TAROT · 56 MINOR ARCANA
Minor Arcana — everyday life in 56 cards
Four suits, four elements: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles describe work, feelings, thoughts and money — the theater of everyday life.
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Four suits — four elements
- Wands — element of fire: energy, passion, action, career and ambition
- Cups — element of water: emotions, love, relationships and intuition
- Swords — element of air: thoughts, truth, decisions and communication
- Pentacles — element of earth: money, work, stability and health
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Structure of a suit
Each suit contains 14 cards: from the Ace (pure essence of the element) through cards 2-10 (an unfolding story) to the court cards — the Page (apprentice), the Knight (action), the Queen (inner maturity) and the King (mastery). Court cards often describe specific people in your life or roles you take on.
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Suits of the Minor Arcana
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How to read Minor Arcana in a spread
A dominance of one suit tells much: many Cups — an emotional matter; many Swords — conflict and decisions; many Wands — work and action; many Pentacles — finances and material matters. The absence of a suit can be just as telling: it shows what is missing in the situation.
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