How to Read Tarot Cards: Part 2 - The Pip Cards of the Minor Arcana

© Copyright 2011 Patrice Walker All rights reserved

Where the major arcana cards of the tarot deck symbolize the major issues one confronts in life, the minor arcana cards are all about the mundane, everyday issues that we confront as we move through this journey called life.

If you’ve ever seen a deck of playing cards, then you are more familiar with the minor arcana than you think. A deck of playing cards is divided into four suits: clubs, spades, hearts, and diamonds – with 10 cards in each suit, i.e., Ace through 10. In the minor arcana, there are also four suits with 10 cards each. They are:

• Rods/Wands (Clubs)
• Swords (Spades)
• Cups (Hearts)
• Pentacles (Diamonds)

The traditional deck of playing cards also has a set of what are known as “court cards” in the tarot deck – a Jack, Queen, and King in each of the four suits. The tarot deck has these “court” cards plus one more:

• Pages (missing in the playing card deck)
• Knights (Jacks)
• Queens (Queens)
• Kings (Kings)

What about the Joker? If you think about it, the Fool is the equivalent of the Joker in the tarot deck. The joker is a wild card and can play any role in a card game, based on what the dealer decides. Similarly, the Fool is a bit of a wild card in that anything can happen as he begins his journey through the game of life. The Fool gets to choose the direction his journey will take.

Once you have the meanings of the cards in the tarot deck firmly under your belt, you could actually give a reading with a deck of playing cards. You’re missing the major arcana (with the exception of the Joker) and the Pages, but you have more than enough cards with which to provide some decent information.

Let’s take a closer look at how the minor arcana cards are structured.

One of the easiest ways I’ve found to remember the meanings of the minor arcana is to understand what the fours suits represent or symbolize.

As someone who has studied astrology, I like to compare the four suits to the four elements of astrology. The table below provides a correspondence between the tarot suits and the elements of astrology and includes some key phrases that will help you understand the basic meaning of the suit.

Also, thinking about the signs of the Zodiac that are included in each suit is another aid in helping you grasp their meaning.

Some say that the cards of the major arcana represent the element of Spirit, especially since these cards symbolize rather weighty and often spiritual matters.

The second aspect of the minor arcana takes us into the realm of numerology. In the field of numerology, each number has a symbolic meaning. Here’s my understanding of the symbolic meaning of the numbers 1 through 10, which I’ll keep as simple as possible:

One – the beginning of anything; new; seed
Two – duality; relationship; opposites
Three – birth; manifestation; initial success
Four – establishment of a stable structure
Five – change; disruption; destabilizing the structure
Six – harmony; balance restored; peace
Seven – going within; pause; a time for introspection
Eight – ambition and power required to achieve success
Nine – at the end of a cycle; closure; summing up and letting go
Ten – successful completion of one cycle and the beginning of the next

Don’t the symbolic meanings of the numbers one through 10 look a lot like the Fool’s journey? The number one represents a new beginning, and we move through several stages of growth and development before ending one cycle and beginning a new with the number 10, aided by the experience and wisdom gained from the cycle just completed.

When you combine the suits of the tarot decks with the numbers 1 through 10, you get what are often called the “pip” cards of the tarot deck, the Ace through 10 of each suit, numbering 40 cards in all.

If you can memorize the basic meanings of each suit and each of the numbers, you’ll have a good foundation for interpreting these 40 cards. But you also have a rich panorama of images that further enhance these basic meanings, so take some time to study them carefully.

And remember to have your notebook on hand so that you can jot down anything that comes to mind as you study these basic meanings and card images.

