Major Arcana

Memorize the Major Arcana and their meanings

Major Arcana Cards

• 22 Cards

• Evidence of significant meanings and motivations in life.

• Signifies individual growth or staticity

• Represents the journey to self-actualization

• Gives disclosure of life lessons

• Signifies that lessons are underway and/or currently unfolding

0 - The Fool

• Beginnings

• Spontaneity

• Faith

• Embracing folly (accepting all of your choices — good or bad)

• Unpredictability

• Unlimited potential

• Having faith in yourself

I - The Magician

• Kether (first sefiroh)

• Action

• Conscious awareness

• Concentration

• Masculine energy (path of least resistance)

• Power (tapping into unknown forces and using them creatively/meaningfully)

• Harnesses magic potential (lightening rod between higher power and earth; contains all )

• High self-efficacy

• Creative forces are open to claim if you act with open awareness and purposeful intention

II - The High Priestess

• Chockma (second sefirah)

• Represents expressed energy in both male and female from

• Inaction

• Unconscious awareness

• Potential

• Mystery

• Withholds the truth, but invites people to access them with their intuition

• Feminine (balances I - The Magician) and heads the masculine pillar (growth)

• Challenges you to look deeper in yourself and your situation (look beyond what is in front of you)

• Things will come to you in time; have patience

III - The Empress

• Binah (third sefirah)

• Mothering (birth, life, nurturing, children, etc)

• Abundance and luxury

• Indulging in the senses (beauty, pleasure, exercise, etc)

• Nature

• Shares female archetype with II - The High Priestess (sister of chockmah)

• Fertility and pregnancy

• Encourages you to connect with nature and humanity

• Grounded

• Indulge in pleasures

• Material wealth should only come in pair with an open spirit

• A motherly figure in your life

IV - The Emperor

• Chesed (fourth sefirah)

• Brother to Geverah

• Merciful king

• Fathering (authority, establishing a family line, guidance, etc)

• Structure

• Authority

• Regulation (laws and rules)

• Balances the unstructured energy of III - The Empress)

• Signifies a need for organization during a time of chaos or disorder

• An assumption of power and control

• Legal matters

• A fatherly figure in your life

• Protector

V - The Hierophant

• Geverah (fifth sefirah)

• Sister to Chesed

• Strict teacher

• Education

• Belief systems

• Conformity

• Group identification (community, groups, being part of a cause, etc)

• Interprets secret knowledge

• Structured groups

• Facts, rules, rituals, procedures, etc)

• Rewards for conformity

• Learning with experts

• Represents the values of an institution — good, bad, or neutral)

• Following the program vs trusting your inner self

VI - The Lovers

• Tipheres (sixth sefirah)

• Beauty and love

• Relationships

• Sexuality

• Personal beliefs

• Values (temptation, right vs wrong, obsession)

• Deep love

• Not strictly sexual

• Attractive forces between people, groups, organizations, movements, etc

• Represents a need to question values and make decisions (choosing the virgin or the temptress)

• Deciding your own morals and ethics

VII - The Chariot

• Netzach (seventh sefirah)

• Imagination

• Harnesses the light and shadow parts of the personality

• Victory

• Willpower

• Self-assertion

• Mastering self-discipline

• Strength in combat (grit, assertiveness, determination, etc)

• Self control or control of your environment

• Win-lose dynamic (defeat problems and competition)

VIII - Strength

• Hod (eighth sefirah)

• Taming the lion because she must, but does not do it out of cruelty

• Conveys the ability to use strength without bias

• Strength and endurance

• Patience

• Compassion

• Soft and deliberate sense of control

• Inner strength

• Stabiltity

• Forgiveness during conflict or betrayal

• Expressing anger in grace

• Reminder to not despair or give up

• Give yourself grace

• Be patient through hard times

IX - The Hermit

• Yesod (ninth sefirah)

• Allows the perception of higher existence and purpose

• Introspection and reflection

• Searching for a greater understanding

• Provides guidance (mentor/teacher)

• Solitude

• Desire to turn away from society

• The answers you are looking for will come to you during stillness

• Guidance to the truth by getting rid of diversions

• Need to be alone and reflect during high energy times

X - Wheel of Fortune

• Malkath (tenth sefirah)

• Represents earth

• The strange animals represent humans’ unfamiliarity with higher existance

• Left at the divine’s mercy

• Destiny/fate

• Turning point in life

• Movement and change

• Personal vision (an awareness that everything is connected)

• Revelations or answers are coming soon to solve or progress a tough situation if you look beyond the obvious

