The Real Meaning of Tarot Cards in Different Positions

Like many things in the Tarot, there are no hard and set rules. Different readers will almost always do things differently but if there’s one thing we can all agree on it’s the the meaning of the Tarot cards in different positions vary.

Individual cards can give us meaning. The position of the cards give us guidance. The combination of the cards give us answers.

I’ve written before about things like the meaning of the Judgement Tarot by itself. For some people, single card readings are what they choose to do and there’s nothing wrong with this. I don’t think it’s how the Tarot was supposed to be used however.

What matters is the combination of the cards. The position they arrive in. The example above is of a standard 5-card spread going from past to future and this is a fairly standard example most readers will use but there are also a lot of variations to this.

Before we go on, I do offer free handmade Tarot spreads if you’d like to ask me a question just take a few minutes here. I usually get back to you within 2 hours with your reading.

Reading tarot is an art, and sometimes a confusing one. If a card is reversed, it means the energies are not being felt strongly, they are diminished. It can also mean they are delayed energies which may come out more in the future. The cards around the love cards (if there are some in the reading) matter and affect the meaning too. If the cards are negative though, you can eventually turn that energy positive, you may just have to wait. Since each tarot card has a pretty specific meaning, there is not one that means, “what do they love about me?”

If you got Temperance, for example, it could mean the other person loves your way of balancing the various aspects of life. If you show up as the Queen of Wands, they love your enthusiasm and positive attitude towards life. If you are the Queen of Cups, you are empathetic and kind. If you are a man, the Kings will have similar traits, and in these times, readers don’t take the sex of the court cards as seriously. If you get a 5 in a reading, that’s usually a symbol of strife of some kind, and problems which need solving. Number 5 cards are better in reverse.

Tarot cards were first mentioned from the Duke of Milan as playing cards in the middle of the 15th century. According to historians, today is still unknown where they have originated. On the other hand, have been readen or not, tarot cards have always had a mix of ancient symbols and religious allegories.

Who hasn’t heard of the Emperors, the fool, the hanged man or the lovers? In addition to that question, nowadays, there is a more important one. How can tarot cards have any relevance to a person’s life and what is happening in it. Certainly, their meanings don’t tell you what you should do, but they enlight you about the choices you have.

When it comes to tarot cards, they will not make future predictions. Tarot cards are used to access into a psychic’s an a listener’s intuition and inner wisdom. A tarot card’s deck consists of 78 cards, and each of them has its own meaning. The tarot deck is divided into Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards.

There are 22 cards in the Major Arcana deck. These cards have symbolic meanings of major forces on the material world, the intuitive mind, the realm of change, and can not be replaced. The Minor Arcana deck consists of the remaining 56 cards, divided into groups of suits. Swords indicate moral issues, Cups reflect emotions and relationships, Wands indicate activity and ambition, Coins focus on security and finances. A professional tarot reader will tell you that all the 56 cards in the Minor Arcana deck can be replaced. The meaning of the Minor Arcana cards can change and be read differently based on their position, the tarot cards deck, and the combination they form with the Major Arcana cards.