When we first get involved in the world of tarot, one of our first encounters with the deck is through the meanings of the cards, specifically the Major Arcana, as it is through them that we begin our journey in interpreting a reading.
What are the Major Arcana, and what do they represent?
In a Tarot reading, the meaning of the 22 Major Arcana relates to crucial and long-term events in our lives. They symbolize fundamental archetypes of the human psyche and offer lessons or advice to help us make decisions and take action, often creating a significant impact in a person’s life.
The Major Arcana are represented by 22 cards (out of the 78 that make up the deck). These cards are numbered from 1 to 21, with an unnumbered card known as The Fool. Some prefer to call it the zero card, while others interpret it as the 22nd card.
You can observe in the Major Arcana the archetypes defined by Carl Jung, in terms of their impact on our conscious life, but even more so on the unconscious.
The Major Arcana represent a path of personal knowledge, aiming to bring to light what is hidden in the unconscious and make its way into our conscious awareness. Each of these 22 cards holds important lessons, clues, and signs to help us make decisions and act accordingly. We can say that the Major Arcana are closely linked to the soul.
The Major Arcana depict a journey through life, starting with The Fool, passing through different stages of our existence, and concluding with The World card.
This is a journey towards self-realization, constant improvement, evolution on the physical plane but especially on the spiritual one, striving to be better individuals, finding lasting balance, and achieving peace as the vital sign of our existence.
When in a reading, if a large number of Major Arcana cards appear, it indicates that the querent is going through, has experienced, or will soon face important and decisive changes that will have a lasting impact over time.
On the other hand, the Minor Arcana represent more of the day-to-day, the mundane, short-term events, everyday concerns, and more “human” experiences.
All tarot cards in a reading will inevitably appear in one of two positions: upright, also called vertical or natural position, or reversed.
When upright, the Major Arcana express their most positive meaning, and when reversed, they convey a message that’s not necessarily negative but one that warns the querent they may not be fully aware of certain things, or might be avoiding that awareness, signaling the need for adjustments to return to the path of balance and growth.
Therefore, we can’t categorize tarot cards as purely good or bad, although some may appear more positive than others. Their meaning isn’t absolute; instead, they aim to teach a lesson for better understanding.
How are the Major Arcana divided?
The Major Arcana can be divided into two main groups:
- The first 11 cards: These correspond to internal aspects of a person— their energy, feelings, states of mind, and thoughts.
- The remaining 11 cards: These symbolize external forces, astral energies.
Additionally, we can categorize them into groups that represent certain stages, moments of evolution, and the various attitudes with which we face life.
In this sense, we can make the following classification of the Major Arcana, following a natural order of events, a continuous process:
- An ORIGIN: represented by The Magician, who embodies action on the earthly plane.
- A POWER: represented by the Major Arcana cards of The High Priestess (knowledge), The Empress (action), and The Emperor (emotion).
- An EXPRESSION: this category is represented by The Hierophant (knowledge), The Lovers (emotion), and The Chariot (action).
- A CONTROL: symbolized by Justice (knowledge), The Hermit (internal emotion), and The Wheel of Fortune (ceaseless psychic action).
- An ACCEPTANCE: represented by Strength (a combination of action and knowledge) and The Hanged Man (emotion and action).
- A TRANSMUTATION: following acceptance comes change, represented in its purest form by Death (action), Temperance (knowledge), and The Devil (emotion).
- A REACTION: every action has a reaction, symbolized in tarot by The Tower, The Star (knowledge), and The Moon (emotion).
- A LIBERATION: after going through all these processes, we reach liberation, symbolized by The Sun (action), Judgment (knowledge), and the innocent and pure emotion of The Fool.
- A SYNTHESIS: the journey completes with The World, summarizing everything: emotion, action, and knowledge.
What are the Major Arcana, and what do they mean?
Now let’s take a quick look at the most prominent features of each of the 22 Major Arcana, both in their upright and reversed positions.
The Fool
Upright: Represents purity, ideals, being spontaneous, trusting, innocence, having a free spirit, new beginnings, adventure, potential, faith, courage, a leap of faith, originality, acting without malice.
Reversed: Hastiness, not measuring risks, gullibility, naivety, foolishness, taking excessive risks, madness, stupidity, chaos, poor judgment.
The Magician
Upright: Represents power, skills, intelligence, action-oriented strength, creative ingenuity, and focused dedication. Manifestation, ease of communication, eloquence, clear direction.
Reversed: Indicates manipulation, poor planning, hidden talents that haven’t surfaced, repressed emotions, deception and scams, lying, abuse of power, creative block, bad intentions.
