In this chapter you will learn the meanings I use for the fifty-six Minor Arcana cards. In the pack I use, the suit of Wands is called Rods. And when it comes to the shorthand and traditional definitions, I have found over the years that if the traditional definitions work just fine with my system, I’m calling them shorthand and leaving it at that. As I said, I stand on the shoulders of masters; there’s no need to try and reinvent a perfect wheel. Also, not all of my cards have literally opposite meanings when upright or reversed. Some reverses introduce totally new concepts. The shorthand definitions are the ones I usually apply and are listed in my own order of priority. Finally, as with the Major Arcana, I don’t have tips for every Minor card. If you refer to the lists of card combinations that come later in the book, that should be enough to learn from.
To use an analogy, if the Major Arcana can be compared to a big thing, like a year, then the Minor Arcana can be compared to a small thing, like a day.
There are fifty-six Minor Arcana cards. These are comparable to a Texas Hold’em poker deck, with the addition of four Knights. Also, in tarot, we see Pages instead of Jacks in the Court Cards. And as with regular playing cards, the Minor Arcana is divided into four suits: Cups (hearts), Pentacles (diamonds), Rods/Wands (clubs), and Swords (spades).
Because this is so, I was able to read cards using a regular poker deck for a long time, until I lost my fear of tarot and plunged into this beautiful new world. I guess the Fool (me) was ready at last!
Now, when you’re doing a reading and many cards of the same suit fall together in a spread, it means there is an emphasis on that category. The categories are as follows:
Cups = Love, fulfillment, satisfaction, dreams, emotions
Pentacles = Money, work, career, physical/material things
Rods/Wands = Energy, dynamism
Swords = Angst, pain, problems, intellect
So, for example, if you lay down seven cards and three or more cards are Pentacles, you can be pretty sure that money and/or work is somehow important in the overall picture. Along the same lines, if you’re reading a hard-core businessperson, you might expect to see a lot of Pentacles—work is the person’s life, after all. But if you don’t, it can be equally informative. The CEO of a company with a lot of Cups in a spread will make for an interesting client!
In terms of a well-known example, years ago I heard an interview with Donald Trump and his wife at the time, Marla Maples. Before he became president of the United States, Trump said he loved to “make calls to bankers” in the middle of the night (Pentacles), whereas Marla Maples said she loved to “walk on the beach” (Cups). I wondered at the time about their compatibility.
In certain tarot packs you will find beautiful emotionally reflective faces. Look through these cards and try to feel what you’re seeing in the faces. This exercise is engaging all of you and not just your head/left brain.
Here are the meanings of the Minor Arcana cards.
• • • cups • • •
Ace of Cups
Shorthand: Having love to offer. Able to love. Fulfillment. Gratification. Pleasure.
Traditional: The above, plus: Beginning of a creative exercise. A creative idea. Talent.
Ace of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: No love to offer. Empty inside. Not fulfilled. Not gratified.
Traditional: Lacking talent.
Two of Cups
Shorthand: Two people in love. Love shared. A meeting of the minds and hearts.
Traditional: Sharing. Sympatico. A creative collaboration.
Two of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: Two people not in love. Two people no longer in love.
Three of Cups
Shorthand: Friends. Emotional support from friends. Nurturing friend(s). Social life. Partying. Networking.
Traditional: Social gathering. Good relationships with non-family. Three people. Sometimes a wedding celebration or bridal shower.
Three of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: No friends. No emotional support from friends. Not enough social life. Needing a social life. Needing some fun. Needing to network.
Four of Cups
Shorthand: Being tempted by something or somebody. Considering an offer.
Traditional: Needing to decide or choose. Something on offer.
Tip: The offer or temptation can be about love or a job. Keep adding cards until you know which it is.
Four of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: Accepting an offer. Succumbing to temptation.
Tip: Add cards until you know which of these two options it is.
Five of Cups
Shorthand: Regret. Living in the past.
Traditional: Not seeing the potential for the future. Not yet over a loss.
Tip: The person in the image on this card in the Rider-Waite deck is so focused on the spilled cups that he or she doesn’t realize there are two full cups behind him or her. This person would not be ready for marriage, for example, even if it’s somebody proposing marriage to another.
Five of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: No longer regretful. No longer living in the past. Ready to look ahead.
Six of Cups
Shorthand: Early childhood. Siblings. People you’ve known since childhood.
Traditional: Protective and sheltering. Nuclear family. Good childhood. Good conditioning.
