The Zodiac Atlas
Tarot · Major Arcana · 0 to XXI

Tarot Card Meanings: the 22 Major Arcana

By The Zodiac Atlas Editorial Team · Updated  · How we work

The Major Arcana are the 22 named cards of a tarot deck, numbered from 0, The Fool, to XXI, The World. Each card below has a short meaning and a full page with the upright and reversed reading, love, yes or no, and the zodiac sign, planet or element the Golden Dawn gave it in Book T.

All 22 cards · Your cards by birth date · Signs and planets · Yes or no · Questions

Cards of the sky today

Today, October 25: the Sun is in Scorpio at 2°, the card of Scorpio is Death (XIII); the Moon is in Aries, the card of Aries is The Emperor (IV).

Not a random draw: the cards of the signs the Sun and the Moon are in right now, by Book T.

The 22 Major Arcana cards

  1. The Fool card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a young man in a bright tunic steps toward a cliff edge holding a white rose, a small white dog leaps at his heels, a white sun and snowy mountains behind 0 The Fool Air A first step taken on trust, before the plan is finished.
  2. The Magician card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a man in a red robe raises a white wand and points to the ground, an infinity sign above his head, a cup, pentacle, sword and wand on the table, roses and lilies below I The Magician Mercury Skill, will, and everything you need already on the table.
  3. The High Priestess card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a woman in blue robes sits between a black pillar marked B and a white pillar marked J, a horned crown with a moon disc, a scroll marked TORA in her lap, a crescent moon at her feet II The High Priestess the Moon Something hidden; wait and listen before you act.
  4. The Empress card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a woman crowned with twelve stars sits on red cushions holding a scepter, a heart-shaped shield with the Venus symbol beside her, ripe wheat in front and a waterfall among cypress trees behind III The Empress Venus Abundance, comfort and growth already under way.
  5. The Emperor card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a white-bearded king in a red robe over armor sits on a stone throne carved with ram heads, holding an ankh scepter and an orb, orange mountains behind IV The Emperor ♈︎ Aries Authority, structure, protection; a steady hand in charge.
  6. The Hierophant card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a figure in red robes and a triple crown sits between two gray pillars, raising one hand in blessing, two monks kneel before him and two crossed keys lie at his feet V The Hierophant ♉︎ Taurus Tradition, a teacher, shared belief, a recognized path.
  7. The Lovers card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: an angel with red wings above a nude man and woman, a flaming tree behind him, an apple tree with a serpent behind her VI The Lovers ♊︎ Gemini Love, attraction, a choice that matches your values.
  8. The Chariot card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a man in armor with a starred crown stands in a stone chariot under a starry canopy, a black sphinx and a white sphinx lie in front, a walled town behind VII The Chariot ♋︎ Cancer Victory through will, focus and a set direction.
  9. The Strength card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a woman in a white gown with an infinity sign above her head gently closes the jaws of a red lion, a garland of roses around her waist, a yellow sky and a blue mountain behind VIII Strength ♌︎ Leo Courage, patience and a calm hand on strong feelings.
  10. The Hermit card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: an old bearded man in a gray hooded cloak stands on a snowy peak, holding up a lantern with a six-pointed star inside and leaning on a tall staff IX The Hermit ♍︎ Virgo Solitude, prudence, a lamp held up for others.
  11. The Wheel of Fortune card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: an orange wheel marked with the letters T, A, R, O and Hebrew letters floats in the clouds, a sphinx with a sword sits on top, a snake on the left and a red jackal-headed figure on the right, winged creatures with books in the four corners X Wheel of Fortune Jupiter Luck, a turning point, success that has limits.
  12. The Justice card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a crowned figure in a red robe and green cloak sits between two gray pillars before a purple curtain, holding an upright sword in one hand and golden scales in the other XI Justice ♎︎ Libra Fairness, truth, and consequences you can trace.
  13. The Hanged Man card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a man in a blue tunic and red tights hangs upside down by one foot from a T-shaped wooden beam with leaves, his other leg bent behind the knee, his hands behind his back and a halo around his head XII The Hanged Man Water A pause on purpose, and a new angle on the problem.
  14. The Death card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a skeleton in black armor rides a white horse and carries a black banner with a white rose, a king lies fallen, a bishop, a young woman and a child face him, a sun rises between two towers behind XIII Death ♏︎ Scorpio A phase ends; change arrives, wanted or not.
  15. The Temperance card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: an angel with red wings and a white robe pours water from one cup into another, one foot in a pool and one on the bank, irises beside the water and a path to a glowing light in the mountains XIV Temperance ♐︎ Sagittarius Moderation, patience, two things blended into one.
  16. The Devil card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a horned, goat-headed figure with bat wings and an inverted pentagram on the forehead squats on a black pedestal, right hand raised and a torch pointed down in the left, while a naked man and woman with small horns and tails stand chained to the pedestal XV The Devil ♑︎ Capricorn A habit or bond that grips tighter than it has to.
  17. The Tower card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: lightning strikes a gray stone tower on a rocky peak and knocks off its golden crown, flames burst from the windows and two people fall headfirst against a black sky full of small flames XVI The Tower Mars A sudden collapse of what stood on shaky ground.
  18. The Star card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a naked woman kneels with one knee on the bank and one foot on a pool, pouring water from two jugs into the pool and onto the land under a large yellow eight-pointed star and seven small white stars, a bird in a tree on the hill behind XVII The Star ♒︎ Aquarius Hope, renewal and healing after a rough stretch.
  19. The Moon card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a crescent moon with a sleeping face inside a rayed disc drips yellow drops over a dog and a wolf howling between two gray towers, while a crayfish crawls out of a pool and a path winds toward blue mountains XVIII The Moon ♓︎ Pisces Illusion, fear, and a situation not what it seems.
  20. The Sun card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a large smiling sun shines over a gray brick wall with sunflowers, and a naked child in a flower wreath with a red feather rides a white horse, arms wide, beside a flowing red banner XIX The Sun the Sun Joy, success, vitality and a clear view.
  21. The Judgement card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: an angel with red wings leans out of the clouds and blows a golden trumpet hung with a white flag and a red cross, while gray naked figures rise from open coffins floating on water, arms raised, with white mountains behind XX Judgement Fire · Spirit A reckoning, a call you answer, a fresh start.
  22. The World card of the Rider–Waite–Smith deck: a dancing figure wrapped in a purple sash holds a wand in each hand inside a large oval laurel wreath tied with red ribbons, with a human head, an eagle, a bull and a lion in the four corners among clouds XXI The World Saturn · Earth A cycle completed, success earned, a road ahead.

