The Tarot Cards Instead of showing you pictures of the cards in, for example, a Waite/Smith deck, get out the deck of your choice and see if you can begin to feel comfortable handling them as you learn to understand them. Your deck should be an extension of who you are, and should be treated with the reverence that perhaps a cherished childhood memento would be.
The Major Arcana
0 - The Fool Upright - The Seeker is starting his journey, leaping into the unknown.
Reversed - Fear of the unknown, unwise move.
I - The Magician Upright - Creativity, new skills, ability to manipulate your surroundings.
Reversed - Blocked creativity, the trickster, illusions.
II - The High Priestess Upright - Psychic knowledge and intuition, the occult, mysteries, silent counsel.
Reversed - Failing to acknowledge the spiritual in life, shallowness.
III - The Empress Upright - Abundance, the Great Mother, the good life, nurturing , maternal love.
Reversed - Material needs are unmet, dissatisfaction, materialism.
IV - The Emperor Upright - The Father, the high king, the ruling power, authority, paternal love.
Reversed - Loss or abuse of power, chauvinism, rebellion.
V - The High Priest Upright - The conventional and traditional, spiritual authority.
Reversed - The unconventional, perverse, extremism.
VI - The Lovers Upright - Choices, love affairs, evolving relationships.
Reversed - Bad choices, temptations, infidelity.
VII - The Chariot Upright - A journey, making progress, taking matters into your own hands.
Reversed - Blind ambition, stagnation.
VIII - Strength Upright - Self-confidence and wisdom, tact, gentle force, self esteem.
Reversed - Weakness, destructive behavior, illness, depression.
IX - The Hermit Upright - Rest, solitude, contemplation, soul searching.
Reversed - Isolation, self deception, loneliness, confusion.
X - Wheel Of Fortune Upright - Good luck, fortune smiles upon you, the roll of the dice, winds of change.
Reversed - Failure, bad luck, poor judgment.
XI - Justice Upright - Being judged, legal matters, the long arm of the law.
Reversed - Being judged unfairly, underhanded dealings, manipulation.
XII - Hanged Man Upright - Choices, self sacrifice, a standstill, self contemplation.
Reversed - Wasted effort, futility, poor decision, envy.
XIII - Death Upright - End of a situation, massive upheaval, major changes.
Reversed - Change is for the worse, resisting change, fear of change.
XIV - Temperance Upright - Moderation, on the right path, balance, tolerance, progress.
Reversed - Extremism, out of balance, poor judgment.
XV - The Devil Upright - Slave to the material, lack of spiritual, addictions.
Reversed - Loosing the chains, breaking free, release from that which binds.
XVI - The Tower Upright - Ruin, self defeat, collapse of a situation, all is lost.
Reversed - Picking up the pieces, the aftermath of a catastrophe.
XVII - The Star Upright - Renewed hope, bright expectations, inspiration, optimism.
Reversed - Pessimism, disappointment, no faith in the future.
XVIII - The Moon Upright - Deceptions, intuition, mystery, psychic awareness, hidden.
Reversed - Clear thinking, coming into the light, out in the open.
XIX - The Sun Upright - Success and fulfillment, blessings and enrichment.
Reversed - Same as above, but slower in coming.
XX - Judgement Upright - Day of reckoning, end of a situation, decisions, a milestone reached.
Reversed - Unwelcome endings, forced change, being caught off guard.
XXI - The World Upright - A happy ending, life is good, success, happiness.
Reversed - Delays and obstacles, too many loose ends, resistance to change.
The Court Cards
The Court Cards are divided into four groups: Kings, Queens, Knights, and Pages. They can represent you and your feelings, people in your life or situations.
Kings are generally mature men over 40, and can represent authority figures in your personal life, or situations where you have to deal with those in positions of power.
Queens are generally mature women over 40, and can represent women in positions of authority, or situations where powerful woman are involved.
Knights are young adults and can be of either sex, and while they take on the characteristics of the Kings and Queens, they are not yet mature enough to reach the correct decisions all the time. A Knight can also indicate a situation where fresh energy is needed, and sometimes are messengers as well.
Pages are usually children, and they are always associated with messages, information and news coming into your life. A look at the Page's suit indicates what the message is about. A Page can be of either sex.