Read The Magician’s full meaning
The High Priestess
Upright: Symbolizes intuition, higher powers, mysteries, the subconscious, self-confidence, spiritual vision, emotional stability, divination, esoteric wisdom, higher self, discovering one’s inner truth.
The Empress
Upright: Symbolizes abundance, femininity, beauty, fertility, the creative force of nature, nurturing, motherhood, one’s own mother, love, beauty, a businesswoman, mother earth, multitasking, pregnancy, creativity, solving problems creatively, fulfilling potential, indicating business or an opportunity for success.
Reversed: Blocked creativity, dependency on others, low self-esteem, creative blockages, servile attitude, laziness, creative and/or business stagnation, lack of coordination, wasted resources, financial difficulties, problems at home.
Read The Empress’s full meaning
The Emperor
Upright: Symbolizes authority, fatherhood, structure, moral foundations, mentorship, decision-making, order, leadership, promotion to a position of responsibility, standing up for oneself, ambition, law, taking a stand, firmness with oneself and others.
Reversed: Over-control, domination, being despotic, rigid thinking, inflexible decisions, autocratic behavior, obsession with control, weakness, cruelty, low performance, lack of support, laziness, lack of discipline, anarchy.
Read The Emperor’s full meaning
The Hierophant
Upright: Symbolizes religious spirituality, dogmatism, social identification, group work, acceptance of the status quo, traditional values, the power of belief, major institutions, education, teaching, learning, orthodoxy, and the status quo. A guru, teacher, or spiritual guide, esoteric or mystical groups, divine laws, seeking advice and guidance.
Reversed: Self-imposed restriction, denying and suppressing temptations, rebellious attitude against what is mandated, worship of false gods or gurus, abuse of position and/or power, extremism.
Read The Hierophant’s full meaning
The Lovers
Upright: Represents harmony in relationships, equal values, communion of ideas, deep and fertile unions, choices, partnerships, affection, being at a romantic crossroads, a love story, falling in love, commitment, choosing between two lovers, trust.
Reversed: Imbalanced relationships, disharmony, fluctuating or unstable principles and values, confused feelings, lack of balance, a broken love story, fear of commitment, infidelity, relationship problems, separation, failing relationships.
The Chariot
Upright: Achievement through willpower, success, decisiveness, determination, perseverance, direction, ambition, confidence, victory, success, travel, transportation, success with little or no support, overcoming obstacles, triumph over adversity, rushing to help someone.
Reversed: Erratic direction, lack or loss of control, aggressive attitudes, uncertain path, indecision, lack of direction, taking the longer route, loss of willpower, scattered focus, a canceled trip, a vehicle breaking down, needing help from others.
Read The Chariot’s full meaning
Strength
Upright: Strength of character and attitude, bravery, patience, compassion, persuasion. Inner strength, self-confidence, self-control, patience, confidence, lust, sexuality, eroticism, heroic acts, strength through personal power and not violence, vitality, virility, potency.
Reversed: All kinds of insecurities, physical weakness, timid mindset, lack of willpower, personal indiscipline, weakness, fragility, lack of self-control or patience, lack of courage, needing help, arrogance, vanity, hedonism.
The Hermit
Upright: A solitary and introspective attitude, solitude as a way to achieve self-knowledge, inner guidance, introspection, contemplation, positive isolation, seeking spiritual enlightenment and experiences, meditation, self-discovery, study, discretion, patience.
Reversed: Isolation, loneliness, withdrawal from people or society, distancing from loved ones, turning your back on someone, feeling left out in the cold, self-absorption, being a social misfit, exile, silence, sadness.
Read The Hermit’s full meaning
The Wheel of Fortune
Upright: Good luck, karma, life cycles, destiny, a turning point, a stroke of luck, chance, opportunity, change, movement, winning, ups and downs, fate, a fateful encounter that can change your life, what goes around comes around, a definite “yes.”
Reversed: Periods of bad luck, negative external forces, being out of control, a stroke of bad luck, misfortune, failure, things not going your way, entering a difficult or problematic period, disappointments, unexpected setbacks, a definite “no.”
Read The Wheel of Fortune’s full meaning
Justice
Upright: Represents balance, justice, truth, cause and effect, law and regulations, karma, accountability, integrity, dignity, agreements, legal matters, a court case, seeking legal advice, checking legal documents, seeking fairness through clarity.
Reversed: Injustice, unfair treatment, lack of accountability, dishonesty, immorality, losing a case, delays, being discredited, imbalance, hypocrisy, manipulation, inability to speak your truth, legal flaws, making or receiving the wrong decision, biased views.
