Securing a talented Tarot reader to help you on your spiritual journey can sometimes be tough. There may not be the type of reader you wanted, or perhaps you feel it’s better to facilitate your own Tarot readings. Regardless of the issue, sometimes just doing it yourself is the way to go. However, those little information booklets Tarot decks come with may not always be in-depth enough for you to analyse your readings fully. That’s why we’ve put together a guide detailing the meaning of the Major Arcana cards you may encounter in a Tarot reading. Your card readings are about to become stress-free!
Major Arcana
The Major Arcana in a Tarot deck are essentially in their own 22-card set within the wider deck. They each feature their own unique personality and perspective. The numbering shown correlates to the cards’ numerological placement within the deck.
The Fool
– Upright: freedom, originality, idealism, spontaneity, new beginnings, innocence, adventure
– Reversed: recklessness, naivety, foolishness, carelessness, gullible, distracted
I. The Magician
– Upright: willpower, skill, concentration, resourcefulness
– Reversed: cunning, wasted talent, deception, illusion, manipulation
II. The High Priestess
– Upright: intuition, spirituality, inner voice, mystery, higher power
– Reversed: repressed intuition, confusion, hidden motives, superficiality
III. The Empress
– Upright: sensuality, fertility, creativity, abundance, nature, femininity, nurturing, beauty
– Reversed: insecurity, negligence, lack of progress, overbearing, smothering
IV. The Emperor
– Upright: structure, stability, protection, authority, control, focus, discipline
– Reversed: tyrant, rigid, recklessness, domineering, lack of discipline, stubborn
V. The Hierophant
– Upright: tradition, conformity, knowledge, beliefs, conventionality, education
– Reversed: unconventionality, non-conformity, ignorance, rebellion, new methods
VI. The Lovers
– Upright: love, partnerships, choices, romance, unity, relationships, balance
– Reversed: disharmony, conflict, detachment, indecision, imbalance, bad choices
VII. The Chariot
– Upright: success, determination, control, focus, ambition, willpower, self-discipline
– Reversed: forceful, no control, aggression, no direction, powerless, obstacles
VIII. Strength
– Upright: courage, confidence, inner power, bravery, compassion
– Reversed: self-doubt, low confidence, cowardice, weakness, inadequacy
IX. The Hermit
– Upright: self-reflection, contemplation, solitude , introspection, withdrawal
– Reversed: loneliness, recluse, rejection, isolation, being anti-social
X. Wheel of Fortune
– Upright: change, fate, luck, unexpected events, cycles, decisive moments, fortune
– Reversed: bad luck, clinging to control, delays, lack of control, unwelcome changes
XI. Justice
– Upright: karma, consequence, accountability, law, truth, honesty, integrity
– Reversed: injustice, dishonesty, unfairness, no accountability, retribution, corruption
XII. The Hanged Man
– Upright: sacrifice, uncertainty, perspective, waiting, lack of direction, contemplation
– Reversed: stalling, stagnation, apathy, disinterest, avoiding sacrifice, standstill
XIII. Death
– Upright: transformation, change, letting go, endings, transition, release
– Reversed: fearing change, resisting change, decay, repeat negative patterns, stagnancy
XIV. Temperance
– Upright: balance, patience, calm, tranquillity, serenity, peace, moderation, harmony
– Reversed: imbalance, extremes, recklessness, hastiness, excess, discord
XV. The Devil
– Upright: addiction, dependency, powerlessness, limitations, obsession, excess
– Reversed: independence, revelation, reclaiming control, freedom, release
XVI. The Tower
– Upright: disaster, upheaval, sudden change, chaos, destruction, trauma
– Reversed: averting disaster, resisting change, delaying the inevitable
XVII. The Star
– Upright: hope, positivity, renewal, rejuvenation, inspiration, faith, healing
– Reversed: hopelessness, negativity, despondent, despair, lack of faith
XVIII. The Moon
– Upright: illusion, uncertainty, complexity, unconscious, intuition, confusion, secrets
– Reversed: fear, anxiety, misinterpretation, clarity, deception, misunderstanding
XIX. The Sun
– Upright: happiness, optimism, joy, happiness, truth, success, vitality, confidence
– Reversed: blocked happiness, pessimism, conceitedness, unrealistic expectations
XX. Judgment
– Upright: self-evaluation, renewal, reflection, reckoning, awakening, purpose
– Reversed: self-doubt, self-loathing, lack of self-awareness, failure to learn lessons
XXI. The World
– Upright: completion, fulfilment, wholeness, achievement, belonging, harmony
– Reversed: lack of closure, feeling incomplete, lack of achievement, emptiness
We hope this masterclass in deciphering Major Arcana cards has made your self-reading journey that much easier! Get hold of your own deck to begin your spiritual journey into card readings.