The 78 Tarot Cards and Their Meanings

The tarot deck is a captivating tool for self-discovery, reflection, and guidance. Its 78 cards, each with unique imagery and meanings, are steeped in symbolism and mystery. Whether you’re a seasoned reader or just starting, understanding these cards can transform how you interpret the world around you.

A traditional tarot deck consists of 78 cards divided into two sections:

The Major Arcana are the heart of the tarot deck, representing life's significant moments, spiritual insights, and universal archetypes. Each card offers powerful wisdom and guidance, often delving into the bigger picture of your journey.

The Fool symbolises the start of a new chapter or venture, filled with unlimited potential and opportunities. It encourages you to embrace spontaneity and take a leap of faith, trusting in the unknown. This card often represents innocence, optimism, and a willingness to explore without fear of failure.

The Magician embodies the power of manifestation and creation. It urges you to recognise your inner resources—willpower, skills, and intellect—to achieve your goals. This card signifies taking action and harnessing your potential to turn dreams into reality. It’s a reminder that you already have everything you need to succeed.

The High Priestess represents intuition, mystery, and the subconscious mind. It encourages you to look inward for answers and trust your instincts. This card suggests there are hidden truths waiting to be revealed, and only by quieting the mind can you uncover them.

The Empress embodies abundance, creativity, and nurturing energy. It’s closely connected to nature, fertility, and growth. This card invites you to embrace your creative side and nurture yourself and others with kindness and love. It often signals a time of prosperity and comfort.

The Emperor represents authority, structure, and stability. It symbolises the power of discipline and leadership, encouraging you to take charge of your life and establish a strong foundation. This card often reflects a fatherly influence or a call to embody assertive, yet fair, control.

The Hierophant is a symbol of tradition, spiritual guidance, and shared values. It often signifies seeking wisdom from a mentor, teacher, or institution. This card asks you to explore your beliefs and align with a greater purpose or community.

The Lovers card speaks of deep connections, harmony, and choices. While it often relates to romantic relationships, it can also represent important decisions that align with your values. This card highlights balance, mutual respect, and the power of unity.

The Chariot represents determination, control, and triumph over obstacles. It urges you to harness your focus and inner strength to overcome challenges. This card is a reminder that success comes from discipline and the ability to steer yourself in the right direction.

Strength is a card of courage, patience, and inner power. It suggests that true strength lies not in force, but in compassion and understanding. This card often appears when you need to approach a challenge with grace and resilience.

The Hermit symbolises introspection, solitude, and the pursuit of inner wisdom. It encourages you to take a step back from the noise of daily life to reflect and seek clarity. This card is a reminder that personal growth often comes from within.

The Wheel of Fortune reflects cycles, luck, and the ever-changing nature of life. It reminds you that ups and downs are natural and encourages you to embrace change with an open heart. This card often signals a turning point or a shift in circumstances.

Justice represents fairness, truth, and accountability. It encourages you to seek balance and make decisions with integrity. This card often appears when ethical choices or legal matters are at play, urging you to weigh all sides carefully.

The Hanged Man symbolises surrender, new perspectives, and letting go. It invites you to pause and reassess your situation, often requiring sacrifice or patience. This card encourages you to release control and trust the process.

Death represents transformation, endings, and renewal. While often misunderstood, this card signifies the closure of one chapter and the beginning of another. It encourages you to embrace change and let go of what no longer serves you.

Temperance is a card of balance, moderation, and harmony. It invites you to find equilibrium in your life by blending different elements in a way that fosters peace. This card often suggests patience and the ability to adapt.

The Devil represents attachment, temptation, and materialism. It often highlights unhealthy habits, relationships, or beliefs that may be holding you back. This card encourages self-awareness and the courage to break free from limiting patterns.

The Tower signifies sudden change, upheaval, and revelation. It often appears during times of disruption, but its message is one of liberation and growth. This card reminds you that even challenging moments lead to greater clarity and strength.

The Star is a card of hope, inspiration, and serenity. It encourages you to dream big and trust in the universe’s guidance. This card often appears as a beacon of light after a period of struggle, offering reassurance and renewal.

The Moon reflects illusion, intuition, and uncertainty. It encourages you to explore your subconscious and trust your instincts when faced with confusion. This card often suggests that not everything is as it seems, urging you to look deeper for the truth.

