Tarot Cheat Sheet

All 78 tarot cards with their meanings upright and reversed, and whether each leans yes, no, or maybe. The same table our draw uses. Free, no sign-up.

This page lists all 78 tarot cards, the right way up and reversed, with what each one means and whether it leans yes, no, or maybe. It is the table our own draw runs on. Nothing is held back and nothing is summarised.

This is the table behind our draws: pull one card for a yes-or-no answer or take a free reading, one card or three.

Major Arcana

Card	Orientation	Leans	The rule
The Fool	upright	Yes	The Fool is card zero, the step taken before the sequence starts. It stands for beginning without a plan.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, the same willingness reads as a step taken too soon.
The Magician	upright	Yes	The Magician has all four suits laid out on his table. Every tool is already to hand.
	reversed	No	Upside down, the tools are still on the table and the will to use them is not.
The High Priestess	upright	Maybe	She sits between two pillars with a scroll half hidden in her lap. She is what is known and not yet said.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the thing being kept from you is being kept by you.
The Empress	upright	Yes	The Empress is growth you can point at: crops, children, work that compounds over time.
	reversed	No	Upside down, the same growth is starved. The care that fed it has stopped coming.
The Emperor	upright	Yes	Order, rank, and a rule that holds. The Emperor stands for structure that actually works.
	reversed	No	Turn him over and the structure is a show. The authority does not hold.
The Hierophant	upright	Yes	The tested route: the school, the institution, the way it has always been done.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the tested route is the wrong one for this question.
The Lovers	upright	Yes	Less about romance than about a choice made in line with what you value.
	reversed	No	Upside down, the choice pulls against what you actually want.
The Chariot	upright	Yes	Two beasts pull the Chariot and the driver holds them both to one road.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the two beasts pull apart and nothing moves.
Strength	upright	Yes	A woman closes a lion's mouth with her hands and no weapon. This is control without force.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, it is the patience that is missing, not the power.
The Hermit	upright	Maybe	The Hermit carries his own lamp and walks away from the crowd to think.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the stepping back has turned into hiding.
Wheel of Fortune	upright	Yes	The Wheel is the one card that is not about you at all. It is timing.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the same turn runs against you.
Justice	upright	Yes	Justice holds scales in one hand and a sword in the other. She weighs, then she cuts.
	reversed	No	Upside down, something here is unbalanced or not honest.
The Hanged Man	upright	Maybe	He hangs by one foot, upside down and calm. He is waiting on purpose.
	reversed	No	Turned over, the waiting has stopped paying anything back.
Death	upright	No	Card thirteen, and it almost never means death. It means a thing is over.
	reversed	Maybe	Reversed, the ending is being held off rather than met.
Temperance	upright	Yes	Temperance pours between two cups and spills nothing. It is the card of the right amount.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the pouring has spilled: too much, or too fast.
The Devil	upright	No	The figures wear loose chains they could lift off at any time. This is what holds you by choice.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, the chains are coming off.
The Tower	upright	No	Lightning hits the Tower and the crown falls off the top. This is the sudden break.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the break has not landed yet and you are holding the roof up.
The Star	upright	Yes	The Star comes directly after the Tower. It is what you feel once the worst is behind you.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, the hope has run low even though nothing outside has changed.
The Moon	upright	Maybe	A path runs between two towers with a dog on one side and a wolf on the other. Nothing on it is certain.
	reversed	Maybe	Inverted, the fog is thinning.
The Sun	upright	Yes	The plainest card in the deck: full light, a child, a wall, nothing hidden.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, the light is still there with something standing in front of it.
Judgement	upright	Yes	Figures rise at the sound of a horn. This is the card of the call you have already heard.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the horn sounds and nobody gets up.
The World	upright	Yes	The last card, where the sequence closes. It means arrival.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, everything is in place except one piece.

