The major arcana consists of 22 cards numbered from 0 to 21. They go from complete ignorance to complete knowledge. The Fool, numbered 0 or unnumbered, represents complete ignorance and oblivion to the world around it. It is a card of innocence. Whereas The World, numbered 21, represents complete understanding. Each card represents only one step on the journey to understanding.
0 The Fool- The fool is the fearless traveler. He leaps before he looks and speak before he thinks. Positively associated with innocence, new beginnings, joy, fearlessness, and spontaneity. Negatively associated with thoughtlessness, immaturity, impulsiveness, lack of responsibility and lawlessness.
1 The Magician- The Magician is a person of new opportunities and ambition. He has incredible willpower, but is often overcome by his emotions. Positively associated with confidence, individuality, willpower, new beginnings, and inner potential. Negatively associated with trickery, deception, lack of compassion, indecision, and abuse of power.
2 The High Priestess- The High Priestess is the guardian of hidden secrets. She keeps the divine knowledge secretly tucked away for the right time to reveal. Positively associated with intuitiveness, understanding, wisdom, mystery, psychic ability, and the divine feminine. Negatively associated with lack of motherlyness, emotional insecurity, secretiveness, and hidden obstacles or opponents.
3 The Empress- The Empress is a symbol of love, fertility and motherhood. She represents compassion and devotion. Posivively associated with fertility, birth, motherhood, harmony, nature, prosperity, joy, love, and artistic ambition. Negatively associated with domestic upheaval, emotional blackmail, over-protectiveness, poverty, infertility, unwanted pregnancy, and surpressed logical expression.
4 The Emperor- The Emperor is a sign of achievement and honor. He represents paternity and strong leadership. Positively associated with achievement, authority, protection, support, trustworthiness, discipline, provider, consolidation, reason, and willpower. Negatively associated with weakness, immaturity, failed ambition, status driven, tyrannical, and an overbearing nature.
5 The Hierophant- The Hierophant is a symbol of moral law and convictions. He is also a welcomed advisor and spiritual guide. Positively associated with advice, wise counsel, spiritual consolation, knowledge, identification, faith, conformity, and traditions. Negatively associated with misinformation, lack of faith, deviousness, bad advice, confusion, and disorderly conduct.
6 The Lovers- The Lovers represent a new breath of life. They symbolize love, devotion and spiritual friendship. Positively associated with desire, new lover, relationships, physical attraction, love, sex, and commitment. Negatively associated with lust, moral lapse, temptation, indecision, seperation, failed love affair, and emotional loss of control.
7 The Chariot- The Chariot symbolozes conflict and victory. It also represents unknown forces pulling you forward quickly. Positively associated with triumph, movement, change, self-belief, assertiveness, and good news. Negatively associated with rage, tyranny, overinflated ego, selfishness, arrogance, delays, and frustration.
8 Justice- This card directly means justice, fairness, and balance. It also has sway over partnerships and legal matters. Positively associated with justice, truth, integrity, balance, arbitration, responsibility, and fairness. Negatively associated with prejudice, injustice, bad judgement, bias, and bad advice.
9 The Hermit- The Hermit is a solitary person, one who looks for answers within and away from others. he represents a time for solitude and peace. Positively associated with introspection, solitude, guidance, advice, and patience. Negatively associated with obstinacy, suspiciousness, fear, impatience, folly, and arrogance.
10 The Wheel of Fortune- The Wheel of Forture is a sign of fates spinning round and round bringing in a new era. It represents the randomness of life and what comes at you. Positively associated with destiny, movement, vision, good luck, new cycle, and synchronicity. Negatively associated with obstacles, temporary bad luck, and unpleasant surprises.
11 Strength- The Strength cards shows the inner resolves you have. It represents the emotional, physical and spiritual strength associated with the situation. Positively associated with strength, willpower, compassion, patience, courage, triumph, and fortitude. Negatively associated with over compensation, fear, inertia, defeat, loss of opportunity, and entropy.
12 The Hanged Man- The Hanged Man symbolizes self-sacrifice and the unaware mind. He is representative of the blind sacrifice that is needed in the situation. Positively associate with transition, flexibility, rebirth, deliverance, and release. Negatively associated with materialism, inflated ego, lack of willpower, easily influenced, and martyrdom.
13 Death- The Death card symbolizes anything but that. It is a card of release and starting over. It represents the absolute, both the end and the beginning. Positively associate with endings, transformation, clearance, and sweeping change. Negatively associated with stagnation, loss of opportunity, loss of friendship, and fear of change.
14 Temperance- The Temperance card is a card of self-control and abstainence. It represents the ability to handle overwhelming circumstances and emotions. Positively associated with harmony, health, moderation, compromise, peace, and self-control. Negatively associated with impatience, lack of foresight, conflict, quarrels, and domestic strife.
15 The Devil- The Devil is the embodiment of primal instincts. Heated emotions runs strong with him, passions devour the mind and self-control is lost. Positively associated with permanance and commitment. Negatively associated with entrapment, lust, greed, ignorance, anger, tyranny, and obsession.
16 The Tower- The Tower shows the crumbling of stability and the breaking down of all things. It represent change, upheaval and unwanted change. Positively associated with re-evaluation, necessary change, and a blessing in disguise. Negatively associated with sudden change, downfall, disruption, and disaster.
17 The Star- The Star is a becon shining through the darkness, a guiding light. It represents renewal of faith, hope and youth. Positively associated with hope, generosity, serenity, wishes coming true, good health, and spiritual awareness. Negatively associated with self-doubt, lack of trust, cynicism,
and pessimism.
18 The Moon- The Moon is a card of hidden and buried emotions. It casts and eerie light over everything. It represents hard travels and a rough inner journey. Positively associated with imagination, unexpected possibilities,
and illumination. Negatively associated with fear, confusion, highly charged emotions, bewilderment, lies, and deceit.
19 The Sun- The Sun shines down on everything, giving warmth, life and joy. The Sun is the light at the end of the tunnel, the source of all that is wished for. Positively associated with happiness, greatness, enlightenment, vitality, good health, love, and fulfillment. Negatively associated with misjudgement, delays, potential failure, and inflated ego.
20 Judgement- Judgement heralds a time of reward. It is the card of wisdom and acceptance. It represents new phases in life and new relationships with the self. Positively associated with rebirth, rejoicing, absolution, new potential, and rewards for past efforts. Negatively associated with guilt, loss, self-reproach, delays, fear, and obstinacy.
21 The World- The World is the end. The arrival of all the desires you hoped for. It is the beginning and the end, the dream, the hope and wish itself. Positively associated with fulfillment, completion, satisfaction, joy, wholeness, and success. Negatively associate with stagnation, lack of will, impatience, and delays.
The Basics of Tarot
