I don't believe in the divining power of tarot cards, but they are a useful roleplay tool.
The Cards
Click on a card name for a description and the common meanings attached to that card.
The Major Arcana | Wands | Cups | Swords | Pentacles |
The Fool | Ace | Ace | Ace | Ace |
The Magician | Two | Two | Two | Two |
The High Priestess | Three | Three | Three | Three |
The Empress | Four | Four | Four | Four |
The Emperor | Five | Five | Five | Five |
The Hierophant | Six | Six | Six | Six |
The Lovers | Seven | Seven | Seven | Seven |
The Chariot | Eight | Eight | Eight | Eight |
Strength | Nine | Nine | Nine | Nine |
The Hermit | Ten | Ten | Ten | Ten |
Wheel of Fortune | Page | Page | Page | Page |
Justice | Knight | Knight | Knight | Knight |
The Hanged Man | Queen | Queen | Queen | Queen |
Death | King | King | King | King |
Temperance | ||||
The Devil | ||||
The Tower | ||||
The Star | ||||
The Moon | ||||
The Sun | ||||
Judgement | ||||
The World |
Meanings
A list of some of the common meanings of tarot cards, and the cards that are attached to those definitions. a (R) after a card name indicates that a card has this meaning if it is "reversed" - turned upside down. Some cards may have difference nuances of certain meanings.
Not every meaning and keyword has been included on this list. If you can't find a word, try looking for similar concepts. Many cards, when revered, can represent the negative aspect or downsides to their standard meaning. For example: to find cards that represent ideas like delayed rewards, or denied returns, try reading cards that mean "success".
- A - | Abandonment | Empress(R) |
Abundance | Empress, Wheel(R) | |
Adjustment | Justice | |
Ambition | Devil | |
Arrogance | High Priestess(R) | |
Art | Moon | |
Authority | Emperor |
- B - | Bad Luck | Wheel(R) |
Balance | Justice, Temperance | |
Battle | Chariot | |
Beginnings | Fool, Ace of Wands | |
Bias | Justice(R) |
- C - | Carelessness | Fool(R) |
Caring/Nurturing | Empress | |
Change | Fool, Wheel, Hanged Man, Death, Tower, Eight of Wands | |
Charm/Charisma | Magician | |
Chaos/Anarchy | Moon(R) | |
Choice | Lovers, Two of Wands | |
Clarity | Sun | |
Communication | Lovers | |
Competition | Five of Wands | |
Completion | Lovers, World | |
Con Artist | Magician(R) | |
Concealment | Hermit(R) | |
Conflict | Chariot, Temperance(R), Five of Wands | |
Conformity | Hierophant(R) | |
Courage | Strength | |
Cowardice | Strength(R), Seven of Wands | |
Creation | Magician, The Empress, Moon |
- D - | Defeat | Chariot(R) |
Defensiveness | Seven of Wands | |
Desire | Devil | |
Destruction | Death | |
Directionless | Chariot(R) | |
Disorder | Sun(R) | |
Dreams | Fool, Hanged Man, Moon |
- E - | Eagerness | Emperor |
Ending | Death, World | |
Enemies | Moon | |
Energy | Emperor, Strength, Ace of Wands, Eight of Wands | |
Experimentation | Temperance | |
Expertise | Magician |
- F - | Failure | Lovers(R) |
False Belief | Tower(R) | |
False Hope | Star(R) | |
Forgiveness | Judgement | |
Foundations | Four of Wands |
- G - | Glory | Sun |
Guidance | Star |
- H - | Harmony | Hierophant |
Haunted | Judgement(R) | |
Healing | Star, Judgement | |
Hope | Star | |
Hopelessness | Five of Wands(R) | |
Honour | Strength |
- I - | Illumination | High Priestess, Sun |
Impatience | Emperor(R), Hermit(R) | |
Imprisonment | Tower(R) | |
Indecision | Two of Wands(R) | |
Indulgence | Devil | |
Inflexibility | Hierophant(R) | |
Inner Strength | Strength | |
Inspiration | The Fool, Ace of Wands | |
Introspection | Hermit | |
Insanity | Moon (also reversed) | |
Instability | Moon(R), Four of Wands(R) | |
Isolation | Hermit(R) |
- J - | Jealousy | The Empress(R) |
- K - | Knowledge | Magician, High Priestess, Sun |
- L - | Learning | High Priestess, Hierophant |
Lies | Tower(R) | |
Loneliness | Hermit(R) | |
Logic | Sun | |
Love | Lovers | |
Luck | Wheel | |
Lust | High Priestess(R), Devil |
- M - | Meditation | Hanged Man |
Mercy | Hierophant | |
Moderation | Temperance | |
Mood | Moon | |
Mysteries | High Priestess |
- N - | Neglect | Empress(R) |
- O - | Obsession | Devil |
Optimism | Fool | |
Overwhelmed | Strength(R) |
- P - | Parting | Lovers(R) |
Patience | The Empress, Temperance | |
Passion | High Priestess(R), Devil | |
Permanence | World | |
Perseverance | Nine of Wands | |
Pessimism | Star(R) | |
Possessiveness | The Empress(R) | |
Possibilities | Fool | |
Power | Magician | |
Protection | Emperor |
- R - | Reason/Logic | Justice, Sun |
Rebirth/Renewal | Fool, Death, Judgement | |
Reward | Three of Wands | |
Restraint | Strength(R) |
- S - | Science | Magician |
Secrets | High Priestess | |
Selfishness | Hanged Man(R) | |
Severity | Justice(R) | |
Siege | Seven of Wands | |
Sleep | Death(R), Moon | |
Solitude | Hermit | |
Solutions | Hanged Man, Sun | |
Stability | Emperor, Four of Wands | |
Stagnation | World(R) | |
Stubbornness | Hierophant(R) | |
Success | Sun, World, Four Wands, Six of Wands | |
Suspension | Hanged Man |
- T - | Tenacity | High Priestess |
Thought | Hermit | |
Transformation | Death, Judgement | |
Travel | Chariot | |
Tyranny | Emperor(R) |
- U - | Unification | Temperance |
- V - | Vanity | Fool(R) |
Victory | Six of Wands | |
Violence | Tower | |
Visions | Moon | |
Vulnerability | Hanged Man |
- W - | Weariness | Eight of Wands(R), Nine of Wands |
Wrong Choices | Lovers(R) |