Major Arcana Tarot Cheat Sheet: Meanings of All 22 Cards
The 22 Major Arcana describe the stages of a person's path. We put the keywords, the essence and the correspondences of each card into one quick reference.
· 9 min read
Author: Max Raputum, Warsaw
What are the Major Arcana
The Major Arcana are 22 cards that describe big life themes and stages of development. The path begins with the Fool (0), who steps into the unknown, and ends with the World (XXI), a symbol of a completed cycle. If there are many Major Arcana in a spread, it is about important events and turns, not about trifles.
Each card is traditionally matched with a planet, an element or a sign of the zodiac. These correspondences help you remember the character of a card and read it in the context of astrology.
How to use the cheat sheet
Below are all 22 cards with keywords and essence. It is a short version: for a detailed interpretation, love, work and the reversed position, open the page of the card. Do not memorise the lists: first look at the image, then check it against the reference.
All 22 Major Arcana
0 The Fool · Air · Uranus
new beginnings, spontaneity, trust in life, lightness. The Fool stands at the edge of a cliff with a small bundle over his shoulder, looking up instead of down.
I The Magician · Mercury
will, mastery, action, resources. The Magician raises one hand to the sky and points the other to the earth: what is above becomes real below.
II The High Priestess · Moon
intuition, mystery, inner voice, silence. The High Priestess sits between two pillars before a veil, holding a scroll she half hides.
III The Empress · Venus
abundance, care, creativity, sensuality. The Empress sits in a ripe garden among wheat, soft cushions and flowing water.
IV The Emperor · Aries
structure, authority, protection, discipline. The Emperor sits on a stone throne in the mountains, a ram's heads carved on its arms.
V The Hierophant · Taurus
tradition, mentorship, values, institutions. The Hierophant sits between two pillars and blesses two kneeling students.
VI The Lovers · Gemini
choice, union, values, harmony. A man and a woman stand naked beneath an angel, a tree behind each of them.
VII The Chariot · Cancer
victory, will, movement, self-control. A charioteer in armour drives two sphinxes, one black and one white, and holds no reins: they obey his will.
VIII Strength · Leo
gentle strength, patience, courage, composure. A woman calmly closes the jaws of a lion with her bare hands.
IX The Hermit · Virgo
solitude, wisdom, searching for an answer, inner light. An old man with a lantern stands on a snowy peak, lighting only the next few steps.
X Wheel of Fortune · Jupiter
change, cycle, fate, a turning point. A great wheel turns in the sky, with creatures of the four elements around it.
XI Justice · Libra
fairness, cause and effect, honesty, balance. Justice sits with a sword in one hand and scales in the other, looking straight at you.
XII The Hanged Man · Water · Neptune
a pause, sacrifice, a new perspective, letting go. A man hangs upside down from a living tree, his face calm and a halo around his head.
XIII Death · Scorpio
an ending, transformation, release, a new chapter. A skeleton in black armour rides a white horse through a field where kings and children fall alike, while the sun rises between two towers.
XIV Temperance · Sagittarius
balance, moderation, patience, healing. An angel pours water from one cup into another, one foot on land and one in a stream.
XV The Devil · Capricorn
dependence, temptation, attachment, the shadow. The Devil looms over two chained figures, yet the chains around their necks hang loose and could be lifted off.
XVI The Tower · Mars
a sudden collapse, revelation, liberation, a shock. Lightning strikes a tall tower, its crown flies off and people fall from the windows.
XVII The Star · Aquarius
hope, healing, inspiration, faith. A naked woman kneels by a pool and pours water onto the earth and into the stream, with a great star above her.
XVIII The Moon · Pisces
illusions, fears, the subconscious, uncertainty. A dog and a wolf howl at the Moon while a crayfish climbs from the water onto a winding path between two towers.
XIX The Sun · Sun
joy, success, clarity, vital energy. A child rides a white horse beneath a great sun with sunflowers behind a wall.
XX Judgement · Fire · Pluto
awakening, a calling, forgiveness, a new life. An angel sounds a trumpet and people rise from their graves with arms open.
XXI The World · Saturn
completion, wholeness, achievement, travel. A dancer moves inside a wreath, with the four figures of the evangelists in the corners.
How to remember the meanings
Go in order
Read the arcana as a story: from a naive beginning to maturity, crisis and outcome.
Group them
Cards 1 to 7 are the forming of a personality, 8 to 14 inner work and balance, 15 to 21 trials and completion.
Start with your favourites
Choose three or four cards that resonate and study them in detail. The rest will come by themselves.
Frequently asked questions
How many Major Arcana are in a deck?
22 cards: from the Fool (0) to the World (XXI).
Why is the Fool zero and not the twenty-second card?
It depends on the tradition: the Fool is considered both the beginning and the end of the path. In arcana numerology it is sometimes written as 22.
Which Major Arcana are the hardest?
Usually Death, the Tower and the Devil are named, but their meanings are most often tied to change and release, not to trouble.
Can I read only with the Major Arcana?
Yes. Such a spread shows the main themes of a situation without details. For details use the full deck.
Try it in practice
Read also
- Tarot Suits and Elements: Wands, Cups, Swords and PentaclesThe suit of a card hints at the area of life it is about. We go through the four suits, their elements and how numbers and court cards change the meaning.
- Yearly Tarot Spread: How to Do and Read It YourselfA spread for the year is not a calendar of events but a map of themes. We show three ways to do it and explain how to read the result without illusions.