Inbal's Tarot

A Tarot deck consists of 78 cards, often referred to as oracle or divination cards. Each of these 78 cards carries its own distinct meaning, and their interpretation also depends on whether they belong to the Major Arcana or the Minor Arcana.

The Major Arcana includes 22 trump cards, numbered from 0 to 21. The Minor Arcana is made up of 56 suit cards, including ten numbered cards and four court cards in each of the four suits.

The word Arcana comes from the Latin arcanum, which means secret or mystery.

Tarot cards have a long history, long before Tarot was ever available online. According to legend, Tarot may have even originated in ancient Egypt. The story goes that, facing the possible destruction of their kingdom, wise men sought a way to preserve sacred knowledge. They decided to encode this wisdom into symbolic drawings on playing cards, believing that games and leisure would survive any upheaval.

In Europe, playing cards have been documented since at least the late 14th century. The Tarot as we know it likely evolved from a 52-card deck that spread from the Islamic world into Europe — a structure that corresponds to today’s Minor Arcana.

Marseille Tarot

The Marseille Tarot is one of the oldest and most influential Tarot decks in history. Its imagery dates back to 16th-century France and the deck is named after the port city of Marseille, where much of the card production took place. The term “Marseille Tarot” also refers to a family of closely related decks that became highly influential in shaping the design of many later Tarots.

Waite Tarot (Rider-Waite Tarot)

Another widely used deck is the Waite Tarot, more commonly known as the Rider-Waite Tarot. Created by English occultist Arthur Edward Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, the deck was first published in 1910 by Rider & Son. Both Waite and Smith were members of the mystical society The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and the deck reflects the society’s esoteric teachings. Today, the Rider-Waite deck is considered the most popular Tarot worldwide.

Crowley Thoth Tarot

The Thoth Tarot, conceived by English occultist and writer Aleister Crowley, is another world-famous deck. Crowley’s vision was brought to life by artist Frieda Harris, who translated his complex ideas into striking imagery. Like Waite, Crowley was a member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and dedicated his life to occultism and the deeper questions of existence. The first printed version of the Thoth Tarot appeared in 1944 in Crowley’s book The Book of Thoth, which featured all the cards in black and white along with six color plates.

A complete Tarot deck consists of 78 cards, each carrying its own meaning. Interpretation depends on the question asked as well as the symbols, colors, and figures shown in the spread. A deck is divided into 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards, which are split into the four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles.

For example:

• 
  The High Priestess represents intuition and the soul.
  
• 
  The Emperor symbolizes masculine energy, authority, and vitality.
  

The Major Arcana

The 22 Major Arcana, also called trump cards, stand apart from the regular playing-card structure. They are the core of any Tarot reading and often reflect major life themes and turning points. Importantly, their meaning always depends on the context of the question and the situation of the person asking — the same card can tell two completely different stories for two different people.

Famous Major Arcana cards include:

• 
  The Magician
  
• 
  The High Priestess
  
• 
  The Empress
  
• 
  The Lovers
  
• 
  Death (which rarely means physical death but instead transformation, endings, and new beginnings)
  
• 
  The Moon
  
• 
  The Hermit
  

The Minor Arcana

The 56 Minor Arcana are divided into four suits of 14 cards each: Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Each suit is tied to one of the four classical elements:

• 
  Wands – Fire: energy, ambition, creativity, and drive.
  
• 
  Cups – Water: emotions, intuition, the unconscious, and relationships.
  
• 
  Swords – Air: intellect, truth, conflict, and learning.
  
• 
  Pentacles – Earth: the body, work, nature, and material life.
  

The Minor Arcana often speak to the details of everyday life, while the Major Arcana highlight overarching themes and transformative experiences.

How to Read Tarot Cards

Reading Tarot is not something you master overnight – it takes time, study, and practice. That’s why it’s often best to get a reading from someone with real experience.

The first step is choosing the right deck and the right spread (the layout of the cards), depending on the question being asked. There are many spreads with different levels of complexity:

• 
  Three-Card Spread – simple and clear, often used by beginners (past / present / future).
  
• 
  The Celtic Cross – one of the most well-known and detailed spreads.
  
• 
  The Compass – used to gain orientation and direction.
  
• 
  The Cross – for quick clarity in a specific situation.
  
• 
  The Love Spread – focusing on relationships and emotional dynamics.
  

The spread sets the framework, but experience and interpretation are what bring the cards to life.