Major vs. Minor Arcana: How the 78-Card Tarot Deck Works
By Selena (Atelier Tarot) ·
The 78 tarot cards divide into 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. Learn how the two groups differ, what the Fool’s Journey is, and how to read a spread full of Major Arcana cards.
The first time you spread out a tarot deck, 78 cards can feel like a lot. But they fall neatly into two groups: the 22 Major Arcana, which show the big currents of life, and the 56 Minor Arcana, which show concrete everyday events. “Arcana” is Latin for secrets or mysteries—so the Major Arcana are the “greater secrets” and the Minor Arcana the “lesser secrets.”
The Major Arcana (22 cards): the big currents of life
The Major Arcana are 22 numbered cards from 0, The Fool, to 21, The World. Each holds a universal theme (an archetype) that everyone meets at some point—love, endings and rebirth, fate, hope.
The Fool’s Journey
The Major Arcana are often read as one story called the Fool’s Journey. The innocent Fool (0) sets out knowing nothing, and:
- learns skill from The Magician (1) and intuition from The High Priestess (2);
- discovers love, order, and tradition through The Empress (3), The Emperor (4), and The Hierophant (5);
- makes a choice before The Lovers (6) and rides The Chariot (7) out into the world;
- trains the inner self through Strength (8), The Hermit (9), the Wheel of Fortune (10), and Justice (11);
- experiences surrender and change in The Hanged Man (12), Death (13), and Temperance (14);
- meets attachment and collapse in The Devil (15) and The Tower (16);
- regains hope and joy through The Star (17), The Moon (18), and The Sun (19);
- and finally awakens in Judgement (20) to complete the journey in The World (21).
Knowing this flow turns 22 separate meanings into one story of growth, which makes them much easier to remember.
The Minor Arcana (56 cards): everyday scenes
The Minor Arcana divide into four suits—Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles—each with ten number cards (Ace to 10) and four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King). Fourteen cards times four suits makes 56.
If the Major Arcana speak of “the seasons of life,” the Minor Arcana speak of “today’s weather.” They show concrete, everyday situations—a conflict at work, a quarrel with a partner, the start of a new project—areas you can change relatively easily through your choices and effort. The suits are explained in the four tarot suits for beginners.
Side by side
| Major Arcana | Minor Arcana | |
|---|---|---|
| Cards | 22 (numbered 0–21) | 56 (4 suits × 14) |
| Themes | life’s big currents, spiritual lessons | everyday events, feelings, thoughts |
| Influence | large and long-lasting | shorter and more specific |
| Changeability | a flow to accept and learn from | easier to change through action |
| Metaphor | the seasons of life | today’s weather |
Using this in a reading
If two or more Major Arcana appear in a three-card spread, your question is probably tied to a turning point in your life rather than a small everyday matter. If every card is Minor Arcana, you can likely change the flow through your own choices. Our tarot spreads build these rules into Selena’s overall reading.
Selena says: Major cards tell you “what is happening,” and Minor cards tell you “how you are moving within it.” Read them together and you see both the big picture and your next small step.
See all 78 cards in our tarot card dictionary.