Lesson 2: Understanding the Tarot Structure 🗝️

Objective

Helps students gain a clear understanding of the tarot deck’s structure, including the Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and Court Cards, and their unique roles in tarot readings. By the end of this lesson, students will know how to differentiate between these sections and begin recognizing each part’s thematic influence in readings.

Content Overview

1. The Major Arcana (22 Cards): Life’s Grand Lessons 🌌
   • Overview: The Major Arcana cards are considered the “trump” cards of tarot. Numbered 0 (The Fool) through 21 (The World), they represent life’s major themes and universal truths.
   • Themes and Significance: Each card in the Major Arcana symbolizes a critical life stage, challenge, or insight. Together, they tell the story of The Fool’s journey through life’s spiritual and emotional transformations.
     • Examples:
       • The Fool (0): New beginnings and the spirit of adventure.
       • The Lovers (6): Themes of love, relationships, and choice.
       • The Tower (16): Sudden change, upheaval, and revelation.
       • The World (21): Completion, fulfillment, and wholeness.
   • Function in Readings: Major Arcana cards often indicate pivotal moments or shifts in a person’s life, signifying major changes, life lessons, or spiritual insights. When a reading contains many Major Arcana cards, it’s a sign that significant, lasting forces are at play in the querent’s life.
2. The Minor Arcana (56 Cards): Everyday Insights and Experiences 🔄
   • Overview: The Minor Arcana is divided into four suits: Cups, Wands, Swords, and Pentacles. These cards focus on the day-to-day aspects of life, providing guidance on emotions, actions, thoughts, and material aspects.
   • The Four Suits and Their Elements:
     • Cups (Water) 💧: Emotions, relationships, creativity, intuition. Often relate to matters of the heart and personal connections.
     • Wands (Fire) 🔥: Inspiration, ambition, personal growth, and career. Reflect one’s passions, goals, and the drive to achieve them.
     • Swords (Air) 🌬️: Intellect, conflict, decision-making, and truth. Deal with mental challenges, communication, and the pursuit of clarity.
     • Pentacles (Earth) 🌍: Material concerns, stability, health, and finances. These cards relate to the physical world, including work, resources, and home.
   • Numerology and Card Progression: Each suit’s cards progress from Ace (beginnings) to Ten (completion), representing the natural cycle within each aspect of life. For instance:
     • Ace: Potential and new opportunities.
     • Middle Numbers (2-9): Development, challenges, and refinement within each suit’s theme.
     • Ten: Culmination, fulfillment, or closure.
   • Function in Readings: The Minor Arcana provides insight into everyday matters and fluctuating energies. They represent the current state of things and guide practical, immediate decisions.
3. The Court Cards (16 Cards): Personality Archetypes and Roles 👑
   • Overview: Each suit in the Minor Arcana has four court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King. These cards represent personality archetypes and different life stages or roles.
   • Court Card Types and Roles:
     • Page: The learner or novice; signifies curiosity, potential, and the start of a journey.
     • Knight: The adventurer or doer; represents action, pursuit of goals, and movement.
     • Queen: The nurturer or mature figure; embodies the mastery of the suit’s energy through wisdom and understanding.
     • King: The leader or authority; shows expertise, control, and the highest expression of the suit’s element.
   • Function in Readings: Court cards can represent people in the querent’s life, aspects of their own personality, or the approach they should take in a situation. For example, the Queen of Cups may signify a nurturing figure, while the Knight of Swords might suggest a need for assertive action.

Engagement Activities

1. Suit Reflection Exercise 🖊️
   • Objective: Helps students connect personally with the four suits.
   • Activity: Reflect on each suit and consider which themes resonate with your current life situation.
     • Prompt: “Identify one suit that you feel closely represents an area of your life right now. Is there a suit that challenges you more? Write down why you feel connected or disconnected from each suit.”
     • Example Answer: “I connect with the Cups because I’ve been focusing on my relationships and emotional growth. Wands challenge me, as I’m struggling to find the energy for my creative projects.”
2. Exploring Card Roles in Context 📚
   • Objective: Deepen understanding of the deck’s structure by identifying how each card type appears in readings.
   • Activity: Have students imagine a situation where each card type (Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, Court Card) might appear and what its message might be.
     • Prompt: “Think of a situation where you’d need guidance on a significant decision (like a career change, relationship, or financial investment). How would it feel to draw a Major Arcana card versus a Minor Arcana card? What if a Court Card showed up?”
     • Example Answer: “If I pulled a Major Arcana, I’d feel that this decision is life-changing. If it’s a Minor Arcana, it might mean it’s a short-term decision or just part of a larger journey. A Court Card would suggest I need to bring out a specific personality trait, like being confident (King of Wands) or reflective (Queen of Cups).”
3. Card-Identifying Quiz 🧩
   • Objective: Test students’ understanding of each card category and its purpose.
   • Quiz Sample Questions:
     • “Which section of the tarot represents life’s grand lessons?”
       • Answer Choices: A) Major Arcana B) Minor Arcana C) Court Cards
     • “Which suit relates to finances and material stability?”
       • Answer Choices: A) Cups B) Wands C) Swords D) Pentacles
     • “The Page card in a reading typically represents:”
       • Answer Choices: A) Authority B) Exploration and Learning C) Conflict D) Stability

Fun Fact 🃏

• Did You Know? Some tarot decks have additional or unique court card names like Daughter, Son, Priestess, and Shaman to bring different cultural or mystical interpretations into their readings!

Lesson Wrap-Up

• Key Takeaway: The tarot deck is divided into three main parts—Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and Court Cards—each with a unique role in storytelling and guidance. Major Arcana reveal significant life themes, Minor Arcana explore day-to-day matters, and Court Cards represent personalities or roles.
• Self-Reflection: "Which type of card are you most excited to learn about, and why?"

Transition to Next Lesson: “Now that you’re familiar with the deck’s structure, let’s begin our journey through The Fool’s story. We’ll start with The Fool’s Journey and see how each Major Arcana card reflects the stages of personal growth.” 🌄🌱