General Meaning of Tarot Cards

Tarot is defined as a set of cards that are widely used for telling the fortune of an individual. The origination of these types of cards dates back to 500 years ago. In order to get more familiar with the Tarot cards one has to know the general meaning of each tarot cards. It should be know that these type of cards falls under two sections- Major Arcana and Minor Arcana.

The Major Arcana includes 22 depictions. These depictions are the fool, the magician, the high priestess, the empress, the emperor, the pope, the lovers, the chariot, strength, the hermit, the wheel of fortune, death, the hanged man, death, temperance, the devil, the tower, the star, the moon, the sun, judgement and the world.

Each card holds great significance in a reading. It should be noted that the general meaning of the tarot card also get reversed when the card is drawn in the opposite state. Due to this reason, the meaning of the tarot card at times gets doubled and at times quadrupled.

For providing the overall idea of the tarot cards under Major Arcane let us briefly discuss the general meaning of each Tarot card that fall in this section. The Fool generally point outs decisions and events and when the card is reversed it indicates the changes from positive to negative.

The Magician indicates security, power and imagination and when reversed it means signs of manipulations. The High Priestess stands for virtue, wisdom and knowledge and when it is reversed it symbolizes wastage of skills or talents.

The general meaning of Empress Tarot card refers to an embodiment of accomplishment, action and evolution and when it reversed it means the opposite. Next in the row comes Emperor that marks different effects of confidence, leadership and wealth as well as their antecedents. The Hierophant refers to compassion and mercy. The lovers stand for harmony, optimism and love.

Chariot refers to turmoil, journeys, vengeance and influence. It should also be known that the general meaning of the tarot card also gets affected by its actual orientation when it is placed on spread. Next in the row comes strength that entails energy, conviction and ability. The Hermit refers to caution, prudence and isolation. The Wheel of Fortune stands as a sign of gains, omens and destiny.

It is evident that the general meaning of tarot card includes many facets, reader’s intuition. The location of a card within a particular layout is important for proper evaluation. Then comes Justice comes next, it denotes harmony, equality and balance. Justice is followed by The Hanged man that promotes reversal, sacrifice and suspension.

Then come Death and some of its aspects are death, suspension and bad luck. It is followed by the tarot card Temperance, which refers to refinements of confidence, patience and moderation.

On the other hand, the Devil refers to controversy, destruction and other weird things. Then comes the tower and its aspects are loss and sudden change. It should be kept in mind that the general meaning of Tarot cards can be also modified when given on a spread.

The Moon and its various dealings in disgrace, trickery and deception counterbalance the Star and its dealings in faith, hope and inspiration. The Sun is represented by success, joy and other happy and bright things. Judgement is called rejuvenation and it marks betterment and balance. Last but not the least comes the world that symbolises perfection, completion and triumph.

The general meaning of Tarot cards when taken all together is very vast. It should be taken into account that while considering the meaning of the card an individual should not forget the implication on the reversal as the meaning completely changes when it is reversed.

On the other hand the Minor Arcana comprises of four suits. This includes wands, cups, coins or pentacles and swords. There are a total of 14 cards in these four suits. Cups in this particular suit predict the emotional changes.

The general meaning of Tarot cards under Minor Arcana refer to every lesser events that takes place in an every day life. The number of suits in this section has symbolical importance. During the ancient times it was thought that the world was of made of four elements fire, earth, air and water. Later it was believed that these elements were related to the 4 fixed Zodiac signs- Leo, Taurus, Aquarius and Scorpio.

 The cards in swords suite denote action and agitation. This suit represents force, courage, ambition, misfortune and aggression. Next wands suit signifies creative development and thought. It represented growth, animation, glory and energy. Again the wands are connected with creation, ideas and agriculture.

 Coins or pentacles suit pertains to career, physical comforts and the monetary issues. It denotes industry, material gain and money. Most of the cards in this particular suit show people working and enjoying fruits of hard labour. The Pentacles are described as the disk like coins and includes inscriptions of pentagrams or five pointed stars.

If we compare the general meanings of Tarot cards that categorized under Major Arcana and Minor Arcana we feel that the cards under first section is more powerful than the latter one. The tarot cards under Major Arcane predict major concerns rather than the different course of events in every day life. Most of the ups and downs of the daily life are revealed by the cards under the Minor Arcana.