The Minor Arcana are sometimes called the Lesser Arcana. While it’s true that these pip cards are not as visually striking as the archetypal images in the Major Arcana, when doing a Tarot reading they are just as important because they deal with all aspects of your daily life.

These cards indicate situations such as romance, money, friendships, arguments, family matters, and your career. Through the court cards they also show the individuals who may be having an influence on your life.

There are fifty-six cards in the Minor Arcana, and these are the equivalent of modern day playing cards, as they are divided into four suits: Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands. Each suit also has four Court Cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King. The remaining cards for each suit are numbered from Ace to ten.

In the suit of Cups, the characters are engaged in pursuits of love and friendship. The emotions are the main focus of these cards, and the images include families, lovers, friends, as well as illustrations of joy and sadness.

In the suit of Pentacles, the activities revolve around business and money. The images show the financial fruitfulness of endeavours, and the effects of having limited resources.

Worry and misery take their toll in the Sword cards, but in the Court Cards a more positive side of this suit is found: the Page, Knight, Queen, and King of Swords act with clarity and conviction.

The suit of Wands has energy radiating from the cards. The characters are planning new adventures, fighting, looking for challenges, defending themselves, and having celebrations. Changes can happen quickly when there’s an abundance of Wands cards in a spread.

The Major Arcana are great for meditation, useful when contemplating spiritual development, and they are wonderful indicators of psychological influences…but the Minor Arcana brings you down to earth and gives you insight about the mundane matters you have to deal with every day of your life. The Minor Arcana reflects the richness and variety of your relationships, career, finances, and your ability to handle decisions about all of these areas, so pay close attention to these cards when they turn up in a Tarot reading.