🤔 You're holding a Tarot deck in your hands - or you're about to do a reading - and you realise: 78 cards is a lot. Where do they all come from? How does it work? What are these "Arcana" and why so many suits?
I get asked this question all the time. And I'm glad people ask! 😊 Because understanding the structure of the deck is not just theory. It is the key to how the cards tell your story during a reading.
💡 Today I - qualified Tarot reader and psychologist Nika Vision - will walk you through the complete composition of a Tarot deck: clearly, systematically, without boring lectures. Just what truly matters.
Let's go! 🚀
📦 What does a standard Tarot deck contain?
A standard Tarot deck consists of 78 cards divided into two large groups:| Group | Number of cards | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 🔷 Major Arcana | 22 cards | Fate, karmic lessons, global energies |
| 🔹 Minor Arcana | 56 cards | Everyday situations, people, events |
TOTAL: 78 cards. Each with its own meaning, symbolism and place in your story. 🌟
Let's explore each group in detail.
🔷 The Major Arcana - 22 cards
The Major Arcana (from the Latin arcanum - secret, mystery) are the principal cards of the deck.While the Minor Arcana speak of events and situations, the Major Arcana speak of deeper processes: karmic lessons, significant life stages, and the forces that shape your destiny. When they appear in a reading, it is always a signal: pay attention - this matters! 🚨
All 22 Major Arcana are numbered from 0 to 21 and form the Fool's Journey - a symbolic path of the soul from naive openness (0 - The Fool) to wholeness and completion (21 - The World).
The complete list of Major Arcana and their core meanings:
| № | Card | Key word | Element |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 🃏 The Fool | New, beginning | Air |
| I | 🎩 The Magician | Will and mastery | Air |
| II | 📖 The High Priestess | Intuition and mystery | Water |
| III | 🌸 The Empress | Abundance and fertility | Earth |
| IV | 👑 The Emperor | Power and structure | Fire |
| V | ☪️ The Hierophant | Tradition and mentor | Earth |
| VI | 💑 The Lovers | Choice and union | Air |
| VII | 🏆 The Chariot | Victory and movement | Water |
| VIII | 🦁 Strength | Inner and physical power | Fire |
| IX | 🕯️ The Hermit | Wisdom and isolation | Earth |
| X | ☸️ Wheel of Fortune | Fate and cycle | Fire |
| XI | ⚖️ Justice | Karma and balance | Air |
| XII | 🙃 The Hanged Man | Pause and new perspective | Water |
| XIII | 💀 Death | Ending, transformation | Water |
| XIV | 🌊 Temperance | Harmony and synthesis | Water |
| XV | 😈 The Devil | Addiction, manipulation | Earth |
| XVI | ⚡️ The Tower | Shattering illusions, revelation | Fire |
| XVII | ⭐️ The Star | Hope and healing | Air |
| XVIII | 🌙 The Moon | Illusions and the subconscious | Water |
| XIX | ☀️ The Sun | Joy and success | Fire |
| XX | 📯 Judgement | Awakening, revelation | Fire |
| XXI | 🌍 The World | Completion and wholeness | Earth |
☝🏽 Important to know: when a reading contains many Major Arcana, it is a signal that the situation is karmically significant, long-lasting, or carries an important life lesson. These are precisely the cases where a consultation with a professional Tarot reader provides exceptional depth. 💫
🔮 Want to find out which Major Arcana are governing your destiny right now? 👉🏽 Sign up for a consultation - and I will show you which karmic energies are at work in your situation.
🔹 The Minor Arcana - 56 cards of everyday life
If the Major Arcana are the stage and the script, then the Minor Arcana are the actors, the dialogue and the scenery of your life.The 56 Minor Arcana cards speak to specific situations: what is happening in your relationships, how things are going at work, what your partner is thinking, what is holding back your financial growth, upcoming events, and more. They ground a reading and make it practical and actionable. 🎯
The Minor Arcana are divided into 4 suits, each containing 14 cards:
| Suit | Element | Area of life | Number of cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🪄 Wands | 🔥 Fire | Energy, action, passion, work | 14 |
| 🏆 Cups | 💧 Water | Emotions, relationships, intuition | 14 |
| ⚔️ Swords | 💨 Air | Thoughts, conflicts, decisions, words | 14 |
| 🪙 Pentacles | 🌱 Earth | Money, body, material world | 14 |
Let's look at each suit in detail. 👇🏽
🪄 The Suit of Wands 🔥 The Element of Fire
Wands are the cards of energy, will, passion and movement.They answer the questions: Where am I headed? Do I have enough strength? Is the fire still burning in my relationship or project?
