✦ 56 cards · 4 suits

The Minor Arcana

The 56 cards of everyday life — the feelings, choices and people you meet day to day, split into four elemental suits.

While the Major Arcana speak of the big, fated chapters of life, the Minor Arcana describe the texture of your everyday — your work, your relationships, your worries and small joys. There are 56 Minor Arcana cards, divided into four suits of 14, each tied to an element.

The four suits

🔥 The Suit of Wands
Fire · passion · creativity · drive · ambition
💧 The Suit of Cups
Water · emotions · love · relationships · intuition
⚡ The Suit of Swords
Air · thought · truth · conflict · communication
🌿 The Suit of Pentacles
Earth · money · work · home · the body

How the suits work

Each suit runs from the Ace (the pure seed of its element) through the numbers Two to Ten (the story of that energy unfolding), and ends with four court cards — the Page, Knight, Queen and King — who represent people, or parts of yourself, embodying the suit at different stages of maturity.

Major vs Minor Arcana

A reading full of Major Arcana points to powerful, pivotal forces at play. A reading rich in Minor Arcana is about the practical, here-and-now details — and which suit dominates tells you the theme: love (Cups), money & work (Pentacles), the mind (Swords) or passion & action (Wands).

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Minor Arcana — FAQ

What is the Minor Arcana?

The Minor Arcana is the 56 cards of the tarot that deal with everyday life — the practical situations, feelings and people you meet day to day. It is divided into four suits of 14 cards each.

What are the four tarot suits?

Wands (fire — passion & drive), Cups (water — emotions & love), Swords (air — mind & truth) and Pentacles (earth — money & the material world).

What’s the difference between Major and Minor Arcana?

The 22 Major Arcana mark big, fated life themes and turning points; the 56 Minor Arcana describe the everyday details and how those themes play out in daily life.

How many cards are in the Minor Arcana?

56 — each suit has an Ace through Ten plus four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King).

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