How to Quickly Memorize the Meanings of 78 Tarot Cards?

Hey friend! Seeing this question reminds me of when I first started, staring blankly at 78 cards. Don't worry, it's much simpler and more fun than you think. Rote memorization is the least efficient way; we need to use some 'clever tricks.' Here are a few methods I've discovered myself, proven effective, and I hope they can help you.

Step One: Deconstruct First, Don't Try to Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

78 cards might sound like a lot, but they're actually a big, organized family. Let's break them down:

1. 22 Major Arcana Cards: These are the 'main storyline' of the Tarot. From The Fool (0) to The World (21), they tell the complete journey of a person's (or our soul's) growth.
2. 56 Minor Arcana Cards: These are the 'side quests,' dealing with the specific situations we encounter in daily life. They are further divided into four suits (four 'families'):
   • Wands: Represent the element of Fire. Just like fire, they relate to action, passion, creativity, work, and ambition.
   • Cups: Represent the element of Water. Water flows, so they relate to emotions, relationships, love, intuition, and inner feelings.
   • Swords: Represent the element of Air. Air is intangible, so they relate to thoughts, communication, logic, conflict, and challenges.
   • Pentacles: Represent the element of Earth. Earth is tangible, so they relate to material possessions, money, health, work results, and things we can touch.

See? Breaking it down like this makes it much clearer, doesn't it? Don't worry about the specific meaning of each card yet; first, understand this 'family structure.'

Step Two: Use Stories and Images to Remember, Not Just Text

Now, let's get into some practical memorization methods:

Method One: Describe the Image – This is the most crucial trick!

When you get a card, don't rush to look up its meaning in a book. Just stare at the image, as if you're looking at a painting.

• What's in the picture? Are there people? What are they doing? Standing or sitting? Happy or sad?
• What's the surrounding environment like? Is it day or night? A desert or a garden?
• What feeling do the colors evoke? Passionate red, or melancholic blue?
• What's your first impression when you see it?

For example, the Ten of Swords. When you look at the image, a person is lying face down on the ground, with ten swords in their back, and the sky is dark. Even if you know nothing about Tarot, you can feel 'misery, it's over, rock bottom.' That's right! Its core meaning is failure, an ending, the peak of suffering. First, feel it intuitively, then verify it with a book, and you'll find you remember it exceptionally well.

Method Two: Create a 'Life Drama Series' for the Major Arcana

The 22 Major Arcana cards form the 'Fool's Journey.' You can imagine it as a story of a novice player (The Fool, card 0) in a game's starting village, leveling up along the way:

• He first meets the guide, The Magician (1) (learning skills), and The High Priestess (2) (exploring his inner self).
• Then he encounters the parental figures, The Emperor (4) and The Empress (3) (learning rules and receiving care).
• Next, he meets The Lovers (6) (making choices) and rides The Chariot (7) (setting off with confidence).
• Along the journey, he meets The Hermit (9) (self-reflection), experiences Death (13) (a major transformation), and even The Tower (16) (sudden collapse)...
• Finally, he completes all his trials and finds his place in The World (21) card, ending his journey perfectly.

You don't need to remember every detail; just lay out the cards in order and create your own story of the novice's growth. Each card represents an event or a character he encounters. Going through it this way is a hundred times more vivid than dryly memorizing 'The Magician represents creation.'

Method Three: Number + Element = Minor Arcana Meaning

This is the 'universal formula' for understanding the 56 Minor Arcana cards.

We previously discussed the four elements (Wands - Fire/Action, Cups - Water/Emotion, Swords - Air/Thought, Pentacles - Earth/Material). Now let's add meaning to the numbers:

• 1 (Ace): New beginnings, pure energy.
• 2: Choices, balance, opposition.
• 3: Initial results, cooperation, plans.
• 4: Stability, stagnation, foundation.
• 5: Conflict, chaos, loss.
• 6: Harmony, gifts, turning points.
• 7: Challenges, perseverance, inner struggle.
• 8: Rapid action, change, progress.
• 9: Near completion, personal achievement.
• 10: Completion of a cycle, outcome, ultimate.

Now let's apply the formula:

• Three of Wands = Action (Wands) + Initial Plans (3) → A person standing on a high vantage point, watching ships sail away, representing making plans for future actions and looking ahead.
• Five of Cups = Emotion (Cups) + Loss (5) → A person sighing over three spilled cups in front of them, not noticing two good ones behind them. Represents dwelling on past losses and overlooking existing opportunities.
• Nine of Swords = Thought (Swords) + Personal Achievement/Peak (9) → Here, 9 has a somewhat negative connotation, representing too many thoughts. A person waking up from a nightmare in bed, representing excessive anxiety, worry, insomnia.

Isn't that quite systematic? This method can help you quickly grasp the core meaning of most Minor Arcana cards. Court cards (Pages, Knights, Queens, Kings) are a bit more complex; you can understand them as four personality types within a family, or four stages of a situation's development.

Step Three: Practice! Practice! Practice!

No amount of theory can compare to hands-on practice.

1. Card of the Day: Every morning, draw one card. Don't ask complex questions; just ask, 'What do I need to pay attention to today?' or 'What is today's energy?' Then place the card where you can see it. In the evening, review your day and see if what happened relates to the card. This is the best way to build a 'personal connection' with your cards.
2. Keep a Tarot Journal: Briefly record the cards you draw each day, your understanding of them, and what happened that day in your notebook. Over time, you'll find that many cards take on unique, personal meanings for you. For example, if you drew the 'Six of Wands' when you got a promotion, later when you see this card, in addition to its meaning of victory, it will also carry an added sense of 'career success' for you.
3. Interpret Yourself First, Then Consult Books: After drawing a card, first try to guess what it's trying to tell you using the 'describe the image' + 'formula method' we discussed. After racking your brain, then consult a book or resources to see the 'standard interpretation.' This process will greatly deepen your impression.

