Meanings of Five Major Arcana Cards
The Tarot has five major cards, each representing a different force. Understanding their meanings is very important.
The Fool: The Eternal Child
The Fool is the card of the child, depicting a youngster in colorful clothing with a joyful smile—reminiscent of Chibi Maruko-chan’s sister, her grandpa, and other whimsical creatures. It embodies carefree innocence, revealing the lighthearted joy that often accompanies youthful naiveté. It captures the essence of your blithe, aimless happiness.
In CLAMP’s version of the Tarot, this role is filled by a young magician in an oversized fool’s hat; in the Legend of the Galactic Heroes version, it features the great Yang Wen-li, smiling knowingly at the world. Personally, I think the little dinosaur Argon best fits this card. Look—what lies ahead is a brilliant future full of possibilities. The fearless boldness of the uninformed often leads to reckless adventures. Now is a good time to take a chance; if you’re going to pray for something, pray for the luck of youth.
In the upright position, it signifies wanderlust, naiveté, freedom, and a carefree approach to love—pursuing relationships in your own way without concern for others’ opinions. It represents effortless romance.
In the reversed position, it indicates drifting, laziness, and irresponsibility, making success difficult. In love, it suggests unease, emptiness, and a sense of being trapped.
The High Priestess
The High Priestess is an austere young woman who radiates intelligence and mystery. It’s easy to imagine a stunning beauty gracing this card. She acts on reason rather than emotion, valuing the spiritual over the physical. Taken together, these traits point to a central theme: the High Priestess is detached from sensuality. Candidates might include Princess Diana or Hilda—one the quintessential innocent, the other perhaps harboring ambiguous intentions with her partner. The imagery of a dream interpreter and a blonde beauty certainly fits. If this card appears upright in a reading about academic success, be grateful to the heavens.
In the upright position, it represents intellect, wisdom, inquiry, and a supportive friend with whom one can share deep conversations. It also signifies Platonic love or an ideal relationship based entirely on a spiritual bond.
In the reversed position, it indicates being single or stuck in unfulfilling relationships, or it may point to a talkative woman, irrational behavior, or neglect in one’s studies.
The Magician: The Creator of New Realities
The name “Magician” brings to mind a beloved character from Tanaka’s works: a slender, black-haired young man sipping tea at a table. The Magician is a card of inevitability; when someone holds all the elements needed to create something beyond this world, they inevitably become an outsider—like divine beings or historical figures such as Zhuge Liang. The Magician is a genderless facilitator, the key to creation, but only at the beginning; what unfolds afterward lies beyond their control. They are both key and pawn. The Magician is always shown holding a wand in one hand and the Philosopher’s Stone in the other, standing above the world—this is a god of creation responsible only for the spark.
In the upright position, it signifies creativity, new beginnings, happiness, positive developments, new friendships, recovery from illness, and unexpected gains. In love, it points to new relationships, enjoyable interactions, and a budding connection.
In the reversed position, it indicates deception, pessimism, failure, indecision, poor judgment, obstacles, lack of creativity, and no progress. In love, it suggests difficulty expressing feelings, fear of confessing, superficial relationships, or staying together due to pressure.
The Empress: The Symbol of Fertility and Femininity
Gentle, nurturing, and full of love, the Empress embodies the essence of femininity. She symbolizes the vast, life-giving earth—abundant and sustaining. She is not the stereotypical leather-clad dominatrix, but a motherly figure whose presence comforts everyone. Personally, I believe Annerose, despite never having raised children, fits this role better than Hilda: her quiet strength upholds the feminine spirit of an entire empire, nurturing both her brother and a nation. As for why CLAMP’s band of villainous women placed a high-heeled character in this position—that’s a discussion in itself, showing how playfully we treat archetypes.
In the upright position, it represents abundance, joy, maternal love, artistic talent, a happy family life, enjoyable travel, and a fulfilling existence. In love, it signifies fruitful relationships, a woman full of charm, and a blessed marriage.
In the reversed position, it indicates vanity, arrogance, lack of ambition, unresolved issues, and family discord. In love, it points to stagnation, indecisiveness, infidelity, cohabitation, distant marriage prospects, and a lack of femininity.
The Emperor: The Patriarchal Ruler
The Emperor corresponds to the zodiac sign Leo, with Zeus as its guardian deity. It unmistakably embodies authority and leadership, along with paternal, patriarchal tendencies. In Zeus’s lexicon are both stern integrity and arbitrary control. The Emperor is a mature male figure and the upholder of order and norms. If this card appears in the position representing your partner, the person may be a controlling, possessive father figure.
In the upright position, it represents leadership, stability, an older partner, proactive love, successful exams, rising status and power, robust health, steady income, a powerful leader, and trustworthy advisors.
In the reversed position, it indicates poor governance, self-indulgence, immaturity, unreliable relationships, superficial men, excessive arrogance and snap decisions, inner indecision, adult ailments, stubbornness, abuse of power, trips that fall through, financial loss, budget shortfalls, and temporary setbacks.