Wands

Card	Orientation	Leans	The rule
Ace of Wands	upright	Yes	A hand comes out of a cloud holding a branch still in leaf. It is the spark before anything is built.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, the spark is there and has not caught.
Two of Wands	upright	Maybe	A man holds a small globe on his own wall and looks out at land he has not walked yet.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the looking out never turns into leaving.
Three of Wands	upright	Yes	The same man, now watching his ships move out. The thing has left the shore.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, the ships are late and the shore is crowded.
Four of Wands	upright	Yes	Four staves hold up a garland and people pass under it. It is the card of the settled thing.
	reversed	Maybe	Inverted, the party is thrown a little early.
Five of Wands	upright	No	Five young men swing staves at each other. Nobody is hurt and nobody is winning.
	reversed	Yes	Turned over, the scuffle breaks up and the field clears.
Six of Wands	upright	Yes	A rider comes back wearing a wreath, with the crowd walking beside him. This is the public win.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the rider comes home and nobody comes out.
Seven of Wands	upright	Yes	One man on high ground holds off six staves coming up at him. He is outnumbered and he is above them.
	reversed	No	Upside down, the high ground gives way under him.
Eight of Wands	upright	Yes	Eight staves fly through open sky with nothing under them. There is no person on this card at all.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the eight hang in the air and stop.
Nine of Wands	upright	Maybe	A man with a bandaged head leans on one staff. Eight more stand behind him like a fence.
	reversed	No	Turned over, there is nothing left to hold the fence with.
Ten of Wands	upright	No	A man carries ten staves in both arms and cannot see over them. The town is close and he is bent double.
	reversed	Yes	Reversed, the load is going down rather than on.
Page of Wands	upright	Yes	A young figure holds a staff taller than himself and reads it like a message. Pages carry news.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, the news arrives with no address on it.
Knight of Wands	upright	Yes	The horse has both front legs off the ground. Of the four knights, this is the one in a hurry.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the hurry is real and the road is not.
Queen of Wands	upright	Yes	She sits facing you with a sunflower in one hand and a black cat at her feet. She holds a room without raising her voice.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, the ease is worn rather than felt.
King of Wands	upright	Yes	He looks off to one side rather than at you. He is the suit that sees where it is going.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the command is there and the sight is gone.

Cups

Card	Orientation	Leans	The rule
Ace of Cups	upright	Yes	A cup runs over with five streams and a dove comes down to it. It is the suit at its opening.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, the cup is held back rather than empty.
Two of Cups	upright	Yes	Two people trade cups and look straight at each other. It is a pact of two, not a crowd.
	reversed	No	Inverted, one hand is out and the other is not.
Three of Cups	upright	Yes	Three women raise cups in a ring. Nobody is left outside it.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, the ring is thinner than it looks from outside.
Four of Cups	upright	No	Three cups stand in front of a seated man and a fourth is held out from a cloud. He is looking at none of them.
	reversed	Yes	Reversed, he looks up and puts a hand out.
Five of Cups	upright	No	Three cups are down and two are standing behind him. He is facing the three.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, he turns and sees the two that are still up.
Six of Cups	upright	Maybe	A child hands another child a cup of flowers in a walled yard. Everything on this card is behind you.
	reversed	No	Inverted, you are holding a version of it that has gone.
Seven of Cups	upright	Maybe	Seven cups float in a cloud, each holding something different. A figure stands in front of them and picks none.
	reversed	Yes	Turned over, one cup comes down out of the cloud.
Eight of Cups	upright	No	Eight cups stand stacked and a figure walks off into hills without them. Nothing chased him out.
	reversed	Maybe	Reversed, he stops on the hill and looks back.
Nine of Cups	upright	Yes	A man sits with folded arms in front of nine cups on a shelf. Readers have called this the wish card for a century.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, the wish lands smaller than it was asked for.
Ten of Cups	upright	Yes	Ten cups arc over a family with their arms out. It is the whole picture, not one piece of it.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the arc breaks and the cups come down.
Page of Cups	upright	Yes	A young figure lifts a cup and a fish is looking out of it. He does not seem surprised.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, the feeling is real and has nowhere to go.
Knight of Cups	upright	Yes	The horse walks. He carries the cup out in front of him like something he means to hand over.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the cup is still out and the walk has stopped.
Queen of Cups	upright	Yes	She holds a closed cup and looks at it, not at you. She is the only figure who never puts it down.
	reversed	No	Upside down, what she holds runs over the sides.
King of Cups	upright	Yes	His throne sits on water and stays level. He holds a cup and a short staff at once.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the water is calm on top only.

