The 22 Major Arcana Cards
Here are all 22 Major Arcana tarot cards with their numbers and main meanings. Tap a card to read more about it.
Not sure which one is yours? Your birth card comes from your date of birth.
0
The Fool
New beginnings, trust, and a free spirit
I
The Magician
Skill, focus, and making things happen
II
The High Priestess
Intuition, quiet knowing, and secrets
III
The Empress
Care, creativity, and plenty
IV
The Emperor
Structure, rules, and leadership
V
The Hierophant
Tradition, learning, and shared values
VI
The Lovers
Love, choices, and honest values
VII
The Chariot
Willpower, drive, and winning
VIII
Strength
Courage, patience, and a calm heart
IX
The Hermit
Time alone, wisdom, and looking within
X
Wheel of Fortune
Change, cycles, and luck
XI
Justice
Fairness, truth, and cause and effect
XII
The Hanged Man
A pause, a new view, and letting go
XIII
Death
Endings, change, and a fresh start
XIV
Temperance
Balance, patience, and the middle path
XV
The Devil
Habits, desire, and feeling stuck
XVI
The Tower
Sudden change, truth, and a new base
XVII
The Star
Hope, calm, and healing
XVIII
The Moon
Dreams, feelings, and what is not clear
XIX
The Sun
Joy, success, and bright energy
XX
Judgement
A wake-up call, a second chance, and a fresh start
XXI
The World
Finishing, success, and feeling whole
What Are the Major Arcana?
A full tarot deck has 78 cards. The Major Arcana are the 22 special cards in the deck, numbered 0 to 21. Each card shows a big theme in life, like a new start, love, a hard change, or the end of a long road. When you read the cards in order, from The Fool to The World, they tell a story of one person growing up and learning along the way.
Major Arcana vs Minor Arcana
- Major Arcana (22 cards). Big life themes and turning points.
- Minor Arcana (56 cards). Four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles) with everyday matters, like work, feelings, thoughts and money.
Your arcana number, or tarot birth card, is always one of the 22 Major Arcana. That is why this page only shows these cards.
How To Find Your Card
- Write your birth date as year, month and day.
- Add every digit together.
- If the total is more than 22, add the digits of the total again.
- Find the number in the list above. A total of 22 is The Fool (0).
Want the quick way? Use our free Arcana Calculator. It does the math for you and shows every step.
Card Order We Use
This site follows the Rider-Waite-Smith order, which is the most common one today. In this order, Strength is card VIII and Justice is card XI. Some older decks switch these two, so if you see a different number in another book, that is the reason.
The card pictures are scans of the original 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck, drawn by Pamela Colman Smith.
Major Arcana FAQs
How many Major Arcana cards are there?
There are 22 Major Arcana cards, numbered 0 to 21. They start with The Fool (0) and end with The World (21).
What is the difference between Major Arcana and Minor Arcana?
A full tarot deck has 78 cards. The 22 Major Arcana show big life themes, like love, change and finishing a cycle. The 56 Minor Arcana are split in four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles) and talk about everyday matters.
Which Major Arcana card is my birth card?
Your birth card comes from your date of birth. Add every digit of the date, and if the total is more than 22, add the digits again. You can do it in a few seconds with our free Arcana Calculator on the home page.
Why is The Fool number 0 and also 22?
The Fool is numbered 0 in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. When your birth date total is exactly 22, it points to The Fool, because 22 is the last place in the count.
Are Strength and Justice numbered the same in every deck?
No. In the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, Strength is VIII and Justice is XI. Some older decks, like the Tarot de Marseille, swap them. This site uses the Rider-Waite-Smith order.