The Minor Arcana: four suits, 56 cards
Everyday tarot. Where the Major Arcana name the turning points, the Minor Arcana describe the weeks around them — the work, the conversations, the money, the feelings.
Wands
fire — drive, creativity and the will to act
Cups
water — feeling, relationship and intuition
Swords
air — thought, truth and conflict
Pentacles
earth — money, body and material craft
Suit plus number is the whole system
You do not need 56 separate definitions. Each suit has a territory and each number has a stage; the card is the intersection of the two.
So the Five of Cups is loss in the territory of feeling, and the Five of Pentacles is loss in the territory of money. Same stage, different room.
- Ace — the spark · Two — balance · Three — first growth
- Four — stability · Five — conflict · Six — recovery
- Seven — reassessment · Eight — movement · Nine — the last stretch
- Ten — completion, or the full weight of it
The court cards
Pages bring news and beginner's curiosity. Knights act, sometimes too fast. Queens hold mastery with warmth and read the room. Kings decide and take responsibility for it.
In a reading, a court card is usually either a person involved or the stance the cards suggest you take.
Frequently asked questions
How many Minor Arcana cards are there?+
Fifty-six: four suits of fourteen — Ace through Ten plus Page, Knight, Queen and King.
What do the four suits mean?+
Wands are fire and drive, Cups are water and feeling, Swords are air and thought, Pentacles are earth and material life.
How do I read a Minor Arcana card I don't know?+
Combine the suit theme with the number stage. Five of any suit is conflict or loss in that suit's territory; Ten is completion or full weight.
Are court cards people?+
Sometimes. They can be a person in your life, an aspect of you, or a way of handling the situation — Pages learn, Knights charge, Queens understand, Kings decide.
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