Overview of Tarot Suits

To make learning the 78 Rider-Waite Tarot cards easier, I am choosing to first break the cards down into groups. Firstly we divide the cards into two sets - the major and the minor arcana. The major arcana consists of twenty two cards, and each has a number, the first 10 are:

1. The Magician
2. The High Priestess
3. The Empress
4. The Emperor
5. The Hierophant
6. The Lovers
7. The Chariot
8. Strength
9. The Hermit
10. The Wheel of Fortune

Why is this important? It is important, because each of those 10 cards act as parents for their corresponding numbers within the minor arcana. So if we take The Hierophant - he relates to all the fives within the minor arcana - The Lovers relate to the sixes, and so on. So right there, when doing a Tarot reading, you already have two pieces of information to draw upon for any card that comes up. You'll have two different ways of interpreting it based on the card itself and also to the part on the minor arcana to which it relates. For this reason, we are going to cover the first ten cards of the major arcana and look at them in light of how they influence the interpretation of the minor arcana. I will also be discussing the significance of the numbers themselves. This way, if you choose to use a deck in the future that doesn't have all the pictures you're used to seeing for the minor arcana, you'll still know what to do. After we finish focusing on these first ten major arcana cards, that will leave us with only twelve remaining major arcana cards to learn, so it helps to keep our learning organised.

Each card may represent one or more of four things. It may represent

1. A person
   Who may be identified by occupation, or role, as suggested by the card's traditional representation of a class of people within traditional medieval life.
2. An external concept
   Which reflects the world that surrounds the querent (person seeking a reading) or their perception of the world.
3. An internal concept
   Something of a feeling or an emotion, a belief or an idea within a person
4. An activity or an action

Now let's take a look at the four different suits within the Tarot, and see what they represent:

The Swords

Historically, the nobility was represented by the swords, which were considered a very expensive items in those times, indicating power and control over others. Swords were wielded by powerful men, those of influence, those whose words alone could change the world as we know it. So when indicating a person, the swords may be referring to someone of high birth, leadership, or power. As an external factor the swords represent an implement of power and change. Swords may indicate to a situation which is changing, perhaps violently - be it physically or emotionally around the querant. Internally, the may refer to sharp logic, painful lessons - the school of hard knocks, mental thoughts of a revolutionary nature. Big plans, maybe even evil plans - dreaming big and big ideas. In terms of activity and action, the swords may suggest the historical intellectual pursuits that were deemed a luxury of the wealthy, such as debate, creativity and the sciences.  Higher education.

The Wands

Historically the wands may represent the middle class, the merchants and trades people, as well as those who have obtained certain comforts within their life. Note that in every image, the wands are sprouting leaves representing new growth, and echoing the growing affluence of this class of people within history. The wands and swords, whilst both being capable of being used as weapons are of a different quality. Whereas swords served a single purpose - the walking stick, or staff or wand serves multiple purposes. It can support tired legs on a long journey, it can be used to defend yourself, and in the case of a wand, it can be used for magic. Or just for pointing at stuff! It is a multipurpose tool, for those who are not rich enough to own a dozen different sticks for different purposes; but still have the leisure and the ability nevertheless to make use of such devices for their own enjoyment or protection. The rising middle-class! As an external factor, wands suggest struggle and hardship endurance, however, this doesn't necessarily indicate a struggle. Surely a long walk, or a journey with a staff in hand need not be a hardship - it can be a luxury. These struggles are not fights against enemies or oppressors, but are much more likely to be an internal struggles or challenges that we take on for ourselves, for our own benefit. As an internal factor wands suggest enthusiasm, grand ideas, passion, desire, restlessness. As staffs, or bats, they may suggest combativeness, hot tempers, challenges of minor struggles, athleticism, or competitiveness with others. Internally walking sticks, staffs, wands, are used to change the world around us, but in a less emotionally violent way than swords. They do so without the fear that a sword brings, but with the understanding still there that the holder of a wand or staff carries with him or her a certain power. Internally they may represent travel from one mindset to another, persuasion towards a different view point, or persuasion in a way that is less turbulent than the swords. In terms of activity or actions, the wands represent travel, adventure, wanderlust, athleticism. Basically, any activity that could be consider leisure, or a leisurely pursuit. 

The Cups

Historically the cups represent religious figures, but are also understood to represent those for whom you have a deep love, feel a great passion. They don't necessary relate to a romantic love, although it could be, but it does represent those who have stirred deep  passionate emotions within you, and create the experiences that impact your heart. It could be someone like a relative, or a very close friend, or someone with whom we share a very deep bond with a spirits or hearts. As an external factor think of the cup as the heart of others being either empty or full of love or spirits. The cup represents things that will either fill or empty the spirit or soul, the things or people that move men's hearts, the thing with which they find passion and strength. Shared experiences amongst others. As an internal factor the cups are about romantic or poetic ideas, things that appeal to our hearts and our spirits. They represent the things that move you forward when you are down, they can relate to a humble spiritualism or a search for beauty, or divine love, particularly the emotions that are identified with love such as sorrow, bliss, passion, nostalgia. In terms of activities or actions the cups indicates someone or something with which the heart is invested. It could be their passion for a hobby or work, or a person for whom you have a passion.

The Pentacles

Historically the pentacles relate to the common person, whose mere existence consisted little more than the day to day concerns of life, the ones who could not travel and were more concerned with putting food on the table than dreams of wondrous travels and adventures. This is about people interested in regular, mundane, ordinary - earthly and physical concerns. These are the cards of the pragmatic hard working people, who may be paid well below their worth, but also possible the person who sabotages their long term future with indulgences, because they see meaningless luxuries as trivial things that take them away from the path of the common person.  The pentacles may also represent someone with whom you're relationship revolves strictly around such concerns as these. Someone like a beggar, a baker, a thief, a person who comes around and makes your life more comfortable, or more miserable, in small ways that don't drastically alter who you are as a person, but are appreciated or not, nonetheless. The pentacles also represent the long slow path to wealth, or to truly long lasting relationships. As an external factor the pentacles involve issues of money, possessions, shelter, the physical well being, material wealth, long term investments.  Our land, our home. Pentacles also represent social interactions and responsibilities, as these too are things that we expect to evolve over time, and extend, and hopefully flourish throughout our lives. They may indicate wealth, poverty, physical possessions, attainment of friendships, social groups, slow steady growth or development. As an internal factor the pentacles involve issues of generosity, greed, sharing, and indicate a sense of hard work, our work ethic. They represent the things we feel compelled to do not out of passion or ego, but simply to put food on the table and to make ends meet, or to maintain our own health and physical well being.  They may reflect our common day-to-day concerns of bills, health, and a steady future. In terms of activities or actions the pentacles represent the long slow path to wealth or truly lasting relationships. The pentacles we consider that in which enriches us and that which enriches others. It is the day to day tasks that we face in the hope of creating something of long term substance, value, and meaning.


This concludes our overview of the Tarot suits. In the coming posts we will focus on gaining a deeper understanding of all 56 cards in the minor arcana, and a result of this organised technique, you will start picking up the first 10 cards of the major arcana with no extra effort at all. I hope this was helpful to you, please feel free to comment, share or bookmark this page for further learning opportunities!

Love Luna Rose