Major & Minor Arcana
The 22 Major Arcana and the 56 Minor Arcana — what each half is for, and what it means when a reading leans one way.
The Major Arcana are the deck's 22 trump cards, from The Fool to The World. They deal in the big themes — fate, transformation, the forces larger than any single day. When several turn up in a spread, the cards are telling you this is a real chapter, not a passing mood.
The Minor Arcana are the other 56, and they handle the texture of ordinary life: work, feelings, conflict, money, the choices that are genuinely yours. Ace through Ten trace a small journey within each suit; the four court cards show people, or sides of yourself.
Reading the balance is a quick, powerful first move. A spread heavy with Major Arcana says the situation is being shaped by something momentous. A spread that's mostly Minor Arcana says it's practical and in your hands. Notice the mix before you read a single card in detail.