Jan 9 - The Structure of a Deck

 If you’ve ever wondered what makes a tarot deck tick, today’s your mini-guide. A standard deck has 78 cards, split into two main sections:

✨ Major Arcana (22 cards): These are the heavyweights - life-changing events, big lessons, archetypes. Think The Fool, The Tower, The High Priestess… the cards that tell the story of the soul’s journey. If you see a tarot reading in a movie or TV show, these are probably the cards that come up.

✨ Minor Arcana (56 cards): These reflect day-to-day life. They’re divided into four suits - usually Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles - and each suit has ten numbered cards plus four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King). Some themed decks will change the suit names or Court positions, but the meanings usually stay the same.

• Cups → emotions, relationships, heart matters

• Wands → creativity, ambition, action

• Swords → intellect, challenges, decisions

• Pentacles → money, work, practicalities

Think of your deck like a theatre: the Major Arcana are the lead actors, and the Minor Arcana are the supporting cast, making the story richer and more detailed.

Once you get familiar with the structure, reading becomes less intimidating - and a lot more fun.