What does the Suit mean in Tarot?

Tarot is a deck of 78 cards with its own images, symbols and history.

The 22 cards of the Major Arcana represent karmic and spiritual life lessons that have a lasting impact on our lives. They represent the path to spiritual self-awareness and describe the various stages we encounter in our quest for more meaning and understanding. Thus, the Major Arcana contain deeply meaningful lessons at the soul level.

The 56 Minor Arcana cards reflect the trials and tribulations we experience every day. These Tarot cards highlight the more practical aspects of life and most often relate to current issues that have a temporary or minor impact. They are divided into 4 suits, each of which is responsible for a specific area in life.

The Minor Arcana consists of 16 Court cards, each representing 16 different personality traits, ours or others’, and 40 numbered cards ranging from Ace to Ten of each suit, representing the different situations we face on a day to day basis.

Suit of Wands

This Tarot suit is associated with primary energy, spirituality, inspiration, determination, vitality, creativity, ambition and expansion, pleasure, excitement, exploration, passion, impulsiveness.

The Suit of Wands is associated with the element of Fire. The fire is hot, wild, unpredictable and energetic. A fire can be used to cook food or create beautiful jewelry, utensils, or weapons with its heat. The fire can also be destructive, burning vast territories mercilessly. Fire symbolizes passion, energy, enthusiasm and sexuality. It is a masculine element that reflects the attraction and willpower of masculine energy.

What Does the Suit of Wands Mean in the Tarot Spread?

The wands deal with the spiritual level of consciousness and reflect what is important to us at the core of our entire being. They are addressed to what makes us ignite: our personality, ego, enthusiasm, self-esteem, and personal energy, both internal and external.

Negative aspects of the Suit of Wands include selfish behavior, impulsiveness, lack of direction or purpose, or feelings of meaninglessness.

If the Tarot spread contains mostly cards of Wands, you can be sure that you are looking for solutions to issues related to your desires and ambitions. You can already strive with all your might towards your big goal, or while you just want to understand more about what motivates and energizes you.

Suit of Pentacles

The Suit of Pentacles deals with the physical or external level of consciousness and thus reflects the external situations of your health, finances, work. Pentacles are also related to what we make of our external environment: how we create it, shape it, transform it and grow it.

The Suit of Pentacles is associated with the element of the Earth. The earth is physical and tangible. It creates the foundation from which the planet can grow and develop, and supports and nourishes plants and trees. The land is stable, auspicious and fertile. It is a feminine element that is receptive: it takes in nutrients and rays from the sun, and then uses that energy to sustain the life that grows out of it.

What Does the Suit of Pentacles Mean in the Tarot Spread?

The Suit of Pentacles encompasses the material aspects of life, including work, business, trade, property, money, and other material values. The positive aspects of this suit include manifestation, realization, proof, and prosperity.

The negative sides of the Pentacles include such concepts as greed and excessive materialism, ineffective management of their finances, an excessive focus on career at the expense of other life priorities.

If the Tarot spread contains mostly cards of Pentacles, you are looking for solutions relating primarily to material things, to solve financial issues. You are worried about problems related to career and work.

Suit of Swords

The Suit of Swords deals with the mental level of consciousness, which is centered around the mind and intellect. Swords reflect the quality of the mind present in your thoughts, attitudes and beliefs. Swords reflect our psyche and are associated with concepts such as rationality, logic, communication, fears, anxieties.

Swords are often double-edged and thus the suit of Swords symbolizes a delicate balance between intelligence and power, good and evil. Thus, swords must be balanced by spirit (Wands) and feeling (Cups) in order to have the most positive effect.

The Suit of Swords is associated with the element of Air. The air is intangible and invisible, but it is also in constant motion. The air can be still and mostly imperceptible, but in an instant it can turn into a hurricane. It is powerful yet refreshing and cleansing. Symbolically, the element of Air refers to knowledge, action, power, and change. It is a masculine energy that can guide strength even if it remains invisible.

What Does the Suit of Swords Mean in the Tarot Spread?

The Suit of Swords is associated with action, strength, power, oppression, ambition, courage, and conflict. Action can be both constructive and destructive.

The negative aspects of the suit include anger, guilt, harsh judgment, lack of compassion, verbal and mental abuse.

If the Tarot spread contains mostly cards of Swords, you are worried about mental struggle, conflict, arguments, and decisions that must be made. In addition, there may be many fears, fights, or even violence in your life at this time. Swords may also advise us to be more careful about what is happening around you.

Suit of Cups

The Suit of Cups represents the realm of emotions and is associated with love, feelings and relationships.

The Suit of Cups is associated with the element of water. Water is fluid, mobile, but it is also very powerful and formative. The water can be soft and gentle, like waves running on a sandy shore, or powerful and even strong, like a raging river.

The water element symbolizes fluidity, feelings and emotions, intuition, relationships, healing and cleansing. It is a feminine element that reflects subtle energy and strength. It is receptive, adaptable, purifying and flowing.

What Does the Suit of Cups Mean in the Tarot Spread?

The Suit of Cups reflects the emotional aspect of our life, linking us to concepts such as relationship, romance, fantasy, imagination, empathy, love, dreams and desires, happiness, sadness, vulnerability.

Negative aspects of this suit include being overly emotional or even completely disconnected and dispassionate, having unrealistic expectations and fantasies about things that cannot be. There may be suppressed emotions, an inability to truly express oneself.

If the Tarot spread contains mostly cards of Cups, then you are looking for solutions related primarily to emotional conflicts, personal interactions, questions of love, and what causes a deep sensual response in you.