Why does the tarot deck have 78 cards?

You can imagine a deck of Tarot cards as a rich "book of life," and these 78 cards are the 78 chapters of this book—no more, no less, perfectly capable of depicting the various situations we might encounter in our lives.

These 78 cards are actually divided into two main parts. Once you understand these two parts, you'll see why this number is significant.

Part One: The Minor Arcana, 56 Cards in Total

This section is more akin to the playing cards we use every day. It focuses on the specific events, emotions, and challenges of our daily lives. It is also divided into four "suits," each representing a fundamental aspect of life:

• Wands: Represent action, creativity, passion, and energy.
• Cups: Represent emotions, relationships, intuition, and love.
• Swords: Represent thoughts, challenges, conflicts, and intellect.
• Pentacles: Represent material possessions, money, work, and the physical world.

Each "suit" has 14 cards: numbered cards from 1 (Ace) to 10, plus four Court Cards (Page, Knight, Queen, King). This totals 4 suits × 14 cards = 56 cards.

Thus, these 56 cards depict the "small stories" that unfold in our lives every day.

Part Two: The Major Arcana, 22 Cards in Total

These 22 cards are the "trump cards" or the "soul" of the Tarot deck. They are not divided into suits, and each card represents a major life lesson, archetype, or turning point. You can think of them as the "big events" or "milestones" on life's journey.

For example, starting with Card 0, The Fool, which represents infinite possibilities, and ending with Card 21, The World, which signifies the journey's completion and fulfillment, these 22 cards collectively tell a complete story of spiritual growth—from innocence to ultimate self-integration and wholeness—known as "The Fool's Journey."

This section includes highly symbolic cards such as The Lovers, Strength, Death (which typically represents endings and new beginnings, rather than literal death), and The Tower. They reveal the deeper, more philosophical "big truths" in our lives.

In Summary:

The structure of the 78 cards is actually very ingenious:

• The 22 Major Arcana outline life's grand themes and spiritual blueprint ("why it happens").
• The 56 Minor Arcana fill in the specific details and scenarios of daily life ("what happens").

Together, they form a complete symbolic system that can both gain insight into macro life trajectories and analyze micro daily affairs. This number has been proven by subsequent users to be just right—no more, no less—for reflecting and interpreting the complex and ever-changing aspects of life.