Okay, so I’ve been getting really into tarot lately. Like, REALLY into it. And the biggest hurdle? Remembering all the damn card meanings! I was constantly googling, flipping through books… it was a mess. I needed something I could easily reference, all in one place. A PDF sounded perfect, something I could print out or have on my tablet.
So, I started my quest. My first thought was, “Surely, someone’s already made this.” I mean, it’s the internet, right? Everything exists. I hit up Google, searching for “tarot cards meaning list pdf”. Found some stuff, but honestly? A lot of it was either super basic (like, just the keywords, no real explanation), or it was behind a paywall, or looked like it was designed in 1998.
I wasn’t giving up that easy. I decided I’d just make my own. And boy, did I go down a rabbit hole.
The Gathering
First, I needed to collect all the meanings. I grabbed my favorite tarot books – a couple of classics, a more modern one, and even that quirky one with the weird illustrations that I love. I also kept my browser open with a few trusty websites I’d bookmarked.
Then came the real work. I started with the Major Arcana, because, well, they’re the big guys. I opened up a new document and started typing. For each card, I did the following:
- Card Name: Obviously.
- Upright Keywords: Just a few quick words to jog my memory.
- Upright Meaning: A more detailed explanation of the card’s general meaning when it’s upright.
- Reversed Keywords: Same as upright, but for when the card is flipped.
- Reversed Meaning: You guessed it – the explanation for the reversed card.
I did this for every single card. Major Arcana, then the Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. My fingers were basically cramping by the end. It took, I don’t know, maybe a solid week of evenings to get all the info down. I am feeling a little tired.
The Formatting Fiasco
Once I had all the text, I needed to make it look, you know, readable. I’m no design wizard, but I wanted something clean and simple. I played around with fonts (settled on a nice, clear sans-serif), messed with the spacing, and added some subtle borders to separate the cards.
It took a few tries to get the layout right. I wanted it to be easy to print, but also look good on a screen. Finally, I had something I was happy with.
The Final Product
After all that work, I finally had my very own tarot card meaning list PDF! I printed a copy and put it in a binder with my other tarot stuff. I also saved it to my tablet so I can have it with me when I’m doing readings on the go.
It’s not perfect, and I’m sure I’ll tweak it over time, but it’s mine. And it’s already made my tarot practice so much smoother. I’m no longer scrambling for information mid-reading, which is a huge win.
If you are intrested, just do it yourself, it won’t let you down.