The Sun represents joy, success, and vitality. It is a card of positivity and abundance, encouraging you to embrace life with optimism. This card often signals a time of happiness, clarity, and personal growth.

Judgement signifies reflection, awakening, and absolution. It invites you to evaluate your past actions and embrace personal transformation. This card often suggests a call to action or a moment of realisation that leads to a new chapter.

The World symbolises completion, fulfilment, and accomplishment. It marks the end of a journey and the start of a new one, celebrating your achievements and growth. This card encourages you to embrace the wholeness of your experience.

The Minor Arcana consists of four suits, each containing 14 cards (Ace through 10, plus Page, Knight, Queen, and King). These cards cover everyday situations and personal experiences.

The suit of Cups in Tarot is associated with emotions, relationships, and matters of the heart. It reflects your inner world, your connections with others, and your creative and spiritual flow.

The Ace of Cups represents new emotional beginnings, such as the start of a loving relationship or a surge of creative energy. It’s a card of pure emotional potential, inviting you to open your heart and embrace feelings of joy, love, and intuition.

The Two of Cups signifies partnership, harmony, and mutual respect. Often associated with romantic relationships, it also represents deep friendships and collaborations built on trust and shared emotions.

The Three of Cups celebrates friendship, community, and joy. It symbolises gatherings and moments of shared happiness, reminding you to embrace the connections that uplift and support you.

The Four of Cups reflects apathy or dissatisfaction, encouraging you to reassess your current emotional state. It suggests that opportunities may be overlooked due to discontent or lack of awareness.

The Five of Cups represents loss and regret. It highlights the importance of processing emotional pain while encouraging you to recognise the potential for healing and moving forward.

The Six of Cups evokes nostalgia and memories of the past. It often signifies kindness, generosity, and revisiting moments of childhood innocence or reconnecting with old friends.

The Seven of Cups presents choices, imagination, and illusions. It asks you to evaluate your options carefully, as not everything may be as it seems. It’s a call to balance dreams with practicality.

The Eight of Cups symbolises walking away from what no longer serves you. It’s a card of seeking deeper meaning, often indicating a need for personal growth or spiritual discovery.

The Nine of Cups is the card of fulfilment and gratitude. Often called the "wish card," it signals satisfaction and the realisation of your desires, encouraging you to savour the abundance in your life.

The Ten of Cups is a card of ultimate happiness and harmony. It represents emotional fulfilment within family, relationships, or community, symbolising a sense of contentment and love.

The Page of Cups reflects curiosity, creativity, and emotional beginnings. It often appears when you’re inspired to explore new ideas or feelings with an open heart.

The Knight of Cups is a romantic and idealistic figure, representing charm, emotional exploration, and following your heart. It encourages you to pursue your passions with sincerity and purpose.

The Queen of Cups embodies compassion, intuition, and nurturing energy. She encourages you to trust your inner voice and offer care and understanding to yourself and others.

The King of Cups signifies emotional balance, maturity, and wisdom. He represents a stable and compassionate leader who guides others with kindness and integrity.

The suit of Pentacles is associated with the material world, including wealth, career, health, and practical matters. It often reflects how you navigate physical resources and goals.

The Ace of Pentacles signifies new opportunities in the material realm, such as a job offer, financial gain, or the start of a new project. It represents the seeds of prosperity waiting to be nurtured.

The Two of Pentacles reflects balance and adaptability in managing multiple responsibilities. It encourages you to prioritise effectively and maintain harmony amidst challenges.

The Three of Pentacles symbolises teamwork, collaboration, and skill-building. It highlights the importance of working with others to achieve shared goals and create something meaningful.

The Four of Pentacles represents security, control, and holding onto resources. While it suggests stability, it also warns against being overly possessive or resistant to change.

The Five of Pentacles reflects financial loss, insecurity, or hardship. It reminds you to seek support during challenging times and focus on rebuilding with resilience.

The Six of Pentacles represents generosity, giving, and receiving. It highlights the flow of resources and encourages balanced exchanges of help, whether material or emotional.

The Seven of Pentacles reflects patience and long-term growth. It’s a card for assessing your progress and deciding whether to continue investing energy or adjust your approach.

The Eight of Pentacles is a card of skill development and dedication. It encourages you to work hard and hone your craft, suggesting that your efforts will lead to mastery and success.

