 5PM PDT.
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