Arcana

Latin for “secrets.” The 78 tarot cards split into two arcana: the 22 Major and the 56 Minor.

Arcana is simply the plural of arcanum, Latin for “secret” or “mystery.” In tarot it names the two halves of the deck: the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Every one of the 78 cards belongs to one or the other.

The split is the first thing a reader notices in a spread. The Major Arcana carry the big, fated themes; the Minor Arcana carry ordinary, workable life. Reading which arcana dominates a spread tells you, before any single card, whether you're looking at a momentous chapter or a practical, in-your-hands situation.

Cards to meet

• The Fool
• The World

Related terms

• Major Arcana
• Minor Arcana
• Tarot

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