Tip: Often this card can refer to a family member, but not the child or the husband or wife of the client.
Six of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: A child not loved by the mother the way he or she needed to be. Not a nurturing, happy childhood.
Traditional: Lack of support from family members during childhood.
Seven of Cups
Shorthand: Day-to-day dreams. Dreaming of …
Traditional: Ideas about things not necessarily emotional in nature. A state of inaction while you’re thinking creatively.
Seven of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: Making your dreams come true.
Traditional: Making real what you have imagined, usually on a small scale.
Eight of Cups
Shorthand: In denial.
Traditional: Turning your back on pleasure to look within. Meditation. Higher education. Seeking wisdom. Able to be a “monk” for a while in order to learn things about oneself.
Tip: In the image on this card in the Rider-Waite deck, notice the cups that the person is turning his or her back on for the time being.
Eight of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: “Been there, done that, now I know better.” Coming back to life after learning something.
Traditional: Partying. Back and fully engaged in your day-to-day life.
Nine of Cups
Shorthand: Joy. Elation. Fulfillment. Gladness. You get your wish. Your cup runneth over.
Tip: This is traditionally known as the “wish card.” If it’s the last card in a spread, it’s very good.
Nine of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: No joy. Not happy. You don’t get your wish.
Ten of Cups
Shorthand: A happy, love-filled marriage.
Ten of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: Not a happy, love-filled marriage. Unhappy marriage. The love in the marriage is gone.
Page of Cups
Shorthand: An adult who has been healed through psychotherapy. A sweet child.
Traditional: A water-sign child (Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio). An artistic child. A dreamer child.
Tip: Look to the other cards in the spread to determine if the child is now an adult. For example, you see as well the Queen of Cups right-side up (no settling allowed) or the King of Cups (a loving man) or the High Priestess (no settling/the ideal). If we love ourselves, we won’t accept less than what we really want/need, unless we have a very good reason for it.
Page of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: A child or an adult not loved in childhood by the mother the way the child needs or needed to be. The person’s emotional needs were not met by the mother. An emotionally wounded child all grown up but not healed.
Tip: I refer such people to psychotherapy to repair the wounds inflicted by the mother’s neglect of the child’s emotional needs.
Knight of Cups
Shorthand: Contemplation.
Traditional: Romantic. Artistic. A water-sign youth (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces; maybe eighteen to twenty-three years old). Poet.
Tip: Add cards until you know what exactly is being contemplated.
Knight of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: Seduction or a seducer (never good and not always sexual).*
Traditional: Immature. Lustful.
Tip: *Many not-good things can be seductive, like considering the wrong job for the wrong reasons.
Queen of Cups
Shorthand: A woman who values herself. A woman who doesn’t sell herself short. A woman who loves herself and will not settle.
Traditional: An emotional woman. A water-sign woman (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). A contemplative woman. An artistic woman.
Queen of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: A woman who sells herself short. A woman who doesn’t love herself and is in need of psychotherapy. A woman who settles for men who don’t love her. A woman who doesn’t get what she needs emotionally.
Tip: In the extreme, this card can be a prostitute.
King of Cups
Shorthand: An emotionally healthy man. A man who knows how to love. A man who can feel love.
Traditional: A creative man. An unselfish man. A water-sign man (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces). Giving. Sensitive.
King of Cups Reversed
Shorthand: A man who can’t love. A man who won’t fulfill any woman’s needs. A selfish man.
Traditional: A selfish man. A noncreative man. A self-indulgent man. A manipulative man. An insensitive man.
Tip: No doubt this man’s emotional needs were neglected by his mother when he was little. He needs to go to psychotherapy if he is to be able to enter into a giving, fulfilling, sharing relationship.
• • • Pentacles • • •
Ace of Pentacles
Shorthand: An opportunity. A breakthrough.
Traditional: The beginnings of money. A seed. A growth (medical). Conception. Food.
Ace of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: No opportunity. No breakthrough. Bad knee. Calcification. Gestation period. Need vitamins.
Traditional: Delay. Stoppage.
Two of Pentacles
Shorthand: Handling things. Coping. Dating. Juggling finances. Two sources of income. Two locations. Two jobs. Two-unit body parts (such as the kidneys, eyes, lungs, breasts, ovaries, etc.). Reel-to-reel (in the film world).
Two of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: Can’t cope. Can’t handle something. Can’t juggle things successfully. Not dating. Can’t pay the bills. In over one’s head, usually financially.