Finally, and most importantly, the mindset:

Don't treat memorizing card meanings like studying for an exam. Tarot cards are more like 78 friends with distinct personalities; you need to spend time chatting with each of them and getting to know their quirks. Meet one today, another tomorrow, and gradually you'll become familiar with all of them. Allow yourself to forget, allow yourself to misunderstand; the process itself is a form of learning and growth.

Have fun!

Hey friend! Trying to memorize all 78 cards at once is pretty much impossible and will likely lead to you giving up quickly. Don't rush it; take your time, and think of it as getting to know 78 new friends. I'll share a few methods I used myself, which I found to be very effective:

Step One: Understand the "Organizational Structure" First

Don't try to memorize them one by one. Instead, categorize the cards, like organizing files, to understand the folder structure.

1. Major Arcana (22 cards): These are the "main characters." You can view them as a complete story called "The Fool's Journey." Starting with Card 0, "The Fool," he embarks on an adventure like an innocent child, encountering various teachers, challenges, and life lessons along the way (such as Strength, The Hermit, The Devil, The Tower), finally reaching Card 21, "The World," completing his self-growth. Just remember this storyline, where each card is a stop on the journey. This is much easier than rote memorization like "The Magician represents creation."

2. Minor Arcana (56 cards): This section represents "everyday events," and can be viewed in two parts:

   • Four "Departments" (Suits): This is key! Remembering the "scope of business" for these four departments is half the battle.

     • Wands: Represents Fire. Associate "fire" with passion, action, creativity, work, career. When you see Wands, think about "drive" and "getting things done."
     • Cups: Represents Water. Associate "water" with emotions, relationships, love, intuition, inner feelings. When you see Cups, lean towards "matters of the heart" and "what you truly feel."
     • Swords: Represents Air. Associate "air" with thoughts, communication, conflict, challenges, harm. When you see Swords, think about "mental struggles," "what is said," and "troubles encountered."
     • Pentacles: Represents Earth. Associate "earth" with money, material possessions, health, skills, results. When you see Pentacles, think about "making money," "physical well-being," and "tangible things."

   • Ten "Levels" (Numbers 1-10): Numbers also have their own meanings, representing a process of development from 1 to 10.

     • 1 (Ace): New beginnings, an opportunity.
     • 2: Choices, balance, partnership.
     • 3: Initial results, collaboration, growth.
     • 4: Stability, stagnation, order.
     • 5: Conflict, change, instability.
     • 6: Harmony, giving and receiving, turning point.
     • 7: Challenges, perseverance, introspection.
     • 8: Action, progress, rapid development.
     • 9: Near completion, satisfaction, harvest.
     • 10: Completion, outcome, the end of a cycle.

   [Core Technique]: Now, combine the "department" (suit) and the "level" (number)! For example:

   • Cups (emotions) + 10 (completion) = Ten of Cups, which signifies emotional fulfillment, family happiness.
   • Swords (thoughts/conflict) + 3 (collaboration/growth) = Three of Swords, three swords piercing a heart, representing mental anguish, heartbreak.
   • Wands (action/career) + 1 (Ace) = Ace of Wands, which means a new opportunity for action, a start full of drive. See? Doesn't this help you guess the general meaning?

3. Court Cards (16 cards): These 16 cards are "character roles," which can be seen as a "family" within each "department" (suit).

   • Page: Like a student or messenger, representing learning, curiosity, new messages.
   • Knight: An action-taker, somewhat extreme, either rushing too fast or not moving at all. Represents action and process.
   • Queen: An internal controller, representing maturity, understanding, inner strength.
   • King: An external controller, representing leadership, control, external achievements.

   Similarly, combine the role and the "department" (suit). For example, the "King of Cups" is a leader (King) who can control his emotions (Cups), thus he is mature and compassionate. And the "Knight of Wands" is a charger (Knight) in terms of action (Wands), so he is passionate, energetic, and possibly a bit reckless.

Step Two: Practical Tips for Daily Practice

Theory alone isn't enough; you need to put it into practice.

• Daily Draw: Every morning, draw a card. Don't look it up in a book; just observe the image on the card. What are the people in the picture doing? What's the weather like? Are they happy? How do you feel? Guess what it might represent. Then, before bed, take out the same card and reflect on whether anything that happened today aligns with it. This is the fastest way to develop your "card intuition."
• Picture Storytelling: Don't just memorize keywords! Every image in the Rider-Waite Tarot is a scene. For example, in the "Seven of Pentacles," a person is looking at a fruit tree they've been cultivating for a while, with a somewhat conflicted expression. You can feel that this represents evaluating the results of your efforts and considering whether to continue investing. This is much more vivid than dryly memorizing "evaluation, patience."
• Connect to Life: When watching movies or reading novels, you can think, "This protagonist is like 'The Fool' right now," "Their relationship is in the state of 'The Lovers' card," or "The company's current situation is like 'The Tower' is coming." Connecting card meanings to people, things, and events you're familiar with will make the memory "come alive."
• Ignore Reversals for Now: When you're just starting, ignore reversed meanings and only focus on the upright meanings. Once you're familiar with all 78 upright cards, then go back to understanding reversals (which usually represent blocked, excessive, or insufficient energy of the upright meaning).

Finally, and most importantly:

Don't treat memorizing card meanings like an exam. Tarot isn't science; it's more like art and intuition. Card meanings are your "vocabulary," but how you combine these words into compelling sentences relies on your feelings and practice. Relax, enjoy the process of befriending these cards, and slowly, you'll discover that you're not "memorizing" them, but "understanding" them. Keep it up!