Major Arcana meanings: all 22 upright and reversed

Use the Major Arcana to name the central theme of a reading. Compare each upright meaning with its reversal before fitting it to the spread position.

Major Arcana

  • The Fool

    Upright meaning · New beginnings, innocence, spontaneity, a free spirit. Symbolizes stepping into an unknown journey, full of potential yet not without risk.

    Reversed meaning · Recklessness, reckless adventure, poor decisions, hesitation. May point to chaos caused by a lack of planning, or being too afraid to take the first step.

  • The Magician

    Upright meaning · Manifestation, willpower, skill, focus. Symbolizes that every resource is now in your hands, ready to turn ideas into reality.

    Reversed meaning · Deception, manipulation, wasted talent, poor planning. May indicate using skill to mislead others, or having ability that goes unexpressed.

  • The High Priestess

    Upright meaning · Intuition, the subconscious, mystery, inner wisdom. Symbolizes silent observation and listening to the inner voice, finding answers through intuition rather than logic.

    Reversed meaning · Secrets revealed, suppressed intuition, superficiality, emotional instability. May indicate ignoring the inner voice, or becoming withdrawn and distant.

  • The Empress

    Upright meaning · Abundance, motherhood, creativity, nature, sensual pleasure. Symbolizes material and emotional richness, a favorable time to nurture new plans or savor life.

    Reversed meaning · Dependence, blocked creativity, domestic troubles, extravagance. May indicate smothering care, a lack of growth, or material scarcity.

  • The Emperor

    Upright meaning · Authority, structure, the father figure, logic, rules. Symbolizes building order and solid foundations, achieving success through discipline and leadership.

    Reversed meaning · Tyranny, rigidity, lack of discipline, abuse of power. May indicate an overbearing need for control, or conversely, weakness and a complete lack of resolve.

  • The Hierophant

    Upright meaning · Tradition, faith, education, spiritual guidance, belonging. Symbolizes following established social conventions or seeking the help of traditional wisdom.

    Reversed meaning · Challenging tradition, unconventional beliefs, hypocritical advice, rebellion. May indicate breaking with convention, or feeling constrained by dogma.

  • The Lovers

    Upright meaning · Love, harmony, a choice of values, union. Symbolizes profound human connection, or facing a major moral and emotional decision.

    Reversed meaning · Disharmony, separation, poor choices, temptation. May indicate a broken relationship, or a regrettable decision made from misplaced values.

  • The Chariot

    Upright meaning · Victory, willpower, self-control, determination. Symbolizes uniting opposing forces (the black and white sphinxes) through sheer will to overcome obstacles.

    Reversed meaning · Loss of control, aggression, defeat, lack of direction. May indicate being torn apart by emotions or conflicting forces, knocking your path off course.

  • Strength

    Upright meaning · Courage, patience, compassion, gentleness overcoming force. Symbolizes taming raw desires and instincts through inner resilience and love rather than brute strength.

    Reversed meaning · Self-doubt, weakness, untamed instincts, impatience. May indicate being overwhelmed by fear, or handling matters with either too heavy or too timid a hand.

  • The Hermit

    Upright meaning · Introspection, solitude, the search for truth, guidance. Symbolizes a temporary retreat into the inner world to seek answers and spiritual light alone.

    Reversed meaning · Isolation, loneliness, refusing advice, feeling lost. May indicate excessive withdrawal, or stubbornly ignoring help from the outside world.

  • Wheel of Fortune

    Upright meaning · A turning point, luck, karma, forces beyond your control. Symbolizes the rise and fall of fortune, a reminder to move with change and seize the moment.

    Reversed meaning · Misfortune, setbacks from resisting change, a cycle broken. May indicate a temporary low point, or trying to force control over the uncontrollable.

  • Justice

    Upright meaning · Justice, truth, cause and effect, the law. Symbolizes objective assessment and fact-based decisions, underscoring the law of karma: you reap what you sow.

    Reversed meaning · Injustice, bias, avoiding accountability, legal disputes. May indicate being treated unfairly, or deceiving yourself and refusing to face the truth.

  • The Hanged Man

    Upright meaning · Sacrifice, a new perspective, suspension, letting go. Symbolizes gaining higher wisdom and a completely new view of the world through deliberate stillness or the surrender of the ego.

    Reversed meaning · Needless sacrifice, delay, stalemate, struggling. May indicate suffering for the wrong reasons, or being unable to break free of some bondage.

  • Death

    Upright meaning · Endings, transformation, rebirth, inevitable change. Symbolizes the complete close of an old chapter, clearing space for something new to grow.

    Reversed meaning · Resisting change, stagnation, decay, inability to let go. May indicate clinging to the past, prolonging pain and blocking entry into a new phase.

  • Temperance

    Upright meaning · Balance, moderation, blending, patience. Symbolizes harmonizing opposing elements, finding the middle path, and creating something new through an almost alchemical fusion.

    Reversed meaning · Imbalance, extremes, excess, impatience. May indicate emotional turbulence, or losing your point of equilibrium in a relationship or situation.

  • The Devil

    Upright meaning · Bondage, materialism, desire, addiction. Symbolizes being controlled by material cravings or fear, and realizing that such bondage often stems from one's own attachments.

    Reversed meaning · Breaking free, awakening, releasing dependency, facing the shadow. May indicate beginning to see the root of the problem and working to escape an unhealthy relationship or habit.

  • The Tower

    Upright meaning · Sudden change, collapse, awakening, disaster. Symbolizes a structure built on false foundations being forcibly destroyed, painful yet delivering the unvarnished truth.

    Reversed meaning · Disaster averted, fear of change, barely holding on, a slow collapse. May indicate inner turmoil, or attempting to cover up problems that have already occurred.

  • The Star

    Upright meaning · Hope, inspiration, healing, serenity. Symbolizes the calm after the Tower's destruction, reconnecting with the energy of the universe, full of faith in the future.

    Reversed meaning · Despair, lack of faith, missed opportunities, unrealistic hopes. May indicate feeling lost, or holding lofty expectations without taking real action.

  • The Moon

    Upright meaning · Illusion, the subconscious, unease, intuition. Symbolizes walking through fog where things are not what they seem, calling you to face inner fears and shadows.

    Reversed meaning · Illusions dispelled, confusion, deception exposed, fear subsiding. May indicate waking from bewilderment, or being plagued by nightmares and anxiety.

  • The Sun

    Upright meaning · Success, joy, vitality, clarity. Symbolizes pure delight and life force; every shadow is dispelled and events move in the most positive direction.

    Reversed meaning · Temporary clouds, pessimism, overconfidence, delayed success. May indicate that while the overall direction is good, small shadows linger within, or the joy feels less bright than expected.

  • Judgement

    Upright meaning · Awakening, a calling, rebirth, karmic reckoning. Symbolizes hearing the inner summons, reviewing the past, making a momentous decision, and being reborn.

    Reversed meaning · Self-doubt, refusing the call, inability to move on, regret. May indicate overlooking a chance to change, or drowning in past mistakes without release.

  • The World

    Upright meaning · Fulfillment, completion, integration, travel. Symbolizes the perfect close of a journey, harmony of body, mind, and spirit, and a moment to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

    Reversed meaning · Incompletion, stagnation, lack of closure, regret. May indicate being just one step from success, or an inner emptiness that keeps the final chapter from being written.

Tarot card meanings and reading