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Writer's pictureDani Owens

Tarot Cheat Sheet

Can I tell you a little secret? Tarot Cards are easy to read. Anyone can read them. You do not have to have a special gift to read or understand cards. Some people can read and interpret tarot cards very easy, while others, it may take time. That is OK. There are 72 cards in an average deck and each card as an upright and reverse meaning, which leaves the reader with 144 individual interpretations. Thousands of possible outcomes.

In this article, I'm gonna break down the major arcana and suits for you. To figure out who the cards are talking about, try to think of who you know that has qualities that match the description of the card. for example, the hanged man may represent some one who is very caring, nurturing and always helping people. The page of wands may be some one who loves to travel, is spontaneous, a bit of a free spirit.

Take your time and and have fun as you learn to read cards. I like to ask "sample questions", or questions I already have the answers to. I have found this to be an effective way to see if the cards are feeling up to telling me what I need to know. If the answer is irrelevant, I either try again, or cleanse the cards. if that wasn't successful, I simply wait til later. this is where you find that some decks have personalities, as i mentioned in my previous article, Tarot Cards and How They Work.


 


Major Arcana

This part of the deck is comprised of 22 cards. If you pay enough attention, it tells a bit of a story. One of travel. Not worldly travel, but spiritual. The cards start with The Fool, as card 0 and end with The world, as card 22. Its the path most of us take in life as we find our way towards enlightenment.

Below is the chart. it can be read as such:



Card Name-upright meaning/~/reversed meaning



The World-fulfillment, harmony/~/in-completion, no closure


Judgement-reflection, reckoning, awakening/~/lack of self-awareness, doubt, self-loathing


The Sun-joy, success, possitivity, celebration/~/negativity, depression, sadness


The Moon-Unconsciousness, illusions, intuition/~/confusion, fear, misinterpretation


The Star-hope, faith, rejuvenation/~/faithlessness, discouragement, insecurity


The Tower-sudden upheaval, broken pride, disaster/~/disaster avoided, delayed disaster, fear of

suffering


The Devil-addiction, materialism, playfulness/~/freedom, release, restoring control


Temperance-middle path, patience, finding meaning/~/extremes, excess, lack of balance


Death-end of cycle, beginnings, change, metamorphosis/~/fear of change, holding on, stagnation,

decay


The Hanged Man- sacrifice, release, martyrdom/~/stalling, needless sacrifice, fear of sacrifice


Justice-cause and effect, clarity, truth/~/dishonesty, un-accountability, unfairness


The Wheel of Fortune- change, cycles, inevitable fate/~/no control, clinging to control, bad luck


The Hermit-contemplation, search for truth, inner guidance/~/loneliness, isolation, lost your way


Strength- inner strength, bravery, compassion, focus/~/self-doubt, weakness, insecurity


Chariot-direction, control, willpower/~/lack of control, lack of direction, aggression


The Lovers-partnerships, duality, union/~/loss of balance, one-sidededness, disharmony


The Hierophant-tradition, conformity, morality, ethics/~/rebellion, subversiveness, new approaches


The Emperor-authority, structure, control, fatherhood/~/tyranny, rigidity, coldness


The Empress- motherhood, fertility, nature/~/dependence, smothering, emptiness, nosiness


The High Priestess-intuitive, unconscious, inner voice/~/lack of center, lost inner voice, repressed

feelings


The Magician-willpower, desire, creation, manifestation/~/trickery, illusions, out of touch


The Fool-innocence, new beginnings, free spirit/~/recklessness, taken advantage of, inconsideration



 


Cups

The suit of cups is represented by the element of water. Much like water, Cups can show us the ever flowing and ever changing ways of emotions, relationships, feelings, connections and our heart. Cups can also show us our imagination. In the negative aspect of Cups, we can see where we are being overly emotional, or even disconnecting with reality by repressing emotions and hiding who we really are. When doing a reading that surrounds past life questions, or intentions of another person, it is not uncommon to see a lot of cups.

King of Cups-compassion, control, balance/~/coldness, moodiness, bad advice

Queen of Cups-compassion, calm, comfort/~/martyrdom, insecurity, dependence

Knight of Cups-following the heart, idealist, romantic/~/moodiness, disappointment

Page of Cups-happy surprise, dreamer, sensitivity/~/emotional immaturity, insecurity, disappointment

Ten of Cups-inner happiness, fulfillment, dreams coming true/~/shattered dreams, broken family, domestic disharmony

Nine of Cups-satisfaction, emotional stability, luxury/~/lack of inner joy, smugness, dissatisfaction

Eight of Cups-walking away, disillusionment, leaving behind/~/avoidance, fear of change, fear of loss

Seven of Cups-searching for purpose, choices, daydreaming/~/lack of purpose, diversion, confusion

Six of Cups-familiarity, happy memories, healing/~/moving forward, leaving home, independence

Five of Cups-loss, grief, self-pity/~/acceptance, moving on, finding peace

Four of Cups-apathy, contemplation, disconnectedness/~/sudden awareness, choosing happiness, acceptance

Three of Cups-friendship, community, happiness/~/overindulgence, gossip, isolation

Two of Cups-unity, partnership, connection/~/imbalance, broken communication, tension

Ace of Cups-new feelings, spirituality, intuition/~/emotional loss, blocked creativity, emptiness


 



Swords


The Swords are represented by air. Just like air, intelligence, logic, truth, conflict, and communication can be still, calm, fierce, hot, cold and sudden. The things we say to each other can be double edged like a sword as well. Dealing with more of the mental aspects of our lives, the Swords can tell us things that are both constructive and critical. They can tell us of change that has happened or will come. There's a fine line between intelligence and power and that can be discovered in a reading which involves swords. In a negative reading, we can see where we (or some one else) my be behaving in a mentally abusive way, or even manipulative, showing no compassion and lacking empathy.

