Intuition and inner voice reading through oracle tarot cards
Tarot is a Western traditional divination system originating from 15th century Italy, reading past, present, and future flows through 78 cards. It consists of 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana cards, each bearing unique symbolism and meaning.
Tarot goes beyond simple fortune prediction, serving as a mirror that reflects human inner psychology and life patterns. Interpreting symbols and images on the cards to decode unconscious messages is the essence of tarot reading.
Multiple theories exist regarding tarot's origins. The most widely accepted theory states that tarot began as a card game in 15th century northern Italy, with the earliest surviving tarot deck, the Visconti-Sforza deck, produced during this period.
Tarot was later systematized in France as the Tarot de Marseille, and in 1909, the Rider-Waite deck — designed by Arthur Edward Waite with illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith — became the modern tarot standard.
The Rider-Waite deck introduced scene-based illustrations even in the Minor Arcana, enabling intuitive understanding of each card's meaning through an innovative structure.
The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards from 0, The Fool, to 21, The World. Each card symbolizes important life transitions and spiritual journeys, connected as a narrative called The Fool's Journey.
The Magician represents beginnings and creation; The High Priestess represents intuition and secrets; The Emperor represents authority and structure; Wheel of Fortune represents change and cycles; and The Tower represents sudden upheaval and collapse.
Events indicated by Major Arcana cards represent flows that have a large and deep impact on life, carrying greater weight in readings than other cards.
The Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards divided into four suits. Each suit contains 14 cards — numbered cards from Ace to 10 and court cards: Page, Knight, Queen, and King.
Wands represents the Fire element, symbolizing passion, action, and creativity. Cups represents Water, meaning emotions, love, and relationships. Swords represents Air, indicating thought, conflict, and decisions. Pentacles represents Earth, signifying material matters, work, and stability.
These four elements are rooted in the ancient Greek Four Elements theory, and each suit's cards show how the corresponding element's energy manifests in everyday life.
Tarot cards can appear in two states during readings: Upright and Reversed. Reversed means the card is flipped, interpreted as the opposite, delay, or internalization of the upright meaning.
For example, The Sun upright means success and happiness, but reversed may indicate temporary setbacks or lack of confidence. Reversed cards are not always negative — they can also indicate energy being directed inward.
A Tarot Spread refers to the arrangement of cards, with different spreads suited to different types of questions. The most basic 3-card spread draws one card each for past, present, and future to understand the flow.
The Celtic Cross is a traditional spread using 10 cards, analyzing the core of the situation, past influences, future possibilities, personal and environmental attitudes from multiple angles.
During readings, it is important to interpret not just individual card meanings but the relationships and flow between cards comprehensively, as the same card can mean different things depending on the question's context.
In modern times, tarot is widely used beyond simple fortune checking as a tool for self-awareness and inner exploration. Psychologist Carl Jung viewed tarot symbols as reflections of the human collective unconscious and archetypes, providing a basis for interpreting tarot not as superstition but as a tool for psychological insight.
In various areas including everyday concerns, relationship directions, and self-understanding, tarot can serve as a meaningful guide that helps objectively survey the current situation and provides new perspectives at crossroads of choice.
LunaWitch's Mystic Tarot is based on the Rider-Waite tradition while adding Korean sensibility and modern interpretation for a friendly approach. The mystical Luna unpacks the cards' messages, providing deep insight into everyday concerns and questions.
Based on authentic interpretation from authoritative sources including Tarot Arcana traditions and the Rider-Waite Tarot, it aims to provide practical help in your life through accessible explanations. Discover the story the cards tell you, with LunaWitch.
Rider-Waite Tarot Deck (1909), Tarot Arcana traditional sources
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