Tarot

The Cards

Tarot

Seventy-eight cards, and a language for the moments words cannot reach. This is your way into tarot: the cards, the spreads, and how to begin reading for yourself.

Start the free Tarot Path course Find your tarot birth card

Begin here

What Is Tarot?

Tarot is a deck of seventy-eight illustrated cards, used for centuries as a mirror for reflection. Each card carries an image and a meaning, and when you draw them and lay them out in a spread, those meanings weave together into a story you can read.

It is not a deck for telling the future. At its best, tarot is a tool for thinking: a way to look at a question from a new angle, to put words to what you already sense, and to sit quietly with yourself. You bring the question; the cards offer a prompt.

The deck

The Structure of the Deck

Major Arcana

22 cards

The big themes and turning points of a life.

Wands

Fire

Passion, drive, creativity and action.

Cups

Water

Emotion, love, intuition and relationships.

Swords

Air

Thought, truth, conflict and clarity.

Pentacles

Earth

Money, work, home and the body.

The 22 Major Arcana carry the headline themes; the 56 Minor Arcana, split into the four suits above, fill in the everyday detail.

Lay the cards

Tarot Spreads

Self-discovery spread

A gentle spread for looking inward.

Decision spread

For clarity when you are torn between two paths.

Month ahead spread

A reading to set the tone for the weeks to come.

More in the Library: the nine-card spread, the dream spread, the health spread and oracle card spreads. Browse every layout in the tarot spreads library.

First reading

How to Read Tarot

Begin simply. Hold your deck and settle on a question, open rather than yes-or-no. Shuffle until it feels right, then draw your cards and lay them in your chosen spread. Look at each card, notice your first response, read its meaning, then let the cards speak to one another. The story lives in the connections.

You do not need to memorise all seventy-eight meanings to start. Pulling a single card a day, read slowly, will teach you more than any book. And when you simply want a quick answer to a single question, our yes or no tarot Tarot Card Combination Reader reading draws one card for a yes, no or maybe.

Go deeper

Learn the Cards

Major Arcana meanings

All 22 cards, from the Fool to the World.

Reversed meanings

What a card means when it falls upside down.

Number meanings

The numerology woven through the deck.

A gentle note

Is Tarot Fortune-Telling?

We do not read tarot to predict a fixed future, and no card can decide your life for you. Tarot is a language of symbols and a prompt for reflection: a way to slow down, ask a real question, and listen to your own wisdom in the mirror of the cards. Take what is useful, and leave the rest.

Questions

Tarot FAQ

How many cards are in a tarot deck?

A tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana, which carry the big life themes, and 56 Minor Arcana, split into four suits of fourteen cards each.

What is the difference between the Major and Minor Arcana?

The Major Arcana are the 22 trump cards, from the Fool to the World, marking the big chapters and turning points. The Minor Arcana are the 56 suit cards, Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, that describe everyday life.

How do I read tarot cards?

Settle on an open question, shuffle, draw your cards and lay them in a spread. Read each card on its own, then notice how they speak to one another. Start with one card a day before working up to larger spreads.

Can I read tarot for myself?

Yes. Many readers only ever read for themselves. A daily card or a simple spread is one of the loveliest ways to reflect, and you do not need anyone's permission to begin.

What do reversed tarot cards mean?

A reversed card, one that falls upside down, usually softens, blocks or turns inward the card's upright meaning. You can also choose to read every card upright while you are learning.

Is tarot fortune-telling?

Not in the way films suggest. Tarot cannot predict a fixed future. It is best used as a mirror for reflection, a prompt to look at a question from a new angle and listen to your own intuition.

Explore more: The Library, Zodiac and Astrology, Crystals and Moon Phases.