Comprehensive Tarot Studies: Systems, Cards, and Symbolism

Vocabulary flashcards covering the structure, elemental correspondences, court ranks, Major and Minor Arcana meanings, symbolism, and interpretive techniques of Tarot.

Major Arcana

The group of 22 character cards in a Tarot deck concerned with big life events, significant themes, turning points, or major personal lessons.

Minor Arcana

The group of 56 suit cards in a Tarot deck divided across four suits of 14 cards each, concerned with day-to-day events.

Suit of Cups

A feminine, inward/receptive Tarot suit associated with the element of Water, representing emotions, relationships, intuition, and healing.

Suit of Wands

A masculine, onward/active Tarot suit associated with the element of Fire, representing energy, action, passion, creativity, and ambition.

Suit of Swords

A masculine, onward/active Tarot suit associated with the element of Air, representing the mind, logic, communication, thought, truth, conflict, and clarity.

Suit of Pentacles

A feminine, inward/receptive Tarot suit associated with the element of Earth, representing work, money, the body, and stability.

Page

A court card rank representing the curious student, new ideas, and messages.

Knight

A court card rank representing the action taker, pursuit, and bold movement.

Queen

A court card rank representing inner mastery, nurturing, and emotional wisdom.

King

A court card rank representing outer mastery, leadership, and authority.

Tarot Spread

An arrangement of cards with designated interpretive positions that establish which aspect of the question each card addresses.

Clarifier Card

An additional card drawn in a reading to explore an existing interpretation.

Significator Card

A card chosen in a tarot reading to represent a person or subject.

Querent

The person asking the question during a tarot reading.

Reversed Card

A card appearing upside down in a reading, indicating blocked, internalized, delayed, or excessive energy rather than simply the opposite meaning.

The Fool (0)

Major Arcana card 0 representing pure potential, innocence, and beginning without certainty; accompanied by a cliff representing risk and a dog representing loyalty and warnings of danger.

The Magician (I)

Major Arcana card I corresponding to Mercury, featuring an infinity symbol and four suit objects representing unlimited potential, continuous energy, and consciously using available resources.

The High Priestess (II)

Major Arcana card II corresponding to the Moon, featuring the pillars Boaz and Jachin (B and J) and a veil representing inner knowing, hidden wisdom, duality, balance, and mysteries.

The Empress (III)

Major Arcana card III corresponding to Venus, featuring pomegranate imagery representing fertility, abundance, life, creation, and nurturing; its shadow side represents smothering, overindulgence, and creative stagnation.

The Emperor (IV)

Major Arcana card IV corresponding to Aries, featuring a stone throne representing worldly authority, stability, and structure; its shadow side represents rigidity, domination, and excessive control.

The Hierophant (V)

Major Arcana card V corresponding to Taurus, representing tradition and institutional teaching through the lesson of learning from tradition while examining personal beliefs.

The Lovers (VI)

Major Arcana card VI corresponding to Gemini, featuring an angel symbolizing higher guidance and teaching the central lesson of union and making choices aligned with personal values.

The Chariot (VII)

Major Arcana card VII corresponding to Cancer, featuring black and white sphinxes symbolizing opposing forces requiring directed willpower, discipline, and self-control.

Strength (VIII)

Major Arcana card VIII in the Rider–Waite–Smith deck corresponding to Leo, featuring an infinity symbol and a lion to teach that compassion, patience, and inner control can be stronger than force.

The Hermit (IX)

Major Arcana card IX corresponding to Virgo, featuring a lantern symbolizing inner guidance and demonstrating how solitude supports wisdom while isolation prevents connection.

Wheel of Fortune (X)

Major Arcana card X corresponding to Jupiter, symbolizing cycles, change, and shifting circumstances that cannot all be controlled.

Justice (XI)

Major Arcana card XI in the Rider–Waite–Smith deck corresponding to Libra, featuring scales that symbolize fairness, balance, accountability, and consequences.

The Hanged Man (XII)

Major Arcana card XII, featuring a halo that symbolizes enlightenment, a changed perspective, and the necessity of surrender to achieve progress.

Death (XIII)

Major Arcana card XIII corresponding to Scorpio, featuring a rising sun that symbolizes renewal, transformation, and release following endings rather than literal death.

Temperance (XIV)

Major Arcana card XIV corresponding to Sagittarius, featuring an angel mixing water to symbolize moderation, balance, and integrating opposing forces through patience.

The Devil (XV)

Major Arcana card XV corresponding to Capricorn, featuring chains symbolizing attachment, restriction, and unhealthy dependence, teaching that recognizing attachments is the first step toward releasing them.

The Tower (XVI)

Major Arcana card XVI corresponding to Mars, featuring lightning that symbolizes sudden revelation, disruption, and the collapse of unstable beliefs or structures to reveal truth.

The Star (XVII)

Major Arcana card XVII corresponding to Aquarius, featuring an eight-pointed star symbolizing hope, guidance, spiritual renewal, and gradual restoration after a difficult experience.

The Moon (XVIII)

Major Arcana card XVIII corresponding to Pisces, featuring two towers marking a threshold and a crayfish emerging from water symbolizing uncertainty, illusion, and unconscious instincts rising into awareness.

The Sun (XIX)

Major Arcana card XIX corresponding to the Sun, featuring a child riding a white horse to symbolize joy, clarity, innocence, freedom, and joyful vitality.

Judgement (XX)

Major Arcana card XX corresponding to Pluto in modern correspondences (or Fire in the Golden Dawn system), featuring a trumpet symbolizing awakening, a calling, reassessment, and transformation.

The World (XXI)

Major Arcana card XXI corresponding to Saturn, featuring a wreath and four creatures symbolizing completion, wholeness, achievement, and the four fixed zodiac signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius).

Boaz and Jachin

The two pillars marked B and J on The High Priestess card that symbolize duality and balance.

Salamander

A recurring symbol in the Suit of Wands that represents fire, transformation, passion, and resilience.

Falcon

A symbol depicted on the Nine of Pentacles representing discipline, refinement, self-control, and cultivated independence.

Bridge

A symbol depicted in the Five of Cups representing a path forward, recovery, and the possibility of moving beyond grief.

Predominance of Major Arcana

A distribution in a spread indicating that significant themes, turning points, or major personal lessons are central to the reading.

Predominance of Cups

A distribution in a spread indicating that emotional or relationship concerns are the central focus.

Predominance of Swords

A distribution in a spread indicating that mental activity, decisions, communication, or conflict dominate.

Predominance of Pentacles

A distribution in a spread indicating that practical matters, finances, work, or security are central.

Predominance of Wands

A distribution in a spread indicating that action, ambition, creativity, or passion are central.