The Nine of Pentacles signifies independence, luxury, and self-sufficiency. It reflects enjoying the fruits of your labour and celebrating personal achievements.

The Ten of Pentacles represents legacy, inheritance, and financial stability. It often symbolises long-term success, family harmony, and a sense of lasting security.

The Page of Pentacles represents ambition, new ventures, and the willingness to learn. It signals a time of exploration in education, career, or personal development.

The Knight of Pentacles signifies responsibility, routine, and persistence. It encourages you to stay committed to your goals through steady and deliberate effort.

The Queen of Pentacles embodies practicality, nurturing, and resourcefulness. She encourages you to create a balanced and comfortable environment for yourself and those you care for.

The King of Pentacles symbolises wealth, leadership, and success. He represents someone who has mastered the material world and shares their abundance wisely and generously.

The suit of Swords represents intellect, communication, and challenges. It often focuses on thought processes, conflicts, and decisions, symbolising the power of the mind and the obstacles we must navigate.

The Ace of Swords symbolises clarity, truth, and breakthroughs. It heralds a moment of mental clarity or the discovery of an important truth. This card encourages you to use logic and decisiveness to cut through confusion and find solutions.

The Two of Swords reflects indecision and a stalemate. It suggests being caught between two choices and needing to weigh your options carefully. This card invites you to trust your instincts when logic alone doesn’t provide answers.

The Three of Swords represents heartbreak, sorrow, and emotional pain. Often associated with loss or betrayal, it urges you to confront your feelings honestly and take the first steps toward healing.

The Four of Swords signifies rest, recovery, and introspection. It suggests a period of retreat to recharge and process recent events. This card encourages self-care and taking time to gain perspective.

The Five of Swords highlights conflict, betrayal, and defeat. It warns against hollow victories and encourages you to consider whether winning at all costs is worth the consequences.

The Six of Swords symbolises transition, moving forward, and healing. It often suggests leaving behind difficulties and journeying toward a calmer, more stable situation. This card emphasises growth and resilience.

The Seven of Swords represents deception, strategy, and cunning. It warns against dishonesty—whether it’s your own actions or those of others. This card suggests using strategy wisely while staying true to your values.

The Eight of Swords reflects restriction, fear, and self-doubt. It suggests feeling trapped by circumstances or your own mindset. This card reminds you that freedom often lies in shifting your perspective and reclaiming your power.

The Nine of Swords symbolises anxiety, worry, and nightmares. It often represents overthinking or being overwhelmed by fear. This card encourages you to address your concerns and seek support where needed.

The Ten of Swords represents endings and hitting rock bottom. While it can signify painful conclusions, it also offers hope for a fresh start. This card reminds you that every ending carries the seed of a new beginning.

The Page of Swords embodies curiosity, intelligence, and new ideas. It encourages you to embrace learning and exploration, but also to consider the consequences of speaking or acting impulsively.

The Knight of Swords signifies action, ambition, and determination. It represents a single-minded pursuit of goals and warns against recklessness. This card invites focus and discipline as you move forward.

The Queen of Swords represents independence, clarity, and honesty. She encourages you to balance logic with compassion, standing firm in your truth while remaining open-minded.

The King of Swords symbolises authority, intellect, and leadership. He embodies clear thinking and fairness, urging you to make decisions based on reason and ethical principles.

The suit of Wands is linked to passion, creativity, and action. It reflects ambition, energy, and the drive to bring ideas to life, often symbolising personal growth and inspiration.

The Ace of Wands represents inspiration, potential, and growth. It signals the start of an exciting new project or creative endeavour, urging you to seize opportunities with enthusiasm.

The Two of Wands reflects planning, decisions, and progress. It suggests weighing options and preparing to take action toward long-term goals. This card invites you to step out of your comfort zone.

The Three of Wands symbolises expansion, foresight, and opportunities. It encourages you to look ahead and explore new possibilities, trusting that your efforts will lead to success.

The Four of Wands signifies celebration, home, and stability. It often represents milestones or joyful events, such as weddings or reunions, and encourages you to savour moments of happiness.

The Five of Wands highlights competition, conflict, and struggle. It suggests a time of clashing ideas or challenges that require collaboration and persistence to overcome.

The Six of Wands symbolises success, recognition, and victory. It reflects achieving your goals and being acknowledged for your efforts, encouraging you to celebrate your accomplishments.

