The Meaning of the 22 Major Arcana Tarot Cards

The Meaning of the 22 Major Arcana Tarot Cards - First off let me start off by telling you a little bit of what Tarot is and means. Tarot - any of a set of (usually 78) cards that include 22 cards representing virtues and vices and death and fortune etc.; used by fortunetellers also tarot is used in a game usually called tarok. As your learning your way through the cards and there meanings you will start to notice reoccurring cards pop up in your spread no matter which way you shuffle them. This is due to a pattern that is going on through your life or the person you are reading for. They assume a personal meaning that may not be in line with the textbook definition. If you're relentless, you'll eventually have a highly personal definition for all of the seventy eight cards. And that's what the tarot is really about: What does this card mean to me?

The typical Tarot deck has seventy-eight cards that are divided into he major arcana (22 cards) and the minor arcana (56 cards). A good way to remember the difference between the two different types is to think of the major arcana cards as archetypal events, big issues that concern character and destiny. The minor arcana cards are more concerned with circumstances and behavior and illustrate how the energy of the majors manifest in your daily life.

The majors, numbered from zero to twenty-one, are ports in a journey that begins with the wildly innocent enthusiasm of the Fool and ends with the sophistication and knowledge of the World. These are the most powerful cards in the deck and can sometimes be all you need to know to understand the dynamics in a person's life.

The minors are divided into four suits: wands, cups, swords, and pentacles. They correspond to the four elements, the four personality types, the four seasons. The suits are like the DNA of the minor arcana, the building blocks.

Each suit is numbered from one through ten and has four court cards. The pips, or numbered cards, represent the patterns which the archetypes weave in out lives; the court cards usually represent people or behavior patterns. In some decks you'll find the court cards named something else - the page and knight for instance, are a prince and princess.

The Major Arcana

0. The Fool - Positive associations with this tarot card: new beginnings, optimism, spontaneity, fearlessness, excitement, visionary, joy, inventiveness
Negative associations with this tarot card: naïveté, thoughtlessness, immaturity, lack of responsibility, impulsiveness, lawlessness
Depending on where the card falls in a reading, the Fool could also indicate that your pushing to far, to fast. You may be acting in an unrealistic or irresponsible manner.
Reverse : Warns that the choice made is likely to be foolish.

1. The Magician - Positive associations with this tarot card: action, power, originality, confidence, individuality, willpower, new beginnings, potential
Negative associations with this tarot card: trickery, deception, lack of self-confidence, indecision, abuse of power
In a reading: Seemingly magical influences come into your life and you intuit or invent solutions to your most pressing problems. You take the unconscious energy of the Fool, sculpt it, and direct it to what you want and need.
Reverse : Warns that the use of power or skills for destructive ends will attract bad luck.

2. The High Priestess - Positive associations with this tarot card: intuitiveness, understanding, wisdom, mystery, psychic ability, the divine feminine
Negative associations with this tarot card: lack of intuitiveness, emotional insecurity, secretiveness, hidden obstacles or opponents
In a reading: Something is hidden in your life, a mystery or a secret eludes you. The answer may be found in your memories or dreams of the past. Rely more on intuition than intellect. Remain open to information that flows from your unconscious.
Reverse : Indicates superficial qualities, ignorance, shortsightedness and selfishness. Poor judgment.

3. The Empress - Positive associations with this tarot card: fertility, birth, motherhood, harmony, nature, prosperity, joy, love, artistic ambition
Negative associations with this tarot card: domestic upheaval, emotional blackmail, over-protectiveness, poverty, infertility, unwanted pregnancy, suppressed artistic expression
In a reading: Your life swells with abundance. You're a nurturer who takes in strays, eases other peoples pain, and soothes their anxieties. your openness and receptivity make you a good listener and an excellent counselor. Your home is warm, inviting, and filled with good food. It's also your sanctuary, your sacred place. The Empress often refers to your own mother or someone with maternal traits.
Reverse : Indicates lack of interest, inaction, indecision, possessiveness, jealousy, disruption.

4. The Emperor - Positive associations with this tarot card: achievement, authority, protection, support, trustworthy, discipline, provider, consolidation, reason, willpower
Negative associations with this tarot card: weakness, immaturity, failed ambition, status driven, tyrannical, untrustworthy
In a reading: Something you desire is starting to appear in your life, even if you can't see it yet. Your greatest strength is the power of your will. You view every obstacle as a challenge. Through visualization and affirmations, you make your intentions and desires clear and the universe responds. The more focused your intent, the faster the manifestation. Don't be obnoxious about what you're striving for; others may not see things as you do.
Reverse - Immaturity, tendency to be gullible, weakness of character.

