The Minor Arcana cards do not carry the same weight as the Major Arcana, but they are still important. They chart the ups and downs of daily life and register changes in feelings and thought. These dramas are gripping while they occur, but they pass with time as new concerns take their place. The Minor Arcana cards are also easier to turn around from a reversed position than a Major Arcana.
The Minor Arcana cards consist of four different suits in each Tarot deck ranging in names for each suit depending on what type of Tarot deck you are using. Each suit starts with an Ace and leads up to a Ten. After the first Ten cards come the Court cards Kings, Queens, Knight, and Pages. Each suit also correlates to the four elements of the astrological signs of the Zodiac, and for good reason: They're the four energies of life. Below you will find the four major suits to each Tarot deck, their astrological sign, locations, people involved with the suit, and perhaps their occupations etc.
Please Note
**Just as I did with the Major Arcana, some cards will have a negative (-) and positive (+) aspect to them. Which meaning you use depends on the rest of the spread. If the tone of the spread is generally negative, example if there are a strong predominance of Swords and reversed cards - then the negative meanings is more likely to apply. A not so negative spread would imply the positive aspects. But again these interpretations are just a guideline for you to use, please use your own intuition and judgment when doing an actual reading**
Keywords: (+) Adventurous, aggressive, bold, brave, charismatic, charming, cheerful, courageous, creative, daring, eager, energetic, fiery, forceful, heroic, inspiring, magnetic, original, outgoing, risk-taking, self-assured, self-confident, valiant.
(-) Aggressive, cocky, dare-devilish, foolhardy, hasty, headstrong, hot-headed, hot-tempered, impatient, impulsive, incautious, irresponsible, nervy, overconfident, rash, restless, self-absorbed, superficial, thoughtless.
Meanings: Wands represent our ability to dive into our work world, our ambition, growth and development.
People: Fair, blond and red hair. Dark and light eyes. Fair to freckle complexion.
Occupations: Entrepreneurs, sales people, teachers, preachers.
Seasons: Spring (Cardinal signs Aries, Leo, Sagittarius)
Element: Fire
Location: East
Keywords: (+) Affectionate, agreeable, calm, caring, compassionate, concerned, considerate, dreamy, emotional, forbearing, gentle, good-hearted, gracious, healing, humane, imaginative, intimate, intuitive, joyful, kind, loving, merciful, nice, patient, peaceful, perceptive, psychic, quiet, responsive, romantic, sensitive, sympathetic, telepathic, tenderhearted, tolerant, understanding.
(-) Broody, delicate, doleful, escapist, fragile, frail, gushy, hypersensitive, hysterical, lazy, mopish, moody, overemotional, over refined, passive, sulky, temperamental, touchy.
Meaning: Cups stand for how we perceive our emotions. Here's where we find our feelings and sensitivity for others, our joys, our artistic selves and a good old-fashioned cry. Cups indicate matters of the heart.
People: Light brown, blond or gray hair. Blue or hazel eyes. Medium or fair complexion.
Occupations: Counselors, artists, musicians, physicians, those who work with feelings, Welfare workers.
Seasons: Summer (cardinal signs Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)
Element: Water
Location: North
Keywords: (+) Analytical, authoritive, clearheaded, clever, dignified, direct, ethical, forthright, frank, honest, honorable, impartial, just, keen-minded, knowledgeable, logical, lucid, mental, moral, objective, observant, outspoken, quick-witted, rational, reasonable, smart, truthful, unprejudiced, witty.
(-) Aloof, arrogant, blunt, cold, condescending, controlling, critical, cutting, detached, domineering, insensitive, judgmental, opinionated, overbearing, patronizing, remote, standoffish, thoughtless, unfeeling, unresponsive.
Meaning: Swords represent our mind and mental ability, including how we think, our logic and reasoning and our ability to know what to do through the use of good old-fashioned common sense. Swords can also be symbolic of strife and aggressive behavior.
People: Brown or black hair. Light eyes and olive complexion.
Occupation: Journalists, communicators, travelers, arbitrators, professionals, doctors, lawyers, judges, enforcers of law, military leaders.
Seasons: Fall (cardinal sign Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)
Element: Air
Location: West
Keywords: (+) Able, adept, bighearted, capable, careful, cautious, competent, conscientious, efficient, dependable, determined, firm, generous, hardworking, industrious, loyal, nurturing, orderly, organized, persevering, practical, productive, prudent, realistic, resourceful, responsible, sensible, skillful, solid, stable, steadfast, steady, sturdy, supporting, thorough, trusting, trustworthy.
(-) Bullheadedness, colorless, compulsive, gloomy, grim, hardheaded, humorless, inflexible, materialistic, obsessive, ordinary, overcautious, over organized, perfectionist, pessimistic, pigheaded, rigid, stiff, stubborn, timid, unadventurous, uncompromising, unexciting, unimaginative, unromantic, unyielding.
Meaning: Pentacles represent our connections to the material world and focuses us on financial issues and goods on shelter and earthly things including clothing, home, and financial success. Pentacles can indicate material gain and abundance of the land or they can represent difficulties with handling finances.
People: Brown or dark hair. Dark eyes and dark complexion. People of darker skinned ethnicity.
Occupations: Bankers, business people, accountants, property managers, builders, farmers, students, laborers, construction workers.
Seasons: Winter (cardinal sign Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)
Element: Earth
Location: South
Twos
Threes
Fours
Fives
Knights
Queens
Kings
Sevens
Eights
Nines
Tens