The Swords - The Element of Air
King of Swords Upright - Supreme authority, power, strong leader, professional, assertive.
Reversed - Domineering, misuse of power, underhanded, retribution, ruthless.
Queen of Swords Upright - Strong will, ambitious, perceptive, fair judgement, independent.
Reversed - Bitch on wheels, manipulation, intolerance, demanding, bitter.
Knight of Swords Upright - Swift changes at hand, leadership, ambition, assertive, aggressive.
Reversed - Spying, covert operations, dishonesty, meanness.
Page of Swords Upright - Quick thinking, decisive, travel, intuition, strong willed.
Reversed - Bad news, spying, cunning, deceit, gossip, mild health problems.
The Wands - The Element of Fire
King of Wands Upright - Strong leader, charming, strength, ambition, motivation.
Reversed - Self righteous, demeaning, arrogant, ruthless, aggresive.
Queen of Wands Upright - Businesswoman, good money management, organized.
Reversed - Jealous, narrow minded, egotistic, intolerant, overly strict.
Knight of Wands Upright - Change is imminent, creative energy flourishes, enthusiasm.
Reversed - Impatience, egotism, refusal to accept the natural flow.
Page of Wands Upright - Messages, new ideas, opportunity for employment and growth.
Reversed - Bad news concerning employment, miscommunications.
The Cups - The Element of Water
King of Cups Upright - Compassionate, lover of the arts, supportive friend, cultured.
Reversed - Deceptive, dishonest, vanity, fraud, rogue.
Queen of Cups Upright - Good mother and wife, intuitive, nurturing, psychic, sensitive.
Reversed - Frivolous, living in fantasy, daydreams, fickle, self-deception.
Knight of Cups Upright - News of romance, sensitive soul, marriage proposal, new love.
Reversed - Wolf in sheep's clothing, illusions, insincere, false flattery.
Page of Cups Upright - Affectionate, sensitive, imagination, psychic, good news.
Reversed - Bad news concerning relationships, spoiled, impetuous.
The Pentacles - The Element of Earth
King of Pentacles Upright - Captain of industry, wealth, patience, sound advice, success.
Reversed - Lack of business sense, misuse of power, vulgar, abusive.
Queen of Pentacles Upright - Good business sense, fond of luxury, emotionally mature.
Reversed - Frivolous, greed, irresponsible, blames others for her mistakes.
Knight of Pentacles Upright - Progress being made, industrious, loyal, thoughtful, serious.
Reversed - Greed, money problems, lack of progress, laziness.
Page of Pentacles Upright - Education, thrifty, setting reasonable goals, look to your future.
Reversed - Rebellion for no reason, bad news concerning money.
The Swords
Ace of Swords Upright - Beginning of activity, right of force, righteous battle.
Reversed - Empty use of force, misdirected energy.
Two of Swords Upright - Balance, blind vigilance, discipline, inner strength, impasse.
Reversed - Movement, action begins anew, change, removing the blindfold.
Three of Swords Upright - Separation, disillusionment, betrayal, heartache, illness.
Reversed - Slow recovery, dwelling on past hurts.
Four of Swords Upright - Rest, reconnection with Spirit, break from the fighting, recovery.
Reversed - Renewed activity, time for action, back in the swing of things.
Five of Swords Upright - Turbulence, winning by unfair means, humiliation, hollow victory.
Reversed - End of gossip and slander, fair victory, treachery exposed.
Six of Swords Upright - Long journey ending, moving out of a stressful situation, protection.
Reversed - Hard times coming, moving into rough waters.
Seven of Swords Upright - Undeserving effort, thievery, cowardice, sneaky, sabotage.
Reversed - Deserved criticism, return of stolen property.
Eight of Swords Upright - Prison of your own making, depression, fear, indecision.
Reversed - Breaking free, moving on to a better situation.
Nine of Swords Upright - All is lost, ruin, despair, hopelessness, failure, gloom.
Reversed - The nightmare is ending, time to begin recovery.
Ten of Swords Upright - It is over, all battles lost, there is nothing left.
Reversed - Worst is over, time to start rebuilding, clean start.
The Wands
Ace of Wands Upright - Beginning of activity, new business, confidence, drive, enthusiasm.
Reversed - Stagnation, can't seem to get moving, delay in business.
