Deck Structure

Seventy-Eight Cards, Two Halves

A standard Tarot deck holds 78 cards.

Those cards split into two primary groups. The Major Arcana carries 22 cards. The Minor Arcana carries the remaining 56.

One half speaks to life's big themes. The other tracks daily events.

Knowing which half a card comes from shapes how you read it.

The Major Arcana

The 22 Major Arcana cards are often called trump cards.

They represent significant life lessons, karmic influences, and major archetypal themes in a person's journey.

The sequence begins with The Fool and ends with The World. Together these cards depict the spiritual evolution of the human soul.

The Fool opens the Major Arcana journey

When one appears, the reading points to something larger than a single day.

The Minor Arcana Suits

The 56 Minor Arcana cards divide into four suits.

Each suit holds ten numbered cards plus four Court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King.

So every suit contains fourteen cards, and four suits give you the full 56.

What Each Suit Means

Every suit covers one area of ordinary experience.

Wands represent creativity and action. Cups represent emotions and relationships.

Swords represent intellect and conflict. Pentacles represent work and material wealth.

A spread full of Cups reads very differently from a spread full of Pentacles.

Reading the Structure

This structure is the framework through which the cards interact and tell a cohesive story.

Start by asking which group a card belongs to. Then, for a Minor card, ask which suit and whether it is numbered or a Court card.

That one habit turns 78 separate images into a readable system.

A standard Tarot deck contains 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards.

• Correct
• Incorrect

Answer: Correct

This is correct. The 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana cards make up all 78 cards in a standard deck.

In Tarot, _____ concern creativity and action, _____ concern emotions and relationships, _____ concern intellect and conflict, and _____ concern work and material wealth.

Answer: In Tarot, Wands concern creativity and action, Cups concern emotions and relationships, Swords concern intellect and conflict, and Pentacles concern work and material wealth.

Each suit focuses on a distinct area of ordinary experience: Wands, Cups, Swords, or Pentacles.

A Tarot reading includes a Major Arcana card. What does this most strongly suggest?

• A significant life lesson or major theme
• A routine material task
• A specific Court card rank
• Only an emotional relationship event

Answer: A significant life lesson or major theme

A Major Arcana card points to something larger than a single day, such as a significant life lesson or archetypal theme. Minor Arcana cards more often track daily events.