22 Major Arcana

What is a major arcanum?

In tarot reading, and more precisely in card reading with the Tarot of Marseille, the primordial cards are therefore the 22 major arcana. Also called trumps or triumphs, they have the particularity of representing, through a very beautiful illustration, the personality, the character and the feelings of an individual. These cards, once interpreted one after another, show us the cycle of construction of that same individual; they also inform us about their qualities and flaws. Each of these so-called major cards is numbered from 1 to 21. As for the 22nd card, which bears no number, it represents the fool or the mat, an eccentric and exuberant individual, but with no experience whatsoever. It is this character who interests us most particularly, for it is he who will, through the teachings of the Tarot of Marseille, be confronted with the multiple experiences and life paths contained in the other 21 cards, which for him represent the unknown. Thus, the Tarot of Marseille can be summed up as an initiatory journey, undertaken by the numberless card along a path strewn with 21 encounters. It is therefore the path of a destiny.

The meanings of the 22 major arcana

In tarot reading, you must shuffle your cards with great skill, which demonstrates to the person sitting opposite you your experience and dexterity. Then you must perform a draw from the pile. If in the latter you draw a major arcanum, then you will have to take it into account, for it carries changes and upheavals in this destiny. It will have a great deal of information to reveal to you, which is why it is of capital instruction. To decipher it meticulously from every angle, you must already know the slightest meanings of each of these 22 trump cards. By studying them, you will learn to interpret them, but above all to be able to distinguish in them what an ordinary onlooker could not see. That is the goal at which you must excel. The cards teach you, and you interpret them to follow the path of a person concerned. Beware, the cards will not have the same meanings if they come out of your draw reversed or upright.
Here, then, are the main characteristics, symbolism and positive or negative qualities of the 22 major arcana drawn upright:

• 1 – The Magician : The Magician is a sign of good omen in matters of love life. It is also beneficial for professional relationships and is a sign of promotion. It invites all kinds of meditation to best experience one’s spirituality.
• 2 – The High Priestess : She evokes a happy and sincere married life over time. She embodies professional success thanks to limitless motivation. She embodies a person in constant evolution.
• 3 – The Empress : She represents the whole physical side of the games of love, while best reflecting femininity. She inspires self-confidence and pushes one to act in the right direction.
• 4 – The Emperor : He allows one to commit positively to a romantic future with a partner. He positions his subjects as group leaders.
• 5 – The Hierophant : He sends us disturbing signs from a sentimental point of view, although he is full of love. He is the sign of a most prosperous professional period. He is a spiritual guide.
• 6 – The Lovers : In perpetual hesitation, he has difficulty assuming his responsibilities in feelings as in work. Very easily influenced, he is in financial danger.
• 7 – The Chariot : His loves are more than positive. He is in pole position regarding his professional development.
• 8 – Justice : Her sentimental values are of capital importance, as much as the professional rules within her work. A committed person, of exemplary uprightness.
• 9 – The Hermit : He is strengthened by a lasting couple relationship. His spirit is very positive and he knows how to be patient before obtaining something.
• 10 – The Wheel of Fortune : It is always a herald of positive or negative changes. Whether sentimentally or professionally.
• 11 – Strength : It is the sign of a flawless love relationship. It characterizes faith in work. It also teaches how to channel one’s impulses.
• 12 – The Hanged Man : He is the sign of a double relationship and of insincere feelings. He is a worker in the shadows, but he knows how to be very patient.
• 13 – The Nameless Arcanum : It heralds a future separation in a couple and a professional change.
• 14 – Temperance : Harmony of the couple, teamwork and perfect balance of life.
• 15 – The Devil : sign of short-lived relationships, destructive communication.
• 16 – The Tower : Positive love relationship, but the end of a professional cycle.
• 17 – The Star : Tenderness and compassion in the couple, but somewhat lagging behind at work.
• 18 – The Moon : It is the sign of a secret relationship, of creativity and of motivation.
• 19 – The Sun : It is the embodiment of desire within the couple and of professional opportunities.
• 20 – Judgement : A herald of a future new encounter, with professional upheaval.
• 21 – The World : A happy and untroubled love life, rewarded by glory and success.
• 22 – The Fool : Sign of a fresh start, the arrival of important changes.