The Major Arcana
Its taken me all day but I’ve finally typed out all of the 22 Major Arcana meanings. I hope this helps. I will start typing out the Minor Arcana suits tomorrow.
0. The Fool
Interpretation: When the Fool appears in a reading, it suggests that unexpected opportunities will suddenly appear that can bring welcome changes. You need to remain open, as it will involve the need to make a major choice, seemingly out of the blue. There are moments in life when we need to take a leap of faith and travel along paths that are unknown to us, but we grow as a result. The Fool is like the child within us that sees with innocence, imagination, and wonder; this side of ourselves invariably becomes lost due to social conditioning as we mature. However, the Fool is a reminder to listen to the voice of our inner child that recalls the excitement of new adventures and stepping out into unknown territory. The Fool is usually a welcoming and exciting card in a reading. I have found frequently that most people it appears for feel ready for the changes it can bring. The only real negative aspect of this card is that people are usually afraid of making choices, mainly because they fear they might make the “wrong” one. You need to appreciate the potential that exists with this card. Unless badly aspected, the Fool is usually a positive omen and not one to miss!
I. The Magician
Interpretation: The Magician’s message is to inform you that you have all the skills and ability required to handle a task well and bring it to a successful conclusion. Just like the Magician, you must apply yourself with concentration and willpower in order to success but you have all the potential to do so. This is a time for action and initiative in any new ventures. You need to have confidence that you are indeed heading in the right direction.
II: The High Priestess
Interpretation: The High Priestess represents mysteries and secrets,and so indicates that there is more depth to some matter than you have seen so far. With the right cards, it could show a secret becoming known to you that would be to your benefit. At this time, you need to follow your intuition and trust your instincts. The High Priestess also carries the message of potential as yet unexplored, or perhaps unfulfilled; look at the situation again, as you may have missed something previously. The influence of the card is feminine in nature, relating to the psyche, and so represents spirituality and esoteric matters, wisdom, and the desire for knowledge and learning. It may also show an interest in the deeper, more complex aspects of life.
III. The Empress
Interpretation: The Empress represents growth, prosperity, and fertility. She brings happy conclusions to matters and promises good rewards for work and efforts. The Empress brings situations to fruition. This is a card of nurturing, in all its forms, turning to potential fulfilled. This can be in creative and work endeavors but also with children and the family. The Empress can represent pregnancy, birth, or motherhood, solid and happy relationships, and marriage. Accompanying cards will provide support. She may sometimes represent a mother figure, although, as with all the majors, this card is usually symbolic of qualities, as opposed to a specific person – consider that to be the job of the court cards. This is a wonderfully positive card, always well received by those seeking advice in relationships or fertility matters.
IV. The Emperor
Interpretation: When the Emperor appears in a reading, it is a sign of financial stability, ambition, authority, and also achievement. You need to keep a calm head at this time, make decisions based on facts, and not be overly influenced by your emotions. This is a powerful card and a wonderful omen for business and career matters, as it shows great progress. In relationships, it can also remind us to look at the situation in a more rational manner and not become overly emotional regarding issues – to look at things with a clearer head, in order to achieve successful results and financial stability for the family. It can also represent a powerful male influence.
V. The Hierophant
Also Known As The High Priest
Interpretation: The Hierophant may indicate help from a wise, trusted person such as a mentor, teacher, or religious figure, usually one who is respected in the local community, but certain someone whom the client holds in trust and high regards. This card frequently refers to large institutions, such as hospitals, educational establishments, government offices, churches, or large organizations. It also suggests conformity and conventional, set ways of working or thinking, where it is difficult to implement change. It can be representative of the following traditional values and moral ethics, or the need to find a deeper meaning to life in the exploration of spiritual matters.
