Tarot Card Meanings

The Major Arcana, Explained Properly

Every Major Arcana card carries a century of Rider–Waite tradition: symbols drawn by Pamela Colman Smith in 1909 and meanings refined by generations of readers. These guides cover each card upright and reversed, in love and as feelings, with a clear yes-or-no verdict — written by hand, one card at a time. More cards are added weekly.

Card 0 · Uranus

The Fool

The Fool is card zero of the Rider–Waite Major Arcana. It means new beginnings, unlimited potential and a leap of faith taken with an open heart. Upright, it invites you to begin before you feel ready; reversed, it warns of recklessness — or of hesitation quietly killing the journey.

Card I · Mercury

The Magician

The Magician is card one of the Rider–Waite Major Arcana. It means willpower, manifestation and resourcefulness — every tool you need is already on your table. Upright, focused intention turns an idea into reality; reversed, it flags manipulation, scattered energy or talent left untapped.

Card XII · Neptune

The Hanged Man

The Hanged Man is card twelve of the Rider–Waite Major Arcana. It means pause, surrender and a radical change of perspective — hung upside down by choice, the figure sees the world anew. Upright, a voluntary wait becomes insight; reversed, it flags stalling, martyrdom or resisting a necessary pause.

Card XVI · Mars

The Tower

The Tower is card sixteen of the Rider–Waite Major Arcana. It means sudden upheaval, revelation and the collapse of structures that were never true. Upright, what strikes the tower liberates as much as it destroys; reversed, a disaster is being averted — or a necessary change fiercely resisted.

Card XXI · Saturn

The World

The World is card twenty-one — the final card of the Rider–Waite Major Arcana. It means completion, wholeness and the integration of everything the journey taught. Upright, a cycle genuinely closes and you are entitled to stand on the summit; reversed, loose ends remain and closure is being sought rather than achieved.

Card XIII · Scorpio

Death

Death is card thirteen of the Rider–Waite Major Arcana, and it is a card of transformation, not physical death. A skeleton rides a white horse while the sun rises between two towers: endings here are clearings that make new life possible. Upright, a chapter is genuinely finishing; reversed, an ending is being resisted — and the stagnation costs more than the goodbye would.