The Minor Arcana for Writers
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| Select cards from the Minor Arcana in my deck, the Dalí Tarot |
Background
Amount: 56 cards (4 suits with 16 cards each)Focus: situations, short-term, details
The Minor Arcana exist to add context to the insights provided by the Major Arcana. They provide more details and subtler meanings and often describe day-to-day aspects of life.
Read about using the Major Arcana for writing in this post. You can learn more about my Salvador Dalí tarot deck here.
I don't recommend using these cards in your readings until you're familiar with the Major set. Each card in a spread adds new meanings to the rest, so adding the Minor Arcana may complicate your readings if you're new to tarot. However, they're a great tool for unlocking details and understanding the context of the Major Arcana's symbolism.
For writers, use these cards in combination with the Major Arcana to develop plot points, world building, and setting details, or consult the full deck for insight into your writing process or to find inspiration.
Questions to ask:
- What should this character do next?
- What part of my world needs work?
- What is this world's past?
- How did this setting reach its current state?
- What is the mood of this new setting?
- How will this event affect this character?
- What is the theme of this story?
- Are there any possible symbols or motifs?
- How can I motivate myself to write?
- Where can I find inspiration?
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| The Ace of Cups from Dali's Tarot |
Pip Cards
Amount: 40 cards (divided into 4 suits)
“Pip” refers to a countable item, and is a remnant of when tarot was played as a card game with pip cards that simply showed a number of objects. Most decks now illustrate the pip cards as richly as the Major Arcana.
The numbers of the Minor Arcana, these cards illustrate objects rather than figures. They represent concepts, forces, omens, and emotions.
Element: Earth
MB: Sensation
Rules: Body
Class: Bourgeoisie (Merchants, CEOs)
Cups
AKA Chalices
Element: Water
Myer-Briggs: Feeling
Rules: Heart
Class: Clergy (religious figures, people of faith)
- Represent feelings, relationships, connections, spontaneity, creativity, romance, imagination
Pentacles
AKA Coins, DisksElement: Earth
MB: Sensation
Rules: Body
Class: Bourgeoisie (Merchants, CEOs)
- Represent careers, possessions, finances, stability, strength, health
Swords
Element: Air
MB: Thinking
Rules: Mind
Class: Civil servants (soldiers, politicians, scholars)
- Represent action, change, power, intellect, ambition, courage, conflict
Wands
AKA Staves
Element: Fire
MB: Intuition
Rules: Soul
Class: Proletariat (laborers, employees, creatives)- Represent energy, spirituality, inspiration, renewal, ego, talent
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| The Queen of Cups from Dali's tarot |
Court Cards
Amount: 16 cards (4 in each suit)
“Court” refers to the noble classes assigned to each card when tarot was played as a game, similar to the royal suits in modern playing cards.
“Court” refers to the noble classes assigned to each card when tarot was played as a game, similar to the royal suits in modern playing cards.
The faces of the Minor Arcana, these cards illustrate figures rather than objects. They represent people, personalities, and events.
Page
Element: Earth- Traits: youth, knowledge, initiation, opportunity
- People: children and teens, or people entering new stages in life; messengers, students
- Personality: young at heart, inspired, energetic, naïve, perceptive, immature, introverted
- Events: formulating goals, inspiration, learning new skills, invitations, messages, changes in perspective, new life stage, opportunity for learning
Knight
Element: Air- Traits: action, change, movement, extremes
- People: young adults or agents of change; activists
- Personality: ambitious, proactive, direct, inventive, rash, extroverted
- Events: actualizing goals, new opportunities, achievements, movements, discovering identity, change, opportunity for action
Queen
Element: Water- Traits: emotion, sustainability, understanding, sexuality
- People: older women or feminine-aligned people; mother-figures, mentors
- Personality: nurturing, creative, accepting, sensual, introverted
- Events: refining goals, affirming values, emotional milestones, reconfirming identity, opportunity for nurturing
King
Element: Fire- Traits: maturity, control, logic, stability
- People: older men or masculine-aligned people; father-figures, scholars, authorities
- Personality: rational, intelligent, confident, dominating, extroverted
- Events: completion of goal or idea, end of life stage, a dominating force, control over outcomes, opportunity for leadership
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