Major versus Minor

Major versus Minor Arcana tarot cards.

I don’t know if you have ever, like me in the past, been heavily weighted on the side of the Major Arcana for preference in choosing a tarot deck and, more importantly, when they come up in a tarot reading.   It was quite some time that I felt the Suits lacked something in the impact I was hoping for and quite honestly, I would sort of skip over the minors as not really being that ‘important’.  This is not so surprising given the brackets they were put under ~ Major and Minor Arcana!  I make so bold as to say that I think the Suits have been inappropriately named, really, and I think I would be forgiven for saying that, right from the word go, anyone learning tarot have straight away been prepped almost to perceive the Suits as unimportant simply by the name!

But of course, the naming came from the times when the cards were used for games played where the Majors were Trump cards that had a high value, compared to the pip cards which had less.  However, in my opinion, this does not help the novice in the use of cards for tarot reading.

The Major Arcana images are so powerful, and the meanings have so much significance, it is agreed, with regard to what’s happening in our life and that is the value of them, and it is easy to understand why we can be pretty disappointed when they don’t show up in a reading.  They embody, it seems, the importance and gravity of the whys, and wherefores, of what’s occurring for us right now, and so when a Suit card pops up in a key position, it is easy to have an ‘oh’ reaction to it rather than a ‘whoopeee’ moment, because it is a Minor card, right?

Of course, the reality is that the Minor Arcana are pretty weighty in their own right, as I have come to learn.

The Minors, in fact, can be tide-turning cards, in that, they advise us how to ‘act’ or react in a particular situation; it is these so called ‘Minor’ cards that pinpoint the areas in which  we are succeeding, where our weaknesses lie, and they winkle out the truth which our ego is, more often than not, trying to hide from us and they give us practical guidance on how to handle things.  It is the Minor Arcana cards that show us how to adapt, step up to situations and how to deal with the issues at hand.

The Major Arcana do challenge us, especially in terms of attitudes and behaviours and of course there is advice to be had from them, but the power of the Minors is being able to really pinpoint what needs to be done to change the outcome – that’s a pretty impressive part to play.

The Major Arcana do have the wow factor, too, because of the way they can say so much, but I really love it when the Ten of Cups or the Ten of Pentacles appear.  It’s like a currency, payment, validation that all we have done is coming to fruition, and I love looking forward to the events that the Ace and Three of Cups represent, and so on.  And then, at times it is even a bit of a relief to see the Three of Swords or the Ten of Wands which give us a nudge to pick ourselves up and get on with it, or tell us it’s time to look after ourselves.

If you take a look at the cards in The Tarot House Deck, you will see that the Major Arcana, in many instances, have roads, streams, pathways or areas that draw you into the picture – they pull you into the world of tarot and encourage you to wander around and explore,

because we all know the Majors have a lot to say, and our own characters and psyches will surrender information to us the more we explore ourselves.  The Minors are straightforward images that show you where you’re at –  how far along the journey you’re on between Ace to Ten; the essence of the suit is clear Wands/Fire, Swords/Air, Cups/Water and Pentacles/Earth; whether you’re doing well,  or  the areas you need to work on, they are clear cut and honest. And the Court Cards bring their own special element to tarot reading, of course, bringing the people factor alive, and by showing us what we need to master or how we have already managed to grow in that area.

Unlike when I started reading the tarot, now, when Suits cards come up, I get an ‘Ah….I see…’ kind of moment – they are the bobbles that keeps the pony tail in place, the ink in the pen, the battery in the toy that makes it work – and I now understand how the two sets of Arcana work so very well together, they are as valuable as each other in the world of Tarot.

So it seems a shame that the Suits are called the Minor Arcana ~ they really do have an impact ~ and their overarching name doesn’t do them Justice.

Have you any thoughts on this?

Patricia x

The Tarot House Deck is available to buy here