Three of Pentacles
Shorthand: A skilled job. A high-level job. The skill to do a high-level job.
Traditional: Skilled tradesperson. Journeyman. Craftsman. Artisan.
Tip: This is a step above the Eight of Pentacles in terms of skill level.
Three of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: Not a high-level job. Not a job requiring a high skill level.
Traditional: Not having a great skill set. Not working.
Four of Pentacles
Shorthand: Hanging on for dear life to something we should be letting go of. Clinging.
Traditional: Holding on. Greediness. Crutches.
Four of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: Letting go of something that isn’t good for us. Getting up out of the chair and walking.
Traditional: Letting go of an emotional or psychological crutch. No longer clinging. Spending money.
Five of Pentacles
Shorthand: Looking for a job or a home.* An orphan in the real sense, though the odd kid in a family can feel like an orphan. Looking for a place to belong.
Traditional: Out of work. Homeless. Out in the cold. Feeling lost. Outside what is socially acceptable, like an adulterer.
Tip: *If you keep adding Cups to the spread, you can assume it’s a home; Pentacles means a job.
Five of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: Finding a job or a home. Finding a place where you feel you belong. Finding your place in the world.
Six of Pentacles
Shorthand: Positive cash flow. Income.
Traditional: Sharing. Generosity. Spending money. Occasionally, philanthropy. On the giving or receiving end of a gift. Having enough to donate to those less fortunate.
Six of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: Negative cash flow. Not making enough money.
Traditional: Not having or earning enough to share.
Seven of Pentacles
Shorthand: What’s the point of even bothering? A cost-benefit analysis. Putting a lot into something and not getting a heck of a lot back—is it worth it?
Seven of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: Boredom. Tedium. Pushing paper around (like at an office).
Eight of Pentacles
Shorthand: A job with a learning curve. A challenging job that develops existing skills. Enthusiastic about the job. On-the-job training.
Traditional: An apprentice (usually reporting to a Three of Pentacles person). Working on whatever is indicated in the spread: sometimes this can even be a relationship, though this is rare. (In any case, add cards until you’re sure what’s going on.)
Tip: You will probably see the Page of Pentacles (student) in a spread with this Eight, which means on-the-job training and classroom work: practice and theory.
Eight of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: Not a challenging job. A menial job. A low-level job.
Nine of Pentacles
Shorthand: “I have built my world, and even if I am alone in it for now, I love what I have made.” An entrepreneur. An independent woman or man. Self-employment.
Tip: This is my favorite card in the pack because it tells me the client is solid, standing up, and fulfilled, even if he or she is alone for the moment.
Nine of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: A joint financial venture. Joint finances. Shared money. Shared asset(s). A business partnership.
Tip: There is nothing negative in the Nine of Pentacles reversed unless “bad” cards fall on it or next to it.
Ten of Pentacles
Shorthand: Emotional and/or financial security.
Traditional: Inheritance. Family money. An estate. An empire or a dynasty. A family business. Extended family. Generations.
Ten of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: Emotional and/or financial insecurity.
Traditional: Disinheritance.
Page of Pentacles
Shorthand: A student. Training. Studying in a classroom and/or from books.
Traditional: An earth-sign child (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn). A practical child.
Tip: This card is often found in the same spread with the Eight of Pentacles (on-the-job training).
Page of Pentacles Reversed
Student: Needing to study but resisting it. Needing to go to school. Interrupted education.
Traditional: An impractical child
Tip: I would hope all children are impractical, but that’s just me.
Knight of Pentacles
Shorthand: Self-reliance. The ability to stand on one’s own two feet without needing emotional or financial help or a crutch. Self-sufficient.
Traditional: An earth-sign youth (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn). A workhorse. A practical youth.
Knight of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: Unable to stand on one’s own two feet. Unstable. Not self-sufficient.
Queen of Pentacles
Shorthand: The right job.
Traditional: A woman who can successfully handle both career and family. An earth-sign woman (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn). A practical woman. A nurturer.
Queen of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: The wrong job.
Traditional: A woman who cannot nurture a family and have a career at the same time. There can be problems with the reproductive system. Having trouble conceiving.
King of Pentacles
Shorthand: A man willing to be depended on. A man willing to be relied on. A provider. A breadwinner. A supportive man (can be emotional or financial support or both).
Traditional: An earth-sign man (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn). Financier. Landlord. A man of property who might be generous with what he has. A successful man by his own standards.
