Tarot Single Card

Card descriptions from "The Pictorial Key to the Tarot" by Arthur Edward Waite, 1910, public domain

Single card [orientation][cards]

Twelve cards [orientation][cards]

1, 1,(Reversed)
 * orientation

1,1. THE MAGICIAN.--Skill, diplomacy, address, subtlety; sickness, pain, loss, disaster, snares of enemies; self-confidence, will; the Querent, if male. Reversed: Physician, Magus, mental disease, disgrace, disquiet. 1,2. THE HIGH PRIESTESS.--Secrets, mystery, the future as yet unrevealed; the woman who interests the Querent, if male; the Querent herself, if female; silence, tenacity; mystery, wisdom, science. Reversed: Passion, moral or physical ardour, conceit, surface knowledge. 1,3. THE EMPRESS.--Fruitfulness, action, initiative, length of days; the unknown, clandestine; also difficulty, doubt, ignorance. Reversed: Light, truth, the unravelling of involved matters, public rejoicings; according to another reading, vacillation. 1,4. THE EMPEROR.--Stability, power, protection, realization; a great person; aid, reason, conviction; also authority and will. Reversed: Benevolence, compassion, credit; also confusion to enemies, obstruction, immaturity. 1,5. THE HIEROPHANT.--Marriage, alliance, captivity, servitude; by another account, mercy and goodness; inspiration; the man to whom the Querent has recourse. Reversed: Society, good understanding, concord, overkindness, weakness. 1,6. THE LOVERS.--Attraction, love, beauty, trials overcome. Reversed: Failure, foolish designs. Another account speaks of marriage frustrated and contrarieties of all kinds. 1,7. THE CHARIOT.--Succour, providence also war, triumph, presumption, vengeance, trouble. Reversed: Riot, quarrel, dispute, litigation, defeat. 1,8. FORTITUDE.--Power, energy, action, courage, magnanimity; also complete success and honours. Reversed: Despotism, abuse if power, weakness, discord, sometimes even disgrace. 1,9. THE HERMIT.--Prudence, circumspection; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption. Reversed: Concealment, disguise, policy, fear, unreasoned caution. 1,10. WHEEL OF FORTUNE.-Destiny, fortune, success, elevation, luck, felicity. Reversed: Increase, abundance, superfluity. 1,11. JUSTICE.--Equity, rightness, probity, executive; triumph of the deserving side in law. Reversed: Law in all its departments, legal complications, bigotry, bias, excessive severity. 1,12. THE HANGED MAN.--Wisdom, circumspection, discernment, trials, sacrifice, intuition, divination, prophecy. Reversed: Selfishness, the crowd, body politic. 1,13. DEATH.--End, mortality, destruction, corruption also, for a man, the loss of a benefactor for a woman, many contrarieties; for a maid, failure of marriage projects. Reversed: Inertia, sleep, lethargy, petrifaction, somnambulism; hope destroyed. 1,14. TEMPERANCE.--Economy, moderation, frugality, management, accommodation. Reversed: Things connected with churches, religions, sects, the priesthood, sometimes even the priest who will marry the Querent; also disunion, unfortunate combinations, competing interests. 1,15. THE DEVIL.--Ravage, violence, vehemence, extraordinary efforts, force, fatality; that which is predestined but is not for this reason evil. Reversed: Evil fatality, weakness, pettiness, blindness. 1,16. THE TOWER.--Misery, distress, indigence, adversity, calamity, disgrace, deception, ruin. It is a card in particular of unforeseen catastrophe. Reversed: According to one account, the same in a lesser degree also oppression, imprisonment, tyranny. 1,17. THE STAR.--Loss, theft, privation, abandonment; another reading says-hope and bright prospects, Reversed: Arrogance, haughtiness, impotence. 1,18. THE MOON.--Hidden enemies, danger, calumny, darkness, terror, deception, occult forces, error. Reversed: Instability, inconstancy, silence, lesser degrees of deception and error. 1,19. THE SUN.--Material happiness, fortunate marriage, contentment. Reversed: The same in a lesser sense. 1,20. THE LAST JUDGMENT.--Change of position, renewal, outcome. Another account specifies total loss though lawsuit. Reversed: Weakness, pusillanimity, simplicity; also deliberation, decision, sentence. 1,ZERO. THE FOOL.--Folly, mania, extravagance, intoxication, delirium, frenzy, bewrayment. Reversed: Negligence, absence, distribution, carelessness, apathy, nullity, vanity. 1,21. THE WORLD.--Assured success, recompense, voyage, route, emigration, flight, change of place. Reversed: Inertia, fixity, stagnation, permanence. 1,WANDS King.--Generally favourable may signify a good marriage. Reversed: Advice that should be followed. 1,WANDS Queen.--A good harvest, which may be taken in several senses. Reversed: Goodwill towards the Querent, but without the opportunity to exercise it. 1,WANDS Knight.--A bad card; according to some readings, alienation. Reversed: For a woman, marriage, but probably frustrated. 1,WANDS Page.--Young man of family in search of young lady. Reversed: Bad news. 1,WANDS Ten.--Difficulties and contradictions, if near a good card. 1,WANDS Nine.--Generally speaking, a bad card. 1,WANDS Eight.--Domestic disputes for a married person. 1,WANDS Seven.--A dark child. 1,WANDS Six.--Servants may lose the confidence of their masters; a young lady may be betrayed by a friend. Reversed: Fulfilment of deferred hope. 1,WANDS Five.