A Poem by Billy Collins

Why is poetry so hard to understand? Maybe because we treat it like a math problem, as something to solve instead of something to feel. Billy Collins gets this. His poem isn’t just about poetry; it’s about how we strangle the life out of it by demanding answers. What if we just listened to what the poem is trying to say?

An Introduction to Poetry:

I ask them to take a poem
and hold it up to the light
like a color slide

or press an ear against its hive.

I say drop a mouse into a poem
and watch him probe his way out,
or walk inside the poem's room
and feel the walls for a light switch.

I want them to waterski
across the surface of a poem
waving at the author's name on the shore.
But all they want to do
is tie the poem to a chair with rope
and torture a confession out of it.

They begin beating it with a hose
to find out what it really means.

-Billy Collins

Tarot Keywords

The Biddy Tarot website suggests that having a keyword for each tarot card is a sign of proficiency, implying that those without them are mere beginners. I felt both insulted and challenged by that assertion.

I am not a mere beginner even though I don't read with keywords. In my experience, interpreting tarot cards is a dynamic process shaped by many factors: the specific question being asked, the surrounding cards in the spread, and the unique energy and concerns of the person receiving the reading.

However, I wanted to respond, “Yes, of course I know what each card means.” I noticed that many of Biddy’s keywords contradicted my own experience of the imagery, and others fell short of capturing the full range of meanings I’ve encountered over decades. I decided to make my own list of keywords, one that acknowledges the full spectrum of each card, including both its more constructive and more cautionary expressions.

To my surprise, it didn’t take long to identify a set of words I consider a reasonable starting point for interpreting the cards of the Minor Arcana. While not exhaustive, these keywords may serve as a scaffold for deeper reflection and a way to begin exploring the many layers of meaning each card can reveal.

I should clarify that I almost always lay the cards out upright during a reading. I don’t rely on reversed cards to indicate meaning; instead, I listen for the card’s tone intuitively. Each card holds a range of possibilities, and what we often label as “positive” or “negative” depends on context. For the sake of organization, I’ve divided the keywords into “upright” and “reversed” columns, but this is simply a way of offering both ends of the spectrum. In truth, some cards, like the Two of Pentacles, tend to express what I’ve listed under “reversed” more often than what appears in the “upright” column.

 Swords

Card	Upright / Light Side	Reversed / Shadow Side
A	Gift of mind, mental clarity, new idea, breakthrough, truth revealed, victory, decisiveness	Confusion, mental fog, denial of truth, not acting to solve problems
2	Unwilling to acknowledge change, confusion, indecision, head in the sand, stalemate, defensiveness, lashing out	Painful choice, growing clarity, inner resolution, meditation, weighing options, releasing the past, lowering defenses
3	Mentally obsessed with old pain, recognizing the power of emotions, heartbreak, sorrow acknowledged	Insights through words, forgiveness, emotional clarity, catharsis, healing
4	Rest after conflict, solitude and safety, meditation and quiet reflection, responding to suffering, a pause to prepare, rising renewed, peace of mind	Restlessness and isolation, sense of defeat, unspoken feelings, unresolved grief, tension beneath the stillness
5	Sore winner, not resolving problems, slander, shame, bitterness	Support of friends, releasing shame, humility, internal healing, making amends
6	Rite of passage, escaping danger, resolving problems, mental transition	Difficult journey, speaking up, disrupting a long-standing situation, fear of change, carrying baggage
7	Disarming the enemy, stealth, clever plan, reclaiming what was stolen, strategy, hidden motives	Betrayal of self, self-deception, isolation, avoiding confrontation, impulsiveness, overconfidence
8	Self-imprisonment, limiting beliefs, fear of judgment, interior struggle, mental trap	Empowerment, gaining clarity, mental release, awakening
9	Torment, nightmares, mental overload, anxiety, despair	Tackling problems, facing fears, healing, gradual recovery
10	Defeat, collapse, betrayal, painful ending, rock bottom	Relief, letting go, new beginning, change through surrender
P	Curiosity, eager to learn, bringing ideas into manifestation, caution, defensiveness	A poseur, immaturity, careless speech, gossip, learning to trust
Kt	Impulsive, brave, loyal, pursuing ideals, problem-solving through intellect	Rushing in, recklessness, chaos, pugilism, tactlessness, haste makes waste
Q	A survivor, life wisdom, insightful, candid speaker, clear judgment, honest guidance	Sorrow, defensiveness, coldness, repressed grief, overcritical nature
K	Fair judge, clarity of thought, authority, boundaries, strong communicator, strategic	Stubbornness, tyranny, manipulation, misuse of power, rigidity

