Tarot – The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana cards are numbered from 0 to 21, starting with The Fool and ending with The World. These cards tell a story known as The Fool’s Journey, which is the story of our spiritual evolution from innocence to enlightenment. As we follow The Fool through his adventures, we encounter different characters and situations that teach us valuable lessons about ourselves and the world.

The Major Arcana cards can be seen as milestones or turning points in our life path. They indicate significant events, changes, challenges, or opportunities that have a lasting impact on us. They can also reveal our core values, beliefs, motivations, aspirations, and potential.

In this article, we will explore the meaning and symbolism of each tarot Major Arcana card. We will also learn how to read them effectively and confidently. Whether you are a beginner or an expert, this article will help you deepen your knowledge and understanding of the tarot Major Arcana meaning.

The Fool’s Journey

The Fool’s Journey is a concept that was introduced by Eden Gray in her book A Complete Guide to Tarot (1970). It is a narrative framework that describes the spiritual evolution of a person as depicted by the 22 Major Arcana cards. It is based on the idea that each Major Arcana card represents a stage or a lesson in our life path.

1. The Fool’s Journey begins with The Fool (0), who is young, naive, and adventurous. He has not yet experienced the joys and sorrows of life, and he is eager to explore the world and discover himself. He represents our potential, our curiosity, and our freedom.
2. The Fool then meets The Magician (1), who teaches him how to use his willpower, desire, and creativity to manifest his dreams. He represents our skill, our confidence, and our manifestation.
3. Next, he encounters The High Priestess (2), who shows him how to access his intuition, his subconscious, and his inner wisdom. She represents our mystery, our secrets, and our guidance.
4. Then, he meets The Empress (3), who nurtures him with her abundance, her beauty, and her love. She represents our motherhood, our fertility, and our nature.
5. After that, he faces The Emperor (4), who challenges him with his authority, his structure, and his order. He represents our fatherhood, our stability, and our leadership.
6. Then, he learns from The Hierophant (5), who instructs him on the tradition, the conformity, and the morality of society. He represents our religion, our education, and our ethics.
7. Next, he falls in love with The Lovers (6), who offer him a choice between passion and reason, between duality and union. They represent our love, our partnership, and our harmony.
8. Then, he rides The Chariot (7), who drives him forward with direction, control, and willpower. He represents our movement, our determination, and our victory.
9. After that, he tames Strength (8), who inspires him with courage, compassion, and patience. She represents our inner strength, our self-control, and our confidence.
10. Then, he follows The Hermit (9), who leads him to solitude, introspection, and guidance. He represents our wisdom, our seeking truth, and our contemplation.
11. Next, he spins The Wheel of Fortune (10), who changes his fate with cycles, luck, and destiny. She represents our change, our karma, and our inevitability.
12. Then, he balances Justice (11), who weighs his actions with fairness, truth, and law. She represents our cause and effect, our clarity, and our accountability.
13. After that, he hangs The Hanged Man (12), who sacrifices his perspective for enlightenment, surrender, and letting go. He represents our martyrdom, our release, and our perspective.
14. Then, he transforms Death (13), who ends his cycle with transformation, rebirth, and change. He represents our endings, our beginnings, and our metamorphosis.
15. Next, he mixes Temperance (14), who harmonizes his opposites with moderation, balance, and alchemy. She represents our healing, our integration, and our synthesis.
16. Then, he faces The Devil (15), who tempts him with bondage, materialism, and addiction. He represents our shadow self, our temptation, and our illusion.
17. After that, he escapes The Tower (16), who shocks him with sudden change, upheaval, and crisis. He represents our revelation, our liberation, and our chaos.
18. Then, he heals The Star (17), who soothes him with hope, faith, and inspiration. She represents our optimism, our renewal, and our healing.
19. Next, he dreams The Moon (18), who confuses him with illusion, fear, and anxiety. She represents our subconscious, our intuition, and our dreams.
20. Then, he shines The Sun (19), who enlightens him with joy, happiness, and success. He represents our vitality, our clarity, and our enlightenment.
21. After that, he awakens Judgement (20), who calls him to awakening, rebirth, and forgiveness. He represents our karma, our resurrection, and our acceptance.
22. Finally, he completes The World (21), who fulfills him with completion, wholeness, and achievement. She represents our fulfillment, our wholeness, and our integration.

The Fool’s Journey is a metaphor for our own journey through life. We all start as The Fool, innocent and curious, and we all end as The World, complete and whole. Along the way, we encounter different challenges and opportunities that shape us and help us grow. By understanding the meaning and symbolism of each Major Arcana card, we can learn more about ourselves and our purpose in life.

The Major Arcana Cards

When interpreting the Major Arcana cards in a reading, it is important to consider their symbolic meaning as well as their literal meaning. For example, Death does not necessarily mean physical death; it can also mean an ending, a transition, a transformation, or a rebirth. Likewise, The Sun does not only mean sunshine; it can also mean happiness, joy, success, or enlightenment.

