Tarot Reading

The Major Arcana

Tarot reading is a well-growing art in today's day. Everyone wants to know a little more about themselves and tarot cards help us get this insight.

Tarot, (Tar-oh), Cards are a form of symbolism and philosophy consisting of 78 images compiled in a deck of cards. In the modern world they are most likely to be encountered as a cartomancy. They have been used over centuries for fortune telling.

There is a rough debate about the origin of the tarot cards. They could have been from Italy, China, India, pr Egypt. But the oldest of them have been traced back to the 15th century, in Italy. In the early fourteenth century, the term "Arcana" referred to the things one's heart holds. This may be in the form of a memory or intelligence. It relates to the term "arca - noe" - where the whole world is held in a microcosm.

Most cards naturally fall into a set or groups. Most cards have a uniqueness of their own. But there are also a number of similarities within these different cards. Hence they are divided into two major sub groups, mainly the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana.

Major Arcana

The major arcanum includes the first 22 cards and is also called the "Fools journey". As it depicts the journey of life, starting from birth as - The Fool, the beginner, where one is of the purest form. The journey continues depicting every significant aspect or occurrence in one's life. This continues right up until the journey comes to a conclusion or an end.

Minor Arcana The minor arcana define the feelings and circumstances we encounter in our daily life. It consists of the next 56 cards of the deck. It is not as influential as the first 22 but distinctively important.

The Major and Minor Arcana

The major arcanum exudes a more intense as well as strong and deep force. These readings are longer lasting and define some powerful element that affects your life. The Minor Arcana readings do not hold as much importance, but are significant nonetheless. They have a smaller effect in your day-to-day activities. These issues may grip you as they come, but fade away with time.

The major arcana is often called the heart of the tarot, It serves as a symbol to all four- physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual aspects of life.

The total number of cards in the deck are 78, out of which 22 of them belong to the Major Arcana , the heart of tarot. The cards include the Fool, High Priestess, Judgment, Sun, Hierophant, Tower, Temperance, Hanged Man, Devil, Death, Hermit, Justice, Wheel of Fortune, Chariot, Lovers, Strength, Star, Moon, Magician, World, Emperor, and Empress.

The rest of the cards belong to the minor arcana. Just like a normal deck of cards they are divided into 4 suits. Each suit consists of 14 cards. These are namely - Cups, Swords, Wands, and Pentacles. This classification of the tarot cards doesn't qualify as enough to get an accurate reading. In depth meaning makes an added importance.

The Major Arcana has 22 cards and these are more significant than the cards of the Minor Arcana as they symbolise major changes in the querent's life. Each card has a number, and this is also significant when doing a reading as the recurrence of a particular number in a reading has its own significance. The numbers are: