Minor Arcana

The Minor Arcana in Tarot consists of 56 cards that describe everyday events—more mundane rather than life-changing or transformative. The cards are divided into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Each suit includes numbered cards (Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10) and court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, and King), also referred to as court figures.

 

The Four Suits and Their Elements

Wands (or Staves):
Associated with the element of fire, they symbolize movement, action, energy, improvement of circumstances, ideas, and creativity. Wands often refer to travel and change.

Cups (or Chalices):
Linked to the element of water, they represent feelings, love, passion, relationships, and emotions.

Swords:
Associated with the element of air, they symbolize challenges, adversity, conflict, and opposition.

Pentacles (or Coins):
Connected to the element of earth, they symbolize material gains, work, improved circumstances, and financial prosperity.

 

Meanings of the Numbered Cards

Ace (1): Represents beginnings, movement, new opportunities, and an impulse to act.
2: Indicates changeability, extremes, duality, and sometimes uncertainty.
3: Expresses communication with others, self-expression, and daily matters.
4: Suggests rest after work, stability, and can indicate success in a specific area.
5: Implies unpredictability and often unfavorable changes or instability.
6: Signifies relaxation and well-deserved rest.
7: Represents self-improvement, experience, and life wisdom.
8: Denotes realization, action and reaction, and reaping the results of one’s efforts.
9: Reflects enjoying the fruits of labor, confidence, and trust.
10: Suggests drawing conclusions, renewal, and change (except for Swords—usually favorable), and preparing for the next journey with accumulated experience.

The Court Cards and Their Representations
Court cards often relate to individuals:

Page (or Knave): Represents a young person.
Knight: Symbolizes a specific event.
Queen: Represents a woman in the querent’s life.
King: Represents a man.

Home

The Great Arcana of the Tarot contain wisdom for life and represent the situations that each of us must go through in order to achieve happiness. Each card contains a description of the most important elements and the fortune-telling meaning.

Ask the Tarot cards a question and draw a card that will give you a description of the situation you are in and the answer to your question.