The Hanged Man
Upright: Suspension, postponement of plans and goals, restriction, letting go, sacrifice for something or someone else, surrender, crisis, delays, seeing from a different angle, a new perspective, inactivity, giving up something, undergoing a metamorphosis, spiritual growth, detachment from the material.
Reversed: Martyrdom, indecision, self-sacrifice, delay, being in limbo, narrow-mindedness, failure to see things from all perspectives, resurfacing, reentering the game, returning to life, refusing to be swayed by false motives, inability to let go, holding yourself back, fixation on material matters.
Read The Hanged Man’s full meaning
Death
The meaning of this card in tarot does NOT indicate literal death.
Upright: Endings, beginnings, change, transformation, transition, the end of a cycle, profound changes, letting go of emotional attachments, cutting ties, bringing things to a close, the end of an era or cycle, failure, loss, transformation, renewal, rebirth.
Reversed: Resistance to change, unwillingness to let go, delayed endings, a long illness, living on autopilot, not believing change is possible, inability to move forward, anger or depression, denial of the inevitable.
Temperance
Upright: Balance, moderation, harmony, equilibrium, synthesis, blending, synergy, alchemy, uniting opposites, communication with your angel, connecting with your guides, seeking divine intervention, patience, tenacity to achieve a goal.
Reversed: Imbalance, lacking vision for the future, onset of illness, irritable temperament, lack of patience in relationships, outbursts of anger, feeling abandoned by God/fate/the universe, feeling like you’re always giving and never receiving.
Read Temperance’s full meaning
The Devil
Upright: Suffering, masochism, sexuality, materialism, putting possession before being, temptation, bondage, addictions (sex, drugs, alcohol, money), fear and doubt, lies, violence, unhealthy relationships, sexual deviation, self-gratification, indulgence, feeling trapped and without options.
Reversed: Breaking free, letting go, positive energy being released, regenerated forces, freeing oneself from toxic relationships and addictions, divorces, a relationship becoming less sexual, resisting temptation, freedom from restrictions.
The Tower
Upright: Disasters as positive change, unexpected upheaval, destruction, ruin, catastrophe, liberation, revelation, breaking old patterns, renewal, an accident or home damage, bankruptcy, quitting or losing a job, being overthrown, internal turmoil.
Reversed: Avoiding risks, fear of disaster, prolonged and continuous disruptions, interruptions, obstacles, difficulties, softer losses, a disruptive person, a volatile situation, fear of the worst, illness, corruption, panic at change.
The Star
Upright: Hope, happiness, spirituality, inner renewal, inspiration, serenity, opportunities, optimism, cosmic blessings, help, beauty, astrology, the heavens, good health and wellness, an inspiring person, a period of tranquility.
Reversed: Loss of faith, despair, discouragement, sadness, hopelessness, discomfort, disappointment, missed opportunities, rejecting help, failing to offer assistance, failure to achieve spiritual renewal or enlightenment.
The Moon
Upright: Illusion, fear, anxiety, insecurity, the subconscious, hidden aspects, dreams but also nightmares, hidden enemies, mystery, falsehoods, visions, mental confusion, a dark night of the soul, difficult times, lack of clarity, deception, secrets, increased psychic ability, spiritual experiences.
Reversed: Release from fear, overcoming sadness, resolving confusion, secrets revealed, what was hidden becomes visible, abnormal dreams, psychic visions that are hard to understand, insomnia, irrational thoughts or behaviors.
The Sun
Upright: Fun, warmth in attitude and emotion, success, positivity, vitality, life, energy, joy, enlightenment, warmth, manifestation, happiness, wealth, marriage, good times, success, clear thinking, optimism, blessings, good fortune, a good holiday, good weather.
Reversed: Feelings of lack, temporary depression, brief absence of success, partial success, sadness, hope for improvement, decreased vitality, delayed success or happiness, being too sentimental, things aren’t as rosy as they seem, false impressions.
Judgment
Upright: Clarity of judgment, rebirth, inner calling, self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others, redemption, awakening, spiritual or career calling, renewal, realization, a change that has already occurred, the end of an era, a rite of passage, a period of transition, decision-making.
Reversed: Doubt, negative reflection on one’s life and values, low or no self-esteem, timidity, ignoring a call, doing what one knows is wrong, self-doubt, being driven by fear, delayed change, avoiding making a decision, unresolved karma.
The World
Upright: Completion, integration with people and places in life, fulfillment, travel, accomplishment, possibilities, results, integrity, success, wholeness, being in motion—especially abroad, achieving goals.
Reversed: Lack of fulfillment, lack of closure in all aspects, indecision, feeling like the world or life “owes you,” plans falling through, interrupted moves, unfinished business, delayed success, immobility, stagnation, failure to finish the job, feeling stuck in a rut.
