WHY ARE THERE 22 MAJOR ARCANA TAROT CARDS?
- Jul 1
- 4 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
Is the number 22 in Tarot a coincidence, or is there more to it? If you’ve ever wondered why there are 22 Major Arcana Tarot cards, read on. This might be the most helpful thing you learn when studying the Tarot.
CONTENTS
THE SURPRISING HISTORY BEHIND THE NUMBER 22 IN TAROT
Lots of people think that the Tarot is linked to the Kabbalah and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. As far as I’m aware, there is no direct evidence for this. I can tell you that some of the very early Italian Tarot, or Tarocchi decks, used 22 cards and not 78.
It wasn’t until much later that mystics and occultists began to blend Tarot cards with Kabbalistic concepts, such as The Tree of Life.
The Tarot in its original form was played as a game by wealthy Europeans as after-dinner entertainment. It wasn’t used as a coaching tool like my students and I use it today, nor was it used to predict the future and warn of terrible events.
WHAT DO THE 22 MAJOR ARCANA CARDS ACTUALLY REPRESENT?
At some point in the history of Tarot, the Major Arcana were put into three groups. This may have been to help people, it may have been for storytelling and entertainment purposes, or it may have been for both.
This is where we start to see the Tarot being used more like we use it today.
In the early days, the three groups represented the soul’s progression. This evolved into what we now call “The Fool’s Journey”, and it’s more about the stages of life we find ourselves in on our journey to feel whole.
WHAT IS THE FOOL'S JOURNEY?
We can still group the Tarot cards into three sections:
Part 1) The first part of The Fool's Journey represents the Fool in their youth. They are building their identity and learning the rules of life.
Part 2) The second part of The Fool’s Journey represents their inner world. It’s likened to adulthood, and the crisis moments we all find ourselves in sometimes, the purpose of which is to develop wisdom.
Part 3) The third part of The Fool’s Journey represents their spiritual selves. It’s that aspect of all of us that develops out of wisdom and allows the Fool to feel whole. This is all about discovering our true nature and our place in the universe. It represents maturity.
HOW TO READ THE MAJOR ARCANA: WHAT EACH OF THE 22 CARDS MEANS
The Major Arcana are a complete map of the human psyche and the journey towards spiritual integration. I’ve made some notes on these different phases of life as represented by the Major Arcana. Obviously, the cards can appear in any order during a Tarot card reading, and represent what your client is going through personally in that moment. Each separate experience can go through The Fool’s Journey too, for example, a marriage, a job, parenthood and even a creative project.
HERE ARE THE MAJOR ARCANA MEANINGS IN RELATION TO THE FOOL'S JOURNEY:
Part 1)
The Fool: Potential, beginning something new, a leap of faith
The Magician: Manifesting, learning about personal power, bringing dreams to life
The High Priestess: Intuition, subconscious mind
The Empress: Nurturing, fertility, abundance, the natural world
The Emperor: Authority, stability, rules, structure
The Hierophant: Education, tradition, spiritual learning
The Lovers: Relationships, choice
The Chariot: Moving forward, willpower, overcoming blocks
Part 2)
Strength: Courage, patience, self-compassion
The Hermit: Going within, soul-searching, inner voice
Wheel of Fortune: Cycles of life, destined events
Justice: Cause and effect, truth, taking responsibility
The Hanged Man: Seeing another point of view, surrender
Death: The ending before a rebirth, release
Temperance: Balancing, harmonising aspects of life, preserving energy
Part 3)
The Devil: Shadow work, releasing attachments, materialistic
The Tower: Sudden paradigm change, removing illusion, upheaval leading to self-growth or change
The Star: Long-term, healing, hope, newly found optimism
The Moon: Unknown, hidden information, fear, illusion
The Sun: Success, joy, energy, self-actualisation
Judgement: Awakening, forgiveness, freedom from guilt or punishment
The World: Completion, wholeness, reaching spiritual potential
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Some, not all, early Tarot decks only had 22 cards.
Tarot cards were later linked to the Kabbalah by mystics.
The 22 Major Arcana represent the 3 stages of life.
Each card maps an aspect of the human psyche and relates to a stage in life.
This journey of self-development is called The Fool’s Journey.
FAQS
Why are there 22 Major Arcana Tarot cards?
There are 22 Major Arcana Tarot cards to represent a map of the human psyche on its journey through life.
Is Tarot linked to the Kabbalah?
The Tarot was not originally linked to the Kabbalah; it was a game played in Europe. Later, mystics and occultists blended their work with the Tarot.
How do you read the 22 Major Arcana cards?
Every person goes through different challenges, triumphs and periods of growth in life. In Tarot, this is called The Fool’s Journey, and these stages are represented by the different Major Arcana cards. Learning the meanings (provided) will help you to identify and navigate each stage.
READY TO MASTER THE TAROT?
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You’ll discover:
How to feel the truth within the cards, instead of just interpreting Tarot card meanings.
How to master two popular card spreads and spot hidden messages most Tarot readers miss.
Go beyond the traditional textbook meanings and read from a place of intuitive flow.
ABOUT RICHARD KNIGHT
Richard Knight is a world-renowned Tarot reader and psychic medium. Over the past 40 years and through conducting over 80,000 Tarot readings, he has developed ground breaking techniques that have made him known as “One of the best Tarot readers in the world”.
He is passionate about bringing Tarot up to date and helping his students achieve mastery so they can serve others in a powerful, fulfilling way.
You can check out his online courses here, his live in-person events here, and sign up for his popular free Transformational Tarot Spreads here.
