Where the Major Arcana is full of archetypes, cosmic forces, and divine energies, the Minor Arcana is full of day-to-day energies, human ideologies, and the elements that shape this realm. Let’s Talk Tarot as we dissect the more tangible side of the deck, the Minor Arcana.

The Minor Arcana is composed of four suits, each aligning with one of the four elements. Each suit consists of 14 cards, ten numbered and four court cards. The numbered cards explore situations, events, and energies. The court cards are more likely to represent people in your life.

In this blog we will build a foundation for exploring the suits of the Minor Arcana. Rather than breaking down each card, we will cover the suit in it's entirety. In my opinion, once you understand the basics, you can dive deeper into the specifics, making it easier to learn the cards individually as you progress.

Pentacles

In this section we will unearth the suit of Pentacles.

Elemental Aspects: The Pentacles represent the Earth element, embodying all things physical in our world. While many associate Pentacles with money, this suit encompasses more than just finances. It also represents your community, home, body, material possessions, food and agriculture – in essence, everything tangible in our physical existence.

Symbolism and Imagery: Pentacles are often depicted as coins, discs, or pentagrams. The imagery frequently features agriculture, home and hearth, or working scenes.

Themes, Meanings, and Applications: The Pentacles suit involves concepts of prosperity, security, and practicality. It reflects our connection with wealth and resources, as well as our capacity to bring our manifestations and wishes into reality. Cards from the Pentacles suit frequently emphasize the value of dedication, diligence, and prioritizing our health and well-being.

This suit highlights the importance of hard work, responsibility, and conscientious management of our assets. The Pentacles suit also encourages that you go to your community when you have a deficit or excess of resources. When Pentacles cards appear in a reading, they encourage us to focus on practical matters, and how important it is that we take care of our Earthly duties. Like the Earth suit should, Pentacles come in and ground us, and remind us to focus on the proper use of our resources.

Conclusion: By understanding the elemental aspects, symbolism, and themes of the Pentacles suit, we gain valuable insights into our own relationship with the material world and our capacity for abundance and prosperity.

Swords

In this section we will blow through the suit of Swords.

Elemental Aspects: The suit of Swords symbolizes the Air element, associated with the domains of the mind, intellect, and communication. Air embodies thought and reason, promoting clarity, logic, and perspective within our cognitive realm. More than our ideas and reasoning, Air also includes our values and the ideas we find worth defending.

Symbolism and Imagery: In Tarot decks, Swords are often depicted as blades, swords, or daggers, symbolizing the power of intellect and the cutting edge of truth. The imagery in Swords cards frequently features scenes of conflict, decision-making, and mental struggle, reflecting the suit's association with the challenges of the mind. The phrase, “ignorance is bliss,” always comes to mind with this suit, as we see the pain knowledge can reveal.

Themes, Meanings, and Applications:The swords suit involves concepts of truth, conflicting ideas, and communication. It reflects our ability to navigate the world we create internally, with the world we actually live in. Cards from the Swords suit frequently emphasize the value of truthfulness, facing fears, and overcoming mental obstacles.

In suit highlights the importance of making decisions, stepping back from being emotionally reactive, and facing reality head-on, even when the truth may be difficult to accept. When Swords cards appear in a reading, you can expect a “lifting of the veil” on your awareness, with new information and a “breath of fresh air.”

Conclusion: By understanding the elemental aspects, symbolism, and themes of the Swords suit, we gain valuable insights into our own mental landscape and our capacity for clarity, truth, and integrity.

Wands

In this section we will light up the suit of Wands.

Elemental Aspects: The Wands suit symbolizes the element of Fire, associated with our energy, passions, and action. Fire is the spark of creativity that ignites our souls, driving us to pursue our dreams and desires with enthusiasm and determination. And like the fire suit should, Wands remind us of the importance of protecting our inner flame and preventing it from fizzling out or burning up.

Symbolism and Imagery: In Tarot decks, Wands are often depicted as staffs, rods, or wands, symbolizing the creative potential and spiritual energy within us. The imagery in Wands cards frequently features scenes of humans at various stages of planning and engagement, as well as the desire to keep those plans in motion, reflecting the suit's association with the pursuit of passion and purpose.

Themes, Meanings, and Applications: The Wands suit involves concepts of creativity, ambition, and vitality. It reflects our drive to pursue our passions with courage and conviction. Cards from the Wands suit often highlight the importance of taking inspired action, embracing change, following our intuition in pursuit of our goals, and finally, the importance of exploring new callings while balancing our responsibilities and our desires.

Conclusion: By understanding the elemental aspects, symbolism, and themes of the Wands suit, we gain valuable insights into our own creative potential and our capacity to manifest our desires.

Cups

In this section we will dive into the suit of Cups.

Elemental Aspects: The Cups suit symbolizes the element of Water, associated with emotions, intuition, and the subconscious mind. Water is known to be adaptable, as well as being an agent of slow change. Just like water erodes rocks, our emotions can wear down our body. Water is also known to heal, cleanse, and give life. Water is also one of few elements known to take many states, moving from solid, gas, to liquid.

Symbolism and Imagery In Tarot decks, Cups are often depicted as containers, goblets, or chalices, symbolizing the receptivity and fluidity of our emotions. The imagery in Cups cards frequently features scenes of people either sharing cups with others, or being alone with their cups, perhaps hinting it is best we analyze some emotions alone.

Themes, Meanings, and Applications: The Cups suit embodies themes of love, relationships, and emotional fulfillment. It speaks to our capacity for empathy, compassion, and emotional connection with ourselves and others. Cups cards often highlight the importance of finding a safe space to explore your feelings, following your dreams and intuition, and cultivating intimacy within our relationships. When Cups cards appear in a Tarot reading, they encourage us to honor our feelings in a healthy way, allowing them to flow. They may also signify a need for healing, forgiveness, or emotional renewal.

Conclusion: By understanding the elemental aspects, symbolism, and themes of the Cups suit, we gain valuable insights into our own emotional landscape and our capacity for love, compassion, and connection.

Conclusion

The four suits do a great job of encompassing most aspects of our life - with the Major Arcana covering the rest. Knowing the general themes and elemental aspects provides a great foundation to explore the Minor Arcana on a more intimate level.

Some brief ramblings from the author:

Understanding the basics behind the suit and looking at the cards imagery, you can glean a lot of the cards intended message without having to reference a guidebook or Google. In blogs to come we will discuss things like numerology, frequent symbolism and their meanings, and how to better understand the court cards. Until then, happy Tarot-ing.

What suit gave you the hardest time when learning Tarot? Share in the comments.

Stay Magical.