 Cups

Card	Upright / Light Side	Reversed / Shadow Side
A	Gift of emotions, compassion, creativity, joy, emotional renewal, overflowing feelings	Repressed emotions, distrusting your intuition
2	Formal partnership agreement, trust, fondness, mutual attraction, harmony	Imbalance, disharmony, inequality, breaking of contract, unreciprocated feelings, emotional imbalance
3	Friendship, sense of belonging, community, collaboration, success	Stifled creativity, indecision, overindulgence, loneliness, isolation, creative blockage, ungrounded, unclear goals
4	Apathy, discontent, failure to see an opportunity, resenting or neglecting commitments	Meditation, receiving spiritual nourishment, listening to your feelings and values, re-evaluation of meaning, discovering your true self
5	Loss, bereavement, regret, mourning, hanging on to the past	Acceptance, forgiveness, emotional recovery
6	Nostalgia, reunion, innocence, naivete, profound interaction, childhood memories, acts of kindness, laying the past to rest, emotional healing	Gift of memory, realistic view of family, clinging to old patterns, unhealthy attachments, unwilling to change, emotional regression
7	Discernment, looking ahead, knowing what you want, creative visualization, choosing wisely from many options	Fantasy, wishful thinking, delusion, being carried away by emotions and daydreams
8	Courage to step into the unknown, searching for deeper meaning, emotional detachment as growth, releasing the past	Withdrawal, giving up on something you've invested in, abandoning hope, aimless drifting
9	Feeling of plenty, hospitality, wishes granted,  emotional fulfillment, gratitude, generosity, sensual pleasure, water breaking before labor	Indulgence, greed, hidden emptiness, over-sated, opulence, moral decay, de Medici levels of corruption, or giving up material things in favor of a spiritual quest
10	Alignment, marriage, happiness, contentment, completeness, shared joy, generational blessings	Straying from values, broken home, estrangement, denial of conflict, performative harmony
P	Open-minded and emotionally open, lacking preconceptions and expectations, dreamer, sensitive to signs, divination, message from the subconscious, synchronicity, new emotional experience, pregnancy	Insecurity, emotional immaturity, withdrawal, sulking, blocked intuition, rejecting the signs, fantasizing and unable to accept what is real, romantic fixation, clinging to a dream, misreading the signs
Kt	Romantic figure, idealistic, charming, slow yet certain, pursuing a heartfelt goal, poetic dreamer	Unreliable, faithless, deceptive, mood-driven, overly sensitive, unrealistic, manipulative charm, seductive lies
Q	Intuitive, spiritually attuned, compassionate and empathic, receptive to sacred visions, maintains holy secrets, knower of sorrow, sings beside the sea — but knows the cost of freedom	Escaping into fantasy, refusing to see visions granted her, daydreaming instead of acting, emotionally overwhelmed, withdrawn or self-absorbed,  emotionally manipulative, clinging to idealized connection, tends towards bitterness
K	Emotionally stable, flexible, calm leadership, generous	Manipulative, volatile, jealous, emotionally cold, passive-aggressive

