Tarot Deck Structure
The standard tarot deck consists of 78 cards divided into two groups: the major arcana and the minor arcana. The major arcana has 22 cards representing life events and stages, while the minor arcana has 56 cards reflecting daily mundane matters.
Tarot Card Sections
- The 22 major arcana cards depict archetypes and life lessons.
- The 56 minor arcana cards reflect daily events across four 14-card tarot suits.
- Each minor arcana suit represents an element with its own imagery and meanings – wands are fire, cups are water, etc.
Splitting Tarot Cards
- The standard tarot deck has 78 cards in the major arcana and minor arcana.
- The major arcana’s 22 cards depict life stages and challenges.
- The minor arcana’s 56 cards reflect mundane affairs.
- Understanding the cards, their numbers, suits, and sequences aids accurate interpretations.
How do you split tarot cards? To get deeper contact with the cards, sleep with them under your pillow. My rule is at least a month between readings. You can read your cards daily to learn your craft; that’s fine too. What happens if you do too many readings?
You can shuffle tarot cards overhand by moving cards from one side of the deck to the other. You can also “cut” the deck by dividing it into several piles then combining them. Look at each tarot card and decide what it means. Don’t worry about being right, just go from your gut. Pay attention to where your interpretations diverge and where they’re similar. This allows you to connect with the cards.
Traditionally, readers would use their left hand to shuffle and deal the cards. This allowed them to receive accurate wisdom. There is literally no right or wrong way to shuffle cards. As tarot has evolved, intuitive approaches emphasizing feeling have become popular.
A tarot card spread is a template to arrange the cards. Each card is interpreted plus by its position, including adjacent cards. Elemental dignity determines if each card is dignified or ill-dignified based on adjacent cards. Cards of the same suit strengthen a card’s dignity. This provides a sort of power boost to the card’s appeal.