✦ Rider-Waite Tarot
The 22 cards at the heart of the tarot — the soul's journey from The Fool to The World. Tap any card to discover its full meaning, upright and reversed, with Wooly.
Written by Floryne
Founder of Magical Chart
Last updated: July 2026
See the Major Arcana come alive in a real reading — pick 3 cards and get a gentle interpretation, free and with no account.
✦ Free tarot reading →The Major Arcana are the 22 trump cards at the spiritual core of the tarot, numbered from 0 (The Fool) to 21 (The World). Where the 56 Minor Arcana describe everyday life, the Major Arcana speak to life's great themes — turning points, lessons and transformations. When several appear in a reading, it often marks a meaningful chapter unfolding.
Read in order, they tell "The Fool's Journey" — the story of a soul moving from innocence (The Fool) through experience, challenge and integration, all the way to wholeness (The World). Each card is a chapter you'll recognise in your own life.
Laid out in order from 0 to 21, the Major Arcana tell a single story called the Fool's Journey — the path of a soul from its first innocent step to becoming whole. Reading them as a sequence is the fastest way to understand what each card means and where it sits in the bigger arc of a life.
The Fool (0) steps off the cliff in pure faith. He meets the Magician (I) — the power to create — and the High Priestess (II) — the wisdom to listen within. He is nurtured by the Empress (III) and given structure by the Emperor (IV), then taught by the Hierophant (V). At the Lovers (VI) he makes his first true choice of the heart, and in the Chariot (VII) he harnesses his will and drives forward. This first act is about gathering your tools, your influences and your direction.
Strength (VIII) teaches courage through gentleness rather than force. The Hermit (IX) withdraws to find his inner light. The Wheel of Fortune (X) turns — fate reminds us that life moves in cycles — and Justice (XI) weighs our choices honestly. The Hanged Man (XII) suspends everything, forcing surrender and a new perspective; Death (XIII) ends what must end so something new can be born; and Temperance (XIV) patiently blends the pieces back together. This middle act is about facing yourself, releasing control, and being transformed.
The Fool confronts the Devil (XV) — the fears and attachments that bind him — and the Tower (XVI) strikes, shattering what was false in a flash of liberating truth. Then comes the healing: the Star (XVII) restores hope, the Moon (XVIII) guides him through illusion and the subconscious, and the Sun (XIX) breaks through with joy and clarity. Judgement (XX) is the great awakening — a calling answered, the past forgiven — and the World (XXI) is completion: the journey whole, and the Fool, wiser now, ready to begin again.
When several Major Arcana appear in one spread, it usually marks a pivotal, almost fated chapter — the cards are underlining something significant. A single Major among Minor cards is the headline or theme of the reading, while the Minors show how it plays out in everyday life.
Upright, a card's energy is flowing clearly and outwardly. Reversed, that same energy is blocked, delayed, turned inward, or showing its shadow side — an invitation to reflect, never a punishment. Even the cards that look frightening — Death, the Tower, the Devil — describe necessary, ultimately freeing change rather than literal disaster.
As a gentle rule of thumb, the earlier Major Arcana (0–10) tend to describe outer, worldly lessons, while the later ones (11–21) lean more inward and spiritual.
A full Rider-Waite deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana + 56 Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana are split into four suits — Wands (passion), Cups (emotion), Swords (mind) and Pentacles (material life). Magical Chart uses the complete 78-card deck, upright and reversed, for every reading. Explore the Minor Arcana →
For quick reference, all 22 cards numbered 0–21 with their core keyword:
| 0 | The Fool | New beginnings, innocence, a leap of faith |
| I | The Magician | Manifestation, willpower, making it real |
| II | The High Priestess | Intuition, mystery, the inner voice |
| III | The Empress | Abundance, nurturing, creativity |
| IV | The Emperor | Structure, stability, authority |
| V | The Hierophant | Tradition, guidance, shared belief |
| VI | The Lovers | Love, union, a meaningful choice |
| VII | The Chariot | Drive, focus, victory through will |
| VIII | Strength | Courage, gentleness, inner power |
| IX | The Hermit | Soul-searching, solitude, inner light |
| X | Wheel of Fortune | Cycles, change, turning points |
| XI | Justice | Fairness, truth, cause and effect |
| XII | The Hanged Man | Surrender, pause, a new perspective |
| XIII | Death | Endings, transformation, rebirth |
| XIV | Temperance | Balance, patience, gentle blending |
| XV | The Devil | Attachment, shadow, what binds you |
| XVI | The Tower | Sudden change, awakening, release |
| XVII | The Star | Hope, renewal, quiet faith |
| XVIII | The Moon | Intuition, dreams, the unseen |
| XIX | The Sun | Joy, clarity, success, vitality |
| XX | Judgement | Awakening, reckoning, a calling |
| XXI | The World | Completion, wholeness, fulfilment |
There are 22, from The Fool (0) to The World (21). With the 56 Minor Arcana they form the complete 78-card tarot deck.
Major Arcana point to big life themes and spiritual lessons; Minor Arcana describe everyday situations. Lots of Major Arcana in one spread usually signals a significant moment.
No. With Wooly, a reversed card is simply the card's energy turned inward — blocked, delayed or asking for reflection — never a punishment. Each card page explains both upright and reversed meanings.
It's the storyline that runs through all 22 Major Arcana, read in order from 0 to 21 — a soul travelling from innocence (The Fool) through experience, trial and transformation to wholeness (The World). It's the classic way to learn what the Major Arcana mean.
In the older Tarot de Marseille, Justice was 8 and Strength 11. The Rider-Waite-Smith deck — the one most readers use today, and the one Magical Chart uses — swapped them to better fit the astrological order, so here Strength is VIII and Justice is XI.
None of them are simply good or bad. Even Death, the Tower and the Devil describe necessary, often freeing change — endings that make room, truths that set you free. The meaning always depends on your question and the cards around them.
Each Major Arcana card points to a significant life theme or soul lesson rather than a day-to-day event. When several appear together, the reading is highlighting a major chapter or turning point. Each card page on Magical Chart explains the upright and reversed meanings in detail, with Wooly's interpretation.
In order: The Fool (0), The Magician (I), The High Priestess (II), The Empress (III), The Emperor (IV), The Hierophant (V), The Lovers (VI), The Chariot (VII), Strength (VIII), The Hermit (IX), Wheel of Fortune (X), Justice (XI), The Hanged Man (XII), Death (XIII), Temperance (XIV), The Devil (XV), The Tower (XVI), The Star (XVII), The Moon (XVIII), The Sun (XIX), Judgement (XX) and The World (XXI).
The Major Arcana has 22 cards (0–21). The Minor Arcana has 56 cards in four suits: Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles. Together they form the complete 78-card Rider-Waite tarot deck.