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Tarot Minor Arcana Cheat Sheet
there are 56 cards in the minor arcana, and many tarot beginners think they have to memorize them all individually, which sounds very difficult and mystifying. you don’t! you only need these 18 concepts to get the gist of any one card in the minor arcana: 4 suits, 10 numbers, 4 court cards. in fact, understanding the symbolic underpinnings of the minor arcana will make your readings stronger and more confident 💛
Suits
💧Cups - associated with the element of water, cups represent the sphere of emotion. often when cups cards show up, they hold information on our relationships and our emotional endeavors. they help us parse out our feelings and how we express them
🌲Pentacles - associated with the element of earth, pentacles represent material and corporeal concerns. pentacles card often hold information on our wealth and finances, as well our concrete achievements in career and power. these cards are about resources and how we use them
💨Swords - associated with the element of air, swords represent logic, reasoning and rhetoric. when swords cards appear, they are often about our attitudes and beliefs, knowledge and how we apply it. they call us to focus on our arguments, rationalizations and communications
🔥Wands - associated with the element of fire, wands represent our actions and passions. when wands cards appear, your motivations, impulses and efforts are in question. these cards have to do with our spirituality, ego, individuality, whatever makes us tick.
Numbers
these cards represent situations or environments on your path. often these cards show you circumstances that are beyond your control, but they usually present you with a choice to make on your journey
1 (Ace) - the start of the journey. these cards are usually about opportunity or potential. you may be beginning from nothing, but from where you stand, the sky is the limit
2 - the first steps along the path, where you face your first decisions. these cards often represent a choice of where to allocate efforts or resources, an uncertainty of results, a crossroads and need for balance
3 - the work is underway. 3′s are about group dynamics, either juggling many people or many circumstances. when these cards show up, there are a lot of variables which can come together constructively, or destructively divide
4 - a point of stability. the building efforts of 1, 2 and 3 manifest in 4. it’s not the top of the hill, but it represents an endeavor that is nurtured and builds a strong foundation. perhaps a plateau has been reached
5 - a jarring shift. no journey is complete without trials. in 5′s we feel the winds of change. these cards often represent a loss and herald, at the very least, a change in circumstances
6 - retreat, licking your wounds. having experienced the shift in circumstances from 5, we must now make internal adjustments in order to move forward. these cards call you to re-evaluate before you can grow
7 - reflection, gathering resources for another push. we have learned from the path thus far. in 7′s we distance ourselves from the situation and recharge. we are building the knowledge and faith to push into the unknown
8 - a strong step forward. with everything we have learned, the actions taken under 8′s are bound to bear fruit. these cards represent conclusive actions taken with the goal in mind
9 - attainment, reaping rewards. 9′s are true manifestation. whatever has been sown in the journey behind us will now be reaped. we must accept the benefits or the consequences of our choices thus far
10 - the renewal of the cycle, moving on. nothing in the tarot truly ends, only comes full circle. every ending is the beginning of something new. 10′s bear the weight of the distance traveled and the trials yet to come.
Court Cards
these cards represent people more easily than they do situations. most actions a person can take fall nicely into one of these categories
👶🏾Page - optimistic, naive, unfocused energy of the suit. the page is unconcerned with or unaware of the trials of their chosen path. they approach the suit with a fresh and inspired energy. they dream of an idealized form of the suit, without care for challenges they might face. they’ll cross that bridge when they get there!
🏹Knight - applied, targeted use of the suit. the knight forges ahead using the suit as a tool. they don’t think through the consequences of their actions, merely how they can act or react using the suit’s energy. the knight’s actions are unbalanced, and outcomes can be hard to predict. single-minded focus on the suit may yield benefits or consequences.
👸🏾Queen - nurturing, growth-oriented proficiency in the suit. the queen leads by example, embodying the energy of the suit to nurture others and help them to grow. they are full of wisdom and experience in their suit, and readily use these gifts to help others. they bring guidance to people on all steps of their journey, with a gentle touch and a self-sufficient grace.
🤴🏾King - authoritative, even-handed mastery of the suit. the king dominates the suit. they hold all the wisdom and experience of the queen, and use it to impose order on the world. the king has the power to provide for others, to guide them through instruction. they know what is best for you and have the resources and authority to make it so.
it is also very important to always reference the deck’s guidebook, which should ideally give you information on why the illustrations were chosen and what they mean to the author
TAROT CHEAT SHEET #1
MAJOR ARCANA
0. THE FOOL | blank slate, beginning, innocence ®* | reckless, negligence, unaware of consequences 1. THE MAGICIAN | willpower, manifestation of desires ® | trickery, illusions, lies, out of touch w/ truth 2. THE HIGH PRIESTESS | intuition, inner voice ® | repressed/unheard inner voice 3. THE EMPRESS | mother figure, nurture, earth/nature ® | smothering, dependence, needing to let go 4. THE EMPEROR | authority, structure, control, father figure ® | tyranny, too much control 5. THE HIEROPHANT | tradition, conformity, morality ® | rebellion, subversiveness, divergence 6. THE LOVERS | union, duality, choice, harmony ® | disharmony, loss of balance 7. THE CHARIOT | self-control & willpower leading to victory ® | loss of control, lack of direction 8. STRENGTH | bravery, inner understanding that radiates power ® | self-doubt, insecurity, weakness 9. THE HERMIT | solitude, contemplation, seeking inner truth ® | loneliness, isolation, disconnect w/ fellow humans 10. WHEEL OF FORTUNE | change, cycles, inevitability ® | bad luck, helplessness, series of bad events 11. JUSTICE | cause & effect, karmic retribution ® | unpunished misbehavior, unfair, turning a blind eye 12. THE HANGED MAN | willing sacrifice, release of control ® | stalling, needless sacrifice, waiting to no avail 13. DEATH | end, cyclical closure, metamorphosis ® | fear of change, stagnation, limbo, holding on 14. TEMPERANCE | moderation, balance, middle path ® | extremes, excess, lack of balance 15. THE DEVIL | materialism, destructive patterns, excess ® | freedom, release, restoring control 16. THE TOWER | sudden disaster, upheaval, collapse ® | delaying inevitable disaster, avoiding suffering that could lead to growth 17. THE STAR | hope, faith, guidance ® | faithlessness, lack of guidance, negative thoughts 18. THE MOON | unconscious, intuition, illusions, dreams ® | confusion, misinterpretation 19. THE SUN | success, clarity, positivity, conscious ® | negativity, depression, sadness, pessimism 20. JUDGEMENT | reckoning, honest evaluation of oneself ® | lack of self-awareness, self-loathing 21. THE WORLD | completion, wholeness, fulfillment ® | incompletion, no closure, nearing end of journey but something is missing
*® = reverse card meaning*® = reverse card meaning
Tarot Cheat Sheet #1 - Major Arcana
Tarot Cheat Sheet #2 - Wands
Tarot Cheat Sheet #3 - Cups
Tarot Cheat Sheet #4 - Swords
Tarot Cheat Sheet #5 - Pentacles
Tarot cheat sheets!
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