Understanding the Minor Arcana
The Minor Arcana is one of the two major branches of the Tarot deck: the other one being the Major Arcana. Whereas the Major Arcana cards relate to significant life events and spiritual lessons, the Minor Arcana deals with the everyday details of life, day-to-day experiences, emotions, and challenges we face.
Think of the Minor Arcana as all the everyday stuff in life, and the Major Arcana as those big-picture lessons. Together, they offer a complete picture of both your everyday world and your spiritual journey.
The Four Suits of the Minor Arcana
Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards divided into four suits, each with its unique energy and focus. The four suits are as follows:
- The Cups refer to our emotions, relationships, and feelings. They can represent love, friendships, family, or an emotional reaction to something going on. When you see Cups in a reading, they often relate to matters of the heart-how you relate to others and what is going on inside of you emotionally.
- Wands – Action and Creativity. The Wands refer to the things we do, the energy and creativity that drive us to succeed. This suit involves inspiration, passion, and development within ourselves. It is the symbol of the things that stir us to action and sets the direction we take in life. When the Wands appear, they usually speak of movement, ambitions, or new opportunities to pursue.
- Swords – Thoughts and Intellect. The Swords are related to the mind, thoughts, communication, and mental challenges. They symbolize how we think, process information, and make decisions. Swords typically manifest when we’re in a mental battle, conflict, or struggling with a decision. Sometimes, they manifest a message to clarify something or to speak your truth.
- Pentacles – Material Life and Stability. The Pentacles are focused on the physical world — money, career, home life, and material possessions. This suit represents our work, finances, health, and the tangible aspects of our lives. When Pentacles appear, it’s often a sign to pay attention to your financial situation, career goals, or overall stability.
The Numbered Cards (Ace to 10)
Each suit of minor arcana contains 10 number cards: Ace to 10. These cards describe the story as things happen or are experienced.
Aces symbolize fresh starts, opportunities, and beginnings, and represent a fresh start in that department of life.
2 to 10 depict the emergence and progress of the situation or the energy, from initial stages 2, and forward to 10-completion or mastery.
Example. The 2 of Cups could indicate the beginning of a new relationship or partnership, and the 10 of Pentacles, for instance, could mean the successful completion of a goal, like financial success or long-term stability.
Page, Knight, Queen, and King
In each suit are found four Court Cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King. Such cards often represent a person, personality, or attitude that relates to the suit’s energy. They also describe your approach toward a situation or part of life.
👉Page: The new energy, learning, or message associated with the theme of the suit. They represent curious or youthful energy.
👉Knight: Knight is action-oriented, assumes the energy of the suit, and pushes forward. Knights are on a mission, single-minded, and focused on a goal.
👉Queen: Embodying the more mature and intuitive aspects of the suit, Nurturing and wise is the Queen. She balances, is sensitive to, and understands everything.
👉King: Masterful, authoritative, and in control, the King represents the energy of the suit. He’s the figure who has succeeded and achieved mastery and success in that particular area.
For instance:
The Page of Cups may symbolize a younger person or someone who is just beginning to look inward to understand his emotions and creative thoughts.
The King of Pentacles is a man who has conquered the material world and is generally considered successful, stable, and in control of his finances or career.
What the Minor Arcana Reveals to You:
Major Arcana cards point out big changes, spiritual lessons, and turning points of life, while Minor Arcana is the opposite small, everyday influences—the things that may seem normal but still do have a big influence on your life.
For example, if you pull many Swords, you might be having some times of mental conflict or stress. When many Cups appear, it might be that your relationship or emotions are at the forefront right now. Wands may mean it’s time to take action, and Pentacles might suggest more attention must be paid to your career, health, or finances.
Minor Arcana in Readings
While doing a Tarot reading, the Minor Arcana will often come up to give insight into your daily life, what you’re struggling with, and what energies are in play. These cards will help you get a more understandable picture of things that are working on a practical level, whereas Major Arcana cards will give you guidance for those bigger, more general decisions that may take more time to set in motion.
With the knowledge of the suits, numbers, and court cards, you’ll be able to know what the Minor Arcana is trying to tell you each time you pull one for a reading—from single-card pulls to complex spreads.