Learn · Tarot as a person
Tarot Cards as a Person
Every card read as a person: what they are like upright and reversed, how they love and work, who the card can stand for, and what it may be pointing at when the person is you.
All 78 cards as a person
Each card's person in a few words. Open a card for the reversed side, how they love and work, the zodiac link, and what it asks of you.
The Major Arcana
- The FoolLight, curious and quick to say yes
- The MagicianSkilled, persuasive and resourceful
- The High PriestessQuiet, perceptive and self-possessed
- The EmpressNurturing, sensual and creative
- The EmperorSteady, protective and in charge
- The HierophantTraditional, devoted and a born teacher
- The LoversOpen-hearted and true to their values
- The ChariotDriven, disciplined and determined
- StrengthGentle, patient and quietly brave
- The HermitReflective, wise and content alone
- Wheel of FortuneAdaptable, hopeful and easy with change
- JusticeFair, direct and true to their word
- The Hanged ManPatient, unhurried and unconventional
- DeathCalm, honest and good at endings
- TemperanceSteady, balanced and even-tempered
- The DevilMagnetic, driven and hard to resist
- The TowerBlunt, sudden and clarifying
- The StarHopeful, open and gently healing
- The MoonIntuitive, dreamy and hard to read
- The SunJoyful, warm and openhearted
- JudgementAwake, honest and answering a call
- The WorldWhole, accomplished and at ease
Wands
- Ace of WandsEager, lit up and ready to begin
- Two of WandsAmbitious, restless, weighing a move
- Three of WandsEnterprising, patient, looking ahead
- Four of WandsWelcoming, festive and settled
- Five of WandsCompetitive, scrappy and outspoken
- Six of WandsConfident, admired and proud of it
- Seven of WandsDetermined, defiant and hard to move
- Eight of WandsQuick, direct and always in motion
- Nine of WandsResilient, guarded and still standing
- Ten of WandsDutiful, hardworking and overloaded
- Page of WandsCurious, eager and full of ideas
- Knight of WandsDaring, magnetic and on the move
- Queen of WandsWarm, bold and generous
- King of WandsVisionary, decisive, a natural leader
Cups
- Ace of CupsOpen-hearted and newly tender
- Two of CupsAttentive, mutual and easy to talk to
- Three of CupsSociable, festive and loyal to friends
- Four of CupsWithdrawn, bored and hard to reach
- Five of CupsGrieving, regretful and turned inward
- Six of CupsKind, nostalgic and gently playful
- Seven of CupsImaginative, dreamy and undecided
- Eight of CupsQuietly searching, ready to walk away
- Nine of CupsContent, generous and pleased with life
- Ten of CupsDevoted, settled and family-minded
- Page of CupsSweet, dreamy and openly sensitive
- Knight of CupsRomantic, charming and idealistic
- Queen of CupsCaring, intuitive and calm
- King of CupsCalm, wise and emotionally steady
Swords
- Ace of SwordsClear, direct and quick to the point
- Two of SwordsCalm, careful and hard to read
- Three of SwordsHeartsore, honest and raw
- Four of SwordsQuiet, withdrawn and recovering
- Five of SwordsCompetitive, sharp and hard to beat
- Six of SwordsSubdued, steady and moving on
- Seven of SwordsClever, private and hard to pin down
- Eight of SwordsAnxious, stuck and second-guessing
- Nine of SwordsAnxious, sleepless and self-critical
- Ten of SwordsAt rock bottom and done fighting
- Page of SwordsCurious, alert and quick to question
- Knight of SwordsFast, fearless and very direct
- Queen of SwordsClear-sighted, candid and independent
- King of SwordsFair, logical and calmly in charge
Pentacles
- Ace of PentaclesSteady, hopeful and ready to build
- Two of PentaclesNimble, adaptable and good at juggling
- Three of PentaclesSkilled, cooperative and thorough
- Four of PentaclesCareful, protective and thrifty
- Five of PentaclesGoing through a hard, lean season
- Six of PentaclesGenerous, fair and quietly helpful
- Seven of PentaclesPatient, reflective and invested
- Eight of PentaclesDiligent, focused and always improving
- Nine of PentaclesSelf-reliant, refined and at ease
- Ten of PentaclesRooted, family-minded and secure
- Page of PentaclesStudious, curious and down to earth
- Knight of PentaclesReliable, methodical and patient
- Queen of PentaclesNurturing, practical and resourceful
- King of PentaclesProsperous, steady and protective
Which tarot cards represent people?
Any card can describe a person, but the sixteen court cards are the usual choice: a page, knight, queen and king in each suit. The majors tend to describe someone through a large archetype, a teacher, a rebel, a caretaker, and the numbered cards describe someone in a particular state, grieving, celebrating, overstretched, rather than a whole personality.
What do the court cards mean as people?
By convention, pages are young people, students or beginners; knights are people in motion, often young adults; queens and kings are mature, the queens mastering their suit from the inside and the kings from the outside. The suit gives the temperament: Wands bold and restless, Cups feeling and imaginative, Swords sharp and verbal, Pentacles steady and practical. Modern readers hold gender and age loosely.
Can a tarot card tell me who someone is?
No. A card can describe a way of being that you can hold up against a real person, and it can show what you notice, hope for or fear in them. Read that way, it is a prompt to look more closely, not a verdict about anyone.
What does a reversed card mean as a person?
Usually the same person under strain rather than a different one: their qualities overdone, held back or turned against themselves. A reversed Queen of Wands is still warm, but tired and quick to flare; a reversed King of Pentacles still provides, but grips too tightly. Each card page reads both sides.
Do tarot cards have zodiac signs?
In the Golden Dawn's system, which shaped the Rider–Waite–Smith deck, most majors carry a sign, a planet or an element, and each numbered card from two to ten carries a planet in a sign. Court cards are often matched with the three signs of their suit's element. Each card page names its link.