5. The Hierophant - Positive associations with this tarot card: advice, wise counsel, spiritual consolation, knowledge, identification, faith, conformity, tradition
Negative associations with this tarot card: misinformation, lack of faith, deviousness, bad advice, confusion, disorderly conduct
In a reading: You come up against the powers that be- whether religious, corporate, or family. This clash of belief systems helps you clarify your own position. A counselor, pastor, teacher, or parent offers orthodox advice or guidance that drives you nuts. Ultimately, you make your own decision and find a way to incorporate your ideas into the existing structure.
Reverse - Foolish over-generosity, vulnerability, openness to new ideas.

6. The Lovers - Positive associations with this tarot card: desire, new lover, relationships, physical attraction, love, sex, commitment
Negative associations with this card: lust, moral lapse, temptation, indecision, separation, failed love affair, emotional loss
In a reading: A new relationship is just around the corner or a current relationship is about to go through big changes. You feel divided about a major issue or relationship in your life. Your heart whispers one tale, your head screams another.
Reverse -Quarrels, separation, frustration,

7. The Chariot - Positive associations with this tarot card: triumph, movement, change, self-belief, assertiveness, good news
Negative associations with this tarot card: rage, tyranny, overinflated ego, selfishness, arrogance, delays, frustration
In a reading: A journey. It can be a spiritual journey of self discovery or an actual trip, usually by car. Either way, you're in the driver's seat and you create your own destiny through your actions. A new car is a distinct possibility. You may move to another house or apartment within the same general area where you now live.
Reverse - Failure in carrying out a project, defeat. Not facing reality.

8. Strength - Positive associations with this tarot card: strength, willpower, compassion, patience, courage, triumph, fortitude
Negative associations with this tarot card: cowardice, fear, inertia, defeat, loss of opportunity
In a reading: You have the ability to deal with whatever life brings. Draw on your enormous energy to breakthrough and overcome obstacles. You seize control of your own destiny and move forward with your plans. By cultivating inner fortitude, you attract the contacts and opportunities you need.
Reverse - Weakness, impotency, sickness. Lack of faith.

9. Hermit - Positive associations with this tarot card: introspection, solitude, guidance, advice, patience
Negative associations with this tarot card: obstinacy, suspiciousness, fear, impatience, folly, arrogance
In a reading: The period of solitude you've been in is nearing completion. Tie loose ends. finish projects. and plan ahead for the next phase. You attend workshops, lectures, and take courses that help you achieve your goals. This can include returning to college or enrolling in graduate school after a long hiatus. Travel is related to metaphysics and education.
Reverse : Denotes an inability to mature and deepen ones wisdom.

10. The Wheel of Fortune - Positive associations with this tarot card: destiny, movement, vision, good luck, new cycle, synchronicity
Negative associations with this tarot card: obstacles, temporary bad luck, unpleasant surprises
In a reading: You've reached a turning point in your life. The hub of the wheel relates to stability, but the outer rim portends change, taking a gamble. Take your cues from unexpected events and synchronicities; the fates are trying to coax you in a new direction. Although you're free to resist, you profit by going with the flow, whatever it is.
Reverse - The quality of your involvement will be your reward.

11. Justice - Positive associations with this tarot card: justice, truth, integrity, balance, arbitration, responsibility, fairness
Negative associations with this tarot card: prejudice, injustice, bad judgement, bias, bad advice
In a reading: Your legal problems wane; a judgement is in your favor. However. you daily life activities may be suspended until a judgement is reached. What you've waited for materializes, conflicts are resolved, harmony reigns. You get what you believe you deserve and experience the world as an echo of your own thoughts and action. When you deal fairly with others in good conscience, you receive a fair deal in return.
Reversed - Bias. False accusations, injustice, lack of balance.

12. The Hanged Man - Positive associations with this tarot card: transition, flexibility, rebirth, deliverance, release
Negative associations with this tarot card: materialism, inflated ego, lack of willpower, easily influenced, martyrdom
In a reading: Adjust your point of view, reverse your established order of doing things. The decision you're waiting for is delayed. Make an effort to avoid victim consciousness; this standstill isn't permanent. You're stuck in a rut because of rigid ideas ans fixed concepts. If no one seems to agree with you it may be because others have moved on and you have not. Release ideas ans associations that are obsolete.
Reverse - Failure to give of ones self. Egotistical approach.

13. Death - Positive associations with this tarot card: endings, transformation, clearance, sweeping change
Negative associations with this tarot card: stagnation, loss of opportunity, loss of friendship, fear of change
In a reading: Are you afraid of the future? Do you have a compulsion to cling to old situation no matter what the cost? If so, then expect a complete turnaround. Superficial changes aren't enough now; the old situation must be turned inside out. The devastating changes you experience seem so hopeless you nearly surrender to despair. Then, quite suddenly, your situation improves. You can breathe again.
Reverse -Stagnation, immobility, lethargy. Narrowly avoiding a serious accident.

