Colors for the Fool

Today's lucky color, drawn from the tarot

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The major arcana

MAJOR ARCANA

The major arcana are the 22 cards in the 78-card tarot deck that each have their own name and picture. Here they are in order, from the Fool at 0 to the World at 21, each with a one-line upright and reversed meaning. Choose a card to read about its meaning and history in detail.

The order follows the Rider–Waite–Smith deck, as this site does: 8 is Strength and 11 is Justice. In older decks such as the Tarot of Marseille, these two cards swap numbers.

  1. 0The FoolUprightStepping into something new with nothing in handReversedRushing ahead without looking, or unable to take the step
  2. 1The MagicianUprightEverything you need is here; give it form with your willReversedPower spins its wheels; words and tricks cover a gap
  3. 2The High PriestessUprightListening quietly to wisdom that has not yet found wordsReversedClosing off, and filling what you cannot see with assumptions
  4. 3The EmpressUprightA season of harvest: nurture, cherish, enjoyReversedAbundance turns heavy; indulgence and stagnation
  5. 4The EmperorUprightBuilding firm ground and governing with responsibilityReversedHolding down by force; rigid stubbornness
  6. 5The HierophantUprightLearning from what has been handed down; a guide you can trustReversedBound by rules that have lost their meaning, or breaking free of them
  7. 6The LoversUprightChoosing from the heart, and being joinedReversedTorn and unable to choose; feelings out of step
  8. 7The ChariotUprightHolding doubts in check and driving straight aheadReversedMomentum races ahead; the destination is lost
  9. 8StrengthUprightTaming what is wild through gentlenessReversedUnable to trust yourself; swept along by feeling
  10. 9The HermitUprightHolding up a lamp alone and searching for answersReversedShutting yourself away, too far from others
  11. 10Wheel of FortuneUprightThe tide turns; seize the chance that comes aroundReversedThe flow stops; the timing is off
  12. 11JusticeUprightWeighing the facts and deciding fairlyReversedJudgment tilts; looking away from your own part
  13. 12The Hanged ManUprightStopping, and seeing the world again upside downReversedEnduring for nothing, unable to move
  14. 13DeathUprightA chapter closes; an ending opens the next beginningReversedUnable to end what needs to end
  15. 14TemperanceUprightBlending two things in just the right measureReversedBalance breaks; going to extremes
  16. 15The DevilUprightBound by chains of your own choosingReversedNoticing the chains and starting to slip them off
  17. 16The TowerUprightThe tower of illusion falls, and the truth showsReversedPropping up what is about to fall, for now
  18. 17The StarUprightAfter the storm, a star of hope shines in the night skyReversedThe star cannot be seen; hope is lost from view
  19. 18The MoonUprightA moonlit path; lost among things you cannot seeReversedThe fog lifts, and the shape of the fear becomes clear
  20. 19The SunUprightEverything lit up; free and joyfulReversedThe light clouds over a little; success comes late
  21. 20JudgementUprightAnswering the call, rising, and being rebornReversedHearing the call, yet staying in the past
  22. 21The WorldUprightA journey complete; the circle closesReversedOne step short of completion

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