tarot REFERENCE · 78 ARTICLES
All 78 tarot cards
Upright, reversed, imagery and contextual examples for every card.
Rider–Waite–Smith artwork by Pamela Colman Smith · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons · Image sources and credits
Major Arcana
The Fool
Beginnings, openness and the risks of inexperience
The Magician
Agency, skill and turning intention into action
The High Priestess
Receptivity, privacy and what is not yet clear
The Empress
Nurturing growth and attending to lived abundance
The Emperor
Structure, boundaries and accountable authority
The Hierophant
Tradition, teaching and belonging to a system
The Lovers
Values, relationship and a consequential choice
The Chariot
Direction, coordination and purposeful movement
Strength
Courage through patience and responsive self-command
The Hermit
Deliberate solitude, examination and guidance
Wheel of Fortune
Changing conditions and the limits of control
Justice
Fair process, accountability and consequences
The Hanged Man
A purposeful pause and a changed perspective
Death
Endings, transition and what cannot continue unchanged
Temperance
Integration, adjustment and a workable proportion
The Devil
Attachment, constraint and examining the terms of freedom
The Tower
Disruption and the failure of an unstable structure
The Star
Renewal, openness and hope that can be tended
The Moon
Uncertainty, imagination and the need to check impressions
The Sun
Clarity, vitality and the pleasure of being fully present
Judgement
Reassessment, accountability and answering a call to change
The World
Completion, integration and belonging within a larger whole
Wands
Ace of Wands
A first spark of enthusiasm
Two of Wands
Planning beyond a familiar boundary
Three of Wands
Expansion, feedback and an effort meeting the wider world
Four of Wands
A milestone, welcome and shared stability
Five of Wands
Competing efforts and the need for a workable process
Six of Wands
Recognition, visible progress and responsibility for success
Seven of Wands
Holding a position and choosing a proportionate defense
Eight of Wands
Momentum, rapid exchange and coordinating movement
Nine of Wands
Perseverance, vigilance and the cost of staying ready
Ten of Wands
A burden that needs distribution or an ending
Page of Wands
Curiosity beginning to find a creative voice
Knight of Wands
Bold pursuit and the need to pace enthusiasm
Queen of Wands
Confident presence that makes participation easier
King of Wands
Creative leadership with responsibility for direction
Cups
Ace of Cups
Emotional openness and a new capacity to receive
Two of Cups
Mutual recognition and a reciprocal exchange
Three of Cups
Friendship, shared joy and community support
Four of Cups
Withdrawal, dissatisfaction and an offer not yet engaged
Five of Cups
Loss, disappointment and recognizing what remains
Six of Cups
Memory, generosity and the influence of the familiar
Seven of Cups
Competing possibilities and the work of choosing
Eight of Cups
Leaving an arrangement that no longer feels sufficient
Nine of Cups
Satisfaction, enjoyment and knowing what is enough
Ten of Cups
Shared belonging and the values behind an ideal picture
Page of Cups
A tentative feeling, imaginative curiosity or a gentle message
Knight of Cups
An invitation carried by feeling or imagination
Queen of Cups
Attentive care and a reflective relationship with feeling
King of Cups
Emotional steadiness in a demanding environment
Swords
Ace of Swords
Clarity, a decisive idea and the responsibility of words
Two of Swords
A guarded pause between unresolved alternatives
Three of Swords
Painful recognition and making room for an honest response
Four of Swords
Rest, recovery and a deliberate interval
Five of Swords
A contest whose cost may exceed its prize
Six of Swords
A transition carried out with unresolved experience
Seven of Swords
Strategy, discretion and the limits of acting alone
Eight of Swords
Constraint, limited perspective and a possible next step
Nine of Swords
Worry, sleepless thought and seeking perspective
Ten of Swords
A painful ending and stopping further investment
Page of Swords
Curiosity, vigilance and learning to ask precisely
Knight of Swords
Rapid argument and the need to consider consequences
Queen of Swords
Clear boundaries and discerning communication
King of Swords
Reasoned judgment and accountable authority
Pentacles
Ace of Pentacles
A tangible opportunity that needs cultivation
Two of Pentacles
Managing changing demands without losing the essentials
Three of Pentacles
Skilled contribution and work improved through collaboration
Four of Pentacles
Security, possession and the cost of holding tightly
Five of Pentacles
Material difficulty, exclusion and making support accessible
Six of Pentacles
Giving, receiving and the power within an exchange
Seven of Pentacles
Assessing growth before investing more effort
Eight of Pentacles
Practice, concentration and work improved by repetition
Nine of Pentacles
Cultivated independence and enjoying a developed resource
Ten of Pentacles
Long-term resources, inheritance and what a group passes on
Page of Pentacles
A practical learner attending to a real possibility
Knight of Pentacles
Reliable effort and the value of a sustainable pace
Queen of Pentacles
Practical care and creating conditions for everyday life
King of Pentacles
Stewardship, reliability and responsible use of resources