Tarot Card Meanings: The Initiating Aces
The Minor Arcana of the Tarot deck tells a fascinating story that unfolds through cards Ace to King across the four suits in the Tarot. Many archetypes, universal laws and life lessons are hidden here. Once you understand the story behind each card in sequence, learning Minor Arcana Tarot card meanings becomes logical and intuitive.
Minor Arcana Tarot Card Meanings
When learning the Tarot card meanings of the Minor Arcana, it helps to understand how the Tarot deck came to be.
The Tarot card deck has 78 cards, 22 of which are the Major Arcana. These 22 cards are thought to be the original Tarot deck and hold the deepest secrets of the Tarot. They talk about the journey of the human soul, include universal archetypes and esoteric meanings.
The other 56 cards were added later and make up the Minor Arcana. They come from a deck playing cards that were used for cartomancy and divination, and have the same 4 suits and numbers (the Tarot also has Pages in addition to Knights, Queens and Kings).
A great way to learn Minor Arcana Tarot card meanings is to understand the sequence and significance of the numbers and suits, starting with the Ace.
The Aces
Keywords: beginning, potential, pure energy of the suit
Each suit starts with the Ace, which corresponds to the number 1 - the beginning, the initial impulse. It is a tiny seed that holds incredible energy to grow into a full tree. Aces represent the potential of each suit, or area of life. How that potential energy unfolds is revealed in subsequent cards.
Ace of Swords - Swords rule the mental plane. The Ace of Swords represents a new idea, a decision, a solution, clarity, truth.
Ace of Cups - Cups rule the emotional plane. Ace of Cups shows the purity of feelings, the start of a relationship, love that is full and overflowing, self-love.
Ace of Wands - Wands rule the spiritual/inspired action plane. The Ace here brings the spark of inspiration, the call to action, a new passion, the impulse that drives you forward.
Ace of Pentacles - Pentacles rule the material plane. The Ace brings a new job, a seed for future income, a new investment, the potential for material growth and rewards.
→ Continued in the Twos.