Glossary of Tarot Terms

Glossary of Tarot Terms

A

Ace:

The first card in every suit, actually, the "One" card, said to represent the essence of the suit in its purest form. The Ace is always interpreted as a positive card, a rare opportunity, a gift from God.

Air:

One of the four elements of antiquity - fire, earth, air, and water. Generally associated with intellect. In the Tarot, Swords represent the air element.

Alchemy:

An ancient science of transformation, the precursor of modern chemistry, known primarily for attempts to turn base metals into gold. Medieval alchemists viewed alchemy as a path to personal transformation, and the Tarot may have been one of the tools used to attain that end.

Analysis:

The study of a number of different factors to ascertain the meaning of all of them combined. In Tarot divination, it implies combining the meanings of a number of different cards in order to ascertain the message they're conveying.

Arcana:

Literally, matters which are hidden. In the Tarot, it refers to the occult significance of the symbols on each card.

Archetype:

The image or model existing in the collective unconscious for all material manifestations of things of the same type or essence.

B

Book of Thoth:

An alleged but probably apocryphal ancient Egyptian manuscript, believed by minister, Freemason and author Antoine Court de Gébelin to be the original source of the Tarot.

C

Cartomancy:

The practice of discerning personality and divining the future through the use of cards.

Celtic Cross:

Perhaps the most popular and widely-known of all Tarot layouts. It involves arranging six cards in a cross, following that with an additional four cards arranged vertically to the side of the cross. Most widely used for focusing on specific situations.

Client:

The person for whom a Tarot reading is given.

Consciousness:

Awareness, especially of something intangible within and beyond oneself.

Court cards:

King, Queen, Knight, Page; in some decks, King, Queen, Prince and Princess, which in a reading can represent identifiable individuals, or specific qualities ascribed to the querent or to his or her situation. In Jungian psychology, they are believed to represent the sixteen different personality types.

Cups:

One of the four suits of the Minor Arcana, identified with the water element, associated with emotion, love and other strong feelings, dreams, memories, fears, disappointments, sensitivity, water, oceans, rivers and streams, pleasure, instinct and the unconscious. Identified with the heart suit of modern playing cards, and also called grails, vessels, cauldrons and other similar designations, depending on the deck.

D

Divination:

The practice of trying to discern human intent, discover hidden knowledge or foretell the future by the use of intuition or psychic abilities.

Diviner:

A person who practices divination.

E

Earth:

One of the four elements of antiquity - fire, earth, air, and water. Generally associated with practicality, hard work, wealth, money, land and other material resources, property, and material success. In the Tarot, Pentacles or Discs represent the earth element.

Esoteric:

Hidden, generally applied to knowledge that is known only to a small group of initiates, or people with a strong interest in the subject.

Evocator:

Someone who seeks to attain knowledge by calling upon gods, spirits or angels, sometimes by using the Tarot.

F

Fire:

One of the four elements of antiquity - fire, earth, air, and water. Generally associated with courage, energy, action, strength, impulsiveness, rashness, and a sense of adventure. In the Tarot, Wands represent the fire element.

G

H

Hermetic:

Of or relating to a body of writings and/or teachings concerning magical, occult and metaphysical philosophy dating from 1-300 AD attributed to Egyptian philosopher Hermes Trismegistus. Some include the Tarot among those writings.

I

J

K

Kabbalah:

Esoteric Judaism, believed to have been dictated by God to Abraham and/or Moses. Most of the extant writings surrounding Kabbalah, however, date from the Middle Ages. Some Tarot scholars trace the Tarot to Kabbalistic philosophy, especially the Tree of Life.

Keyword:

A single word or phrase exemplifying the value or meaning of a letter, symbol or picture.

King:

One of the four court cards of the Minor Arcana, generally considered to be the most powerful. Usually interpreted as mature men (35+), or the personification of the archetypal meaning of the suit.

Knight:

One of the four court cards of the Minor Arcana, generally considered to represent the younger, more impulsive types. Usually interpreted as younger men (18-35), or the personification of the youthful side of the suit. In some decks, this card becomes the Prince, in which case the age of the individual symbolized could be anywhere from 0 to 35.

L

Layout:

A pattern in which the cards are laid out in order to give a certain type of reading. Often each position in the layout is associated with a particular significance, and the meaning of the card placed there is synthesized with the implication of the position it's in.

M

Magic:

An arcane or occult method of harnessing the forces of nature in order to create a specific effect which the uninitiated may view as supernatural.

Major Arcana:

The twenty-two Tarot trumps, starting with The Fool and climaxing with The World. The Major Arcana are generally associated with the greater issues: humanity, the world and its life forms, and major sociological issues.

Mandala:

A graphic symbol of the Universe, usually associated with Hinduism or Buddhism. Some Tarot layouts are based on mandala patterns.

Metaphysics:

A branch of philosophy that deals with the higher, unseen, more spiritual nature of humanity and the Universe. The study of the relationship between life forms and God.

