Larisa
What is tarot and how does it work?
Tarot is a deck of 78 cards, each picturing an archetype or an everyday situation. The cards are shuffled for a question, laid out in a fixed pattern called a spread, and each card is read through three things: its picture, its traditional meaning and its place in the spread. The meanings here follow the Rider–Waite–Smith tradition, the most widely used tarot system today, and the card images come from Larisa’s own deck.
A tarot reading explores the pressures, choices and patterns in your situation through the cards you have drawn and their positions in the spread. As Larisa puts it, the cards never announce that something is certain to happen; they make visible the possibilities that may unfold if current conditions continue, and the points you may not yet see.
How the deck is built
The Major Arcana are 22 cards running from the Fool (0) to the World (XXI). They speak of turning points and the larger lessons a person passes through; when several Major Arcana fall together, the matter runs deeper than it first looks. The Minor Arcana are the 56 cards of four suits: each suit has ten numbered cards from Ace to Ten and four court cards, the Page, Knight, Queen and King.
| Suit | Element | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Cups | Water | Feelings, relationships, intuition |
| Pentacles | Earth | Money, work, the body, tangible results |
| Swords | Air | Thoughts, decisions, conflict, hard truths |
| Wands | Fire | Desire, courage, creativity, taking action |
Whichever suit dominates a spread is where the matter is concentrated: a spread full of Cups speaks from the heart, one full of Swords from the mind.
How to use a card meaning
- Start with the short answer. The first paragraph of each card gives its essence in two or three sentences, and it is a correct answer on its own.
- Go to the area of your question. The love, work, money and mood sections read the same card in different parts of life. If your question is about love, the love section of a card such as the Lovers or the Two of Cups says more than the general meaning.
- If the card is reversed, read its context. A reversed card is not a fixed opposite; it shows the card’s energy delayed, turned inward, overdone or in shadow. Your question and the neighbouring cards decide which.
- Read the cards beside it. The combinations section shows how a card softens or sharpens next to its neighbours.
- Look at the picture. The symbols section describes the figures, colours and objects in the card’s image, so you see the meaning instead of memorising it.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards are in a tarot deck?
A standard tarot deck has 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana are divided into four suits, each with ten numbered cards and four court cards. The Rider–Waite–Smith deck and the decks that follow it, the Larisa deck included, keep this structure.
How do I learn the tarot card meanings?
Larisa’s first advice is to get to know the cards rather than memorise their meanings: notice the symbols, colours and figures on a card and the first feeling it stirs in you. Learn the book meanings, but make room for your intuition too. Drawing one card a day and keeping notes is a good start; the full path is in the guide on how to learn tarot card meanings.
Is a reversed card bad?
A reversal is not automatically bad: it is read through the question, its position and the cards beside it. Delay, inward focus, excess and the shadow are different ways a card’s theme shows up. Larisa reads reversals according to the situation, rather than assigning one meaning to every appearance. Work through an example in how to read reversed tarot cards.
Does the Death card mean death?
No. Larisa reads the Death card through the close of a chapter and transformation. Death describes grief for what has ended and the confrontation with an ending; the Tower brings upheaval and collapse, while the Devil shows addiction, obsession, unhealthy bonds and control. Read each difficult theme through the card’s position and the question addressed by that part of the spread, then compare it with the surrounding cards.
Can tarot answer yes or no?
Read whether the card leans towards yes or towards “not yet”, then examine what drives that lean in your question. The “Which way it leans” section connects the card’s theme with the obstacle, opening or choice it describes. Asking “What should I pay attention to?” gives that direction a practical use. See the method and a worked example in the yes or no tarot guide.
Can I read tarot for myself?
Yes, and it is the best way to learn. Ask once, write the spread down and reread it a few days later; once the feelings settle, the cards read more clearly. Practical tips are in the guide to reading tarot for yourself.
Where to start
Choose a card you have drawn and compare its short answer, symbols and meaning in the area of your question. Keep tarot for beginners beside you for the deck’s structure, and use the example in how to read tarot cards to see a meaning applied to a position. For the question itself, consult how to ask tarot a question; for neighbouring cards, explore tarot card combinations. Follow the Fool’s Journey when you want to connect the Major Arcana into a larger story.