28 free guides · worked examples to check by hand
Tarot and arcana guides
Step-by-step guides to arcana numbers, the tarot deck, tarot birth and year cards, astrology timing and the destiny matrix. Every method comes with a worked example, so you can check any result by hand.
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Arcana numbers explained
Start here if you’ve just found your arcana card. What the word means, how the number is worked out by hand, and why different calculators can give you different cards.
- What Does Arcana Mean? Definition, Origin and Tarot Use What does arcana mean? The Latin root and how to say it, why tarot cards are called arcana, and what people mean when they ask what your arcana is.
- How to Calculate Your Arcana Number by Hand, With Examples How to calculate your arcana number by hand in three steps, with worked examples, the four-part method some sites use, and a quick way to check your sum.
- Why Arcana Calculators Give Different Results: 6 Causes Why arcana calculators give different results: six causes, a quick root test to compare two answers, and one birth date run through every method.
- Arcana Number vs Life Path Number: Key Differences Arcana number vs life path number: one sums your birth date to a tarot card from 1 to 22, the other reduces it to 1 to 9 or a master number. How to find both.
- What Tarot Card Am I? 6 Ways to Find Your Card What tarot card am I? Six ways to find yours, from your birth date arcana and birth cards to your zodiac and court card, and what to do when you get several.
Learn the tarot cards
How the 78-card deck is built, the 22 Major Arcana in order, court cards, reversed cards and the numbering questions people ask most.
- Major vs Minor Arcana: How the 78 Tarot Cards Divide Major vs Minor Arcana: how the 22 trump cards and the 56 suit cards differ, where each group came from, and why tarot birth cards only use the Majors.
- Major Arcana in Order: All 22 Cards From 0 to 21 The Major Arcana in order from 0 The Fool to 21 The World, with the Roman numeral and keywords for each card, plus simple ways to memorize all 22.
- The Fool's Journey: The Major Arcana Read as One Story The Fool's Journey reads the 22 Major Arcana as one story, from The Fool's first step to The World. Its origins, the three acts and how to use it in readings.
- Tarot Card Numbers: Number Meanings and Positions 0 to 77 Tarot card numbers explained: what 0 to 10 mean across the Majors and suits, how to read 11 to 21 and the court cards, and every card's place from 0 to 77.
- Tarot Court Cards: Reading Pages, Knights, Queens and Kings Tarot court cards explained: what each rank and suit means, how to tell if a court card is you, someone else or a situation, and what lots of courts mean.
- How to Read Reversed Tarot Cards: 7 Methods With Examples How to read reversed tarot cards: seven methods for upside-down cards, each with an example, plus how to shuffle for reversals and common beginner mistakes.
- Major Arcana Yes or No Meanings: All 22 Cards, Both Ways Up Major Arcana yes or no meanings for all 22 cards, upright and reversed, with the reason behind each answer and why other lists label some cards differently.
- Strength 8 or Justice 11? Why Tarot Decks Swap the Numbers Strength 8 or Justice 11? Why Rider-Waite-Smith and Marseille decks number them differently, who made the swap, and which card an 8 means on a calculator.
- The Fool Card Number: Why It's 0 and Also 22 Is the Fool 0 or 22? Why tarot decks print it as 0, why birth card math counts it as 22, and what that means if The Fool turns up as your birth card.
- Persona Arcana: Meanings, Confidants and Extra Arcana Persona arcana explained: how Social Links and Confidants use the tarot, all 22 arcana with their Persona 5 Confidants, and what the extra arcana are.
Tarot birth cards and year cards
Mary K. Greer’s method explained: your personality and soul cards, the card families they belong to, how to work with them, and the card that colors each year of your life.
- Personality Card vs Soul Card: How to Read Your Pair Personality card vs soul card: how each tarot birth card is found, what each one says about you, and how to read your two cards together, with every pair.
- Tarot Constellations: Find Your Hidden Factor Card Tarot constellations group the Major Arcana into nine families by number. Find yours, spot your hidden factor card, and learn to read it as a teacher.
- How to Work With Your Tarot Birth Card: Prompts and Spread How to work with your tarot birth card: study its image, journal with focused prompts and try a five-card spread. Plus what to do if your card feels wrong.
- Tarot Year Card Explained: Origins, Timing and Patterns How Mary K. Greer's tarot year card works: which cards can appear, whether to count from January 1 or your birthday, and why the card can drop back a number.
Tarot, astrology and timing
The Golden Dawn links between cards, zodiac signs and planets, and how readers use them to answer “when” questions.
- Zodiac Signs and Tarot: Why Each Sign Has Its Card Why each zodiac sign has its tarot card: how the Golden Dawn linked tarot to astrology through the Hebrew letters, planets, elements and decans.
- Tarot Timing Chart: Seasons, Zodiac Dates and Decan Dates A tarot timing chart for all 78 cards: suits as seasons and time units, Major Arcana zodiac dates, and decan dates for every pip card, plus how to ask when.
Destiny matrix guides
Every part of the destiny matrix chart, from reading the whole octagon to the karmic tail, money channel, love line, health chart, year forecast and couple charts.
- How to Read a Destiny Matrix Chart: Every Point Explained How to read a destiny matrix chart: what every point means and the formula behind it, then a full worked example and a reading order you can follow.
- Karmic Tail Explained: How It's Calculated and Read What the destiny matrix karmic tail means, how to calculate D2-D1-D from your birth date with two worked examples, and why only 26 tails exist.
- Destiny Matrix Money Channel: How to Find and Read It How to calculate the destiny matrix money channel from your birth date, what each of its three points means, and which numbers can and can't appear.
- Destiny Matrix Love Line: Formula, Meaning and Examples How to calculate the destiny matrix love line, what its three points say about how you bond, and why it can only start with seven numbers. Worked examples.
- Destiny Matrix Health Chart: How the Chakra Table Works Destiny matrix health chart: how your birth date becomes a seven-chakra table, how each row is calculated, and how to use the chart for everyday self-care.
- Destiny Matrix Year Forecast: Find Your Energy for Any Age Destiny matrix year forecast: how the octagon age map gives every age its own arcana in 1.25-year steps, with a worked example and your 12 month energies.
- Couple's Destiny Matrix: How to Read It Together Destiny matrix compatibility explained: how a couple's chart is built from two birth dates, what to read first, and a fully checked example for one couple.
How our guides are written
Each guide explains one method or idea from start to finish. Formulas are shown with a worked example you can check with a pen and paper, and when traditions disagree, such as the Fool as 0 or 22, we explain both sides. Our editorial policy covers how guides are sourced, checked and updated.
Guides FAQ
Which guide should I read first?
If you used our arcana calculator, start with what arcana means and how the number is calculated. If you are new to tarot in general, begin with the difference between the Major and Minor Arcana. Destiny matrix users should start with how to read the whole chart before the guides on single lines.
Are these guides based on real sources?
Yes. They draw on published works such as A. E. Waite’s Pictorial Key to the Tarot, Mary K. Greer’s birth card books and the Golden Dawn correspondences. Every formula is shown with a worked example, and our editorial policy explains how pages are checked and updated.