Major Arcana cards and their meanings

What the Major Arcana are

A tarot deck has 78 cards in two parts. The 56 Minor Arcana are organized into four suits, much like ordinary playing cards. The 22 Major Arcana sit outside the suits. Each has its own name, number and image, and each represents an archetype: a pattern of experience that almost everyone meets at some point, such as The Lovers, Death or The Star.

The cards began as the trumps of a fifteenth-century Italian card game. Their use for reflection and divination grew from the late eighteenth century, and the meanings most readers use today come from the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith and published in 1909. Each card carries an astrological attribution from that tradition, shown in the list below.

All 22 Major Arcana cards

• 
  0. The Fool · Uranus · new beginnings, spontaneity, trust in the path

  Upright: A fresh start calls for openness and courage, even before you can see where the road will lead.

  Reversed: Either fear is keeping you at the edge, or haste is carrying you past warnings worth hearing.

• 
  I. The Magician · Mercury · manifestation, skill, focused will

  Upright: You have the tools and the skill to make something real; focused intention turns potential into action.

  Reversed: Talent is present but misdirected, doubted or used to persuade rather than to build something honest.

• 
  II. The High Priestess · Moon · intuition, inner knowing, mystery

  Upright: Quiet inner knowing holds the answer; listen beneath the surface before you act or speak.

  Reversed: Your intuition is being drowned out by noise, or important information is being hidden or held back.

• 
  III. The Empress · Venus · abundance, nurturing, creativity

  Upright: Growth, comfort and creative abundance flourish when you nurture yourself and what you care about.

  Reversed: Nurturing energy is blocked or overextended, leaving you depleted, smothering, or cut off from your own creativity.

• 
  IV. The Emperor · Aries · structure, authority, leadership

  Upright: Clear structure, steady leadership and responsible decisions create the stability your goals need.

  Reversed: Authority has become rigid or controlling, or structure is missing where discipline would truly help.

• 
  V. The Hierophant · Taurus · tradition, shared values, mentorship

  Upright: Established wisdom, trusted teachers and shared traditions offer guidance and a sense of belonging.

  Reversed: Conventional rules feel confining, inviting you to question inherited beliefs and find your own path.

• 
  VI. The Lovers · Gemini · love and union, alignment, meaningful choice

  Upright: A meaningful union or choice asks you to align your heart, your values and your actions.

  Reversed: Values and desires are out of sync, creating tension in a relationship or a choice you keep avoiding.

• 
  VII. The Chariot · Cancer · determination, willpower, victory

  Upright: Focused willpower and self-discipline carry you past obstacles toward a hard-won victory.

  Reversed: Momentum stalls when competing impulses pull in different directions or force replaces steady control.

• 
  VIII. Strength · Leo · inner strength, gentle courage, patience

  Upright: Quiet courage and patient compassion tame what force alone never could, inside you and around you.

  Reversed: Fear or frustration is getting the upper hand, and you may be forgetting how resilient you really are.

• 
  IX. The Hermit · Virgo · introspection, solitude, inner guidance

  Upright: Stepping back into solitude and reflection lights the way toward wisdom that is truly your own.

  Reversed: Solitude has tipped into isolation, or you are avoiding the inner work that would bring clarity.

• 
  X. Wheel of Fortune · Jupiter · change, cycles, turning points

  Upright: Life is turning, bringing a new cycle and opportunities that reward those willing to move with change.

  Reversed: A cycle is turning against you or repeating, and resisting it only makes the transition harder.

• 
  XI. Justice · Libra · fairness, truth, accountability

  Upright: Truth and fairness prevail when you weigh the facts honestly and take responsibility for your choices.

  Reversed: Something is out of balance, whether through unfair treatment, self-deception or avoiding responsibility.

• 
  XII. The Hanged Man · Neptune · surrender, pause, new perspective

  Upright: A willing pause and a change of viewpoint reveal what striving alone could never show you.

  Reversed: Delay has turned into stalling, or you are sacrificing yourself without the insight that would make it worthwhile.