Pentacles

Card	Upright / Light Side	Reversed / Shadow Side
A	Gift of material world, an opportunity, possibility of wealth if you work for it, new venture, grounded potential, abundance beginning	Ingratitude, lack of planning, fear of moving forward, wasted opportunity, instability, hesitation, fear of commitment
2	Adaptability, grace under pressure, flexibility in fluctuating circumstances, multitasking, managing demands, finding harmony or your divine path, dreams coming true	Disorganization, unclear goals, trying to balance too many things, refusing to choose, chaos, poor time management, over-committed
3	Creativity, collaboration and planning, teamwork, artistry, skill in service of an ideal, so focused on a task that you lose track of time, plenty of work left to do	Rushing, carelessness, unskilled work, or perfectionism obstructing progress, ego or lack of shared vision interfering with teamwork
4	Defensiveness, isolation, control, selfishness, fear of loss	Prudence, prosperity, caution, reevaluating values, releasing attachments
5	Loss, financial worries, out in the cold, ostracism, loneliness	Renewed hope, survival, spiritual comfort, pulling up by bootstraps, recovery, belonging, community support
6	A helping hand, maintaining balance, prosperity, generosity	Imbalance of power and resources, strings attached, conditional giving, dependency
7	Assessment, patience, standstill, long-term vision, commitment to steady growth, rebuilding will succeed	Fatigue, discouragement, doubt, lack of reward, frustration, questioning investment, giving up
8	Learning new skills or changing direction entirely to find fulfillment; apprenticeship, repetition, and learning; diligence and attention to your craft, concentrated effort; focused on and absorbed in a task, working diligently; practice makes perfect, quality through repetition; having the right tools for the job; keeping your ultimate goal in mind; accepting unexpected detours and continuing toward your ultimate goal; finding joy in creativity or meaningful work	Perfectionism preventing progress, fear of making mistakes; repetitive work with no end in sight, burnout through monotony; working hard at a low-paying job; feeling undervalued; nose to the grindstone, disconnected from creativity or joy; cut off from your inspiration or your ultimate goal; not taking your work seriously, careless or distracted effort; cutting corners, sacrificing quality for speed or convenience; ambition without effort, unrealistic expectations of success
9	Self-sufficiency, gratitude, enjoying fruits of labor, luxury, independence	Overwork, imprisonment, loneliness, superficial success, isolation despite abundance
10	Legacy, grounded belonging, generational blessing, security, tradition, home as sanctuary	Family estrangement, loneliness within abundance, clinging to wealth, broken inheritance, communication breakdown
P	A messenger, student mindset, opportunity for growth, recognizing spirit in material, focus, scholarship, a trustworthy advisor	Lack of planning, missed opportunity, no sense of what is valuable
Kt	Methodical, diligent, conservative, grateful, reverent	Laziness, boredom, lack of planning, neglect, stagnation, rigid routine
Q	Practical, nurturing, down to earth, fortunate, resourceful	Accepting limitations, imbalance in service, overgiving, self-neglect, insecurity around worth
K	A helpful and beneficent ruler, security, abundance, wealth	Stifled spirituality, iron fist in velvet glove, material obsession, controlling behavior, rigidity

 Wands

Card	Upright / Light Side	Reversed / Shadow Side
A	Inspiration, gift of life, beginning a project, ignition, spiritual renewal, energy, enthusiasm, creativity	Undirected energy, scattered will, hesitation, burnout, false starts
2	Contemplating a change of direction, planning, vision, weighing options, making a choice	Fear of the unknown, restlessness, dissatisfaction, lacking direction, waiting too long
3	Enterprise, putting past behind, committed to new goal, progress, seeing results	Lack of foresight, not seeing big picture, shortsightedness, delays, disappointment
4	Celebration, thanksgiving, milestones, harmony, community, belonging	Temporary shelter, instability at home, communication breakdown, tension beneath the surface
5	Strife, confusion, indecision, obstacles	Increased focus on one goal, resolution of conflict, setting priorities
6	Path to victory, support of others, momentum, public recognition	Disrepute, trophy moment, hollow victory, seeking validation, losing reputation
7	Taking a stand, self-defense, courage, resilience, allies, standing firm in the face of physical danger	Difficulties, defensive, being overwhelmed, enemies, fighting a losing battle, inner conflict
8	Opportunity, swift change, communication, travel, acceleration	Frustration, delays, sense of urgency
9	Stamina, prepared, firmly established, knowing whom to trust	Defensiveness, habitual mistrust, paranoia, rigid boundaries, exhaustion
10	Overburdened, overwhelmed with responsibility, pressure, worried, not recognizing your limitations, wands weighing you down rather than lighting your way	Not recognizing your limitations, lack of vision, putting down the load, coming to life again, release, new energy emerging
P	A scout, enthusiasm, curiosity, learning, spark of adventure	Pessimism, immaturity, lack of follow-through, inner doubt
Kt	Passionate, determined, energetic, travel, putting ideas into action, need to conserve energy	Restless, scattered or misdirected energy, a temper, volatility, emotional outbursts, overconfident, insanity
Q	A strong woman, vibrant, vital, warm and confident presence, success, power, inspirational leader	Inhibited, withdrawn, fear of exposure, jealousy, hidden insecurity
K	Insightful, courageous, a charismatic leader, visionary, leading by example	Ruthless, arrogant, domineering, impulsive, egotistical, a tyrannical leader