14. Temperance - Positive associations with this tarot card: harmony, health, moderation, compromise, peace, self-control
Negative associations with this tarot card: impatience, lack of foresight, conflict, quarrels, domestic strife
In a reading: Tranquility comes to you through your ability to maintain harmony and balance by the successful blending of opposites. You're learning to temper justice with compassion, success with failure, joy with sorrow. Moderation in all things is required. Compromise and tolerance for opinions different from your own take you a long way. This doesn't mean you must surrender yourself to someone else's agenda.
Reverse - Discord, disunion, conflict of interest.

15. The Devil - Positive associations with this tarot card: permanence, commitment
Negative associations with this tarot card: entrapment, lust, greed, ignorance, anger, tyranny, obsession
In a reading: Are you a passive chooser rather than an active chooser? If you let life's events make decisions for you then you are passively choosing, trapped in inertia and feelings of helplessness. Take charge of your own life and "choose to choose." The Devil can be exorcised by changing the patterns of behavior of thinking that keep you in a master/slave situation.
Reverse - Possibility of spiritual understanding. Throwing off the shackles. Release.

16. The Tower - Positive associations with this tarot card: re-evaluation, necessary change, a blessing in disguise
Negative associations with this tarot card: sudden change, downfall, disruption, disaster
In a reading: This is a wake-up call. A violent upheaval is in the offing. It may be something as weird as your house being struck by lightning or an unexpected and shattering as your spouse announcing that he or she is leaving. Even though this card portends surprising events, it's actually about sweeping your life clean.
Belief systems crumble, routines break down, and for a period of time you're adrift, in transition. Then new doors open, new chapters begin, and you're ushered into a new phase whether you're ready or not.
Reverse - Entrapment in an unhappy situation. Following old ways.

17. The Star - Positive associations with this tarot card: hope, generosity, serenity, wishes coming true, good health, spiritual awareness
Negative associations with this tarot card: self-doubt, lack of trust, cynicism, pessimism
In a reading: Everything works the way it should. Your life achieves wholeness, unity. Now you must show confidence and belief in your goals. Begin with a gesture that illustrates your belief, then work to refine the belief itself. What you're starting or planning today will reach far into the future. You're on the right track, your plans are about to bear fruit. Indecision and inner conflict are now resolved.
Reverse - Illness, unfulfilled hopes, bad luck.

18. The Moon - Positive associations with this tarot card: imagination, unexpected possibilities, illumination
Negative associations with this tarot card: fear, confusion, highly charged emotions, bewilderment, lies, deceit
In a reading: You haven't been sleeping well; you may be worried about your family. Feelings of anxiety and insecurity haunt you. Someone that you thought you could count on has let you down, perhaps even deceived you. Mystery permeates your relationships. Face your fears in order to discover what is real and what is illusion.
Reverse - Peace will come after a difficult period

19. The Sun - Positive associations with this tarot card: happiness, greatness, enlightenment, vitality, good health, love, fulfillment
Negative associations with this tarot card: misjudgement, delays, potential failure, inflated ego
In a reading: You feel empowered because your goals seem clearer than they've ever been. You embrace your destiny and realize you've created it. By saying yes to opportunity, your life opens into new vistas. Be magnanimous and forgiving to other people. You can afford to be generous now that victory is assured.
Reverse -Uncertainty of future plans, loss of something of value.

20. Judgement - Positive associations with this tarot card: rebirth, rejoicing, absolution, new potential, rewards for past efforts
Negative associations with this tarot card: guilt, loss, self-reproach, delays, fear, obstinacy
In a reading: Release the past and start fresh. This means pay off old debts, take responsibility for your life, and stop blaming and judging others.Happiness doesn't lie outside of yourself. Honestly review your past actions, consider how you have used or misused your opportunities, then envision your future as you wish it to be. Once you do this, your life changes for the better. The ideas that you hold firmly in your consciousness eventually appear in physical reality.
Reverse - Delay, disappointment. Health warnings.

21. The World - Positive associations with this tarot card: fulfillment, completion, satisfaction, joy, wholeness, success
Negative associations with this tarot card: stagnation, lack of will, impatience, delays
In a reading: Completion, success, fulfillment. You're ready to reap your rewards and move on to a new phase. If you've been working on a long- term project that seems like it will never end, be assured that the conclusion is near. Don't assume that your ultimate goal in life has been attained. This card symbolizes peak experiences where you move a step closer toward becoming who you really are. This is an intermediate period in which you may enjoy your triumphs before you begin again as the Fool. The World dancer serves as a reminder that the journey is the true goal.
Reverse - Fear of change, failure to complete venture. Lack of vision.

I hope these meanings will help you to achieve your own meanings of the 22 Major Arcana Tarot Cards!

http://www.free-tarot-reading.net/meanings/index.php
http://www.psychic-mystic.com/how-to-read-tarot-cards.html