--Success in financial speculation. Reversed: Quarrels may be turned to advantage. 1,WANDS Four.--Unexpected good fortune. Reversed: A married woman will have beautiful children. 1,WANDS Three.--A very good card; collaboration will favour enterprise. 1,WANDS Two.--A young lady may expect trivial disappointments. 1,WANDS Ace.--Calamities of all kinds. Reversed: A sign of birth. 1,CUPS King.--Beware of ill-will on the part of a man of position, and of hypocrisy pretending to help. Reversed: Loss. 1,CUPS Queen.--Sometimes denotes a woman of equivocal character. Reversed: A rich marriage for a man and a distinguished one for a woman. 1,CUPS Knight.--A visit from a friend, who will bring unexpected money to the Querent. Reversed: Irregularity. 1,CUPS Page.--Good augury; also a young man who is unfortunate in love. Reversed: Obstacles of all kinds. 1,CUPS Ten.--For a male Querent, a good marriage and one beyond his expectations. Reversed: Sorrow; also a serious quarrel. 1,CUPS Nine.--Of good augury for military men. Reversed: Good business. 1,CUPS Eight.--Marriage with a fair woman. Reversed: Perfect satisfaction. 1,CUPS Seven.--Fair child; idea, design, resolve, movement. Reversed: Success, if accompanied by the Three of Cups. 1,CUPS Six.--Pleasant memories. Reversed: Inheritance to fall in quickly. 1,CUPS Five.--Generally favourable; a happy marriage; also patrimony, legacies, gifts, success in enterprise. Reversed: Return of some relative who has not been seen for long. 1,CUPS Four.--Contrarieties. Reversed: Presentiment. 1,CUPS Three.--Unexpected advancement for a military man. Reversed: Consolation, cure, end of the business. 1,CUPS Two.--Favourable in things of pleasure and business, as well as love; also wealth and honour. Reversed: Passion. 1,CUPS Ace.--Inflexible will, unalterable law. Reversed: Unexpected change of position. 1,SWORDS King.--A lawyer, senator, doctor. Reversed: A bad man; also a caution to put an end to a ruinous lawsuit. 1,SWORDS Queen.--A widow. Reversed: A bad woman, with ill-will towards the Querent. 1,SWORDS Knight.--A soldier, man of arms, satellite, stipendiary; heroic action predicted for soldier. Reversed: Dispute with an imbecile person; for a woman, struggle with a rival, who will be conquered. 1,SWORDS Page.--An indiscreet person will pry into the Querent's secrets. Reversed: Astonishing news. 1,SWORDS Ten.--Followed by Ace and King, imprisonment; for girl or wife, treason on the part of friends. Reversed: Victory and consequent fortune for a soldier in war. 1,SWORDS Nine.--An ecclesiastic, a priest; generally, a card of bad omen. Reversed: Good ground for suspicion against a doubtful person. 1,SWORDS Eight.--For a woman, scandal spread in her respect. Reversed: Departure of a relative. 1,SWORDS Seven.--Dark girl; a good card; it promises a country life after a competence has been secured. Reversed: Good advice, probably neglected. 1,SWORDS Six.--The voyage will be pleasant. Reversed: Unfavourable issue of lawsuit. 1,SWORDS Five.--An attack on the fortune of the Querent. Reversed: A sign of sorrow and mourning. 1,SWORDS Four.--A bad card, but if reversed a qualified success may be expected by wise administration of affairs. Reversed: A certain success following wise administration. 1,SWORDS Three.--For a woman, the flight of her lover. Reversed: A meeting with one whom the Querent has compromised; also a nun. 1,SWORDS Two.--Gifts for a lady, influential protection for a man in search of help. Reversed: Dealings with rogues. 1,SWORDS Ace.--Great prosperity or great misery. Reversed: Marriage broken off, for a woman, through her own imprudence. 1,PENTACLES King.--A rather dark man, a merchant, master, professor. Reversed: An old and vicious man. 1,PENTACLES Queen.--Dark woman; presents from a rich relative; rich and happy marriage for a young man. Reversed: An illness. 1,PENTACLES Knight.--An useful man; useful discoveries. Reversed: A brave man out of employment. 1,PENTACLES Page.--A dark youth; a young officer or soldier; a child. Reversed: Sometimes degradation and sometimes pillage. 1,PENTACLES Ten.--Represents house or dwelling, and derives its value from other cards. Reversed: An occasion which may be fortunate or otherwise. 1,PENTACLES Nine.--Prompt fulfilment of what is presaged by neighbouring cards. Reversed:Vain hopes. 1,PENTACLES Eight.--A young man in business who has relations with the Querent; a dark girl. Reversed: The Querent will be compromised in a matter of money-lending. 1,PENTACLES Seven.--Improved position for a lady's future husband. Reversed: Impatience, apprehension, suspicion. 1,PENTACLES Six.--The present must not be relied on. Reversed: A check on the Querent's ambition. 1,PENTACLES Five.--Conquest of fortune by reason. Reversed: Troubles in love. 1,PENTACLES Four.--For a bachelor, pleasant news from a lady. Reversed: Observation, hindrances. 1,PENTACLES Three.--If for a man, celebrity for his eldest son. Reversed: Depends on neighbouring cards. 1,PENTACLES Two.--Troubles are more imaginary than real. Reversed: Bad omen, ignorance, injustice. 1,PENTACLES Ace.--The most favourable of all cards. Reversed: A share in the finding of treasure.
 * cards