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Arcana
Subtitle
The deck’s two scopes: Major and Minor
Overview
Summary
A card’s arcana tells you its scope: the larger theme, or the day-to-day conditions shaping the moment.
Main Points
Arcanum means secret; arcana means secrets or mysteries.
Tarot has two arcana: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana.
A card’s arcana tells you its scope: larger theme or present conditions.
Readings get clearer when you notice both scopes and how they relate.
Number of Cards
0
Card Attributes
Introduction
Tarot is a symbolic language, and every language has structure. Arcana is one of the simplest structures in the deck, but it points to something deeper: meaning often has layers, and the most important part of a message is not always on the surface.
When you identify a card’s arcana, you are not adding an extra meaning. You are noticing the scale of the meaning that is already there.
About
In Latin, arcanum means a secret, and arcana means secrets or hidden things. In tarot, the word is used in a practical way: it names the deck’s two main divisions.
Major Arcana and Minor Arcana are not two different tarot systems. They are two scopes within one system. A card’s arcana is simply the label that tells you which scope you are working with.
Interpretation
What Arcana Means in a Reading
Arcana is not a theme on its own. It is a category that clarifies scope. It helps you answer a basic question before you interpret details: is this card speaking about the larger meaning behind the situation, or about the conditions and choices shaping it right now?
How to Use Arcana as a Reading Lens
Start by naming the card’s arcana, then let that guide how you listen.
If the card is Major Arcana, read for the larger theme, the turning point, or the long-range lesson that gives the moment its meaning.
If the card is Minor Arcana, read for the immediate pattern, the moving parts, and what can change through attention and choice.
If both appear together, treat the Major Arcana as the headline and the Minor Arcana as the details that show how the headline is taking form.
Questions Arcana Helps You Ask
What is the scope of this card’s message: larger theme or present conditions?
What is the headline, and what are the details that support it?
Where do I need perspective, and where do I need a next step?
Organization and Structure
The Two Arcana
Tarot is divided into two sections.
Major Arcana (22 cards)
Minor Arcana (56 cards)
Why This Division Matters
This division does not tell you what a card means. It tells you how broad the meaning is likely to be, so you do not mistake a moment for a life chapter, or a life chapter for a moment.
Explore the Major and Minor Arcana
Explore the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana pages for the deeper dive into each division. This page explains what arcana is. Those pages explore what each division contains and how it reads.
Major Arcana
Universal archetypes and enduring themes that shape meaning, identity, and perspective.
Minor Arcana
Situational patterns and daily experiences shaped by context, choice, and response.
Related Concepts
Explore the Cards
More About
If a reading feels scattered, start by sorting cards by arcana. That simple step often reveals what the reading is actually about, and what level of response it is asking for.
Conclusion
A card’s arcana tells you the scope of what it is describing. When you read with that in mind, tarot becomes clearer: meaning and detail, the larger theme and the lived moment, working together.
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A card’s arcana tells you the scope of what it is describing.
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A card’s arcana tells you the scope of its message. It distinguishes between the larger theme behind a situation and the practical conditions unfolding inside it.
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Arcana meaning in tarot: how a card’s arcana shows its scope, larger themes or day-to-day conditions. Learn how Major and Minor function as two levels of interpretation.