The Major Arcana

All 22 Tarot Card Meanings

The twenty-two cards that deal with the large turns of a life. Each page covers the card upright and reversed, what it says about love and about work, and the question it puts to you.

A meaning on a page is general by necessity. Wish & Witch reads the card against the question you actually asked.

Draw your card ✦

32 questions · about 90 seconds · your archetype is free

Questions people ask

What is the Major Arcana?
The 22 cards of the tarot that deal with the large movements of a life — beginnings, choices, endings, reckonings — rather than day-to-day detail. They run from The Fool at zero to The World at twenty-one, and are often read as a single journey from the first step to its completion.
What does it mean when a card is reversed?
A reversed card is usually read as the same energy turned inward, blocked, or overdone rather than as a simple opposite. The Star upright is quiet hope; reversed it is discouragement dimming the same faith. Some readers do not use reversals at all, which is a legitimate way to read.
Do I need to memorise all the meanings?
No. Most readers hold a few keywords per card and let the rest come from the question and the cards around it. The meanings on these pages are a starting point, not a script — the same card says different things depending on what was asked.
What is the difference between the Major and Minor Arcana?
The Major Arcana are the 22 unnumbered-suit cards covering the big turns of a life. The Minor Arcana are the remaining 56, divided into wands, cups, swords and pentacles, and tend to describe the texture of daily circumstance rather than its major shifts.