If you have ever pulled a card like The Tower or The Star and wondered why it felt so weighty, you have met the Major Arcana. This guide has the Major Arcana explained in plain language: what these cards are, how they are organised, and how to begin working with them in your own practice.
What Is the Major Arcana?
A standard tarot deck holds 78 cards, split into two parts. The Minor Arcana has 56 cards across four suits and tends to reflect everyday events and moods. The Major Arcana has 22 cards, numbered 0 to 21, and is usually read as the big themes of a life: turning points, lessons, archetypes and long-running patterns.
The word arcana comes from a Latin root meaning secrets or mysteries. Many readers treat these cards as a symbolic language for reflection rather than a way to predict a fixed future. That is how we present them here: as a tradition and a tool for personal insight.
The Fool's Journey: A Story in 22 Steps
A popular way to learn these cards is the Fool's Journey. The Fool (card 0) begins as an innocent traveller and meets each following card as a stage of growth, ending with The World. Reading the cards as a story makes them far easier to remember than memorising 22 separate meanings.
Cards 0 to 7: Beginnings and Building the Self
- The Fool (0): new starts, curiosity, a leap of trust.
- The Magician (1): willpower, skill and using the tools you have.
- The High Priestess (2): intuition, mystery and inner knowing.
- The Empress (3): nurturing, abundance, creativity.
- The Emperor (4): structure, authority, boundaries.
- The Hierophant (5): tradition, teaching, shared belief.
- The Lovers (6): choices, values and relationships.
- The Chariot (7): determination and direction.
Cards 8 to 14: Testing and Reflection
- Strength (8): quiet courage, patience, compassion.
- The Hermit (9): solitude, searching, inner guidance.
- Wheel of Fortune (10): cycles, change and timing.
- Justice (11): fairness, cause and effect, honesty.
- The Hanged Man (12): pause, surrender, a new perspective.
- Death (13): endings and transformation, rarely literal.
- Temperance (14): balance, blending, moderation.
Cards 15 to 21: Shadow, Release and Completion
- The Devil (15): attachments, habits and what binds us.
- The Tower (16): sudden change and fallen illusions.
- The Star (17): hope, renewal, quiet inspiration.
- The Moon (18): dreams, uncertainty, the subconscious.
- The Sun (19): joy, clarity, vitality.
- Judgement (20): reflection, awakening, a call to renew.
- The World (21): completion, integration, a cycle closing.
How to Read Major Arcana Cards
When several Major Arcana cards appear in one spread, many readers take it as a sign that the question touches something significant. A few simple habits help:
- Start with one card. Draw a single card each morning and note how it speaks to your day.
- Look before you look up. Describe the colours, figures and symbols first, then check a guidebook.
- Consider reversals gently. A reversed card may suggest an inward, blocked or delayed expression of the theme. Reading upright only is perfectly valid.
- Keep the meaning open. Death rarely means literal death, and The Devil is more about patterns than evil.
Keep a Tarot Journal
Write down each card you draw, your first impression and what happened afterwards. Over a few months you will build a personal vocabulary that no book can give you. Many practitioners keep this in a notebook or alongside their handmade Books of Shadows, and a dedicated section for tarot is a lovely addition.
A note on ritual setup: if you like to read by candlelight or with incense, never leave flames unattended, keep them away from your cards and paper, and consider allergies, pets and anyone who is pregnant before burning smoke or resins. Tarot is for reflection and inspiration, and it is not a substitute for professional medical, legal or financial advice.
Learn More and Explore
If you would like a guided perspective, you can explore online tarot readings, or browse Wiccan and witchcraft books for deeper study. We would love for you to wander through the shop and find what speaks to your path.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards are in the Major Arcana?
There are 22, numbered 0 (The Fool) to 21 (The World). Some decks swap the order of Strength and Justice, so check your deck's numbering.
Should beginners learn the Major Arcana first?
Many people do, because the cards have strong imagery and a clear storyline. Others begin with the whole deck. Either approach works, so follow your curiosity.
Does a Major Arcana card always mean something big?
Not necessarily. These cards often point to a significant theme, but how it shows up depends on your question, the surrounding cards and your own intuition.
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