VI. The Lovers
Interpretation: In older versions of this card, the Lovers often depicted three people and indicated choices, with the possible reference to the temptation of a third party – perhaps for this reason it has often been a common area of misinterpretation. Yet, with regard of choice, the area of love relationships is perhaps one of the biggest arenas in which we experience personal growth, and challenges, as we seek to harmonize self with another. As such, our relationships represent choices all the way through; this could be the choice of becoming involved in a new romance, or choosing to make a commitment in an existing relationship, such as marriage, or in a solid relationship making choices that will affect both partners. The Lover’s is a positive card, unless badly aspected, and surrounding cards will clarify what situation is being faced.
VII. The Chariot
Interpretation: The Chariot is a card of triumph, though not without effort. It informs you that self-discipline will be required, but if you can master his then victory can be achieved. It’s signifies the qualities required to succeed over any obstacles that lie ahead. Self-discipline is a key word here, together with focus and perseverance. This card tends to show an inner conflict (rather than external) that needs to be controlled in order to achieve success. Therefore, focus is needed upon one path; scattered energies will not bring achievement of the goal. The Chariot can also indicate travel.
VIII. Strength
Interpretation: Feminine qualities such as patience and diplomacy (as opposed to aggression), combined with courage, will achieve the required results and bring success. The Strength card reveals that you have a reserve of inner strength that provides you with more power than you realize. This can be expressed through quiet determination. This card can symbolize feminine charms to which men succumb, so it is particularly strong in a woman’s reading regarding relationships.
IX. The Hermit
Interpretation: The Hermit signifies careful thought and contemplation, withdrawal from the outside world in order to reflect and find inner wisdom. This card indicates that you have all the answers that you need within yourself, but perhaps you need some introspection to access them.
X. The Wheel Of Fortune
Interpretation: The Wheel Of Fortune is also known as a “destiny” card. It brings a positive change of fortune unless badly aspected, and can indicate the commencement of a new cycle when progress can be made. It is important to make the most of this fortunate time – for, as with anything, change is always just around the corner.
XI. Justice
Interpretation: Justice is very much a card of balance, though more of the rational, logical kind, using the intellectual mind rather than the emotional self. A balanced mind will be required in order to come to a well-balanced decision that is fair and reasonable for all concerned. It can represent the legal ruling upon a matter falling in favor of the rightful side. Legal documents are implied l, including marriage agreements. Justice usually has a beneficial outcome, unless other cards indicate otherwise.
XII. The Hanged Man
Interpretation: Life may seem to be in a period of suspension, but this offers the opportunity to look at matters from a different and fresh perspective, which will bring a possible solution through better understanding. This card can indicate self-sacrifice – sometimes we need to let go of something in the shorter term to gain something considered far more beneficial in the longer term. It can represent delayed gratification, which is also a form of self-sacrifice. The Hanged Man card, despite its appearance, is not one to be feared; remember, the figure is in a voluntary position.
XIII. Death
Interpretation: The Death card heralds the end of one phase of life to make way for a new one. It represents major change and transformation. To benefit from change, we need to remain open to it and recognize that through every life experience we have been given the opportunity for growth and learning on some level. The Death card can release us from that which is no longer useful in our lives but that we continue to hang on to, merely because we fear change. In doing so, we deny ourselves new opportunities that await us.
XIV. Temperance
Interpretation: Temperance represents moderation, having patience, the ability to compromise to find satisfactory solutions, diplomacy and cooperation, and balanced emotions. It is a card of successful integrating opposite forces. With harmony and compatibility, it suggests the perfect union. It can also represent a receptive environment for reconciliation to take place. Where Justice represents balanced thought, Temperance stands for balanced emotions. Always a lovely, gentle card when it appears in readings, the Temperance angel often brings healing.
XV. The Devil
Interpretation: The Devil’s presence quite often appears when a situation is dragging you down and you feel helpless to change it. It can show a form of “enslavement,” whether to an ideal, or an addiction, or even a manipulative or controlling relationship. Overindulgence tends to result in upset, greed, or lust that can become self-destructive – overspending is a typical example. However, the important message is that it is self-enslavement; by taking control of this behavior, we are released from it and are free to walk away. It can also carry an aspect of secrecy, such as secret plans being made, either by yourself or others around you. The surrounding cards will indicate which.
