The word Tarot probably comes from the Italian word, tarocchi, which means triumphs or trumps. The French altered tarocchi into tarot.

It is possible that Tarot cards were first used in games, such as regular playing cards are used today. However, as people used the cards, they began to see the spiritual worlds presented by the cards and started using them for divination purposes.

The Major Arcana contains 22 cards. Each card is numbered from 0 to 21, beginning with the Fool and ending with the World. The cards include pictures that represent the inner workings of our lives -- our emotions, our thoughts, our hopes and wishes. The cards present a picture of what is happening at the given moment.

The Major Arcana tells a story of how a soul can evolve from a Fool to one who understands the World. Because of the storytelling and archetypal properties of the Major Arcana, many readers use only these cards in their spreads.

Whenever three or more Major Arcana cards appear in a spread, this indicates that the querant is either receiving much help from the Universe and its higher beings (God, Goddess, angels, saints, and more) about the issue being asked about or this large number of Major Arcana cards indicate that the person asking the question needs to look at the issue from a more esoteric point of view. For example, if a person is asking about their job or career and three or more Major Arcana cards appear, this could indicate that perhaps the querant needs to look more closely at why they’re in a given career and ask themselves if this is really their life path.

Whatever the reason for a large amount of Major Arcana cards appearing in a spread, their appearance indicates that the reading involves more than mundane details of everyday life. Major Arcana cards help us to stop and be more aware of why we’re in a certain situation or why our lives have taken on their current shape.

The Minor Arcana supports the Major Arcana by providing four suits of cards:

• Wands (sometimes called Staffs or Staves)
• Pentacles (sometimes called Coins)
• Swords
• Cups

Each suit includes cards that are numbered from 1-10. Additionally, the suit has four "royalty" cards: a Page, a Knight, a Queen, and a King.

A suit represents an element:

• Wands represent Fire
• Pentacles represent Earth
• Swords represent Air
• Cups represent Water

Each element is associated with an emotion, idea, or item. Wands indicate business/career dealings and spirituality. Pentacles talk about money and material possessions. Swords show ideas and struggle, and Cups deal with love and emotion.

However, most of the cards include a meaning that supercedes the description associated with a suit. For example, a Three of Pentacles indicates that a person is in the process of building a talent or career path. However, if this card were to come up in a reading about a love relationship, it would indicate that the relationship was in its early stages and the people involved in the relationship are in the process of building upon their initial attraction to each other.

This overview provides a brief description of what Tarot is and how it is used. The study of Tarot is an ever-evolving craft. No matter how much you know about the cards, there is always more to be learned. The cards open up our lives to new possibilities, help us avoid bad choices, and bring us closer to the Divine, from which we sprang.