Introduction (Major Arcana)

The Major Arcana are the best known cards in the Tarot, and arguably the most important. Some practitioners tend to center their readings around cards of the Major Arcana, either by laying down one of these cards and drawing others around it, or by focusing on any cards of the Major Arcana that appear. In the game of Tarot, these cards are trump cards. They have the power to change the game.

The Story of the Major Arcana

There are varying takes on the Major Arcana. Some say it is a story of a journey, our primordial journey, our journey to spiritual fulfillment, or the journey of The Fool (0), all of which may be one and the same. The story begins with The Fool (0) and ends in The World (21). Some practitioners arrange the “arcs” of the Major Arcana by dividing them into three groups of seven, with The Fool (0) off to the side:

	First Set	Second Set	Third Set
0. The Fool	1. The Magician	8. Strength	15. The Devil
	2. The High Priestess	9. The Hermit	16. The Tower
	3. The Empress	10. The Wheel of Fortune	17. The Star
	4. The Emperor	11. Justice	18. The Moon
	5. The Hierophant	12. The Hanged Man	19. The Sun
	6. The Lovers	13. Death	20. Judgment
	7. The Chariot	14. Temperance	21. The World

Once you have a sense of the cards, it can be a good exercise to lay the cards out in this arrangement and look at the similarities in the symbolism and meanings of the cards.

The Energies of the Major Arcana

The cards of the Major Arcana have energies associated with them. Just as each suit of the Minor Arcana has an associated elemental energy, so the Major Arcana has elements associated with each card.

By Number
By Element

#	Card	Energy
0	The Fool	Air
1	The Magician	Air or Earth*
2	The High Priestess	Water
3	The Empress	Earth
4	The Emperor	Fire
5	The Hierophant	Earth
6	The Lovers	Air
7	The Chariot	Water
8	Strength	Fire
9	The Hermit	Earth
10	The Wheel of Fortune	Fire
11	Justice	Air
12	The Hanged Man	Water
13	Death	Water
14	Temperance	Fire
15	The Devil	Earth
16	The Tower	Fire
17	The Star	Air
18	The Moon	Water
19	The Sun	Fire
20	Judgment	Fire or Water**
21	The World	Earth

*Benebell Wen’s book argues that the Magician has an Earth energy, while Liz Dean suggests Air.

** Benebell Wen’s book suggests Fire or Water, while Liz Dean suggests Fire alone.

Knowing these elements can be helpful both for understanding the energy of the card and for interpreting readings where different energies may be dominant or conflicting.

Learning the Major Arcana

Each card in the Major Arcana has its own energy, its own story, and its own general vibe. There are some great books with a lot of detail on the symbolism of the Major Arcana, and this is not one of them. This site contains shorthand and basic interpretation of the cards to get you started quickly. Spend some time with each of the cards to get a sense of what you think of them, and how they manifest in your own life. And, if you like, pick up one of these great books for more details:

Holistic Tarot by Benebell Wen
The Ultimate Guide to Tarot by Liz Dean
Wild Card by Jen Cownie and Fiona Lensvelt
78 Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack