Minor Arcana - Lunar Magus

What is the Minor Arcana?

The Minor Arcana, the “minor” set (though I like to just call them the small cards), is made up of 56 cards, split into four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles.

The Minor Arcana is built much like a deck of playing cards: there’s an Ace, the numbers 2 to 10, and the court cards. The difference is that tarot has more court cards. Playing cards have three, the J, Q and K, but tarot has the Page, Knight, Queen and King. Some decks give them different names, but the structure is always the same four cards, ranked by status or by the age of the person on the card.

The meanings of the Minor Arcana are more varied than those of the Major Arcana. Comparing the two, the Majors are like the big events in life, while the Minors are more like the ordinary events of everyday life. Some books explain that when a Major card comes up, something will happen that can’t be avoided, but with the Minors we still have some control over our own lives.

Each suit’s meaning covers this broad ground:

Wands: beginnings, creativity, inspiration, motivation, ideas. Sometimes they can be about work too.
Cups: love, emotions, relationships, the heart, a partner.
Swords: thoughts, analysis, obstacles, solving problems.
Pentacles: money, property, land. Sometimes they can mean plans you’ve laid out, or schedules.

A court card sometimes means a person who comes in and plays a part, and sometimes it shows the role you’re playing yourself.

Page: someone younger than you, a beginner. It can mean a child or a younger brother, and it shows a new start.
Knight: someone about your age. It could be a friend, or someone not far from your age. A person focused on action.
Queen: someone older than you, and a woman. It can mean your mother or an older sister. Sometimes she’s the same age as you but holds a higher position or is more mature than you. A person focused on advising and guiding, though sometimes she wants control too.
King: someone older than you, and a man. It can mean your father or an older brother. Sometimes he’s the same age as you but holds a higher position or is more mature than you. A person who likes to give orders and take control, a leader.