Let us not forget that, prior to being symbolized as an evil figure in religion, the Devil was previously identified as the pagan god, Pan. Pan represents primal, masculine energy at its most uninhibited level – procreative, sexual, untamed natural instincts that represent the very nature of life itself. Thus, this card can show a healthy (or improving) sex life – strong and impulsive urges, lust for life, and so on. But taken to extremes, this behavior can become obsessive and addictive. It can also indicate a passionate ot compelling relationship, with a strong physical attraction – although it does not necessarily imply a healthy one. Surrounding cards will verify.
XVI. The Tower
Interpretation: A house that was built without good foundations must collapse, sooner or later. The Tower represents such situations, now coming to an end. In the positive, it means having the ability to see the truth in a matter and to build anew for the future – this time with solid foundations. This is never an easy card when it appears in a reading because it shows a sudden or unexpected ending that may bring a sense of catastrophe or chaos with it. This can be in regards to situations that have been relied upon as being permanent and can relate to any area of life. This card is not always totally unexpected; sometimes when the Tower is drawn, there is already anticipation of something of this nature – yet often people try to stay blind to the possibility, having a sense of denial. But this is not always the case, as the Tower tends to indicate something collapsing that was falsely believed to be true – so please treat this card delicately. It is helpful to recognize how the Tower fits into your life (other cards in the reading should help you see this), what preparations you can make in readiness, and how you can improve matters afterward. There is always something positive that can be done.
XVII. The Star
Interpretation: The Star is the card of hope; it brings a sense of optimism and tells us to have faith, safe in knowledge that better times are ahead of us. The Star can bring healing after illness. It’s beautiful aspect means it is always a welcome sight in any situation. It provides faith and tells us to have belief in our self. Our plans show promises; success is attainable by the light of the Star. I’m relationships, it can show the healing of rifts, harmonious living conditions, and hope for the future. A new relationship aspected with this card would tend to show shared harmony and a good future. For those who have been hurt in love, the Star provides the confidence to leave the past behind and find love again, knowing that better things are destined.
XVIII. The Moon
Interpretation: The Moon represents illusionary situations, possible deceptions, and feelings of uncertainty. Emotions are highly charged and fluctuating, like a pendulum swinging back and forth. Due to the mystical associations of the Moon, it can also show our dreams becoming more vivid as the subconscious reveals itself to us. Feelings of intuition and gut instincts are heightened. When this card is present, it also warns that’s it’s important not to jump to conclusions, for the light of the moon can create illusions, shapes in the shadows that are not what they seem. There is usually far more to a situation than first meets the eye and it would be wise to be watchful but not to act in haste, taking time until the situation has revealed itself more clearly.
XIX. The Sun
Interpretation: The Sun is the most positive cards in the Tarot, for it brings happiness, success and triumphs, excellent relationships, a happy marriage, contentment, prosperity, and good health. The Sun tends to shine favorably upon any situation, When this card is present, it is important to make the most of its favorable aspects.
XX. Judgment
Interpretation. Judgement is known as the karmic card: “as you sow, so shall you reap.” The results of the seeds you have previously planted, and your past efforts, are now being rewarded. As a card depicting resurrection, it indicates renewal and revival, dormant matters coming back to life. With the Judgment card, it is possible to make a new start, but it is important to take stock before positively moving forward again. There is a general feeling of rejuvenation, and health matters show improvement. This card represents a time to be happy, with new beginnings afoot.
XXI. The World
Interpretation: The World brings assurance of success, victory, and triumph. This card doesn’t indicate overnight success, but rather the accomplishment of a goal that has been steadily worked toward; rewards are well deserved and you will feel delighted with your achievements. Success, attainment, confidence, happiness, a sense of completion, and fulfillment are all indicated. With supporting cards, the World may also represent traveling or a new home that brings happiness.