King of Pentacles Reversed
Shorthand: A man not willing to be relied on. A man who doesn’t want to be a provider. A man who doesn’t want to provide emotional and/or financial support.
Tip: Clearly, this guy is not a good partnership prospect.
• • • Rods/Wands • • •
Ace of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Pure energy. Starting to put energy into something.
Traditional: Potential for writing and/or acting. Protein. Hair. Penis.
Ace of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: No energy going into something. Lacking protein. Maybe sperm problems.
Two of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Thinking (add cards until you know what is being thought about). Not ready to act yet.
Traditional: Something has been accomplished and something else is now in hand.
Two of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: Confusion. Can’t think.
Three of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Thinking about the next step. A relationship is working.
Traditional: Two things done, another in hand. Looking for growth. Ready to move on. Coastal areas. Distant shores.
Three of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: A relationship has broken down.
Four of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: A good home or work environment (add cards until you know which it is). Living together (can be roommates).
Four of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: Not a good home or work environment. Disruption in the home or work environment. Moving. Leaving home.
Five of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Busy. Lots of activity.
Five of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: Resolving a problem.
Six of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Winning. Victory. You get what you want. Moving forward on your own terms. Recognition for an accomplishment.
Traditional: An award. Moving with confidence into the future.
Six of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: Losing. Not victorious. You don’t get what you want.
Traditional: No recognition for efforts.
Seven of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Sending out résumés, if a worker. Building a clientele, if self-employed. Perseverance leads to success.
Traditional: Having the upper hand. Using all the means at your disposal to get something accomplished.
Seven of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: Need to send out résumés. Need to build a clientele. Not having the upper hand. Doubts.
Traditional: Time to start looking for something better.
Eight of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Any minute now. Something’s “in the air.” Moving rapidly toward something or something moving rapidly toward you.
Traditional: Something’s on the way. Air travel. Soon.
Eight of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: Don’t hold your breath waiting. Stuck.
Traditional: Stagnation. Nothing coming soon. No travel. Stalled. Interrupted flight.
Nine of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Protecting what you have accomplished so far.
Traditional: Resting between battles. Wary. Watchful. Defenses alert.
Nine of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: “I give up.” Throwing in the towel. Not protecting what you have accomplished so far.
Traditional: Defenses down. Defenseless. Lacking vitality/energy.
Ten of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Eventually. Keep going and for sure you’ll eventually get where you’re trying to go. Stamina.
Traditional: Strong back. You will eventually reach your desired destination.
Ten of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: Burnout. Exhaustion. Really needing a vacation or rest. Susceptible to disease. No stamina. Hair loss.
Traditional: Not going to get where you want to go. No energy.
Tip: When I see this card, I warn the client to get plenty of rest and nutrition.
Page of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Talking about something. Hearing something.
Traditional: A fire-sign child (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius). Announcements. Communication. Speaking. Singing. Acting.
Page of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: Repression. Not listened to when a child. Burying bad feelings and truths inside. Not telling what needs to be told (for example, in psychotherapy). Not communicating.
Knight of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: Focusing on … (add cards until you know what the focus is).
Knight of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: Need to focus on … (add cards until you know what the focus needs to be).
Queen of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: A woman willing to commit to being a wife/mother. A wife. A mother. A woman capable of making a commitment. A sister or a woman who is like a sister.
Traditional: A fire-sign woman (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius). An actor. A writer. A good manager. A good communicator. A dynamic woman. A faithful woman.
Queen of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: A woman who doesn’t want to be a wife/mother (she can be married at the time). A woman who was too young when she had her kids to be the mother they needed.
Traditional: Not ready for motherhood. An immature female. An unfaithful female. A woman who doesn’t want to make a commitment. A poor manager.
King of Rods/Wands
Shorthand: A man willing to commit to being a husband/father. A good manager/boss. A thoughtful man. A man capable of making a commitment. A brother or a man who is like a brother.
Traditional: A fire-sign man (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius). A fatherly man. A virile man. A dynamic man. A faithful man.
King of Rods/Wands Reversed
Shorthand: A man not willing to make a commitment. A man not loyal. Not good husband/father material. A man not ready for an emotional commitment.
Traditional: An immature man. An uncommunicative man.
Tip: This card is not so good if it’s a guy with a spouse and/or kids, or a man unwilling to make a true commitment but getting married anyway. He won’t necessarily be faithful.
