tarot card reading

The Basics of Tarot Cards & How They Can Help You

People have been doing Tarot readings for hundreds of years. It was a very popular card game in Italy that developed into a spiritual practice and became a very common way to channel messages for people who practiced the occult. As the years have gone on it has branched out to various iterations of Tarot cards and even Oracle cards and is a very common way to not only give you information about your past, present and future, but also can help connect you to your spirit guides. If you are looking for advice on taking that new job, or whether you and your partner are a good match, Tarot can answer those questions and more.

In this article we are going to go over the basics of the Suits, Major Arcana vs. Minor Arcana and how a Tarot reading can help you. Because the amount of Tarot card decks are so vast and can be different from one another, I’m going to be talking about the traditional Rider-Waite Tarot deck which is one of the oldest and well known decks and can be very helpful for beginners who don’t know where to start when it comes to Tarot readings and the basics of what some of them mean.

The Major Arcana

In a traditional Tarot card deck, there are 78 cards. Broken down between major Arcana, minor Arcana cards and Court cards. Regardless of what Tarot deck you get, that aspect of the Tarot cards never changes, even if the names of the suits and the major arcana cards themselves do sometimes. The major arcana in the Rider Waite deck are the first 22 cards. These cards deal with universal themes and energy. They signify a journey and the trials and tribulations a person may go through. In this deck you will get cards like the Fool and The World which are the first and last cards of the Major Arcana deck.

major arcana tarot cards
Examples of Major Arcana cards

The Fool is the card that symbolizes the beginning of the journey and the naivety of someone who has never seen the world before. The journey is going to be a long and perilous one, but there is a possibility of wisdom and knowledge to be learned along the way. This card will appear when you are about to go on a journey of self-discovery of some kind. Whether that is doing some inner work before you find a new partner to spend time with, or if you are being thrown into a new work environment and being overwhelmed. Not being able to get your feet out from under you.

The World card is the card that would mean the end of something, or the ending of a cycle. This card signifies that the person has gone through hardships and has come out of the other side stronger than ever. It is mostly a positive card, unless reversed. Which is a type of reading some people do when they shuffle their cards and flip a number of cards over and put them back in the deck. This makes generally “positive” cards more negative and more “negative” cards more positive. Not all readers use this method of shuffling, but it is a valid way to do readings nonetheless and is very personal to the person doing the readings.

The Minor Arcana

Next we have the Minor Arcana and the Court cards. These Tarot cards will give information about what is happening in your day-to-day life. They can offer insight into what currently is good and bad in your life, how to deal with problems and conflicts that you may be experiencing, and what steps you need to take to reach your goals. These cards usually represent a temporary influence, meaning if something is currently bad in your life, you are able to change it by taking the right actions.

In this part of the deck you will find the four suits: The Wands, The Cups, The Swords and The Pentacles (The Pentacles is called The Coins in some Tarot decks). There are 10 cards in each suit which are numbered from Ace to 10, plus 4 court cards which we will look at later. Each suit signifies different things, and the number on each card gives more details about what the card is actually trying to tell. An experienced Tarot reader will look at both the suit and number to determine the exact meaning of each card and how they relate to you and your situation.

minor arcana tarot cards
Examples of Minor Arcana cards
  • The Wands represent the element of Fire, and signify Motivation, Passion, Energy and Spirituality. Wands in a reading can indicate the need to reflect on what your purpose in life is, or find a different way to reach your goals.
  • The Cups represent the element of Water, and signify Love, Relationships, Emotions and Healing. Cups in a reading can indicate the need to deal with your emotional conflicts, or to tell someone your true feelings.
  • The Swords represent the element of Air, and signify Thoughts, Actions, Words and Change. Swords in a reading can indicate the need to make an important decision, or to be more careful with your words and actions.
  • The Pentacles represent the element of Earth, and signify Money, Prosperity, Work, and Material possessions. Pentacles in a reading can indicate the need to save money, or to pursue a new career opportunity.

The Court Cards

The court cards consists of: The Pages, The Knights, The Queens and The Kings. In total there are 16 court cards, 4 in each suit. They are an extension of the Minor Arcana cards in most decks, and usually paired together. The court cards are considered the most tricky to interpret because they can represent a person in your life, someone about to come into your life, or yourself. They can even represent events or personalities. As with the numbered Minor Arcana cards, an experienced Tarot reader is able to interpret the meaning and significance of each card and how they relate to you and your life.

tarot cards pentacles court cards
The four Pentacles court cards
  • The Pages signify Youthfulness, Innocence and Enthusiasm. Pages are at the start of their journey, and often naive. They may have great and interesting ideas but lack the experience that comes with age.
  • The Knights signify Drive, Determination and Forward motion. Knights are doers and are able to put their ideas into practice, taking wisdom from their successes and learning from their mistakes.
  • The Queens signify Maturity, Knowledge and Femininity. Queens have a deep understanding of themeselves and others. They are usually very feminine, caring and nurturing, but also creative and persuasive.
  • The Kings signify Power, Command and Action. Kings are the leaders, bosses, coaches, role models and mentors. They are always ready to take action, and their ideas motivate and inspire everyone around them.

How a Tarot Reading Can Help You

A Tarot Reading can either be short and give you basic answers to your questions, or you can have a longer reading which will go more in depth, and give you detailed answers to things that may have been plaguing you for a while. It can also help you with two- choice decisions, such as which job you should choose after two successful interviews. If you just want a forecast of what the year ahead has in store for you then there is a common spread called a yearly spread where 13 cards are pulled. The first 12 cards each signify a month of the year, while the 13th card answers what your year has to teach you.

One thing to keep in mind if you do decide to have a Tarot reading is that you shouldn’t be intimidated if a negative card is pulled. They don’t necessarily mean constant hardships; they just mean on this longer journey to your answer or goal there are some bumps in the road. And that is normal for anybody going through a journey of self-discovery.

So, there is nothing to be scared about when it comes to Tarot readings. Tarot can be a guide to so many of life’s questions, such as: What will my future look like? Will I find my soulmate? Is he the right one for me? Will I get a promotion? Should I change jobs? Whatever your questions are, Tarot can help you find the answers and guide you in the right direction.

If you want to give it a try, there many experienced Tarot readers who do readings online these days. Find out who the Best Online Tarot Readers are here, or try one of Psychic Source’s gifted readers below. You might be surprised at what you find out!

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