What Do The Suits Of Tarot Cards Mean

What do the various tarot card types represent?

Despite their vastly different designs, all tarot decks share a few characteristics. Each one has 78 playing cards, divided into the main and minor arcana. The major arcana, which are the deck’s 22 trump cards, generally allude to bigger influences and disclosures when they are revealed during a reading. These cards stand alone without a suit and represent key occasions or people in a person’s life.

In contrast, the minor arcana refer to influences and issues that are more commonplace. Wands, swords, pentacles, and cups make up the four suits that these 56 cards are divided into. (Occasionally, tarot decks will use different terminology, such as “Pentacles for coins, but they are exact equivalents to the four original divisions.) A different aspect of life is represented by each outfit. Wands typically represent imagination and passion, swords intelligence, pentacles work and wealth, and cups emotion. Additionally, each suit is associated with a certain set of astrological signs, such as wands being associated with fire, swords with air, pentacles with earth, and cups with water.

Since we’re beginners, the meanings you’ll most frequently refer to are the functional definitions, albeit these meanings can be used when cards symbolize people and their zodiac signs. For example, a three-card spread with three pentacle cards strongly denotes a financial concern. (More on the various spreads will follow.)

While much of this is up to the deck’s owner and what resonates with them, there are a few conventions that apply to the majority of tarot readings. If you’re reading cards for someone else, you should ask them to provide you with a question or suggest something they’re interested in, and keep that question in mind while you shuffle the deckalso referred to as “removing the effects of earlier research and readings. (An illustration would be, “When will I discover love?” Am I pursuing the correct career? “How can I get through my block?

Then you could query the person you are reading for (also known as “cutting the deck, once more concentrating on the querent. Although some readers will cut the deck for the querent, we prefer this option since it gives the querent a chance to feel linked to the deck personally. In any case, you will draw the necessary number of cards for your spread and, if you’re reading for yourself, place them between you and the querentor directly in front of you.

What does the tarot’s suit of wands stand for?

The suit of wands is related to the Will’s action and the element of fire in Aleister Crowley’s 1944 book The Book of Thoth. The overall meaning of the suit is centered on readings or ideas related to primordial energy, spirituality, inspiration, willpower, fortitude, intuition, creativity, ambition, expansion, and original thought.

Modern English-language astrologers typically tie the suit to work and accomplishments, or even anything vaguely associated with fruitfulness. Such readings of the suit emphasize the importance of reaping the rewards of hard work.

New beginnings, final endings, and creative destruction are related topics (such as the way controlled usage of fire can be used to clear landin preparation for new crops, or planting).

Tarot readers who also base their interpretations on astrology frequently examine this symbolic link between the suit and fire.

The playing cards in this deck also conjure up youthful hope and the essential drive that propels life.

The Wands Tarot card meanings are concerned with the spiritual plane of consciousness and reflect your deepest values. Your personality, ego, enthusiasm, self-concept, and personal energyboth internal and externalare all addressed.

Illusion, egocentric behavior, impulsivity, a lack of direction or purpose, or a sense of meaninglessness are some of the negative characteristics of the Wands suit.

The Fire signs of Leo, Sagittarius, and Aries are frequently shown on wands cards. A person with a Leo, Sagittarius, or Aries star sign is frequently associated with a wands court card. Wands people tend to be enthusiastic, affable, hospitable, and spiritual.

What do the 16 tarot court cards represent?

The minor arcana includes the 16 face cards of the tarot, also known as “court cards” (that is, the pages, knights, kings, and queens, among other names depending on your deck).

Because they adhere to their own system within the four suits, they have their own part in this library. They more or less serve as a demonstration of the vitality of each suit held by various individuals rather than a direct introduction to or continuation of the “pips” (the aces through tens) cards.

Consider these cards to be various stages in the process. The pages could represent early childhood, the knights youthful adolescence or adulthood, the kings fully developed, accomplished people, and the queens older and wiser figures who have a profound understanding of life.

Or a person going through any kind of trip could be in these stages. A course of study, a communal initiative, a piece of art, a self-development objectiveanything with a beginning, middle, and end. As I already mentioned, many decks give these stages different names. For instance, the Collective Tarot refers to pages as “Seekers,” knights as “Apprentices,” queens as “Artists,” and kings as “Mentors.” You can see how the cards’ various titles alter how we might read them.

Further reading: Tarot court cards renamed beyond Kings and Queens. a look at various decks that opt for names other than the conventional page/knight/king/queen arrangement. These decks contain a wealth of information.

Structure and hierarchy

The king is typically placed at the top of each suit in decks and publications, suggesting that each king stands for the pinnacle of development in that field. I am opposed. Working with my deck of cards, I’ve come to believe that the queen, who fully internalizes the lessons of their suit and applies those lessons to advance individually, truly sums up the tale of a suit. The king, on the other hand, is skilled at applying the suit’s attributes for outside purposes in a more social setting.