Minor Arcana:

The fifty-six cards outside of the Major Arcana, including the Court Cars and categorized in terms of the four suits and numbered from one (Ace) to ten. The Minor Arcana is associated with events in the course of the life of the individual.

N

O

Occult:

Literally, "hidden." The term is often used to refer to facts, ideas, and philosophies that are unknown to most human beings - but can be discovered and disseminated by those with acute intuition and higher awareness.

P

Page:

The lowest in status of the Court cards, generally representing either news or communications, or very young individuals (0-17). A page can be either male or female. In some decks, this card becomes the Princess, in which case the meaning changes to a female person between the ages of 0-35.

Pentacles:

One of the four suits of the Minor Arcana, identified with the earth element, associated with practicality, the earth, work, success, money, resources, wealth, physical bodies, ambition, and determination. Identified with the diamond suit of modern playing cards, and also called discs, coins, stones, shields and other similar designations, depending on the deck.

Pips:

In some decks, the pictures of the suit symbols of the Minor Arcana drawn to indicate the numerical value of the card. The five of cups shows a picture of five cups, while the six of swords shows a picture of six swords. Since the creation of the Rider-Waite deck, very few Tarot decks still show pips alone on the cards of the Minor Arcana, having replaced them with detailed illustrations. Pips are also called spots.

Prediction:

A statement concerning an event that the diviner believes may happen in the future, based on the Tarot, statistics, study of sociological factors, astrology, or another form of prognostication.

Prince:

One of the four court cards of the Minor Arcana. In more modern decks the Prince takes the place of the Knight. It has pretty much the same meaning: A young person of the male persuasion who personifies the best traits associated with the suit.

Princess:

One of the four court cards of the Minor Arcana. In more modern decks the Princess takes the place of the Page. The meaning of the card, is therefore changed to a young person of the female persuasion who personifies the best traits associated with the suit.

Psychic:

A person who is highly sensitive to the thoughts and feelings of others, as well as to the possible futures that might lie ahead, for individuals, families, communities, and nations, and who uses this ability to guide clients and others, and to foretell possible futures.

Q

Queen:

One of the four court cards of the Minor Arcana. In some decks, the Queen is the only definite female figure, and thus represents women of all ages. In more modern decks, where the Princess replaces the Page, the Queen is usually interpreted as mature women (35+), or the feminine personification of the archetypal meaning of the suit.

Querent:

An individual who asks for guidance through use of the Tarot.

R

Reader:

Someone skilled in the practice of reading the Tarot to answer questions and give guidance to querents.

Reading:

The actual process of laying out the cards and analyzing them to give guidance to querents and foretell their possible futures.

S

Sephiroth:

In Kabbalistic philosophy, the ten circles of divine energy on the branches of the Tree of Life.

Significator:

One of the Court Cards or Major Arcana chosen, and for some layouts separated from the deck, to represent the querent.

Spread:

See LAYOUT.

Suit:

One of four divisions of a deck of cards characterized by its own particular symbol. In the Tarot, those symbols are usually Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles.

Swords:

One of the four suits of the Minor Arcana, identified with the air element, associated with energy, action, intellect, the conscious mind, violence, disappointments, sorrow, judgments, and opinions. Identified with the spade suit of modern playing cards, and also called blades, epées, lightning, lasers, and other similar designations, depending on the deck.

T

Tarot:

A collection of 78 pictures representing ancient and universal archetypes organized in the form of a deck of cards, used to gain insights into psychology, metaphysics, and foretelling the future. Its origins are lost in antiquity, but its current form originated in the Middle Ages.

Therapy:

Analysis and treatment of mental and emotional difficulty through psychological means. The Tarot can often prove invaluable in this sense, and there are a number of layouts designed primarily for therapeutic purposes.

Tree of Life:

A Kabbalistic symbol, a grid resembling a tree, each branch of which ends in one of the ten Sephiroth. (See SEPHIROTH above.) Some Tarot readers use a layout in the shape of the Tree of Life, placing a card in the position of each Sephira and interpreting it by blending the meaning of the Sephira with the meaning of the card.

Trumps:

The twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana.

U

Unconscious:

The hidden part of the mind, which is believed to house memories of forgotten events, as well as archetypal images from ancient times. The unconscious is usually inaccessible, even to the individual, without the use of processes such as dreams, hypnosis or meditation that can bring the memories to the surface. The Tarot has been known to reawaken these memories as well.

V

W

Wands:

One of the four suits of the Minor Arcana, identified with the fire element, associated with fire, energy, intuition, creativity, inspiration, action, intellect, career, new growth, and the superconscious mind. Identified with the clubt of modern playing cards, and also called batons, rods, staves, scepters, arrows, pipes, and other similar designations, depending on the deck.

Water:

One of the four elements of antiquity - fire, earth, air, and water. Generally associated with emotion, love, psychic abilities, dreams, fantasies, and healing abilities. In the Tarot, Cups represent the water element.

X

Y

Z