Swords

Card	Orientation	Leans	The rule
Ace of Swords	upright	Yes	A hand out of a cloud holds one sword straight up with a crown on the point. Nothing else is on the card.
	reversed	No	Turned over, the blade comes down on the hand that holds it.
Two of Swords	upright	Maybe	A blindfolded woman holds two crossed swords with her back to open water. She has not moved either arm.
	reversed	Yes	Reversed, the blindfold comes off and the arms come down.
Three of Swords	upright	No	Three swords through one heart under rain. There is no person on the card, only the heart.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, the blades come out one at a time.
Four of Swords	upright	Maybe	A knight lies on a tomb with three swords on the wall and one beneath him. He is resting, not dead.
	reversed	Yes	Inverted, he gets up off the slab.
Five of Swords	upright	No	One man holds three swords and smiles while two walk away. He has won and the field is empty.
	reversed	No	Turned over, the cost outlives the win.
Six of Swords	upright	Yes	A ferryman poles a boat with two passengers and six swords standing in the hull. The water ahead is flat.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the boat does not leave the bank.
Seven of Swords	upright	No	A man walks off with five swords and leaves two behind. He is looking over his shoulder.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, he brings them back.
Eight of Swords	upright	No	A bound woman stands among eight swords set in mud. The ropes are loose and the ground ahead is clear.
	reversed	Yes	Inverted, she steps out of the ropes.
Nine of Swords	upright	No	Someone sits up in bed with their face in their hands. Nine swords hang on the wall and none of them touch her.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, the night ends and the wall stays a wall.
Ten of Swords	upright	No	A man lies face down with ten swords in his back under a black sky. Behind him the sky is already turning gold.
	reversed	Yes	Reversed, the worst of it is behind rather than ahead.
Page of Swords	upright	Maybe	A young figure holds a sword up and looks over one shoulder at moving clouds. He is watching, not swinging.
	reversed	No	Upside down, the word he brings is wrong.
Knight of Swords	upright	Maybe	Horse and rider go flat out with the sword straight ahead. Of the four knights, this one has no brakes.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the charge goes into a wall.
Queen of Swords	upright	Yes	She sits with the blade upright and one hand out. She looks straight at you and does not soften it.
	reversed	No	Turned over, the edge is there and the sight is gone.
King of Swords	upright	Yes	He faces front with the sword tipped slightly to one side. He is the card of the ruling handed down.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the rule comes down with no facts under it.

Pentacles

Card	Orientation	Leans	The rule
Ace of Pentacles	upright	Yes	A hand out of a cloud holds one coin over a walled garden with a gate at the far end.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, the coin is smaller than it looked.
Two of Pentacles	upright	Maybe	A man keeps two coins moving in a loop while ships ride high waves behind him. He is managing, barely.
	reversed	No	Inverted, one of the two hits the floor.
Three of Pentacles	upright	Yes	A stonemason stands on a bench while two others hold the plans. All three are looking at the same work.
	reversed	No	Turned over, the plans are held by nobody.
Four of Pentacles	upright	No	A seated man holds one coin to his chest, stands on two and balances one on his head. He is not moving.
	reversed	Yes	Reversed, the grip opens and the coins roll.
Five of Pentacles	upright	No	Two people pass under a lit church window in the snow. Neither of them looks up at it.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, one of them sees the door.
Six of Pentacles	upright	Yes	A merchant weighs scales in one hand and drops coins with the other. Two people kneel below him.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the scales are held by the one who profits.
Seven of Pentacles	upright	Maybe	A man leans on his hoe and looks at seven coins growing on a bush. He has stopped working to look.
	reversed	No	Turned over, the season passes and nothing sets.
Eight of Pentacles	upright	Yes	A worker cuts his eighth coin with six already hung on the post beside him. The town is far behind.
	reversed	No	Reversed, the hammer moves and the coins do not.
Nine of Pentacles	upright	Yes	A woman stands alone in her own vineyard with a hooded bird on her glove. Nobody else is on the card.
	reversed	Maybe	Upside down, the vineyard is not hers.
Ten of Pentacles	upright	Yes	Three generations stand under an arch with two dogs and ten coins over them. It is the card of what lasts.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the arch has nobody standing under it.
Page of Pentacles	upright	Yes	A young figure holds one coin up in both hands and studies it in a ploughed field. Of the four pages, this one is the least hurried.
	reversed	Maybe	Turned over, the study stops and the plan stays a plan.
Knight of Pentacles	upright	Yes	His horse stands with all four feet on the ground. He is the only knight who is not moving.
	reversed	No	Reversed, slow has become stopped.
Queen of Pentacles	upright	Yes	She looks down at the coin in her lap, with a rabbit in the grass by her throne. Everything around her is growing.
	reversed	No	Upside down, she is feeding more than she has.
King of Pentacles	upright	Yes	Vines grow up his robe and a castle sits behind him. He has his hand flat on the coin, not gripping it.
	reversed	No	Inverted, the castle is there and the judgement is not.

This is the table behind our draws: pull one card for a yes-or-no answer or take a free reading, one card or three.