Tarot Simplified Definitions

Tarot is a fantastic tool to help you learn more about yourself and your life. While it is a very complex system that goes back hundreds of years, here are some basic definitions to help you get started.

InSpirit Centre is pleased to offer a variety of online and in-person workshops to help you on your tarot journey. We also have a variety of Tarot readers available for readings. These can be in-person or by phone.

Major Arcana

0. The Fool - upright theme: Ignorance, novice, new beginnings, insecurity, reversed theme: Fallen, halted progress

1. The Magician - upright theme: Change caused by chance not design, manipulates elements reversed theme: Hesitation and delay

2. The High Priestess - upright theme: Wise Woman, great mother, first teacher reversed theme: Does not lose powers, only delayed

3. The Empress - upright theme: All mother, no aspect of the feminine should be neglected in favour of another, wisdom reversed theme: Too much masculine energy (logic), or unbalanced

4. The Emperor - upright theme: Secular power, cyclic destruction, stern reversed theme: Too much feminine energy (emotion) unbalanced

5. The Pope (Hierophant) - upright theme: Must look deeper for real truth, illusion, practitioner of magic, faith, religion reversed theme: Too much focus doing the “right thing”, illusion

6. The Lovers - upright theme: Romantic love, partnership, making a choice, the hero reversed theme: separation

7. The Chariot - upright theme: We’re not in control even when we think we are, “king of the world” reversed theme: Bad new

8. Justice - upright theme: Balancing pleasure & pain, equilibrium, infinity reversed theme: Loss, injustice
*Justice and Strength are reversed in some decks.

9. The Hermit - upright theme: Seclusion, contemplation, starting journey in opposite direction, looking back reversed theme: Great delay, does not lose many element

10. Wheel of Fortune - upright theme: All cycle of time, letting go of what doesn’t serve you, and welcoming new, positive reversed theme: Difficult transformation

11. Strength - upright theme: Mind can always dominate matter, will power, strength reversed theme: Being overwhelmed or overpowered *Justice and Strength are reversed in some decks.

12. The Hanged Man - upright theme: Ritual Humiliation, uncomfortable trial reversed theme: Possible success but no enjoyment

13. Death - upright theme: Change & Transformation, shift in perception, not circumstantial, end of something reversed theme: Shock, end of something

14. Temperance - upright theme: Love conquers all – sits between death and devil, conquers both, proportion and moderation reversed theme: Loves conquers all – does not change much inverted

15. The Devil - upright theme: Dig deeper for the truth, ask the right question, fraud, trickery, harm, reversed theme: Magnified of negative definitions, harmful

16. Tower of Destruction - upright theme: upright theme: Sudden change of events, fast destruction, breaking down reversed theme: Stronger, bigger downfall