🔥 The core theme of Wands: action, inspiration, drive, ambition, sexual energy, life force.
When a reading contains many Wands, life is in motion - energy is high, the person is active and full of plans.
| Card | Key meaning |
|---|---|
| Ace of Wands | New start, powerful impulse, creative potential |
| Two of Wands | Planning, choosing a path, expanding horizons |
| Three of Wands | Perspective, confident development, first results |
| Four of Wands | Celebration, stability, finding a safe home |
| Five of Wands | Competition, clash of interests, testing of strength |
| Six of Wands | Triumph, well-deserved victory, public recognition |
| Seven of Wands | Defending positions, resilience under pressure, overcoming obstacles |
| Eight of Wands | Rapid progress, important news, favorable coincidence of circumstances |
| Nine of Wands | Resilience, alertness, defending personal boundaries |
| Ten of Wands | Heavy burden, emotional burnout, excess of responsibility |
| Page of Wands | Thirst for knowledge, sincere enthusiasm, bold undertaking |
| Knight of Wands | Adventurism, passion for action, impulsiveness |
| Queen of Wands | Bright charisma, self-confidence, leadership qualities |
| King of Wands | Grand vision, authority, entrepreneurial talent |
🏆 The Suit of Cups 💧 The Element of Water
Cups are the cards of the heart - emotions, feelings, relationships, dreams and intuition.They answer the questions: How does he/she really feel about me? How emotionally close do they feel? Why do I feel so sad or anxious?
💧 The core theme of Cups: love, relationships, family, friendship, the emotional world, creative inspiration, dreams and premonitions, intuition.
This is the most "expressive" suit for relationship readings. It is through Cups that the cards speak about feelings - yours and your partner's. 💔
| Card | Key meaning |
|---|---|
| Ace of Cups | New love, emotional upsurge, spiritual gift |
| Two of Cups | Union, reciprocity, harmony in relationships |
| Three of Cups | Friendship, celebration, shared joy |
| Four of Cups | Apathy, emotional satiety, missed opportunities |
| Five of Cups | Resentment, bitterness of loss, focus on the negative |
| Six of Cups | Nostalgia, childhood joy, pleasant memories |
| Seven of Cups | Illusions, agonizing choices, world of fantasies |
| Eight of Cups | Voluntary departure, search for deeper meaning, parting with the past |
| Nine of Cups | Wish fulfillment, satisfaction, emotional comfort |
| Ten of Cups | Family happiness, well-being, emotional unity |
| Page of Cups | Sensitivity, creative impulse, pleasant news |
| Knight of Cups | Romance, sincere impulses, idealization of feelings |
| Queen of Cups | Empathy, deep intuition, unconditional love |
| King of Cups | Emotional maturity, wisdom, understanding of human psychology |
💔 Want to find out what your partner truly feels? A reading on thoughts and feelings is one of the most precise tools in my practice. 👉🏽 Sign up for a consultation - and the Cups will tell you the truth about his feelings.
⚔️ The Suit of Swords 💨 The Element of Air
Swords are the sharpest and most uncomfortable suit in the deck. But that is precisely why they are one of the most valuable. 🤔Swords are the cards of the mind - thought, words, clarity, conflict and decisions. They cut to the truth directly, without softening. Where Cups gently hint, Swords speak plainly.
💨 The core theme of Swords: thinking, communication, conflicts, fears, decision-making, trials, mental blocks, cognitive patterns.
Many Swords in a reading signal that a person is going through an intense mental period - feeling anxious, doubtful, conflicted, or facing difficult decisions. This is not a verdict - it is an invitation to honesty. 🔑
| Card | Key meaning |
|---|---|
| Ace of Swords | Clarity, truth, break-through in understanding |
| Two of Swords | Stalemate, refusal to see, avoiding choice |
| Three of Swords | Heartbreak, betrayal, sorrow |
| Four of Swords | Rest, recovery, pause |
| Five of Swords | Conflict, loss, Pyrrhic victory |
| Six of Swords | Moving away from difficulties, transition to calm |
| Seven of Swords | Deception, tricks, hidden actions |
| Eight of Swords | Self-limitation, fear, feeling trapped |
| Nine of Swords | Anxiety, nightmares, night terrors |
| Ten of Swords | End of a painful cycle, point of no return |
| Page of Swords | Curiosity, sharp mind, caution |
| Knight of Swords | Swiftness, determination, uncompromising nature |
| Queen of Swords | Independence, sharp intellect, harsh honesty |
| King of Swords | Intellect, justice, power through knowledge |
🪙 The Suit of Pentacles 🌱 The Element of Earth
Pentacles are the most "grounded" suit - earthy in the very best sense of the word. 😌These are the cards of the material world: money, work, the body, home, stability and tangible results.
