22 cards

Major Arcana Tarot Card Meanings

Twenty-two cards for the big themes of a life, from the Fool's first step to the World's completion. When several of them appear in one reading, it is about something that matters deeply. Read in order, they tell one story, often called the Fool's Journey.

The 22 Major Arcana cards give you pictures for broad experiences such as beginning, belonging, choosing, changing, and finding a sense of completion. Start with a theme you recognize, then read the cards around it to see how their meanings differ. Strength explores patient courage, The Hermit makes space for reflection, and Justice asks about fairness and accountability. These themes can help you describe what feels important in your life and consider how you want to respond.

One modern study aid, the Fool's Journey, treats the numbered sequence as a story of experience and growth. You can place the Fool beside three rows of seven, from the Magician through the Chariot, Strength through Temperance, and the Devil through the World. Compare neighboring cards and notice changes in mood, action, and perspective. The Major Arcana has no single suit element. The Golden Dawn tradition that informs the Rider-Waite-Smith deck gives individual major cards their own correspondences.

Patterns that help you learn

The Fool opens with possibility, while the Magician brings intention into action.
Strength's patient courage and the Chariot's focused discipline offer different approaches to effort.
The Hanged Man pauses for perspective, Death releases an ending, and Temperance seeks balance.
The Tower's upheaval is followed by the Star's hope and renewal in deck order.
The World gathers themes of completion, wholeness, and integration.
Three rows of seven, with the Fool set aside, provide a modern study aid for comparing the sequence.

All 22 Major Arcana cards

Learn the Major Arcana step by step

The free course gives the Major Arcana a lesson of its own: the Major Arcana as one long journey, read in three rows. After that, reading the picture shows how to meet any card with your eyes before the book, and reversed cards covers the upside-down meanings above. To practice, test yourself with the flashcards or keep the printable cheat sheet beside your deck.