Major Arcana Tarot Card Meanings and Guidance

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Understanding Major Arcana Cards

The Major Arcana cards are the most significant and powerful cards in a tarot deck, each one representing a key spiritual lesson, significant life event, or deep psychological archetype. Understanding these cards is essential for any tarot reader, whether you are just starting out or have years of experience.

In this post, we'll explore each of the 22 Major Arcana cards in the tarot deck, providing guidance and meanings to help you deepen your tarot practice. These cards symbolize the stages and milestones of a spiritual journey, including birth, growth, love, spirituality, and transformation.

In a reading, the presence of Major Arcana cards often illuminate periods of profound change and offer insight into the spiritual lessons and transformative experiences that you (or your querent) may be encountering.

The card meanings here are based on the traditional Rider-Waite tarot deck which seems to be the undisputed standard baseline for all things tarot. This article is meant to be used a general reference and therefore does not include images of specific Major Arcana cards as there are way too many illustration variations to account for. *There will be several more detailed articles published here that provide images, meanings, and commentary for each of the cards across the tarot decks that I own.

Major Arcana Card Meanings

0. The Fool

Meaning: The Fool represents new beginnings, innocence, and taking a leap of faith.

Advice: Step into new opportunities with an open heart and trust in the journey ahead. It's a time to take risks without fear. Embrace the unknown with a sense of adventure.

I. The Magician

Meaning: The Magician symbolizes the ability to manifest your desires. It signifies that you have the tools and resources you need to achieve your goals.

Advice: You have the power to shape your destiny. Hone your skills and focus your energy on making your dreams a reality.

II. The High Priestess

Meaning: The High Priestess represents intuition, mystery, and inner wisdom. She guides you to look within for answers and trust your instincts.

Guidance: Pay attention to your inner voice and the subtle signs around you. This is a time to explore your subconscious and connect with your deeper self.

III. The Empress

Meaning: The Empress embodies fertility, nurturing, and abundance. She is a symbol of motherhood, creativity, and the natural world.

Guidance: Focus on self-care and nurturing your creative projects or relationships. Allow yourself to grow and flourish in all areas of life.

IV. The Emperor

Meaning: The Emperor stands for authority, structure, and stability. He is a figure of leadership and discipline.

Guidance: Take control of your life by setting clear boundaries and maintaining order. Lead with confidence and assertiveness.

V. The Hierophant

Meaning: The Hierophant represents tradition, spiritual wisdom, and religious guidance. It is a card of education and moral values.

Guidance: Seek guidance from a mentor or spiritual teacher. Honor traditions and follow established paths to gain deeper understanding (aka - don't reinvent the wheel).

VI. The Lovers

Meaning: The Lovers symbolize love, harmony, and choices. It reflects the importance of meaningful relationships and the alignment of values.

Guidance: Make choices that reflect your true values and nurture the relationships that matter most to you. Embrace love in all its forms.

VII. The Chariot

Meaning: The Chariot signifies determination, control, and triumph. It represents the power of will and focused intention.

Guidance: Stay determined and maintain control over your direction. Victory is within reach if you remain focused on your goals.

VIII. Strength

Meaning: Strength symbolizes courage, patience, and inner resilience. It is about mastering your emotions and facing challenges with grace.

Guidance: Approach difficulties with calmness and compassion. Your inner strength will guide you through any obstacles.

IX. The Hermit

Meaning: The Hermit represents introspection, solitude, and the quest for inner truth. It is a time for reflection and seeking wisdom within.

Guidance: Take time for quiet reflection and listen to your inner guidance. Solitude can lead to profound insights and personal growth.

X. The Wheel of Fortune

Meaning: The Wheel of Fortune symbolizes cycles, fate, and change. It is a reminder of the ever-turning nature of life.

Guidance: Embrace the changes and opportunities that life brings. Trust that the cycles of life will lead you to where you need to be.

XI. Justice

Meaning: Justice stands for fairness, truth, and balance. It is a card of moral decisions and the law of cause and effect.

Guidance: Act with integrity and ensure that your actions align with your principles. Fairness and truth will guide you.

XII. The Hanged Man

Meaning: The Hanged Man represents surrender, new perspectives, and suspension. It is a time to pause and see things from a different angle.

Guidance: Let go of control and allow yourself to view situations from a new perspective. Patience and surrender can lead to new insights.

XIII. Death

Meaning: Death symbolizes transformation, endings, and new beginnings. It is about letting go of the old to make way for the new.

Guidance: Embrace the changes and transformations in your life. Endings are necessary for growth and new opportunities.

XIV. Temperance

Meaning: Temperance represents balance, moderation, and harmony. It is a card of blending and creating equilibrium.

Guidance: Find balance in your life through moderation and patience. Seek harmony in your relationships and environment.

XV. The Devil

Meaning: The Devil signifies bondage, materialism, and temptation. It is about being trapped by desires and unhealthy attachments.

Guidance: Recognize the chains that bind you and work to break free from them. Awareness is the first step to liberation.

XVI. The Tower

Meaning: The Tower represents sudden upheaval, chaos, and revelation. It is about destruction that leads to profound change and liberation.

Guidance: Prepare for sudden shifts and embrace the truth that emerges from the chaos. Sometimes, things must fall apart to make way for new growth.

XVII. The Star

Meaning: The Star symbolizes hope, inspiration, and spiritual guidance. It is a card of healing and renewed faith.

Guidance: Trust in the future and remain hopeful. This is a time for healing and following your true purpose.

XVIII. The Moon

Meaning: The Moon represents illusion, intuition, and the subconscious. It is about navigating through uncertainty and facing fears.

Guidance: Trust your intuition but be mindful of illusions and deception. Explore your subconscious and confront your inner fears.

XIX. The Sun

Meaning: The Sun symbolizes joy, success, and vitality. It is a card of positivity and enlightenment.

Guidance: Bask in the warmth of success and happiness. Embrace the light and allow it to illuminate your path.

XX. Judgment

Meaning: Judgment represents reflection, reckoning, and awakening. It is about making life-changing decisions and spiritual renewal.

Guidance: Reflect on your past actions and decisions. This is a time for self-assessment and embracing a new phase of life with clarity and purpose.

XXI. The World

Meaning: The World signifies completion, fulfillment, and achievement. It is the card of reaching your goals and finding harmony.

Guidance: Celebrate your successes and recognize the completion of a significant cycle. This is a time of balance and fulfillment as you prepare for new adventures.

Suggested Activity

Retention Exercise for Major Arcana

• Grab whatever tarot deck you own.

• Separate the Major Arcana and put them in order.

• Come back to this article and review your cards while reading through the meanings and guidance for each.

Looking at each major arcana card in your own tarot deck while reading the definitions above will greatly enhance your understanding of the cards. By visually connecting the meanings with the images on your own [physical] cards, you can deepen your familiarity with the deck and improve your ability to retain the information learned here.

This practice will also help you develop a more intuitive relationship with your tarot deck, allowing you to interpret the cards more effectively during readings and improve your overall tarot reading experience.

So, take a moment to explore the your Major Arcana cards and see IF and how they align with the meanings provided, and watch as your connection with the tarot grows stronger.

PS - If you are wondering why I didn't say this in the beginning of the post, you'll just have to trust me on this one. This activity would not be nearly as effective if you have your cards in hand the first time you read through it.

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