subject: The Meaning of Tarot Cards [print this page] The Meaning of Tarot Cards The Meaning of Tarot Cards
One of the main worries people have when they first begin learning the Tarot is how they're going to learn and remember each and every meaning to each card. Their brain swims with the thought of all the keywords and symbols they must commit to memory. In fact, it's not something you should stress over; getting to know your deck will ensure that the necessary "keywords" will make themselves known to you when you need them.
Standardised Meanings to your Cards
If you take a look through any tarot books freely available, you'll soon discover that there are meanings to each card which have been handed down through the generations and which still hold true today. As I mentioned before, once you become attuned to your particular deck and have spent time studying the cards intimately, you'll find that you attribute meanings of your own to each card.
Here are some traditionally accepted keywords for a deck
Aces new beginnings
Twos balance, choices
Threes achievement
Fours stability
Fives uncertainty, instability
Sixes balance, harmony
Sevens reflection
Eights movement, change
Nines fruition
Tens completion, endings
What Meanings do the Four Suits Have?
To recap, there are four Suits in a standard tarot deck; Wands, Swords, Cups and Coinc (or Pentacles as they're known in some decks). These Suits correspond to certain attributes; the most widely accepted are listed below:
Wands action, movement
Cups emotions, relationships
Coins material concerns
Swords thoughts, communications
When you lay out your cards in a spread, take a close look. If most of the cards are low numbers (aces, twos and threes) then a cycle is just beginning
If most are fours, fives and sixes, you're in the thick of things
Sevens, eights and nines mean you're near the end of a phase
Tens signify a successful completion
The Court Cards
These are often thought to be the hardest cards to read in a deck. As you get to know your deck intimately, you'll work out your own meanings for the Court Cards but the following may help, although these are not set in stone:
Kings authority figures, leaders
Queens strong women
Knights pioneers, idea-makers
Pages messengers, news-bringers
To get the most out of your tarot deck, you need to connect with it frequently. The more you work with the cards, the more the meanings will spring to life, making it easier to do readings.