THE WANDS

Ace of Wands – Beginning of a new phase of life, project, job
2 of Wands – Reflecting on the next step to take after completing the first phase of a project
3 of Wands – Gettnig off to a good start; successful birth of a project
4 of Wands – first phase of the project is completed; time to celebrate
5 of Wands – the need to compete to get what you want, to move forward; overcoming obstacles
6 of Wands – Successful accomplishment of a goal; resting on your laurels
7 of Wands – Courage and confidence to protect what you’ve gained; holding your own
8 of Wands – Things quickly come to a head; fast movement forward
9 of Wands – Battle weary but not ready to give up; one more thing to accomplish before success
10 of Wands – With success comes responsibility; carrying a heavy burden

THE SWORDS

Note**: As you study the images of the Swords suit, you’ll notice that several of the cards portray fairly negative scenes. One source says that Arthur Waite, creator of the RWS deck, was influenced by the Tarot of the Bohemians, a book written by Papus in the late 19th century in which the suit of Swords is interpreted negatively.

Furthermore, the association of Swords with the thinking element of air was not well established at the time. Therefore, the keywords for the Swords suit relate more to the images depicted on the cards than to numerology and the elements.

Ace of Swords – new ideas; a new way of thinking
2 of Swords – unsure which direction to take; undecided
3 of Swords – heartbreak; loss; emotional upset
4 of Swords – the need to rest; a time out; a pause in activity
5 of Swords – “I won; you lost!”; defeat; bullying
6 of Swords – smooth sailing ahead; moving away from strife
7 of Swords – trying to hide something; being evasive; theft
8 of Swords – circular thinking keeps; not sure how to proceed; feeling stymied
9 of Swords – fearful thoughts keep you awake at night; worry
10 of Swords – giving up; hitting rock bottom; time to cut your losses

THE CUPS

Ace of Cups – a welling up of new feelings; new love
2 of Cups – a new relationship or partnership
3 of Cups – a joyful celebration; “let’s party!”; initial happiness
4 of Cups – bored; dissatisfied with the status quo; yearning for something different
5 of Cups – focused on loss; losing something loved
6 of Cups – reminiscing about the past; nostalgia; the good old days
7 of Cups – so many choices, it’s difficult to choose; confusion; undecided
8 of Cups – breaking with the past; letting go and moving on
9 of Cups – satisfied; content; “I have everything I desire!”
10 of Cups – Dreams fulfilled; fulfilling relationships; happiness and well-being on all levels

THE PENTACLES

Ace of Pentacles – new opportunity to make money; material gift; cash
2 of Pentacles – juggling finances; handling multiple financial responsibilities
3 of Pentacles – the beginning stages of a project that will produce tangible results
4 of Pentacles – being careful with money; holding on to what you’ve earned; spendthrift
5 of Pentacles – financial hardship; poverty consciousness
6 of Pentacles – giving and receiving; loaning money; incurring debt
7 of Pentacles – pausing to evaluate what you’ve gained before moving forward
8 of Pentacles – hard work applied to complete a project
9 of Pentacles – enjoying the fruits of your labor
10 of Pentacles – inheritance; financial stability and security

One way to understand the meaning of the 10 cards in each suit is to make up a story about it. For example, let’s tell a story about the suit of Wands.

Ace – I got this great job and I can’t wait to get started.
2 – I’m off to a good start, but I’m not sure what I need to do next.
3 – Having decided on the next step, I’m able to move ahead, although there’s still work to be done.
4 – This initial success feels so good, I think I’ll celebrate.
5 – I didn’t realize after that great start that I’d have to compete, but I’m up for it.

6 of Wands – I win the competition!
7 of Wands – But I have to defend what I’ve gained.
8 of Wands – There’s still work to be done before I can say I’m truly successful, so I better get to it.
9 of Wands – Man, I’m whipped, but I’ve got enough reserves to see it through to the end.
10 of Wands – I made it to the top, but now I’ve got responsibilities that often feel like a burden.

Now you try it! In addition to the meanings of the numbers and elements, let the images guide your storytelling. If you think you’ve created a good story (and "good," like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder), feel free to share it in the comment section below.

We’re not finished with the minor arcana yet. You’ll learn all about the final 16 cards of the minor arcana, the “court cards” in Part 3 of this series on how to read tarot cards. Then, in Parts 4 and 5, you’ll learn how to do a one-card and four-card tarot reading respectively.

Reference: Louis, Anthony. Tarot Plain and Simple, LLewellyn Publications, 1999.