The Minor Arcana In TarotUnlike the cards of the major arcana that symbolize universal themes, the minor arcana deal with these themes in a practical way. The cards of the minor arcana help us to deal with issues on a day-to-day basis. The minor arcana are 56 cards split into four suits: 1) Wands 2) Cups 3) Swords and 4) Pentacles. Each suit is based on a particular way of dealing with life. The Minor Arcana 1) Wands – these are cards of creativity, action and movement. There are several different attributes associated with the wands namely: enthusiasm, adventure, risk-taking and confidence. These are yang or masculine cards and connected to the earth element of fire. The wands are the suit of the minor arcana that are active and energetic in expression. 2) Cups – The suit of cups is linked to emotions and spiritual experience. This means that they embody our inner world, emotions and ways in which we relate to others. Unlike the wands, the cups suit of the minor arcana is based on energy that flows inward. They are the yin, or feminine principle. The cups are linked to the earth element of water.3) Swords - This suit is linked to intellect, thought and reason. Swords are the suit of the minor arcana that embodies justice, truth and ethical principles and is linked to the air element. In this way the swords embody a clear mind but can also indicate disharmony or unhappiness. In this way we see that intellect can lead us astray if it is linked with the ego in a self-seeking way. 4) Pentacles – The pentacles are the practical suit of the minor arcana. This suite embodies practicality, security and material needs and issues. The pentacles are linked to the element of earth. Here we find an appreciation of the natural world, and our physical experiences. Pentacles is also a symbol of material wealth and success. While each suit of the minor arcana is different and unique the way we live in the world will be a combination of all four suits. When you have a reading done the cards that come up indicate how the aspects of each suit is influencing your daily life. The suits of the minor arcana have divisions just like an ordinary set of playing cards. Aces, middle cards, tens, court cards, the king, queen the knight and the pages all have different meanings. Aces of each suit in the minor arcana indicate its theme so the Ace of Cups symbolizes love, emotions, intuition, and intimacy. Aces are always positive. Middle Cards represent different aspects of a suit. Tens use the theme shown by the Ace and bring it towards a logical conclusion. The court cards of the minor arcana help us to see ways in which we can operate in the world to use or avoid the personality styles embodied in the court cards. These are the king (mature and masculine), queen (mature and feminine) knight (immature teenager) and page (playful child) cards. As you become more familiar with the cards of the minor arcana it becomes easier to see how they can act as a guide to choices and decisions we make in our daily life. |