The Tarot Major Arcana: Understand the Meaning of the 22 Cards

The Major Arcana consists in a group of 22 Tarot cards and is considered a reference on issues of greater or deep meaning.

Thus, each Major Arcana is a framework of symbols that represent, basically, people and situations.

Hence, the symbols of the Major Arcana aim to:

• increase self-awareness 
• provide forecasts for the near future 
• give advice on how to handle situations in certain moments

The meanings of the Major Arcana 

Get to know the 22 Major Arcana and their meanings:

• The Fool – known as the zero card of the Tarot. It usually indicates chaotic and unexpected situations. For example: a liberation or a complete destabilization. 
• The Magician – represents skill and dexterity, as well as mastery of the situation. 
• The High Priestess (or The Popess) – symbolizes mystery, silence, and reflection. 
• The Empress – suggests intense development and fruition of what was sown. 
• The Emperor – means strength, authority, and power. 
• The Hierophant (or The Pope) – brings the meaning of morality, trust, and commitment. 
• The Lovers – stages the encounter with doubt, infatuation, and awareness of strong (sometimes contradictory) desires. 
• The Chariot – reveals the driver of the carriage, dressed in armor, and symbolizes victory, obstinacy, and a straight line towards the goal. 
• Justice – embodies a period of inner balance, concentration, detachment, and self-control. 
• The Hermit – predominates the meaning of inner retreat, of keeping concentration on what is essential, and of maturity acquired through experience. 
• The Wheel of Fortune – represents the alterations and fluctuations that we all go through in life. It is the machine of change. 
• Strength – in this card, we confront obstinacy, sensuality, the notion of the body, and the search for both self-control and mastery of passions. 
• The Hanged Man – reflects the consequences of intransigence, the difficulties, and sometimes the dedication expended for a greater cause. 
• Death – we have the image of abrupt cuts, endings, and necessary dissolutions for renewal. 
• Temperance – The uninterrupted movement of the jars in this arcana suggests moderation and patience in the face of slowness. It points to boredom and demands perseverance. 
• The Devil – refers to the deepest passions and impulses, to the animal side that cries out for expression. It is the card of instinct and dependencies. 
• The Tower – conveys the idea of dismantling false structures, the liberation of illusions. 
• The Star – purification, predestination, and simplicity prevail. Symbolizes enlightenment in the midst of darkness. 
• The Moon – invokes fears, illusions, fantasies, and dangers. 
• The Sun – enthusiasm is the keyword. Represents light, lucidity, and harmony between consciousness and existence. 
• Judgment – The figure of this card opens the revelations of a new time and of novelties. It is the card of healing and effective transformation of situations. 
• The World – represents the culmination of an idea or the completion of a project. The card of fame, projection, and benefits.