Foundations of Tarot - A Crash Course

The tarot deck is a system of multiple cards, grouped and numbered, each addressing or speaking to different areas of our lives.

Here is a brief introduction to your tarot deck.

78 cards, divided into 5 groups.

22 Major Arcana Cards

14 Minor Arcana: Wands

14 Minor Arcana: Cups

14 Minor Arcana: Swords

14 Minor Arcana: Pentacles

Major Arcana

The Major Arcana can be seen as major stopping points in our journey through life.

These are stages or important milestones we experience in our lives that shape us as individuals. Major Arcana cards are specifically powerful because they each embody an entire unique philosophical and psychological idea that is the basis for many meditation and visualization exercises.

This section of the deck is the most decorated, and have more symbolic details are featured in each card. They hold the keys to life lessons we all need to learn and form the path to our own individual spiritual self-awareness.

The Minor Arcana

The Minor Arcana cards represent our day to day lives and influences. These can be overwhelming attitudes or moods that direct our relationships or decision-making. The images on the cards of the Minor Arcana are meant to inspire raw reactions.

The cards of each suit are numbered Ace through 10 and these depict everyday life situations. These are practical influences that are temporary. They come and go, and resolving the problems depicted in these cards are much easier than the Major Arcana cards.

Then there are four Court Cards, the Page, the Knight, the Queen and the King that reflect an actual aspect of our personality, or can actually represent actual people who display or embody certain characteristics.

Each suit deals with different areas of our lives:

The Suit of Wands is our ability to motivate ourselves. It speaks to our creativity, our inspirations and how we use energy.

The Suit of Cups is our emotions, our closest relationships and how our feelings and attitudes affect us.

The Suit of Swords is our mental capacities. Our thoughts, our use of focus and cognitive abilities.

The Suit of Pentacles is very specifically money and material stability.

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