The Seven of Wands represents defence, perseverance, and standing your ground. It suggests facing challenges or opposition with confidence and resilience, holding firm to your beliefs.

The Eight of Wands reflects speed, action, and movement. It signifies rapid progress or sudden developments, encouraging you to embrace change and act decisively.

The Nine of Wands symbolises resilience, courage, and persistence. It suggests you are near the end of a challenging journey, urging you to stay strong and keep pushing forward.

The Ten of Wands represents burden, responsibility, and hard work. It warns against taking on too much and encourages you to delegate or seek help to lighten your load.

The Page of Wands embodies enthusiasm, discovery, and potential. It encourages you to embrace new opportunities and approach life with curiosity and excitement.

The Knight of Wands represents passion, adventure, and energy. It reflects pursuing your dreams with boldness and reminds you to channel your enthusiasm in constructive ways.

The Queen of Wands signifies confidence, determination, and independence. She inspires you to lead with strength and creativity, embodying warmth and charisma.

The King of Wands symbolises leadership, vision, and inspiration. He encourages you to take charge of your life and pursue your ambitions with confidence and purpose.

Using tarot effectively starts with practice and familiarity. With these steps, you can build a strong foundation and confidently interpret all 78 cards.

Tarot cards are used as a tool for self-reflection, guidance, and exploring life's challenges and opportunities. They provide insights into your current situation and potential future outcomes based on your choices and energy.

Tarot cards follow a structured system with 78 cards and specific meanings. Oracle cards, on the other hand, are more free-form, varying in number and themes, often focusing on specific topics or energies chosen by the creator. Read more about Tarot vs Oracle cards.

While interpretations vary, The World, The Sun, and The Magician are often considered among the most powerful cards due to their messages of completion, joy, and manifestation. Ultimately, the "most powerful" card depends on the context of the reading.

Cards like The Lovers, Two of Cups, and Ten of Cups often appear in love readings, symbolising harmony, deep connections, and emotional fulfilment. However, any card can provide meaningful insights into relationships depending on the question asked.

Tarot does not predict the future with certainty but offers guidance on potential outcomes based on current energies. It encourages self-awareness and helps you make informed decisions.

The Strength card is often seen as protective, symbolising inner resilience and the ability to face challenges with grace. Similarly, The Star provides reassurance and hope during difficult times.

Reversed cards can indicate blocked energy, challenges, or the opposite of the upright meaning. However, not all readers use reversed meanings; it’s a personal choice.

Daily card pulls are a great way to build your tarot skills and connect with your deck. They offer small, actionable insights to guide your day while deepening your understanding of each card.

Tarot accuracy depends on the reader’s skill, intuition, and the clarity of the question being asked. The cards reflect current energies and possibilities, but outcomes may change based on actions and decisions.

Absolutely! Tarot is accessible to everyone, regardless of experience. With practice, patience, and an open mind, anyone can learn to use tarot effectively.

If a reading feels unclear, take time to reflect on the cards and their positions. Sometimes, the meaning becomes apparent later as events unfold. Journaling your interpretations can help you track these connections over time.

Tarot is not tied to a particular religion. While it has historical roots in mysticism and esoteric traditions, it is often used as a spiritual tool that transcends religious boundaries.

Select a deck that resonates with you visually and emotionally. Popular beginner decks include the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot due to its accessible imagery and symbolism. Explore different styles until you find one that feels right.

Cleansing your deck is not mandatory but can be beneficial, especially if it feels energetically "heavy." Methods include shuffling, placing crystals on the deck, or using incense or moonlight to refresh its energy.

Reading tarot for yourself is a great way to gain insight and build your skills. Approach your readings with an open mind and avoid over-reading on emotionally charged topics.

"Negative" cards, like Death or The Tower, often represent necessary changes, challenges, or growth rather than literal misfortune. They are opportunities to reflect and make positive adjustments in your life.

Tarot is not inherently witchcraft. While some practitioners use tarot in spiritual or magical practices, many use it as a tool for self-reflection and personal growth without any connection to witchcraft.

If you’re inspired to deepen your tarot knowledge, the Tarot Diploma Course from Centre of Excellence is an ideal next step. This fascinating course helps you explore all 78 tarot cards in detail, teaching you how to give insightful readings. Learn at your own pace, benefit from a private tutor, and test your knowledge with structured assessments. Sign up today for only £29!