At the heart of tarot practice lies a series of powerful images: twenty-two cards depicting characters and forces that echo through myth, psychology, and everyday life. These are the cards known as the major arcana. They do more than answer our questions. They whisper old truths, mirroring the patterns we all follow as we learn, love, and search for meaning.
Why the major arcana matter in tarot readings
We often find that what draws people to tarot is the promise of insight, transformation, and connection to something larger than themselves. The so-called “trump” cards—the major arcana—are central to this journey. They don’t just deal with day-to-day events. Instead, they tend to address life’s turning points, deep questions, and moments that feel outside ordinary time.
These cards trace a story, usually called the “Fool’s Journey.” It begins with the open-minded Fool and ends with the fullness and unity of the World. Each card stands for an archetype or a chapter: a lesson, challenge, or revelation we encounter within ourselves. Working with these symbols can actually help shape our states of consciousness and steer personal growth, as discussed in studies examining the role of archetypal symbols in spiritual practice (study examining the role of archetypal symbols in shamanic rituals).
The meanings behind the archetypes: Card by card
We’ll share a brief interpretation of each card’s core symbolism. In our experience, approaching the images as living ideas opens the door to deep intuition—both for the reader and the seeker.
- The Fool: New beginnings, innocence, taking leaps of faith. This card signals openness. The journey has just begun, often without a plan.
- The Magician: Willpower, skill, and focus. Here, we recognize our tools and ability to make things happen.
- The High Priestess: Mystery, intuition, secrets. The gateway to inner wisdom—what’s known without being spoken.
- The Empress: Fertility, nurturing, abundance. This symbolizes creativity, comfort, and growth—sometimes even actual motherhood.
- The Emperor: Authority, structure, stability. Where order is needed, or boundaries must be set.
- The Hierophant: Tradition, belief, shared wisdom. This card shows where we learn from others and adopt a moral code.
- The Lovers: Connection, values, choices. While it can mean relationships, it also points to choices true to the heart.
- The Chariot: Determination, will, and movement. Implies overcoming adversity with self-control and purpose.
- Strength: Inner courage, gentle power, patience. Not about brute force, but the quiet will to endure.
- The Hermit: Solitude, reflection, and guidance. Stepping back to listen within, seeking the light in ourselves.
- Wheel of Fortune: Change, cycles, fate. Here we recognize life’s unpredictable turns and the web of cause and effect.
- Justice: Truth, fairness, accountability. The call to weigh actions and accept consequences, internal or external.
- The Hanged Man: Letting go, surrender, looking at things differently. Progress sometimes requires waiting or seeing upside down.
- Death: Endings, release, transformation. Not literal demise—more often, profound change and new phases.
- Temperance: Balance, moderation, healing. Calls for blending opposites and seeking the middle ground.
- The Devil: Bondage, shadow, temptation. Where we are trapped by fears or unhealthy patterns—and how we might break free.
- The Tower: Sudden change, disruption, revelation. This can signal necessary breakdowns, something built on shaky ground.
- The Star: Hope, inspiration, spiritual clarity. After turmoil, faith is restored and possibility appears.
- The Moon: Illusion, dreams, intuition. Here, things are unclear, requiring trust in the subconscious.
- The Sun: Joy, vitality, success. Everything becomes clear, warmth and confidence return.
- Judgement: Awakening, renewal, atonement. The call to rise to a new level of understanding, shed the old self.
- The World: Completion, wholeness, fulfillment. The journey comes full circle, with unity and integration.
Each card is a mirror for some part of our lives.
The Fool’s Journey: A story of spiritual progression
When we look at the sequence as a whole, we see a pattern that repeats in the stories of literature, psychology, and even in research indicating adolescence is a key period for spiritual development. The Fool starts out naive, meets mentors and challenges, faces losses and triumphs, and ultimately returns home changed.
What makes this pattern powerful isn’t strict dogma or belief. It’s the invitation to notice, “Where am I, right now, in this story?” Are we at the start, hesitant and wide-eyed? Are we facing a collapse, like the Tower? Or maybe we’re resting in the wisdom of the Hermit, or testing our strength when things feel difficult. We’ve learned from reflecting on these stages that new insights surface every time the cards appear.
The journey is personal—and yet, deeply universal.
Symbolism, intuition, and the language of the soul
Symbols have power. This idea isn’t only found in tarot—psychological and anthropological studies show that working with symbols can actually change perception and moods (examining the role of archetypal symbols in shamanic rituals). The major arcana offers a symbolic “alphabet” for spiritual truth, with each image speaking to the unconscious mind.
When we sit with the cards, we can ask ourselves:
- What image or figure stands out to me today?
- Is there a card that makes me uncomfortable? Why?
- What qualities do I long to develop or understand in myself?
