The Major Arcana
Leave the minors in a drawer somewhere?
At a recent Tarot gathering I attended, one of the participants mentioned that she only reads the Majors. And from the way she said it, I perceived that she somehow felt bad because of it, as if she was somehow a lesser reader due to the fact that she doesn’t read the entire Tarot deck.
A short time before that, I was asked by a friend for a reading on Zoom, the two of us being the only ones to remain after everyone else signed off. I performed the reading using only the Majors, and a spread designed for only the Majors. That seemed to alien to him.
But these situations shouldn’t exist. Reading Tarot with only the Majors is a long practiced tradition, and as I understand it, the dominant way of reading Tarot in some parts of our world.
Indeed, Majors only Tarot decks are published and Majors only spreads for them have been in use for generations. Two of my absolute favorite spreads are intended only for use with the Majors, and one of my very favorite decks is a Majors only deck.
The Majors show us the big things, big events, big energies, things that are seriously impactful, vital even. The Minors add detail and context. The balance of the two within a spread may give us ideas about the importance of the question, and in what parts of our life it will most significantly manifest.
Keeping that in mind, it is easy to see that there is absolutely nothing wrong, or somehow lesser, with reading the Majors only. With exploring the big things, utilizing those Major cards, allowing detail and context to reveal themselves as events unfold.
The vast majority of the time, I read using the entire Tarot deck. I suppose that I like seeing all the little details, discovering the context of the question, seeing why it is important to the querent, even when I am the querent and might be hiding something from myself.
But sometimes, reading only the Majors just seems right to me for the situation at hand. And that is just as valuable as a reading that utilizes the entire Tarot.
Those who read Tarot using only the Majors should not feel badly about that fact, nor feel that they are somehow lesser readers for doing so. Tarot is an individual path.
I only read using the majors.
I have been doing majors only lately. Most notably for a Pluto in Aquarius spread and for my annual 12 month 2025 forecast spread (I posted that one). This year, I will be playing with this. I am also considering dropping using reversals when I do majors only if I am after the dominant energy or archetype only. I am being pulled to drop reversals altogether but I don’t think I am ready. I will need to rely on surrounding cards for any shadow elements, or pull supporting minor arcana only on the major card. This year, more experimentation. And a new series on advanced techniques.