Unlocking the Mysteries of Tarot Cards

Tarot is becoming more mainstream, but how much do you actually know about it? Where did it originate? What does it all mean? Let's brush up on some Tarot knowledge, shall we?

The Origins of Tarot

The Tarot deck can be traced all the way back to the 1430s in Italy, where it was used as a type of playing cards and loosely used as a type of fortune-telling tool. This deck was not initially numbered, so it was important (and likely difficult) to remember what order they went in, and looked quite different from the Tarot deck we know today. The more modern version of the Tarot and its adaptation into the occult practice of fortune-telling can be traced back to 1780s France. In that rendition of the Tarot, each suite of the Minor Arcana was assigned an over-arching meaning:

• Wands = business matters

• Cups = love

• Swords = conflict

• Coins (pentacles) = money

There are also indications that various other cultures, including the Chinese and the Egyptians, had similar types of cards for divination practices around the same time periods.

The Major Arcana

The first 22 cards of the tarot deck are the Major Arcana. Some say these represent the soul's deepest joys, desires, and needs. Others say they are the major human archetypes experienced by all humans throughout our lives, encompassing personal growth and spiritual enlightenment. The Major Arcana starts with the card numbered 0 - The Fool - representing incense and the beginning and concludes with the card numbered XXI - The World - completion and accomplishment. It includes commonly identified cards such as The Lovers (VI - love, harmony), Justice (XI - fairness, truth, cause and effect), and The Tower (XVI - upheaval, chaos).

The Minor Arcana

The remaining 56 cards of the tarot deck make up the Minor Arcana and are separated into four suits, similar to traditional playing cards: cups, wands, swords, and pentacles, with each suite having fourteen cards (1-10, page, knight, queen, king). In contrast to the Major Arcana, which shows over-arching themes of the human experience, the cards of the Minor Arcana represent elements of daily life and how they affect us.

• Cups = emotions, love, feelings, relationships, connections

• Wands = primal energy, spirituality, inspiration, determination, strength

• Swords = action, ambition, courage, conflict, power

• Pentacles = material aspects of life, work, business, money, possessions

Tarot Spreads

The traditional Celtic Cross spread

Tarot spreads are useful when we want to use the cards to tell a story or get answers to questions. The purpose of a spread is to use multiple cards to compare to or relate to one another. By laying cards out in a spread, the position of each card has a meaning and represents a part of the question or scenario. For example, in the traditional Celtic Cross, eleven cards are laid out to represent various parts, including the current situation and challenge, the recommended approach, and the possible outcome. (Try out the Celtic Cross as well as other Tarot Spreads in my FREE guide "5 Simple Tarot Spreads Anyone Can Do")

How To Begin Reading Tarot

Reading the Tarot can be learned by anyone with a little patience, some memory skills, and a deep connection to their intuition.  I have created this guide for beginners but these spreads are ones you can use any time through your Tarot journey.    

• Grab your Tarot deck

• Take a couple of deep breaths and focus in on your intention for the spread or “pull.”

• Shuffle your cards in whatever manner feels “right” until you feel like you are being told to stop shuffling.

• Deal out your spread and take a look at what is in the cards for you!

Reading tarot takes practice. It really is about building a relationship with your deck (which might sound silly, but once you start using your deck more and more, you will begin to see what I mean). It can be a lot of fun and can help guide you through a lot of situations and decisions in your life. And it can be a really fun and entertaining party trick too!

Want more Tarot?

Check out my 2025 Tarot Card Manifestation Planner!

This is the exact tarot ritual I do every New Year to prepare for the upcoming year! It has space for the yearly card pull as well as a page for each month to see what is "in the cards" for life, relationships and money as well as journal prompts to guide you toward manifesting your best year yet! It also includes daily planner pages with card of the day, daily affirmations, goals, appointments and more if you're someone who is super organized and wants to get the most out of manifesting with the tarot for 2025.