Two of Wands Upright - Waiting for news, patience, travel for business.
Rerversed - Disagreements, losing interest, impatience.
Three of Wands Upright - Opportunity, ships are coming in, efforts are complete.
Reversed - More work to do, missed chances, wrong place at the wrong time.
Four of Wands Upright - Goodness, merriment, joy, happiness, recreation, celebration, party.
Reversed - Generally the same meaning, but possible delays are indicated.
Five of Wands Upright - Competition, challenges, hormonal flare-ups, burning off energy.
Reversed - Wasted energy, unfair advantages, playing dirty.
Six of Wands Upright - Victory, success, accomplishment, pride.
Reversed - Defeat snatched from the jaws of victory, delay successes.
Seven of Wands Upright - Stand your ground, upper hand, courage of your convictions.
Reversed - Disadvantage, feeling threatened or challenged.
Eight of Wands Upright - Messages are coming, apology is due, progress made.
Reversed - Apology owed, standstill, momentum is blocked.
Nine of Wands Upright - Watchful, on guard, diligence, defense.
Reversed - Not paying attention, caught napping, being taken advantage of.
Ten of Wands Upright - Heavy workload, work related stress, taking on too much.
Reversed - Accepting help, relief from stress.
The Cups
Ace of Cups Upright - New love, peace, happiness, new emotional beginning.
Reversed - Loss of love, unanswered love, detachment, sadness.
Two of Cups Upright - Partnerships, union, balance, attraction, romance, harmony.
Reversed - Ending of a relationship, rejection, breakups.
Three of Cups Upright - Celebrations, happy times, party, pregnancy.
Reversed - Overdoing it, hangovers, unwanted or difficult pregnancy.
Four of Cups Upright - Dissatisfaction, boredom with life, feeling empty inside.
Reversed - Satisfaction, feeling better about yourself, socializing.
Five of Cups Upright - Loss of love, despair, not seeing the forest for the trees, crying over loss but losing sight of what you have left.
Reversed - New hope for love, moving on to a better situation.
Six of Cups Upright - Childhood home, past loves, fond memories of the old days.
Reversed - Time to move into the future, stop clinging to the past.
Seven of Cups Upright - Daydreams, unrealistic expectations, lack of focus, indecision.
Reversed - Vision is clear, desires and goals are made clear.
Eight of Cups Upright - Walking away from a situation, change of heart, partings.
Reversed - Stubborness, refusing to move on, living in the past.
Nine of Cups Upright - The Wish card, your wish will be fulfilled.
Reversed - Your wish will not be fulfilled, or it will not be exactly as you wanted it to be.
Ten of Cups Upright - Happiness, family matters, wholeness, all is well.
Reversed - Family arguments, disrupted harmony, infighting, divorce.
The Pentacles
Ace of Pentacles Upright - Beginning of potential prosperity, material gain, success.
Reversed - Delayed payments, the check is in the mail, greed, carelessness.
Two of Pentacles Upright - Balance, juggling, trying to make ends meet, flexibility.
Reversed - Unable to maintain finances, disorganization, poor foundation.
Three of Pentacles Upright - Employment, rewards for a job well done, job satisfaction.
Reversed - Lack of ambition, trouble at work, loss of interest.
Four of Pentacles Upright - Inheritance, money management, solid investments.
Reversed - Stingy, penny pinching, refusal to share good fortune.
Five of Pentacles Upright - Destitution, abandonment, loss of employment, health problems.
Reversed - Hard times are coming to a close, deceptions.
Six of Pentacles Upright - Generosity, helping your fellow man, sharing the wealth.
Reversed - Money owed, refusal to help those in need, loans come due.
Seven of Pentacles Upright - Gambles, slow growth, progress, working towards the goal.
Reversed - Bad gambles, giving up too easily, lazy, impatience.
Eight of Pentacles Upright - Talent, perfecting your craft, the apprentice, a new line of work.
Reversed - Cutting corners, cheating, poor job performance, dishonesty.
Nine of Pentacles Upright - Wealthy but alone, self-sufficient, success, confidence in abilities.
Reversed - Overly dependant on others, clingy, barely making ends meet.
Ten of Pentacles Upright - Riches abound, tranquil family life, comfort, financial security.
Reversed - Family squabbles, unstable finances, legal problems, insecurity.