Reflecting on these questions shifts cards from fixed meanings into living teachings. The imagery of the trump cards becomes a bridge between conscious awareness and hidden depths.
Personal transformation through the major arcana
According to research on integrating spirituality with character strengths, key virtues like courage, humanity, and wisdom are common spiritual pathways (article on integrating spirituality with character strengths). We see these same traits reflected throughout the major arcana—Strength teaches compassion, Justice calls for fairness, and Temperance invites balance.
In our experience, using the trump cards for meditation or journaling can produce real change. For example:
- Pick a card intuitively each morning, then look for its lesson throughout your day.
- When facing a big decision, draw a card as a focus for reflection—not as fortune-telling, but as a lens.
- Try “walking the Fool’s Journey” by meditating on each card in turn, journaling the insights, feelings, or dreams that arise.
We have seen seekers move through grief or fear, gain courage to step forward, or finally feel a sense of purpose after reflecting on these images. Archetypes provide stepping stones for personal and spiritual growth, accessible and individual for each person.
Maximizing Client Readings with the Major Arcana: Practical Strategies
In client readings, major arcana cards illuminate profound themes that extend beyond everyday experiences—such as identity, awakening, relationships, and deeper meanings in life. Here are some strategies to enhance your sessions:
- Identify key lessons: When multiple major arcana cards appear, examine the stages they represent in the Fool’s Journey. Are they clustered at the beginning, middle, or end? Using tools like MysticLog can help you log these insights for future reference.
- Facilitate client reflection: Encourage your clients to articulate which archetype resonates with them at the moment. This practice not only fosters engagement but also enhances their understanding of their personal narratives.
- Utilize as an entry point: If a client feels stuck, the rich imagery of the major arcana can help bypass intellectual barriers, opening doors to new insights and possibilities.
- Integrate intuition: Pay attention to which card your client is drawn to or recoils from. Often, the “problem card” uncovers deeper truths than the “solution,” providing valuable insight into their current situation.
Trust the conversation that unfolds between the reader, the client, and the cards, while also documenting these sessions in MysticLog for comprehensive tracking and reflection.
Engaging with the major arcana in this manner transforms the reading process from merely providing answers to offering a reflective mirror to the soul, supported by the organizational capabilities of MysticLog.
Building spiritual awareness with the major arcana
We often notice that growth is not about getting “answers,” but developing awareness. Ongoing reflection with these cards can help with:
- Understanding where we are on our journey, and what we might need next.
- Recognizing repeating cycles, old wounds, or new invitations.
- Connecting with hidden strengths, dreams, or callings deep within us.
Long-term studies on spiritual health suggest that connecting to self, others, and a greater sense of meaning are all linked to wellness (longitudinal, multi-country study of adolescent spiritual health). The major arcana can be a gentle guide in this process, meeting us with a symbol or lesson at the perfect moment.
In the end, working with these cards is less about memorizing meanings and more about trusting what we notice, feel, and discover within the symbols. And sometimes, it’s only in looking back that we see how far we’ve come.
Conclusion: A lifelong journey with timeless symbols
As we revisit the trump cards over months and years, they change—but so do we. What began as a puzzle can become a conversation. A source of playful curiosity becomes a path to deeper self-knowledge, resilience, and hope. In our practice, we’ve found that no matter how many times we encounter these archetypes, they always offer something new.
Whether you are reading for yourself, guiding others, or quietly reflecting alone, the major arcana are there to remind us: spiritual growth is ongoing, layered, and individual. And the next card, the next insight, might surprise you.
Frequently asked questions
What are the Major Arcana cards?
The major arcana are a group of twenty-two distinct tarot cards that represent the most significant spiritual and psychological themes within a tarot deck. Unlike the minor arcana, which focus on everyday situations, these cards symbolize major life lessons, archetypes, and transformative moments.
How do Major Arcana cards influence readings?
When a trump card appears in a tarot spread, it usually signals that deep, long-lasting themes are present in the seeker’s life. These cards highlight areas needing attention or growth and often show turning points, internal struggles, or spiritual insights, impacting the entire reading.
What is the spiritual meaning of Major Arcana?
Each major card carries an archetypal energy, such as growth, transformation, or balance. By working with these energies, individuals often gain understanding and direction during spiritually significant periods, echoing research into dimensions of spirituality and overall well-being.
How can I interpret Major Arcana cards?
Begin by observing the card’s imagery and letting your intuition respond. Consider the context of the spread and ask what stage of personal journey the card could represent. Journaling, meditation, and linking the symbols to your current feelings or experiences can deepen interpretation. Over time, your unique relationship with each card will develop.
Are Major Arcana necessary for tarot readings?
While tarot can be used with any subset of the deck, including only the minor arcana, many readers and seekers find that the trump cards add depth and spiritual perspective. They are not required, but including them can expand the insight and transformative power of a reading.