Realistically, there is no hierarchy at play here; both manifestations are essential to creating stable, just societies. I refer to the queen as the “culmination” since I believe her abilities are the most difficult to learn and hone. As we go through the court cards, we will observe this.

These card interpretations are not grouped into categories like I did with earlier cards. Whereas in the past it was beneficial to have a general understanding of the themes of the cards before examining how they would appear in a reading, there is no differentiation to be made in this case.

One character per card. They showcase your abilities, strategies, frame of mind, and emotions. As a result, they represent their own meaning, and as such, they urge you to do the same or, failing that, consider how you currently do this.

What does the tarot’s swords suit stand for?

The suit of Swords is used in divination to represent masculinity, intelligence, grief, and bad luck. The suit has been linked to the element of air. Etteilla and Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers compared the Swords suit to the French pack’s Spades suit.

• The Swords Ace exhibits a capacity for decision. clearing up confusion adopting an extreme stance or choice. the capacity to spot lies and expose them.
• The Swordsmen’s Two The two swords represent uncertainty in judgment. apathy and a sense of helplessness giving rise to fear The Two of Swords can represent impartiality and absence of bias if the other cards in the spread are favorable.
• The Swordsman’s Trio The element of the intellect that is unduly critical, especially of itself, is represented by this card. the irrational need to analyze a situation more thoroughly than is necessary. A bleeding heart is frequently shown being pierced by the three swords. The swords stand in for the mind and the heart, which are invariably the victims of this treatment.
• The Swordsman’s Four The four of swords represents avoiding something. putting issues (the swords on the wall) to one side and pleading for deliverance. This card may also be used to denote submission or, in some instances, pacifism.
• The Swords’ Five This card represents success via betrayal. the void that follows a difficult struggle. the exclusion of others by hostility.
• The Swordsman’s Six risky travel. Regarding this card’s alignment, readers frequently disagree. It may portend a fruitless undertaking or, on the other hand, suggest leaving hazardous seas. It also conveys accountability to others.
• The Swords Seven This card symbolizes clandestine actions. the excessive attempt to get away with something that ultimately compromises you. In a positive interpretation, the card can allude to making sacrifices in order to advance. Simplifying. It could also imply that deceptive or manipulative behavior is being used.
• The Swords’ Eight feeling unable to change and being oppressed and trapped by others Although the disease is frequently brought on by oneself, outside factors are often blamed for its origin. The persistent dedication to an ideal is another meaning of this card.
• The Swords Nine The Nine of Swords is undoubtedly the most feared card in the deck, despite the fact that tarot readers traditionally dislike classifying cards as good or bad. However, it can also represent the grieving or letting go process and, when combined with other healing cards like the Queen of Wands, can be very helpful.
• The Swordsman’s Ten The Ten puts a stop to the nightmare from The Nine of Swords. Even if the outcome may not be perfect and there may be tiredness, the ordeal is over and the truth has been revealed. The Ten of Swords can also represent the conclusion of a recurring pattern. Divorce.
• The Swords Page the capacity to closely watch others while hiding one’s own nature. the capacity for secrecy. Maintaining composure in the face of peril. the capacity to withstand suspense.
• The Wrath of the Swords Knight. Impatience. Fanaticism. blind addiction to doing instead than thinking. Possibly also a sign of bravery and innovation.
• The Swords Queen The epitome of independence is represented by this card. strength, wisdom, and strategic thinking. the capacity to quickly and easily identify a solution to an issue. The Queen of Swords’ negative connotations include loneliness, melancholy, and ruthlessness.
• The Swords King Passionate discipline. Strength and wisdom. can represent despotism.

What is the meaning of the suit of cups?