Tarot Major Arcana Meaning

Here is a brief overview of each Tarot Major Arcana card and its meaning:

0. The Fool: innocence, new beginnings, free spirit, adventure, potential
1. The Magician: willpower, desire, creation, manifestation, skill, confidence
2. The High Priestess: intuition, mystery, inner wisdom, subconscious, secrets
3. The Empress: motherhood, fertility, abundance, nature, beauty, nurturing
4. The Emperor: authority, structure, order, stability, fatherhood, leadership
5. The Hierophant: tradition, conformity, morality, ethics, religion, education
6. The Lovers: love, partnership, choice, duality, harmony, balance
7. The Chariot: direction, control, willpower, determination, victory, movement
8. Strength: courage, compassion, patience, inner strength, self-control, confidence
9. The Hermit: solitude, introspection, guidance, wisdom, seeking truth
10. The Wheel of Fortune: change, cycles, fate, destiny, luck, karma
11. Justice: balance, fairness, truth, law, cause and effect, accountability
12. The Hanged Man: sacrifice, surrender, perspective, enlightenment, letting go
13. Death: transformation, endings, beginnings, change, rebirth
14. Temperance: moderation, balance, harmony, alchemy, healing, integration
15. The Devil: temptation, bondage, materialism, addiction, shadow self
16. The Tower: sudden change, upheaval, chaos, crisis, revelation, liberation
17. The Star: hope, faith, healing, inspiration, optimism, renewal
18. The Moon: illusion, fear, anxiety, subconscious, intuition, dreams
19. The Sun: joy, happiness, success, vitality, clarity, enlightenment
20. Judgement: awakening, judgement, rebirth, karma, forgiveness
21. The World: completion, wholeness, achievement, fulfillment

Learning the tarot Major Arcana meaning is an essential step in becoming a proficient tarot reader. The Major Arcana cards are the most powerful and influential cards in the tarot deck. They reveal messages about our core values, beliefs, motivations, aspirations, and potential. They also reflect our inner journey of self-discovery and transformation.

Table 1: Summary of the main attributes and associations of each Tarot Major Arcana card

Exploring Similarities and Contrasts among Major Arcana Tarot Cards

The Major Arcana cards hold immense significance within a Tarot deck, being highly recognizable and impactful. Comprising of 22 cards, they symbolize universal human experiences and provide profound insights into the larger narrative of one’s life and its long-term trajectory. Together, these cards weave a cohesive story centered around The Fool, the deck’s main character, as he encounters various archetypes and situations along his journey. In this section, we delve into a comparative analysis of select Major Arcana cards that share resemblances or divergent meanings, including The Magician and The High Priestess, The Lovers and The Devil, as well as Death and The Tower.

The Magician and The High Priestess

Embarking on the Major Arcana, The Magician and The High Priestess represent the dual aspects of creation, encompassing both the masculine and feminine energies. The Magician epitomizes the card of manifestation, empowering you to transform your ideas into reality by leveraging your skills and willpower. Conversely, The High Priestess embodies the card of intuition, guiding you to access the deep well of wisdom and knowledge residing within. While both cards encourage the utilization of your unique gifts and talents to achieve personal goals, their approaches diverge. The Magician adopts a proactive, outward, and rational stance, while The High Priestess embodies a contemplative, inward, and mystical perspective. When these two cards emerge together during a reading, they signal the importance of maintaining a balance between action and introspection, logic and intuition, as well as the conscious and subconscious aspects of your being.

The Lovers and The Devil

Addressing matters of relationships, choices, and temptations, The Lovers and The Devil are two cards that bear significant relevance. The Lovers epitomize harmony, love, and the exercise of free will, indicating a profound connection with someone or something that brings joy and fulfillment. Conversely, The Devil represents bondage, addiction, and illusory entrapments, suggesting the presence of a harmful pattern or situation that confines either you or others. Although both cards illuminate the existence of a choice, their consequences diverge. The Lovers affirm your ability to select what serves your highest good, while The Devil warns of lower impulses and fears that exert influence. When these two cards manifest together in a reading, caution is advised concerning the pursuit of desires, as they may come at a significant cost.

Death and The Tower

Marking periods of change, transformation, and closure, Death and The Tower hold pivotal roles within the Major Arcana. Death signifies transition, renewal, and rebirth, heralding the end of a particular phase in your life to make way for something new. In contrast, The Tower embodies disruption, upheaval, and revelation, signifying the unsettling or dismantling of elements in your life to expose hidden truths. Although both cards signify a profound shift in your existence, they differ in terms of intensity. Death unfolds gradually, naturally, and as an inevitable part of life, whereas The Tower strikes suddenly, unexpectedly, and with a jarring impact. When these two cards emerge together during a reading, they symbolize a momentous transformation that will profoundly alter your perspective and shape your destiny.