King of Swords-head over heart, discipline, truth/~/manipulative, cruel, weakness

Queen of Swords-complexity, perceptiveness, clear mindedness/~/cold hearted, cruel, bitterness


Knight of Swords-action, impulsiveness, defending beliefs/~/no direction, disregard for consequences, unpredictability

Page of Swords-curiosity, restlessness, mental energy/~/deception, manipulation, all talk

Ten of Swords-failure, collapse, defeat/~/can't get worse, only upwards, inevitable end

Nine of Swords-anxiety, hopelessness, trauma/~/hope, reaching out, despair

Eight of Swords-imprisonment, entrapment, self-victimization/~/self acceptance, new perspective, freedom

Seven of Swords-deception, trickery, tactics and strategy/~/coming clean, rethinking approach, deception

Six of Swords-transition, leaving behind, moving on/~/emotional baggage, unresolved issues, resisting transition


Five of Swords-unbridled ambition, win at all costs, sneakiness/~/lingering resentment, desire to reconcile, forgiveness


Four of Swords-rest, restoration, contemplation/~/restlessness, burnout, stress


Three of Swords-heartbreak, suffering, grief/~/recovery, forgiveness, moving on


Two of Swords-difficult choices, indecision, stalemate/~/lesser of two evils, no right choice, confusion


Ace of Swords-breakthrough, clarity, sharp mind/~/confusion, brutality, chaos

 


Energetic, wild, unpredictable and hot, the Wands are represented by the element of fire. We are told of passion, inspiration and hidden or evident willpower when the wands appear. Because they also represent life, we are able to see a reflection of our core being. All the energy that is spewing from wands also helps us to clearly see plans of action. Negatively, we can see any recklessness or lack of guidance or direction as well as impulsiveness or feelings of worthlessness.


King of Wands-big picture, leader, overcoming challenges/~/impulsive, overbearing, unachievable expectations


Queen of wands-courage, determination, joy/~/selfishness, jealousy, insecurities


Knight of Wands-action, adventure, fearlessness/~/anger, impulsiveness, recklessness


Page of Wands-exploration, excitement, freedom/~/lack of direction, procrastination, creating conflict

Ten of Wands-accomplishment, responsibility, burden/~/inability to delegate, over stressed, burnt out


Nine of Wands-resilience, grit, last stand/~/exhaustion, fatigue, questioning motivations


Eight of Wands-rapid action, movement, quick decisions/~/panic, waiting, slowdown


Seven of Wands-perseverance, defensive, maintaining control/~/give up, destroyed confidence, overwhelmed


Six of Wands-victory, success, public reward/~/excess pride, lack of recognition, punishment

Five of Wands-competition, rivalry, conflict/~/avoiding conflict, respecting differences

Four of Wands-community, home, celebration/~/lack of support, transience, home conflicts


Three of Wands-looking ahead, expansion, rapid growth/~/obstacles, delays, frustration

Two of Wands-planning, making decisions, leaving home/~/fear of change, playing safe, bad planning

Ace of Wands-creation, willpower, inspiration, desire/~/lack of energy, lack of passion, boredom

 


Represented by the grounded, supportive and tangible element of Earth, Pentacles cover the material things in life, such as jobs, property, money, you name it. However, its not just these material things that we can learn about from Pentacles, we also gain clarity about anything having to do with security, health, and prosperity. Pentacles in a reading often tell of our long term future. They can also show us things we did not know about our household, career, and investments. The reversed side of the Pentacles show us any lingering or upcoming greed, jealousy, and unbridled ambition. To reverse the reversed, simply find ways to ground yourself and get back to nature.

King of Pentacles-abundance, prosperity, security/~/greed, indulgence, sensuality

Queen of Pentacles-practicality, creature comforts, financial security/~/self-centeredness, jealousy, smothering

Knight of Pentacles-efficiency, hard work, responsibility/~/laziness, obsessiveness, work without reward

Page of Pentacles-ambition, desire, diligence/~/lack of commitment, greediness, laziness

Ten of Pentacles-legacy, culmination, inheritance/~/fleeting success, lack of stability, lack of resources

Nine of Pentacles-fruits of labor, rewards, luxury/~/reckless spending, living beyond means, false success

Eight of Pentacles-apprenticeship, passion, high standards/~/lack of passion, uninspired, no motivation

Seven of Pentacles-hard work, perseverance, diligence/~/work without results, distractions, lack of rewards

Six of Pentacles-charity, generosity, sharing/~/strings attached, stinginess, power and domination

Five of Pentacles-need, poverty, insecurity/~/recovery, charity, improvement


Four of Pentacles-conservation, frugality, security/~/greediness, stinginess, possessiveness

Three of pentacles-teamwork, collaboration, building/~/lack of teamwork, disorganized, group conflict

Two of Pentacles-balancing decisions, priorities, adapting to change/~/loss of balance, disorganized, overwhelmed

Ace of Pentacles-opportunity, prosperity, new venture/~/lost opportunity, missed chance, bad investment

 

I hope you found this little cheat sheet to be helpful. If you find that something in this may be wrong, or would like to contribute to this article, feel free to send me an email at info.odinscrows@gmail.com

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