Understanding the Tarot: Naksham's Complete Guide
The tarot is a 78-card system that has guided seekers for over five centuries. Each card holds an archetype, a basic life pattern we all recognize. Naksham reads the cards in the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, often shortened to RWS. Arthur Edward Waite shaped this style[1]. Rachel Pollack then took it further inSeventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom[2], the fullest study of the deck's symbols.
The Fool's Journey: Major Arcana
The 22 Major Arcana cards trace the soul's growth. It starts with The Fool (0), full of promise and stepping into the unknown. It ends with The World (XXI), a place of wholeness and completion. Each card stands for one big life pattern. The Magician carries willpower, The High Priestess guards inner wisdom, The Emperor builds structure, and so on. When a Major Arcana card shows up in your reading, pay close attention. It points to a deep lesson that goes beyond everyday worries.[2]
The Four Suits: Minor Arcana
The 56 Minor Arcana cards split into four suits. Each suit is tied to one classical element from the Western esoteric tradition (old hidden-knowledge teachings). Wands (Fire) stand for action, drive, and creative spark. Cups (Water) cover emotions, relationships, and intuition. Swords (Air) deal with thought, conflict, and truth. Pentacles (Earth) handle money, health, and day-to-day life. Each suit runs from Ace (the first spark) to Ten (the full result). It also has four Court Cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King), which often stand for people or sides of your character.
Planetary Correspondence: The Naksham Layer
What sets Naksham apart from other tarot guides is one thing. We match each card to its planet from the Western esoteric tradition. The Magician carries Mercury, the planet of a quick, sharp mind. The Emperor carries Mars, the planet of strength and protection. The Star pairs with Venus, the planet of hope, beauty, and grace. These pairings come from the Golden Dawn system that Waite wrote down[1]. If you know your birth chart, this adds a deeper, more personal layer to your reading.
Want a quick yes or no answer? Try the Yes or No Tarot, which sorts all 78 cards into yes, no, or maybe.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards are in a tarot deck?+
A standard Rider-Waite tarot deck has 78 cards. The first 22 are the Major Arcana, the big-theme cards that cover major life events and spiritual lessons. The other 56 are the Minor Arcana, split into four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles), and they cover everyday life. Naksham reads the cards in the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition. That tradition was set out by Arthur Edward Waite (1911) and explained in full by Rachel Pollack in Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom (1980).
What is the difference between Major and Minor Arcana?+
Major Arcana cards (The Fool through The World) mark big life events, karmic lessons, and spiritual turning points. They carry more weight in a reading. Minor Arcana cards reflect day-to-day moments, feelings, and choices. As Arthur Edward Waite wrote in The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911), the Major Arcana traces "The Fool's Journey," the soul's growth from innocence (0) to completion (XXI).
What do reversed tarot cards mean?+
A reversed (upside-down) tarot card is not just the "opposite" of its upright meaning. In Naksham's reading style, a reversed card points to blocked energy, a trait turned inward, a delay, or the card's shadow side. For example, The Magician reversed does not mean "no willpower." It points to willpower used the wrong way, or to lies. Rachel Pollack's Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom (1980) set out this careful way of reading reversals.
Which tarot cards indicate yes or no?+
Tarot is not built for simple yes or no answers, but some cards lean one way. Cards like The Sun, The Star, Ace of Cups, and The World usually mean "yes." Cards like The Tower, Ten of Swords, and Five of Pentacles lean toward "no." Most cards fall into "maybe," where the rest of the reading matters. Naksham has a Yes/No Tarot tool that sorts all 78 cards for quick answers.
What are the four tarot suits and their elements?+
The four Minor Arcana suits match the classical elements: Wands (Fire, for action, passion, creativity), Cups (Water, for emotions, relationships, intuition), Swords (Air, for thought, conflict, truth), and Pentacles (Earth, for money, health, stability). The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn set up this element system. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith then built it into the RWS deck in 1909.
How does Naksham connect tarot to astrology?+
Naksham matches each of the 78 tarot cards to its closest planet. For example, The Magician goes with Mercury, The Emperor with Mars, and The High Priestess with the Moon. This idea comes from the Western esoteric tradition, set out in the Golden Dawn system and written down in Waite's Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911). No other site pairs this much planet detail with full upright and reversed meanings.
Sources & References
- [1]Arthur Edward Waite, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1911)
- [2]Rachel Pollack, Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom (1980)
- [3]Eden Gray, The Tarot Revealed (1960)
- [4]Antoine Court de Gébelin, Le Monde Primitif (1781)
