The Fool, The Sun, The Moon, The Star… Discover the meaning of the major arcana and how they are read together.
What are the major arcana?
The Tarot de Marseille has 22 major arcana, from The Fool (numbered 0) to The World (21). Each one symbolises a major stage or an archetype of human experience: momentum, love, ordeal, transformation, fulfilment.
These are the cards used for the big questions of life, where the minor arcana refine the everyday.
A few key arcana
The Sun evokes joy, success and vitality. The Star speaks of hope and inspiration. The Moon points to emotions and the unconscious. The Nameless Arcanum (card XIII) doesn't foretell death but a deep transformation and a rebirth.
No card is 'good' or 'bad' in itself: everything depends on its position and the cards around it.
Upright and reversed cards
A reversed card qualifies or tempers its message: a blockage, a delay, an energy to rebalance. It doesn't mechanically flip the meaning, it invites caution into it.
The tarot reader's art lies in making the whole spread speak together to bring out a coherent story.