🌱 The core theme of Pentacles: finances, career, property, health, physical comfort, slow but steady growth, gifts.
Many Pentacles in a reading signals a focus on the material. This can be a sign of financial growth - or conversely, a reminder that it is time to attend to the practical side of life. 💸
| Card | Key meaning |
|---|---|
| Ace of Pentacles | Financial beginning, a new opportunity for growth |
| Two of Pentacles | Juggling resources, balance of business and money |
| Three of Pentacles | Teamwork, mastery, recognition |
| Four of Pentacles | Stinginess, control, fear of losing |
| Five of Pentacles | Financial difficulties, feeling of poverty |
| Six of Pentacles | Generosity, charity, fair exchange |
| Seven of Pentacles | Patiently waiting for results, long-term labor |
| Eight of Pentacles | Mastery, training, persistent quality work |
| Nine of Pentacles | Independence, abundance, achieved comfort |
| Ten of Pentacles | Family well-being, inheritance, stability |
| Page of Pentacles | Student, novice, practical and diligent |
| Knight of Pentacles | Reliability, methodical approach, slow movement toward the goal |
| Queen of Pentacles | Homemaker, care for home and body, practicality |
| King of Pentacles | Successful businessman, mature leader, financial power |
👥 The Court Cards - the people in your reading
Each suit contains 4 special cards - the Page, Knight, Queen and King. These are known as the Court Cards.Total: 16 Court Cards (4 suits × 4 ranks).
🎭 They can represent: real people from your life; qualities and roles that you yourself are expressing (or need to express) in a situation; inner archetypes - aspects of your own personality or that of your partner/environment.
| Rank | Who they symbolise |
|---|---|
| 👦 Page | A young person or child; the start of a journey; a message |
| 🏇 Knight | A young, active person; action; movement |
| 👸 Queen | A mature woman or feminine qualities; wisdom; nurturing |
| 🤴 King | A mature man or masculine qualities; authority; responsibility |
☝🏽 A professional nuance: determining exactly what a Court Card represents in a specific reading - a real person, a personal trait, a role or a status - is an art that comes with experience. This is precisely why working with a real Tarot reader is so important, rather than relying on automated online readings. 🙏🏽
🌀 How does it all come together in a reading?
Now you know the structure. But how do 78 cards become your personal story? 🤔During a reading, an experienced Tarot reader looks not at individual cards but at the whole picture:
🔎 Which cards appear most? Many Cups - the situation is emotionally charged. Many Swords - mental tension. Many Wands - the focus is on passion and ambition. Many Pentacles - a material, financial story. Many Major Arcana - a karmic moment or a prolonged process.
🔎 How do the cards interact with each other? One card amplifies, complements or clarifies another.
🔎 What positions do the cards occupy? In different spreads, positions carry different meanings: past, present, future, hidden meanings, outcome, primary and secondary factors.
💡 In my work I never limit myself to Tarot alone. I bring in Astrology and Numerology so that every reading is as precise and multidimensional as possible - like a GPS navigator, not just a map. 🗺️
✨ Quick summary: the composition of a Tarot deck
🔷 22 Major Arcana - cards of fate, karmic lessons and global energies (from the Fool to the World)🔹 56 Minor Arcana - cards of everyday life, divided into 4 suits:
🪄 14 Wands 🔥 fire, energy, action, career
🏆 14 Cups 💧 water, emotions, relationships, love
⚔️ 14 Swords 💨 air, thoughts, conflicts, decisions
🪙 14 Pentacles 🌱 earth, money, body, stability
👥 Each suit contains 4 Court Cards: Page, Knight, Queen, King
TOTAL: 78 cards. 78 facets of your life. 🌟
🃏 And finally - the most important thing
Knowing the composition of the deck is wonderful. But a live reading with a professional Tarot reader is an entirely different dimension. 🚀Because the cards are not a table of meanings. They are the living language of your subconscious, which in every reading assembles into a unique and unrepeatable story of your specific situation.
I work with every client individually, combining three systems - Tarot + Astrology + Numerology - to give you not just a "beautiful narrative" but precise answers and a concrete action plan. 💼 I also provide practical advice from Psychology.
📍 Online consultation. At a time convenient for you. From anywhere in the world.
☝🏽 Please note! If you don't receive a reply straight away - write again, we will definitely get back to you and find a time that works for you! 👍🏽🤗
✑ Book your individual consultation to get all the answers to your questions!
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