Tarot for Beginners: Major and Minor Arcana Explained

A Tarot deck can seem overwhelming at first: 78 cards, lots of symbols, and a wealth of imagery. But there’s a clear structure behind it. Once you understand it, you’ll find your way around quickly. At its heart are the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana, two groups that together make up your deck. In this article, we’ll take a calm, step-by-step look at them, giving you a clear starting point as a beginner.

First, an important note: Tarot is a tool for self-reflection, not a way to see the future. The cards ask questions, reflect moods, and invite you to think. They don’t tell you what will happen.

How is a tarot deck structured?

A complete tarot deck has two parts:

• 22 Major Arcana cards: the big themes in life.
• 56 Minor Arcana cards: everyday situations and nuances.

You can think of them as two levels: the Major Arcana shows the big arcs and turning points, while the Minor Arcana reflects daily life and its smaller steps.

What are the Major Arcana?

The Major Arcana cards are numbered from 0 to 21. They begin with 0, The Fool and end with 21, The World. Traditionally, this sequence is read as a journey: The Fool sets out with an open mind, gathers experience along the way, and reaches a sense of wholeness with The World. This is often called “The Fool’s Journey.” One of the best-known and most misunderstood cards is number XIII, explained in detail in Death in Tarot.

Between them are images many people have seen before: The High Priestess, The Emperor, The Lovers, The Wheel of Fortune, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, and The Sun. In the tradition, each of these cards represents a major theme shared by all people, such as new beginnings, trust, change, letting go, and clarity.

Because they touch on such fundamental themes, the Major Arcana are considered especially significant in a spread. When several appear, tradition interprets this as a sign that something bigger is stirring within you.

The 22 Major Arcana cards at a glance

The numbering follows the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, where Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. Older decks, such as the Tarot de Marseille, swap these two positions.

What are the Minor Arcana?

The 56 Minor Arcana cards are similar to a standard deck of playing cards. They’re divided into four suits, each associated with an element and an area of life:

Each suit contains fourteen cards: Ace through Ten, plus four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The numbered cards tend to describe situations and processes, while the court cards often represent attitudes, roles, or types of people you encounter, including within yourself.

If you’re not yet familiar with the four elements, our article The Four Elements can help. The underlying logic is the same as in astrology.

You don’t need to memorize all 78 meanings to get started. A personal Tarot reflection book selects cards for you and interprets them in clear, accessible language, as a beautiful digital book made just for you.

What is the Rider-Waite-Smith deck?

When people talk about “the” tarot today, many mean the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. It was published in 1909, illustrated by artist Pamela Colman Smith, based on a concept by A. E. Waite, and published by Rider. What makes it special is that its Minor Arcana numbered cards also show detailed scenes, rather than just a number of symbols. This made the cards more accessible and easier to interpret, which is one reason this deck remains so widely used and has inspired many later decks.

This is an advantage when you’re starting out: the images already tell a story. You can look at a card and ask yourself what scene you see, what mood it conveys, and how it might relate to your current question.

How do you get started with tarot?

The easiest way to begin is with the images and one card a day. These tips can help:

1. Look at the images first. What stands out before you look up an interpretation? Your first impression matters.
2. Learn the structure, not 78 definitions. Once you know that Cups relate to feelings and Swords to thinking, you already have a direction.
3. Start with one card a day. Find out how in The Daily Tarot Card.
4. Try your first spreads. Get an overview in The Most Important Tarot Spreads.

Always think of the cards as conversation partners, not as an oracle. They give you images to help you look at your own situation in a new way.

Do you need to interpret reversed cards?

Not when you’re starting out. Many readers simply turn cards that appear upside down around and read them upright. Later, if you want to work with reversed cards, they’re usually interpreted as an inhibited, delayed, or inwardly directed expression of the card’s theme. Both approaches are common. Choose a rule and stick with it.

How many cards are in a tarot deck?

78: the 22 Major Arcana cards and the 56 Minor Arcana cards, divided into four suits with ten numbered cards and four court cards each. Decks with fewer cards are usually oracle cards, which follow their own system and aren’t tarot in the strict sense.

Which tarot spread is best for beginners?

The daily card: draw one card in the morning and take a thought with you for the day. Next, try a three-card spread, for example, situation, obstacle, and advice. Larger spreads, such as the Celtic Cross, are worth trying once you know the cards well. For an overview, see The Most Important Tarot Spreads. If you’d like a card to accompany you through each month of the year, the Tarot Year Book offers a ready-made spread with interpretations.

Your personal tarot book

The appeal of tarot lies in how the cards speak to one another, and how the Major and Minor Arcana come together to form a coherent picture. Interpreting this interplay for you is the idea behind our personal tarot report. You’ll receive a spread, clearly explained and presented as a beautiful digital book: a quiet mirror for your current question, with no fortune-telling.