What do the Tarot cards mean?

Tarot decks are made up of the Major and Minor Arcana cards.

The Minor Arcana cards are divided into two groups – the Pips and the Courts. The Minor Arcana has the same structure as a deck of playing cards. The Minor Arcana uses 4 suits, and each suit is made up of Ace through 10, plus four Court cards.

The Major Arcana cards tend to deal with spiritual ideals or passages. We may face Major Arcana issues as challenges or gateways during our lifetimes. How we deal with these major issues dictates the life lessons that will follow.

Pips and Courts make up the remaining cards. The pip cards represent life lessons. The pips, ace through ten of each suit, usually symbolize mental or physical battles of the mind, heart, and spirit.

The Court cards are 'people' cards. There are sixteen of them, four per suit. These sixteen cards correlate well with the personality traits we find within ourselves or others at different junctures. Therefore, the courts can represent individual people.

Court cards can also suggest personality traits that are beneficial in dealing with a present situation - traits you may want to consider incorporating into your personality (if only for a while) to maneuver skillfully through the latest issue.

When a Court card comes up, consider the possibility that it represents someone you know. If no particular person pops to mind, I read the card as personality traits that will benefit (or thwart) you in the situation.

The court cards are the 'stickiest' cards in the deck. You will find as many ways to read them as you find readers. Over time, you will find a method that works best for you.

Read more about Tarot Symbolism

Tarot Intro
What IS the Tarot?
What do the cards mean?
What is a Tarot spread?
HOW and WHY does the Tarot work?
What kinds of questions can I ask while working with the Tarot?
Can the Tarot tell me WHEN something will happen?
Is a Tarot reading always right?
What does it mean when the reading doesn't seem to answer my question?
Will another reading about the same problem give me the same information?
What kind of information can I obtain from a Tarot reading?
Tarot and Your Future
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