Although it’s correct to say that the Major Arcana are the most powerful images within the deck, don’t discount the Minor Arcana, for they are an extremely important part of this divinatory system.

In The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, Waite suggests, “The pictures (on the Minor Arcana) are like doors which open into unexpected chambers, or like a turn in the open road with a wide prospect beyond.”

In the Minor Arcana, we find four suits of cards: Cups, Pentacles, Swords, and Wands. Each suit depicts a range of activities relevant to the meaning of those suits. The four suits of the Tarot show us what’s happening in our everyday lives.

The four suits relate to our emotions, our physical environment, our thinking, and our enthusiasm for life. And information about our relationships with others, our financial state, our level of mental clarity about issues, and our passion is just as important as the spiritual undercurrents (revealed by the Major Arcana) that guide our intentions.

When you are doing a Tarot reading for someone, it’s easy to become excited when lots of Major Arcana cards turn up, because that’s when significant and transformative events are happening in that person’s life. It’s a thrill to explain how much progress they have made in their spiritual journey, but when a reading is full of Minor Arcana cards, the layout can be just as interesting. In a reading full of suit cards (showing their everyday challenges and rewards) you are able to offer guidance on how they can overcome daily struggles, and how they can best utilise good opportunities. This can be very satisfying for you, and extremely valuable to them. It can set them up for important changes in their personal life.

A reading featuring Minor Arcana cards is full of interest, because you are able to discover lots of practical advice to make life easier for the person you are doing the reading for. And that’s what Tarot readings are all about…helping people minimise problems and maximise opportunities!