When I started learning tarot, the Major Arcana felt easy to love. The Fool, the Lovers, the Moon: big images with big stories. Then I got to the other 56 cards and felt a little lost. Which one was the Six of Swords again? Was a Knight of Cups good or bad?
If that sounds familiar, you are in good company. The Minor Arcana is where most of the everyday detail of a reading lives, and it becomes much easier once you understand the four suits. Let me walk you through them the way I wish someone had explained them to me.
What is the Minor Arcana?
A standard tarot deck has 78 cards. Twenty-two are the Major Arcana, which show big life themes. The other 56 are the Minor Arcana. They describe the smaller moments, moods and choices that fill our days: a hard conversation, a good meal with friends, a stressful week at work, a quiet win.
The 56 cards are split into four suits of 14 cards each. Every suit has an Ace, numbered cards from Two to Ten, and four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen and King. Once you know what each suit is about, you already have a good idea what a card is saying before you look up its name.
Wands: energy and action
Wands (sometimes called Rods or Staves) are linked with the element of fire. Think of motivation, creativity, ambition and the spark that gets a project started. When a lot of Wands appear in a reading, I ask myself where my energy is going and what I am excited to begin.
They can also point to restlessness or burnout, like a fire that burns too fast. A simple question for any Wands card: what do I want to build, and do I have the energy for it right now?
Cups: feelings and relationships
Cups belong to water. This suit is about emotions, love, friendship, intuition and imagination. It is the suit I turn to when a question is about how someone feels, including how I feel.
Cups are not always soft and sweet. They can show disappointment, nostalgia or feelings that are hard to name. Try asking: what am I feeling here, and what would I like to say about it?
I love how the Fairy Tale Tarot shows these emotional cards as little storybook scenes. For me, a story makes the feeling easier to recognise.
Swords: thoughts and communication
Swords are linked with air. This is the suit of the mind: ideas, decisions, honesty, words and sometimes worry. Many beginners feel nervous when Swords show up because the artwork can look sharp. But a sword is simply a tool for cutting through confusion.
When I see Swords, I think about clarity. What am I telling myself? What conversation have I been avoiding? Is there a truth I already know but have not said out loud?
Pentacles: daily life and what we build
Pentacles (also called Coins or Disks) belong to earth. They cover work, money, home, routines and the practical things we build slowly over time. This suit is grounded and patient.
A Pentacles card often invites you to look at your habits and resources. Where am I putting my time? What small, steady step could I take this week? If you want a deck with clear, classic suit symbols to practise on, the Âme Tarot follows the familiar Rider Waite tradition, which makes the suits easy to recognise.
A quick way to read any Minor Arcana card
You do not need to memorise 56 meanings on day one. Use this simple three-step method instead:
First, look at the suit. It tells you the area of life: energy, feelings, thoughts or daily life. Second, look at the number. Aces are beginnings, Twos are choices or balance, Fives often bring change or tension, Tens are completion. Third, look at the picture and notice what you feel. Your first impression matters.
Court cards can be read as people, or as sides of yourself. A Page is curious and learning, a Knight is in motion, a Queen is mature and inward, and a King is confident and outward.
Try this: a four-card suit check-in
This is a small practice you can do tonight with a cup of tea. Take only the Minor Arcana from your deck, or shuffle the full deck and pull four cards. You can also browse our Rider Waite beginner decks if you want a deck that makes this easy.
Lay out four cards in a row and give each a question:
Card 1 (energy): what do I want to put my energy into? Card 2 (feelings): what am I feeling about it? Card 3 (thoughts): what story am I telling myself? Card 4 (daily life): what is one small practical step?
Write down your answers in a journal, even if they are just a few words. Notice which suits show up most often over a week. It is a gentle way to learn the suits through your own life.
Be patient with yourself
The Minor Arcana is not a test. Nobody learns it all in one weekend. Pull a card a day, say the suit out loud, and notice what it stirs in you. Tarot is a tool for reflection, and the more you play with it, the more the cards start to speak in your own language.
If you try the check-in spread, I would love to hear how it went.