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Tarot Minor Cards - an overview
There are four suits in Tarot, commonly called the Minor Cards.
The Major Cards symbolise large issues in life, turning points and inner change. With the Major Cards, either the external world changes and our internal world is forced to change, or our internal world changes and as a result our external world changes. This results in constructive, but often painful, phases of life.
Alongside the Major Cards, the Minor Cards describe how an individual reacts to a given set of circumstances through their personal nature, background, upbringing and current lifestyle.
Let me give you a simple example.
The Death card symbolises endings. A friend of mine knew that he was due to be made redundant and went into work prepared for the bad news. He was single and had other income to fall back on. Once he had his official letter, he phoned me in the evening and explained how he had walked proudly out of the building, accepting that his job was gone.
He said that on the steps outside he had seen a female colleague crying because she too had been laid off. When he tried to comfort her she simply wailed, “How am I going to tell my husband, how will we pay the mortgage?”
Both my friend and his colleague experienced the death of their job, yet due to their different situations they reacted very differently. My friend had also been warned of his pending redundancy, while his workmate had not. The company had initially said that four workers would be laid off but ended up making seven people redundant. His colleague therefore also experienced shock because she had been given no warning.
In a Tarot reading, both people would have had the Death card symbolising the end of their job. The surrounding cards, especially the Minor Cards, would explain how they might react to the situation.
Here is a brief overview of the Minor Cards and their symbolism.
The four Tarot suits
Swords rule Air
At a physical level, Air is the quality of air we breathe and our ability to breathe. Air rules our mental state. Swords therefore describe our capacity for logical thought and our personal thought processes.
The sword represents discrimination. The Ace of Swords has a dark and light side, showing its ability to attack or defend. Swords rule truth, honesty and integrity.
Batons rule Fire
At a physical level, Fire is how hot or cold our body or climate is. Fire rules our ability to experience joy and passion, including sexuality. It rules our personal nature, creativity, physical activity, colour and our connection to the plant and animal kingdoms.
Cups rule Water
At a physical level, Water keeps us hydrated. Water rules the emotions. It is our ability to bond emotionally with others and form warm, meaningful relationships at many levels.
Coins rule Earth
At a physical level, Earth is our physical body and all the things required to keep us alive. Coins symbolise wisdom and wealth. We use our wisdom to gain our wealth, which then provides for physical needs such as food, shelter and clothing.
Without maintaining our physical world, we cannot enjoy all the other qualities in life.
Reading the pattern of the suits
During a Tarot reading, emphasis on a particular suit will symbolise the questioner’s type and the overall pattern of their current situation.
Swords types
Swords types are very mentally based and ruled by logic and analysis. The negative side of Swords is spite and aggression.
Batons types
Batons types are bouncy and jolly, with a love of sports, the arts and nature. The negative side of Batons is recklessness and apathy.
Cups types
Cups types are caring and sensitive. The negative side of Cups is dreaminess and self-delusion.
Coins types
Coins types are good workers and interested in the quality of everything in life. The negative side of Coins is greed and avarice.
When a suit is absent
During a Tarot reading it is vitally important to observe which suit has not appeared in the spread. This can tell you as much about the questioner as the cards on the table.
Lack of Swords
A lack of Swords symbolises an inability to be assertive. Often these people are downtrodden and ineffective at standing up for themselves. They can be easily bullied and led astray by stronger individuals.
Lack of Batons
A lack of Batons symbolises a lack of energy. Always look to the questioner’s health when there are no Batons on the table. Batons give us the spark of life and our desire to live. When people are unwell, this is often the first thing that gets switched off. A lack of Batons can also symbolise frustration and an inability to get things started.
Lack of Cups
A lack of Cups symbolises damaged emotions and a blocked heart chakra. Often such people have experienced loss and grief. Shock can also affect the heart chakra, so these issues need to be explored.
Lack of Coins
A lack of Coins symbolises destitution. It is unusual in the UK to find anyone with a total lack of Coins because people can obtain state benefits and assistance. I have only seen a total lack of Coins when someone has been going through a divorce and consequently does not know what resources they have because everything is tied up in litigation.