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Sabio Tarot · Tarot basics and learning

By Sabio Tarot

Major and Minor Arcana: when does each group matter in a spread?

In a three-card spread, the Chariot appears between the Two of Cups and the Eight of Pentacles. It is tempting to say that the Chariot “takes charge” because it belongs to the Major Arcana. But what if the Eight of Pentacles occupies the “next step” position in a question about learning a trade? The Minor Arcana card may then be the most useful one for identifying a concrete action. A card's weight does not come from its group alone.

The usual deck has 21 trumps and the Fool, along with 56 suited cards, according to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Today we generally call the first 22 the “Major Arcana” and the remaining 56 the “Minor Arcana”. The V&A places that terminology in a later esoteric history. The names are useful for study, but they are no reason to disregard half the deck.

What each group contributes

The Major Arcana contain distinctive figures and scenes: the Fool, Empress, Chariot, Justice, Moon and World, for example. In a contemporary reading they can help you frame a broad theme, a tension or a shift in perspective. If the Chariot appears in a reading about a project, you might explore direction, coordination or decision-making, guided by your edition's image and the card's position.

The Minor Arcana add four suits, numbers and court cards. This structure helps you refine how a theme is experienced: through resources, relationships, action or ideas, depending on your method. “Minor” does not mean less important to the person asking. A specific conversation may matter more to them than a grand metaphor for change. The inherited adjective names a card category, not the seriousness of its subject.

The comparison also depends on the deck. In many Marseille editions, numbered cards display suit symbols; in Rider–Waite–Smith, the Minor Arcana illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith show scenes you can describe. The V&A documents this visual change. Do not read a Marseille Eight of Coins by copying a scene that is absent from the card in your hand.

Three factors that determine a card's weight

The question: “What should I check before sending my proposal?” puts practical information in focus. A Minor Arcana card in a “missing information” position may guide you more directly than a Major Arcana card offering general context. “What pattern recurs in my decisions?” may give more room to a Major Arcana card that brings a broad tension into view.

The position: Decide each card's job before shuffling. “Theme”, “obstacle” and “verifiable step” are not equivalent positions. If a Major Arcana card falls in “step”, translate its image into a small action without promising a complete transformation. If a Minor Arcana card falls in “theme”, it may represent an issue that deserves wider attention.

The relationship: No card stands alone in a spread with several positions. Two Minor Arcana cards of the same suit may point to a pattern worth examining, while a Major Arcana card may introduce a new tension or perspective. Ask what each card supports, qualifies or challenges. Avoid stacking three keywords as though they formed a ready-made sentence.

Full example: a study decision

Question: “How can I organise my exam preparation time better?” The positions, set in advance, are “current resource”, “difficulty I need to check” and “first adjustment”. For this example, the Chariot, Two of Cups and Eight of Pentacles appear.

Describe your edition first. In the resource position, the Chariot might suggest direction or coordination; it does not prove you will pass. In the difficulty position, the Two of Cups invites you to ask whether an agreement with someone else is clear: shared schedules, support or expectations. In the first-adjustment position, the Eight of Pentacles may suggest repeated, measurable practice if that is how your deck's system presents the card. One possible summary is: “You have a goal; check who you coordinate your time with; set up study sessions you can actually track.” This is a proposed method, not a prediction of your grade.

If you declare that the Chariot is worth “twice as much” because it is a Major Arcana card, you lose the practical information in the third position. If you claim that the Eight of Pentacles always means passing, you also go beyond what the card can support. The spread becomes useful when you connect the question, positions and images.

What if all three cards are Major or all three are Minor?

Three Major Arcana cards do not guarantee that “something extraordinary” will happen. The draw may be a coincidence, or it may invite you to explore three broad perspectives. Check whether the positions still answer the specific question. If you cannot turn any of them into a verifiable step, perhaps the question or the spread is too open.

Three Minor Arcana cards do not make the question trivial either. A pattern of suits or court cards can show precisely which aspects you are considering. Ask what evidence in the real situation would support or challenge each interpretation. If the reading seems too specific without evidence, step back: a card may inspire a question, but it cannot certify a private fact.

You can note the number of Major and Minor Arcana cards, but the count must not replace reading each position. “Two Major Arcana cards” is an observation; “your life will change” is a conclusion that does not follow from that count.

An exercise without automatic hierarchies

Draw one Major and one Minor Arcana card from your deck. Choose a small question and two positions: “the frame of the matter” and “an action I can verify”. Read them in that order. Then swap the positions without changing the cards and write down what changes. The exercise shows that the assigned place contributes as much as the category. If your two readings are identical, you may be relying on isolated meanings instead of working with the spread.

To understand the deck's structure, read why tarot decks usually have 78 cards. To decide whether to study 22 or 78 cards, continue with the full deck or only the Major Arcana.

One check before you finish

At the end of a reading, underline the part of your summary that comes from each position. If you used only the Major Arcana card and left the Minor Arcana as decoration, return to the jobs you gave them. If you ignored the Major Arcana card because you preferred a practical answer, ask which theme it introduces without turning it into a verdict. Your summary should give every card a role. One card may contribute less because the question is narrow, but explain that from the context rather than an automatic hierarchy.

Sources consulted