What Does Minor Arcana Mean In Tarot, And What Cards Are Part Of It?

If you're reading this article, you've probably come across tarot readers on your FYP or YouTube recommendations periodically. It's a genre of spirituality content that's become really popular recently; 31,000 channels on YouTube have variations of deck readings, where the tarot reader ask you to pick cards intuitively based on a question or time period you have in mind. Accordingly, the reader gives you insight into what the cards mean for you and how you can use them to guide you.

"Tarot cards do not tell the future; rather, tarot is a tool for spiritual guidance and enables the person receiving the reading to connect to his or her inner wisdom," Gaye Weintraub of holistic wellness company Soul'ed Out told Insider. Each card gives you guidance in different ways and a lot of that has to do with the meaning of the cards and the context they're place in.

Fortunately, tarot decks are organized into two sections for you to understand them easily: the major arcana and the minor arcana, per The New York Times. Major arcana cards point to larger themes in your life, while minor arcana cards help you figure out smaller, more immediate events. Read on to find out what the minor arcana cards in your tarot readings mean.

In a tarot deck of 78 cards, 54 cards are the minor arcana cards, according to The New York Times. These cards are further divided into four suits: cups, wands, swords and pentacles. Each suit has its purpose, whether it's giving you insight into your feelings, finances or motivation.

The suit of cups may appear when you're asking about whether you should send that drunk text to your ex (not a tarot card, but here's our advice: don't). The suit of cups represent your emotions and intuition, so if there are short-term decisions to be made about your relationships, these are the cards to look for, per Biddy Tarot. 

If you're wondering about a callback from a job, the suit of pentacles may offer guidance as it symbolizes your material possessions (all the money). But if it appears with a card from the suit of swords, it might represent how you're taking action to get the job: your thoughts, actions and the way you communicate are the main themes prevalent in this suit. However, the suit of wands can answer the question: "Do I think I can enjoy this job?" This suit pertains to what you're passionate about and whether you feel connected to your life's purpose. 

While each suit symbolizes different things, a full reading will allow you to contextualize them along with the other themes and cards.