Tarot cards blend ancient symbols, religious allegories, classical archetypes and historic events. The cards can be used as a tool for divination, affirmation and advice, casting light through their imagery on the complexity of our modern-day lives, fears, hopes and dreams. They can act as a blueprint of our psyche, connecting us to our subconscious and inner wisdom. Tarot cards can also be a mindfulness and meditation tool for strengthening our intuition and self-awareness.
There are seventy-eight cards in a deck of Tarot cards comprised of four suits, known as the Minor Arcana plus the Fool, and twenty-one Trump or wild cards known as the Major Arcana. The Minor Arcana connects to the material realm, and the Major Arcana to the spiritual realm. In this novel, you can learn how to read the Tarot through my series of Egyptian goddess readings. Below are my keyword meanings of all the Tarot cards to assist you. I would always encourage you to trust your intuition first, especially when some of the cards have variable meanings. You may know more than you think!
The Major Arcana
Le Mat / The Fool: take a risk, adventure, freedom.
Le Bateleur / The Magician: show your talents, share your skills, dedication to craft.
La Papesse / The High Priestess: trust your own wisdom, internal reflection, female guide.
L’Impératrice / The Empress: nurture the seeds, goddess energy, mothering, healing.
L’Empereur / The Emperor: abundance is yours, stability, security.
Le Pape / The Hierophant: rules, confinement, challenge authority.
L’Amoureux / The Lovers: listen to your heart, a decision or a choice is to be made.
Le Chariot / The Chariot: warrior energy, move fast.
La Force / Strength: show your strength, and roar like a lion.
L’Hermite / The Hermit: retreat, solitude, study.
La Roue de Fortune / The Wheel of Fortune: everything changes, instability, mixed fortunes.
La Justice / Justice: find balance, truth and equality.
Le Pendu / The Hanged Man: limbo, you must let go.
La Mort / Death: change, rebirth, begin again.
Tempérance / Temperance: find peace, moderation, healing in nature.
Le Diable / The Devil: manipulation, anger, addiction, confront your dark side.
La Maison Dieu / The Tower: unforeseen change, accidents, fall apart.
L’Étoile / The Star: look for a sign, hope, fortuitous messages.
La Lune / The Moon: look into the shadows, psychic aspects, betrayal, fatigue.
Le Soleil / The Sun: success, joy, step into the light.
Le Jugement / Judgement: tell the truth, the truth will out.
Le Monde / The World: completion, synthesis, find an ending, a cycle ends so another can begin.
The Minor Arcana
The minor arcana are the original playing cards of the Tarot predating the development of the Major Arcana. Their ancestry is clear to see as the four suits can be compared to the four suits in a deck of playing cards: Batons / Wands to Clubs, Cups to Hearts, Pentacles / Coins to Diamonds and Swords to Spades. Each suit of the Minor Arcana corresponds to a different element as shown in the table below. Delving deeper into the elemental nature of the Minor Arcana can help you when interpreting the cards. In particular, the court cards in the Minor Arcana correspond to different star signs also shown below.
CARD |
Les Deniers / Coins or Pentacles (Earth) |
Les Épées / Swords (Air) |
Les Bâtons / Batons or Wands (Fire) |
Les Coupes / Cups (Water) |
ACE – Rebirth |
Windfall |
Power with words |
Conception |
Creative awakening |
II – Balancing |
Juggling money |
Tension |
Enterprising partnership |
Loving partnership |
III – Growing |
Financial agreements |
Growth through heartache |
Enterprise taking root |
Celebration with friends |
IV – Harmony |
Stability |
Rest is needed |
Family gathering |
Rejecting love |
V – Small obstacles |
Poverty, loss of faith |
Walking away from a conflict |
Game playing, flirtation |
Love which can be recovered at time of loss |
VI – Opportunities |
Patron – gift of money |
Leave stress behind |
Success or promotion |
Gift of love from the past |
VII – Big obstacles |
Working hard for little reward |
Theft of ideas |
Stand your ground |
All that glitters isn’t gold |
VIII – Rewards and challenges |
Working hard for financial gain |
Bondage, trapped by stress |
Fast-expanding horizons – travel |
Loss and resignation |
IX |
Financial self-sufficiency |
Sleepless nights, anxiety |
Self-protection |
Emotional self-sufficiency, listen to spirit guides |
X – Transcendence |
Inheritance, family, money |
The darkest hour is before the dawn, betrayal |
Overburdened, you cannot see the wood for the trees |
Transcendent love |
The Court cards can also represent people of aligned star signs |
Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn |
Aquarius, Gemini, Libra |
Aries, Leo, Sagittarius |
Pisces, Cancer, Scorpio |
PAGE – child / study, new thresholds |
Tentative exploration of new material opportunities |
New doorway opening for the mind |
Lively exploration of creative expression |
Dreamy inner-child energy |
KNIGHT – on a quest, warrior |
Material quest, cautious |
Student, new ideas |
Acting spontaneously, intuitive but unreliable |
A lover arrives or becoming a lover |
QUEEN – feminine leadership and power |
Grounded, connected to nature |
Thoughtful intellect, and skilled communication |
Powerful feminine energies, connection with animals |
Lunar female energies, creative, spiritual, compassionate |
KING – masculine leadership and power |
Solid, secure, established |
Power with words, professional practice |
Charismatic leadership energy, good for business |
Empathic masculine energies, possessiveness |