• Unexpected changes of circumstance

• Repeating cycles

• Time progresses with or without you

XI - Justice

• The scale that balances the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

• Fairness

• Responsibility and accountability

• Decisions

• Cause and effect

• Reminder of divine balance and karma

• Legal matters

• Judgements and decisions made by you or someone else

• Reminiscing on a past mistake or good deed

• Wondering if you’re getting what you deserve

• A sign to make amends and fix mistakes

XII - The Hanged Man

• Reflection of II - The Magician

• Wisdom unrecognized

• Evolution may not be seen, but is present

• Letting go

• Changing perspective

• Reversals

• Suspension and pause

• Sacrificing and renouncing

• Paradox/contradictory (gaining control by letting go; winning by surrendering; moving on by taking inaction)

• Approach a problem in an unfamiliar way

• When we want something the most, that is a sign that it is time to let go

XIII - Death

• Reflection of III - The High Priestess

• Part of the continuum with life

• Ending/parting ways

• Transitions

• Elimination (getting rid of the unnecessary)

• Inexorable forces (inevitability)

• Not a permanent end

• Something must “die” before growing anew

• A sign that great change is on the way

• Reluctance ending in relief and completion

XIV - Temperance

• Reflection of III - The Empress

• Creates synergy between two opposites

• Beginning of life from “non-life”

• Moderation

• Balance

• Heatlh

• Combining

• Avoiding temptation

• Moment of calmness and clarity amongst chaos

• Signifies a need for moderation (especially in the presence of knight cards)

• Fight for compromise and cooperation during conflict

• Look for ways to bring opposites together

• Sign of good health and vitality

XV - The Devil

• Reflection of IV - The Emperor

• Reminder that all forms of authority will grow accustomed to subservient people and become corrupt

• Peers become servants or slaves in their eyes

• Bondage

• Materialism

• Addiction

• Ignorance

• Hopelessness

• Obsession

• Reveals errors that hid the truth (look beyond your own knowledge and physicality)

• Sign that you are stuck in an unhealthy or unproductive situation

• There are things being hidden from you and your ignorance is holding you away form the truth

XVI - The Tower

• Reflection of V - The Hierophant

• Educational sources always reach their own ceiling and can not teach you the things that experience can

• Strict reliance on institutional education will halt progress

• Sudden change or complete upheaval

• Emotional release or outburst

• Downfall

• Revelation

• Reversals in fortune

• There is something wrong and you are not responding to it

• Your sense of self is going to be shaken

• Egotistic behavior will be humbled

• Pent up anger will release uncontrolled

• Being stuck in a rut will lead to a surprise

• A burst of insight will come upon you to help you understand things that have evaded you

XVII - The Star

• Reflection of VI - The Lovers

• Learning that love is about giving, not receiving

• Hope

• Inspiration

• Serenity

• A shining light during dark times

• There is still a chance to survive and grow

• Opposite of the XV - The Devil

• Be vulnerable to release your doubts

• Give generously

• You will attain piece of mind eventually

• Does not provide solutions; just a symbol of motivation

• Informing you that your goals and aspirations are blessed

XVIII - The Moon

• Reflection of VII - The Chariot

• Loss of control over the two aspects of self and life in general (domesticated and feral self)

• Fear

• Illusions

• Imagination

• Bewilderment

• Loss of familiarity

• Access the unknown with your imagination and intuition

• Symbol of inspiration and enchantment

• Guides you to the unknown and unusual

• A sign that there are deceptions that you need to be aware of (don’t let them lead you astray)

• Wandering aimlessly and needing to find clarity

XIX - The Sun

• Reflection of XIII - Strength

• No fear and innocent strength

• Freest self

• Enlightenment

• Greatness

• Vitality and youth

• Assurance and understanding

• Revealing truths (lighting up the dark)

• Confidence

• Secured self

• Sign that success is expected

XX - Judgement

• Reflection of IX - The Hermit

• Beckoning people towards enlightenment

• You are not the only person on the path of awakening (you are one of many in a world of wanting)

• Judgement

• Rebirth

• True self

• Absolution and cleansing

• A judgement of your action(s) (a sign that there may be no room for redemption and you have to take accountability)

• Consider matters carefully, but you must make a decision

• Reassurance that you will be cleansed of all your burdens and guilt

• Renewal

XXI - The World

• Reflection of X - Wheel of Fortune

• You have the knowledge you need and you are protected by it

• The animals are familiar (represents security in knowledge from experiences)

• Wholeness

• Accomplishment

• Involvement and helping others

• Fulfillment

• Is a positive sign to seek what your heart desires

• To feel the happiness of your desires, you must first give yourself to the world entirely