• Ace of Cups: Beginnings are always indicated by aces. The ace of cups in this situation denotes an emotional new beginning. It may allude to the arrival of a kid or the start of a serious romantic relationship. Generally speaking, it represents joy and the start of many blessings. A new company, a romance, and success along the way are inevitable.
• Two of Cups: Duality is indicated by two of any suit. Here, it alludes to the joining of two brains and hearts to become a single entity. The young man and woman on the card are seen holding cups in their hands, as if they were giving them to one another. The red lion of courage and power is seen above.
• Three of Cups: Each young lady carrying a cup, the three Graces dance and frolic. It denotes an enjoyable and joyous time.
• Four of Cups: A young man is sitting cross-legged and contemplating beneath a tree, but he is not calm. The three cups that are in front of him don’t seem to satisfy him. A fourth cup is offered to him by a cloud’s hand, but the young man declines. It denotes a time of monotony and drudgery during which nothing seems to be satisfactory.
• Three cups have spilled in front of a hooded man with a bent head in the Five of Cups. Two mugs are uprightly positioned behind the masked figure. Any suit’s 5 can be regarded as challenging. Here, it denotes disappointment at unfulfilled expectations or lamentation over a lost cause. There is yet hope because the hooded figure is still oblivious of the two cups that are still standing behind.
• Six of Cups: Six cups are all around two young people as they play in a yard.
• This card may represent pleasant recollections as well as a nostalgic attachment to the past and how things once were. It can also be a sign that a former acquaintance is sending you an invitation or a present.
• Seven of Cups: A young person experiences visions of seven cups among the clouds. All people’s idealized lovers or partners are on one cup. Another cup depicts wealth, another the subject’s hidden soul about to be disclosed, and yet another castles. Other cups display a snake emerging from one cup as well as a red dragon filled with rage and fury.
• Eight of Cups: There are eight cups lined up in a row. These cups are left behind by a character who appears to be starting a journey. A blas moon casts a downward gaze at the voyager. The traveler is in a favorable circumstance with plenty of opportunity and promise, but he or she choose to venture into the unknown. It denotes a restlessness and wanderlust as well as ignoring the positive things we already have in order to search for something else.
• The “wish” card is represented by the Nine of Cups. A contented, well-fed person sits back with nine cups.
• Ten of Cups: A couple holding hands while gazing up at the rainbow over their home. Two little kids dance. The rainbow contains ten cups.
• Page of Cups: A dreamy young man holds a cup with a fish sticking its head out of it. This denotes a flexible individual with the gift of insight and intuition. The card suggests a young person who enjoys poetry, music, the arts, and may also enjoy dancing a lot. It denotes news of happiness and entertainment as well as ease in one’s business.
• A young man riding a horse and donning a winged helmet gives a cup. The card may represent a sensitive male who is single and seeking a woman’s hand. He has integrity, is passionate, and honest. Additionally, it might point to an emotional issue going on in the asker’s life.
• Queen of Cups: A monarch sitting on a throne by the sea holds a cup while gazing inside. She has internal visions. It denotes a lady with the gift of intuition and the capacity to give wise counsel.
• Monarch of Cups: A king floating on the water is holding a scepter. It denotes a gentle, patient, sensible, and wise person. He could be a doctor, professor, member of the clergy, counselor, or psychologist. He is serene and reassuring and represents quiet strength.

What do the four tarot card suits look like?

Wands, batons, or rods are used for clubs; cups are used for hearts; swords are used for spades; and coins, pentacles, or disks are used for playing cards (diamonds). Four court cards are in each suit. 10 numbered cards, a king, queen, knight, and jack, as well as The value sequence in each suit is from aces to ten, followed by jacks, knights, queens, and kings (though the ace is sometimes assigned a high value, as in modern playing cards).

The court cards make up what component?

The Minor Arcana’s four Suits are each linked to an element, therefore it stands to reason that each suit’s Court Cards would likewise be connected to that element. For example, as Cups are associated with the element of Water, the Cups Court Cards will also be associated with that element.

However, each stage of maturity is likewise connected to these four elements (Fire, Air, Water, and Earth).

• Pages need and desire that kind of solidity, making them a fantastic symbol of that energy. Earth is a very substantial, “real” element that you can touch and feel.
• The Knight who wishes to enter the world and leave his mark is perfectly characterized by Air, which is all about knowledge, the mind, and communication.
• Water is a representation of emotions and intuition, two of the Queen’s most important character attributes.
• A passionate element is fire. A King must reign with fervor and passion in order to effectively govern his domain.

Here is a brief table that combines everything:

Swords in Tarot cards are what?

According to Vanderveldt, the Swords in tarot represent the element of air, which has to do with our honesty, discernment, communication, thinking, intelligence, and mental activity. Kings, on the other hand, stand for “our societal obligation and the highest expression of a certain element,” in this case air.

In light of this, she continues, the King of Swords urges us to exhibit “leadership, development, and expression, by sharing our experiences, taking aligned action, and bringing people together.”

What stands for the Queen of Cups?

The image on the card shows a mature woman holding a chalice or cup with a lid who has golden hair and a fair complexion. She is praised as a shining example of loving virtue, as having a heart that is purer than others, as a devoted mother, and as a trustworthy friend. The inverted card may alert the inquirer to a dishonest friend or companion who may be hiding something, or to a fake lover who presents as honest but is truly devious and controlling.

What does the Tarot card Ace of Cups mean?

The Ace of Cups in a Tarot reading denotes happiness and inner peace from friends and family. The five streams spilling out of the cup in the RiderWaiteSmith deck stand in for the five senses: sight, smell, hearing, taste, and touch.