• 
  XIII. Death · Scorpio · endings, transformation, transition

  Upright: A chapter is ending so that something truer can begin; release what has run its course.

  Reversed: Holding on to what is already over keeps you stuck between an old life and a new one.

• 
  XIV. Temperance · Sagittarius · balance, moderation, patience

  Upright: Patience and careful blending of opposites create balance, healing and a sustainable path forward.

  Reversed: Excess, impatience or conflicting pulls are disrupting your balance and calling for gentle recalibration.

• 
  XV. The Devil · Capricorn · attachment, temptation, unhealthy patterns

  Upright: An attachment, habit or fear has more hold on you than it should, though the chains are looser than they look.

  Reversed: You are beginning to see the chains clearly and loosen them, reclaiming choices you thought you had lost.

• 
  XVI. The Tower · Mars · sudden change, upheaval, revelation

  Upright: A sudden shake-up topples what was built on shaky ground, clearing the way for honest rebuilding.

  Reversed: Upheaval is being resisted or delayed, or the collapse is happening inwardly rather than in the world.

• 
  XVII. The Star · Aquarius · hope, renewal, healing

  Upright: After hardship, hope and quiet renewal return; trust that healing is underway and a brighter future is possible.

  Reversed: Hope feels dim and faith is shaken, but the light hasn’t gone out; it needs reconnecting and gentle care.

• 
  XVIII. The Moon · Pisces · illusion, intuition, uncertainty

  Upright: Things are not entirely as they seem; trust your intuition while moving carefully through uncertainty.

  Reversed: Confusion is beginning to lift, fears are easing, and what was hidden is slowly coming into the light.

• 
  XIX. The Sun · Sun · joy, success, vitality

  Upright: Warmth, clarity and genuine success shine on you, bringing joy and confidence in being exactly who you are.

  Reversed: Joy is still present but partly clouded by doubt, delay or an overly bright attitude that ignores real details.

• 
  XX. Judgement · Pluto · awakening, reckoning, renewal

  Upright: A clear awakening calls you to rise, reckon honestly with the past, and answer a deeper calling.

  Reversed: Harsh self-judgment or fear keeps you from answering a call to change that you can already hear.

• 
  XXI. The World · Saturn · completion, fulfillment, integration

  Upright: A major cycle comes to a fulfilling close, bringing wholeness, achievement and readiness for what comes next.

  Reversed: Something is nearly complete but not quite finished; loose ends or reluctance are delaying the closure you need.

The Fool’s journey

Read in order, the Major Arcana tell a story. The Fool, card 0, is the traveler, and the other 21 cards are the people and lessons met along the way. A common way to read the journey splits the cards after The Fool into three rows of seven.

I to VII: the outer world

The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot. The traveler learns to act in the world: will and intuition, nurture and structure, tradition, love and the drive to move forward. These cards are about building an identity.

VIII to XIV: the inner world

Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance. The journey turns inward: courage, solitude, chance, fairness, surrender and endings, then the patient blending of Temperance. These cards are about character, and what remains when circumstances change.

XV to XXI: the larger picture

The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement, The World. Attachment, upheaval, hope, uncertainty, joy, reckoning and completion. These cards are about meaning: what a life adds up to. The World closes the cycle, and The Fool begins it again.

Reading Major Arcana in a spread

• Weight. A Major Arcana card carries more weight than the Minor cards around it. In a three-card reading with one Major, that card is usually the keynote.
• Many Majors. When half or more of a spread is Major Arcana, the situation is a significant chapter, and its lessons will outlast the immediate question.
• No Majors. A spread with no Major Arcana points to everyday matters where your own choices carry the most influence.
• Reversed Majors. A reversed Major Arcana card shows the lesson resisted, delayed or turned inward. The theme is still present; it is asking for attention.

Every reading on Solacely notes how many Major Arcana cards came up and what that weight means for your spread. Try a three-card reading to see it in practice.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading