Tarot Meaning

Tarot is the extended deck of cards, usually 78, used for divination reading. It's an old tradition, dating back to the Renaissance. Here's how to do it, and the meanings of all the Tarot cards.

Divination by Images

It must be understood that the Tarot card works by images, especially the Rider-Waite card deck, which has descriptive images for all the 78 Tarot cards. And that's the thing.

     Since the Renaissance, Tarot cards were decorated with allegorical images, carrying lots of symbolic meanings familiar to people at the time. When they saw these images, their minds went spinning on how to interpret them in relation to the question at hand. That's still the best way of working with the Tarot cards.

     Any Tarot card deck with a number of images that are meaningful and suggestive to the viewer will inspire an enlighting reading. Watch the pictures and let your mind spin. The Tarot card meanings are in the images.

     That's why, ulitmately, you need to make your own Tarot card deck with the images to which you relate the most, the ones that make you react and get your imagination going. The Tarot card images with the most meaning to you. Maybe you can use your photo album, or search the internet for pictures you find significant - somewhat like the old tradition of collecting material for a scrapbook.

     Until then, I recommend you work with the Rider-Waite Tarot card deck, which has wonderfully suggestive images, rich with meanings, on all the 78 Tarot cards - although these pictures are very evidently from an era other than ours. These Tarot cards were originally published in 1909. Read more about them here:

The Rider-Waite Tarot card deck

Tarot Online Reading

Here's the webpage on this site where you can get your own free Tarot card spread and reading. It's the Celtic Cross, the most established and used of the Tarot spreads. Deal the cards and read their meaning. I recommend you to read about the Celtic Cross spread first (see the link to the left and below), but if you're impatient you can go ahead and try Tarot Onlne immediately:

Free Tarot Online

The Major Arcana

The Tarot card deck consists of 78 cards: 22 in the Major Arcana and 56 in the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana cards are the trumps, which are unsuited. Each card represents a major force to be taken quite seriously when appearing in divination. Read more about the Major Arcana and the meanings of the Tarot cards in it:

The Tarot Major Arcana

The Minor Arcana

The 56 Tarot cards of the Minor Arcana are divided into four suits: Wands, Pentacles (also called Coins), Cups, and Swords. Each suit has its general meaning, and each card of it brings its very own message in a divination. Read more about the Minor Arcana and the meanings of the Tarot cards in it:

The Tarot Minor Arcana

The Tarot Celtic Cross Spread

In divination with the Tarot cards, there are different spreads used. By far the most famous and used Tarot card spread is the Celtic Cross, which consists of ten Tarot cards, each with its own specific meaning. Here's how to do the Celtic Cross Tarot card spread, and how to read it:

The Tarot Celtic Cross spread

Tarot Card Decks

Playing cards are originally of Chinese invention, documented already in the 9th century, but the actual Tarot cards appeared in Europe around 1440, also at first for card games. The European use of the Tarot card decks for divination, cartomancy, where all the cards were given their divinatory meanings, commenced already in the 16th century and grew during the following centuries. That's just about its only use today, and it has become widely spread.

     This website focuses on the Tarot card use for divination, how it's done and what divinatory meanings the Tarot cards contain.

     I use the Rider-Waite Tarot card deck, which is by far the most popular one, although there are lots of others (see the links on the left menu). It's my favorite Tarot card deck, too - until I find the time to make my own version, which is what I really recommend for everyone who finds delight in divination with Tarot cards. That's how to perfect it.

     Here are the most famous variations of the Tarot card deck from the 15th century until today:

Tarot Card Decks through the centuries

Tarot and Playing Cards

The Tarot card deck has many similarities to regular playing cards. That's no surprise, since they have the same origin. But there are also significant differences, not only in the number of cards each deck contains. Read more about it here:

Tarot vs. Playing Cards

New book: Tarot Unfolded

Now, my approach to Tarot card divination is a book, which presents the Tarot and explains the imaginative reading of the Tarot cards.

     It's an expanded version of what you find on this website, with several additions regarding the Tarot card deck and its use in different kinds of divination. Also, it gives many examples of symbolic and allegorical imagery within and beyond the Tarot. My hope is that the book will assist you in finding your own intuitive way of making inspired Tarot card readings.

Click here for more about the book.

The Rider-Waite Tarot Deck

By far the most famous and used Tarot card deck today is the one called Rider-Waite. It was originally published in 1909 and has been reprinted countless times since.

More about the Rider-Waite Tarot card deck here.