Numbers follow the Rider-Waite-Smith deck of 1909, where Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. Pictures: Pamela Colman Smith, 1910 printing, public domain.

Which tarot cards are in your birth chart?

Enter your birth date. Book T gives a card to each sign, to seven planets and to the elements, so your Sun sign, its traditional ruling planet, its element and your Moon sign each point to one Major Arcana card.

Example below: March 14, 1991, Eastern time. Enter your own date above.

Your Major Arcana for March 14, 1991 (Eastern time)

From your chartCardWhy
Your Sun sign: ♓︎ PiscesThe Moon (XVIII)Book T gives Pisces this card.
Ruler of Pisces: JupiterWheel of Fortune (X)The card of Jupiter, the traditional ruler of Pisces.
Element of Pisces: WaterThe Hanged Man (XII)Book T gives water this card.
Your Sun's decan: 23° PiscesTen of CupsMinor arcana: Book T's "Lord of Perfected Success", ruled by Mars.
Your Moon sign: ♒︎ Aquarius or ♓︎ PiscesThe Star (XVII) or The Moon (XVIII)The Moon changed signs that day; add the birth time to settle it.

Every planet, angle and house from your birth time: birth chart calculator. Your Sun sign to the minute: zodiac sign calculator.

Tarot and astrology: the Golden Dawn table

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn gave each of the 22 cards one Hebrew letter and one sign, planet or element. Its manuscript, Book T, was printed in 1912. In it twelve cards belong to zodiac signs, seven to planets and three to elements; Judgement and The World carry a second attribution as well.

The table explains some names that confuse readers. The Moon card is the sign Pisces, while the planet Moon belongs to The High Priestess. The Sun card is the planet, while Leo, the sign of the Sun, belongs to Strength. Waite, a Golden Dawn member, swapped Strength and Justice in his deck so that card eight would be Leo and card eleven Libra.

CardHebrew letterSign, planet or elementBook T short meaning
0 The Fool Aleph א Air If the question refers to spiritual matters, the Fool means idea, thought, spirituality, that which endeavours to transcend Earth.
I The Magician Bet ב Mercury Skill, wisdom, adaptation, craft, cunning, or occult wisdom or power.
II The High Priestess Gimel ג the Moon Change, alternation, increase and decrease, fluctuation; whether for good or evil depends on the dignity.
III The Empress Dalet ד Venus Beauty, happiness, pleasure, success.
IV The Emperor Heh ה ♈︎ Aries War, conquest, victory, strife, ambition.
V The Hierophant Vau ו ♉︎ Taurus Divine wisdom, manifestation, explanation, teaching, occult force voluntarily invoked.
VI The Lovers Zain ז ♊︎ Gemini Inspiration (passive, mediumistic), motive power, action.
VII The Chariot Chet ח ♋︎ Cancer Triumph, victory, health (sometimes unstable).
VIII Strength Tet ט ♌︎ Leo Courage, strength, fortitude, power passing on to action.
IX The Hermit Yod י ♍︎ Virgo Wisdom from on high.
X Wheel of Fortune Kaph כ Jupiter Good fortune, happiness (within bounds).
XI Justice Lamed ל ♎︎ Libra Eternal justice.
XII The Hanged Man Mem מ Water Enforced sacrifice, punishment, loss, fatal and not voluntary, suffering.
XIII Death Nun נ ♏︎ Scorpio Time, age, transformation, change involuntary (as opposed to 18, Pisces).
XIV Temperance Samekh ס ♐︎ Sagittarius Combination of forces, realization, action (material effect, good or evil).
XV The Devil Ayin ע ♑︎ Capricorn Materiality, material force, material temptation, obsession.
XVI The Tower Peh פ Mars Ambition, fighting, war, courage, or destruction, danger, fall, ruin.
XVII The Star Tzaddi צ ♒︎ Aquarius Hope, faith, unexpected help.
XVIII The Moon Qof ק ♓︎ Pisces Dissatisfaction, voluntary change.
XIX The Sun Resh ר the Sun Glory, gain, riches.
XX Judgement Shin ש Fire · Spirit Final decision, judgment, sentence, determination of a matter without appeal, "on its plane.".
XXI The World Taw ת Saturn · Earth The matter itself.

Book T (Golden Dawn, c. 1892), as printed in The Equinox I:8 (1912): the table of the 22 keys and the first sentence of each short meaning. Judgement is "Spirit and Fire" and The World "Earth and Saturn" in the manuscript.

Which tarot cards mean yes or no?

Waite and Book T give no yes or no answers; those come from modern sites. We compared two sites, Tarot.com and Zenithalign, on 21 of the 22 cards (The Lovers is not in our check). They agree on the upright answer for 13 cards and give opposite answers for 4: Death, Justice, Temperance, and Wheel of Fortune. On the rest one of them hedges with a conditional yes.

Our own answer for each card sits in the first column and comes from the card's page, where we explain it. A reversed card has its own answer in the second column, and it often differs from the upright one.

CardOur answer, uprightReversedTarot.comZenithalign, upright
The FoolYesNot yet, or noYesYes
The MagicianYesNo, or not as it looksYesYes
The High PriestessNot yet, or waitNoNoConditional Yes
The EmpressYesYes, with a conditionYesYes
The EmperorYesMaybe, if the control is sharedYesYes
The HierophantYesYes, if you choose it yourselfYesYes
The LoversYesNot like this, or nonot checkednot checked
The ChariotYesNo, or not yetYesYes
StrengthYesConditional yes, or not yetYesYes
The HermitNot yet, or noNoNoConditional Yes
Wheel of FortuneYes, if you ask about changeNot yet, or yes with a delayNoYes
JusticeYes, if the facts hold upNoNoYes
The Hanged ManNot yetNoNoConditional Yes
DeathYes, to changeNot yetYesNo
TemperanceYes, if the answer is a middle wayNo, or not until the mix is fixedNoYes
The DevilNoConditional yesNoNo
The TowerNoNo, or not yetNoNo
The StarYesNot yet, or a conditional yesYesYes
The MoonNot yet, or noNot yetNoConditional Yes
The SunYesYes, with a delayYesYes
JudgementYesNo, until you answerYesYes
The WorldYesYes, after the loose endYesYes

Tarot.com and Zenithalign answers from their card pages, checked October 25, 2026. Highlighted rows: the two sites give opposite answers.

What Waite and Book T say about card meanings

Two classic English sources doubted the value of their own lists. Waite printed the divinatory meanings of the 22 trumps in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot and then wrote that, except where the surface meaning of a card makes it obvious, what the divinatory art extracts from the trumps is "at once artificial and arbitrary, as it seems to me, in the highest degree". He called the fortune-telling side of the cards "the story of a prolonged impertinence".

Book T ends its own table of short meanings with a note: "This table is very unsatisfactory. Each card must be most carefully meditated, taking all its correspondences, and a clear idea formed." That is why every card page on this site quotes both texts and then shows where today's sites agree with them and where they part ways.

Questions about tarot card meanings

How many Major Arcana cards are there?

Twenty-two, numbered 0 to XXI. A full tarot deck has 78 cards: the 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana in four suits.

Are all tarot card meanings the same?

No. Waite's list of 1911 and Book T often disagree, and current sites add readings that neither gives. The Star is an example: Waite's list opens with "Loss, theft, privation, abandonment", and gives hope only as "another reading", while Book T and today's sites lead with hope.

Which tarot card is my zodiac sign?

In Book T: Aries The Emperor, Taurus The Hierophant, Gemini The Lovers, Cancer The Chariot, Leo Strength, Virgo The Hermit, Libra Justice, Scorpio Death, Sagittarius Temperance, Capricorn The Devil, Aquarius The Star, Pisces The Moon.

Which tarot cards belong to the planets?

Mercury The Magician, the Moon The High Priestess, Venus The Empress, Jupiter Wheel of Fortune, Mars The Tower, the Sun The Sun, Saturn The World. The elements: air The Fool, water The Hanged Man, fire Judgement; Book T adds earth to The World.

Which tarot cards mean yes?

Tarot.com and Zenithalign both answer yes upright for 11 cards, among them The Sun, The Star and The World. Both answer no for two: The Devil and The Tower. The table above lists the 21 cards we compared.

What is the tarot card of the day on this page?

It is not drawn at random. We show the cards of the signs that the Sun and the Moon are in today, by Book T. The card for the Sun's sign changes about once a month, the card for the Moon's sign every two or three days.

Do I need a birth time for my cards?

Not for most dates. The Sun's sign changes on about 3% of days and its decan on about one day in ten. The Moon changes sign on about 44% of days, so on those days the tool shows both cards and the birth time decides.

Sources

Tarot and the zodiac on this site

Each sign page names its card: Aries · Taurus · Gemini · Cancer · Leo · Virgo · Libra · Scorpio · Sagittarius · Capricorn · Aquarius · Pisces. The elements behind the four element cards: the four elements. The planets behind the planet cards: planet sign calculators.

Written by The Zodiac Atlas editorial team with the help of AI and edited by a person. Meanings quoted from Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911) and the Golden Dawn's Book T, both in the public domain; card pictures by Pamela Colman Smith (1910 printing), public domain via Wikimedia Commons. Planet positions come from the astronomy-engine ephemeris (tropical zodiac). Tarot and astrology are symbolic traditions; they do not predict events.