The tarot deck
What's in a deck of tarot cards?
A standard tarot deck consists of 78 cards, each of which has highly symbolic illustrations. The cards are split into two categories, the major and minor arcana.
The 22 major arcana, or trump cards, are:
The Fool
The Magician
The High Priestess
The Empress
The Emperor
The Hierophant
The Lovers
The Chariot
Justice
The Hermit
The Wheel of Fortune
Strength
The Hanged Man
Death
Temperance
The Devil
The Tower
The Star
The Moon
The Sun
Judgement
The World
The remaining 56 cards, sometimes known as the pips, make up the minor arcana. They are similar to a modern deck of playing cards, with four suits (coins, cups, swords and wands), each containing 10 numbered cards from ace to 10 and four court cards (page, knight, queen and king). In fact, the origins of tarot are closely associated with playing cards and a popular game that’s played using the tarot cards, also known as tarot, has been in existence for centuries and is still played in many European countries.
