Tarot Cards

A total of 78 cards comprise the tarot deck, a special deck of cards used both in games and in divination. This 78-card deck is divided into two groups: the Minor or Lesser Arcana and the Major or Greater Arcana.

The Minor or Lesser Arcana is the predecessor of the modern day playing cards deck. It is composed of 56 cards divided into four suits: the wands suit (equivalent to the modern day clubs suit), the cups suit (equivalent to the modern day hearts), the swords suit (equivalent to the modern day spades), and the pentacles suit (equivalent to the modern day diamonds). Each suit is composed of 14 cards: 10 cards numbered from 1 to 10, a king, a queen, a knight, and a knave. The knight cards were removed in the modern day playing cards deck.

The Major of Greater Arcana, on the other hand, is composed of 22 more interesting cards, each having a title and an illustration that is believed to be symbolisms from ancient history. The cards in this group are The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, The Strength, The Hermit, The Wheel of Fortune, The Justice, The Hanged Man, The Death, The Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, The Judgment, and World. The Fool is numbered 0, and is comparable to the Joker in modern decks. The rest of the cards are numbered from 1 to 21. Each of these cards has its own meaning in the tarot system.

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