50• • • Swords • • •
Ace of Swords
Shorthand: Making a decision. A big decision. Decisiveness. Knife/scalpel. Surgery. Biopsy. Needle. Injection.
Traditional: Keen. Sharp.
Tip: Sometimes a decision is made not to decide, or a decision is made to decide.
Ace of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Not making a decision. Biopsy. Needle. Injection.
Traditional: Not keen. Not sharp.
Two of Swords
Shorthand: Not making a decision with emotional implications.
Two of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Making a decision even though it has emotional implications. Deciding.
Three of Swords
Shorthand: Pain. The “pits.” Hurts a lot. Lousy job.
Traditional: A love affair built on someone else’s pain. Broken heart. Medically there can be a cardiovascular problem.
Tip: Rarely for me does this card mean an emotional triangle.
Three of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Still hurts, but not as much as before. Medically there can be a cardiovascular problem.
Traditional: Time heals.
Four of Swords
Shorthand: On hold (a person, a plan). In the recovery room (figuratively or literally).
Traditional: Needing to recover. Not yet back to life. Inaction.
Tip: The person in the picture is not dead. The hand is very much alive.
Four of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: No longer on hold. Back to life.
Traditional: Ready to try again. Recovered.
Five of Swords
Shorthand: A psychological pattern of failure. Futility. (Something is) in vain. Recidivism. Relapse.
Tip: The image implies the thieves will be back.
Five of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Anger/frustration. Violence (add cards until you know who or what is under attack). Brutality.
Six of Swords
Shorthand: Taking yourself away from a lousy situation under your own steam. Journey by water.
Tip: We learn from our pain(s). The three people in the boat in the image on the card in the Rider-Waite deck are usually three different aspects of the same person. You don’t need to know which aspects. And the knives (the pain) are keeping the boat afloat.
Six of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Not taking yourself away from a lousy situation.
Traditional: Stagnation.
Seven of Swords
Shorthand: Dishonesty. Deception. Guilt. Betrayal. (The guilt/betrayal can be the client’s own.) A thief. Crime. Theft. Politics in the workplace.
Traditional: Disingenuousness. Sneakiness. Politics in the workplace. Gambling (including legal gaming). Bad motive.
Seven of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Innocent. Pure of heart. Honesty. Straightforward.
Traditional: Not malicious. No bad motive.
Eight of Swords
Shorthand: Hostage to a situation. Hands are tied and can’t see what to do. Trapped.
Traditional: Surrounded by difficulty. In exile/away from your society.
Eight of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Free. Breaking free. Setting yourself free.
Nine of Swords
Shorthand: Grief. A crying child. Devastating emotional pain. Weeping in the middle of the night.
Traditional: Rivers of tears.
Nine of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Still hurts, but not as bad as before.
Traditional: There’s just a dull ache now, emotionally. Life isn’t happy, but at least you’re not crying all the time anymore.
Ten of Swords
Shorthand: It’s always darkest just before the dawn. Things cannot get worse. Down but not out. There’s light at the end of the tunnel.
Ten of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: The worst is over.
Page of Swords
Shorthand: Ready to make a decision. Making a decision, though maybe being a bit timid about it.
Traditional: An air-sign child (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius). A thoughtful child. Early intellectual stage.
Tip: The Page’s sword is not complete, whereas the Ace’s sword is complete. I see this as a timid decision as opposed to a solid, confident decision.
Page of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Not ready to make a decision, although a decision is called for.
Knight of Swords
Shorthand: Out of the blue. Suddenly. The unexpected.
Traditional: An air-sign youth (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius).
Tip: The thing that suddenly happens can be either good or bad.
Knight of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: Destructive. Self-destructive. Violent. An attack.
Queen of Swords
Shorthand: A smart woman. A sharp woman. A decisive woman. A cold woman. A cold mother.
Traditional: An agent. A lawyer. A doctor. An air-sign woman (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius). An editor. An intellectual female.
Queen of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: A critical mother. An unloving mother. A cold mother.
Traditional: An incompetent lawyer or doctor. An incompetent agent.
King of Swords
Shorthand: A smart man. A sharp man. A decisive man. An agent. A lawyer. A doctor.
Traditional: An air-sign man (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius). An intellectual man. A pilot. Sometimes a dentist. Sometimes a surgeon.
King of Swords Reversed
Shorthand: An indecisive man. Not a loving man. A critical man. A nasty man. An incompetent lawyer. An incompetent agent.