Sometimes, a card will stun you with a meaning you’ve never considered before—either through its unexpected role in a particular spread, or because something in its image suddenly shifts. Once, the Nine of Pentacles struck me as a woman whose waters had just broken; it looked like spilled water, like the moment before birth. That’s the kind of moment no keyword list can prepare you for.

Pamela Colman Smith did not allow her tarot imagery to be constrained by the numerical meanings of the Marseilles pip cards. Still, those traditional associations can be useful to recall when your keywords don’t seem to fit:

1 Initiation 2 Growth 3 Creativity 4 Stability 5 Change
6 Perseverance 7 Confidence 8 Advancement 9 Attainment 10 Completion

Below is a list of keywords for the Major Arcana. Condensing these archetypal cards into brief descriptions was much more challenging for me than it had been with the Minors!

The Major Arcana point to major life themes and spiritual patterns. Their meanings are deep, layered, and often change over time. Since I first began working with the tarot in 1983, my understanding of these cards has continued to evolve, almost as though the cards themselves are alive. I invite you to approach these keywords with openness and curiosity. Let your intuition guide you, and trust that your interpretations will change as you do.

Majors

Card	Upright / Light Side	Reversed / Shadow Side
א Fool (Element of Air)	A beginning, the journey of life, inexperience, the soul’s call, faith, trust in the unknown	Foolishness, need for caution, instability, homelessness, recklessness, insanity
ב Priestess (the Moon)	Choosing a path, hidden wisdom, considering but not yet acting, intuitive knowing, waiting in stillness, spiritual insight	Disconnected from intuition, withdrawal, confusion, refusing to listen to inner truth
ג Magician (Mercury)	Channel between above and below, alignment of mind and action, focused intent, willpower, empowerment, all the tools you need, resourcefulness, skill, inspired action, manifestation	Scattered energy, unfocused intention, disconnection between thought and action, insecurity, shallow performance, illusion, manipulation, trickery, misuse of power
ד Empress (Venus)	Abundance, creative growth, gestation and nurturing, connection to body and nature, love through presence	Creative block, emotional burnout, over-controlling or smothering, disconnection from body or nature, insecurity around feminine expression
ה Emperor ♈︎ Aries	Structure, stability, authority, law, leadership, strategy, builder of legacy, life experience, fatherly guidance, protection, disciplined love, wisdom and integrity	Tyranny, authoritarianism, domination, rigidity, emotional coldness, controlling father, neglectful patriarch, stuck in old patterns, impenetrable motives, insecurity masked by rage, fear of vulnerability
ו Hierophant ♉︎ Taurus	Guidance, spiritual teaching, passing of wisdom and authority across generations, shared beliefs, ritual, tradition, cultural inheritance and identity, moral framework	Resistance to inner truth, spiritual alienation, blind obedience and conformity, dogma, hypocrisy, oppressive authority, rigid societal roles
ז Lovers ♊︎ Gemini	Choice, union of opposites, love, passion, alignment of values, meaningful connection	Indecision, temptation, conflict of values, disharmony
ח Temperance ♋︎ Cancer	Balance between body and spirit, moderation, harmony, healing, integrity	Imbalance, inner conflict, overindulgence, impatience, spiritual fatigue, miles to go
ט Strength ♌︎ Leo	Inner courage, self-control, gentle discipline, grace under pressure	Acting from instinct alone, lack of self-awareness, fear, forcefulness, base instincts
י Hermit ♍︎ Virgo	Reflection, introspection, solitude, discretion, wisdom gained through experience, patience, inner light, an example to others	Isolation, avoidance, burnout, resistance to connection, fear of being seen
כ Wheel (the Sun)	Change, opportunity, turning point, destiny, putting experience to use	Powerlessness, resisting change, repeating old cycles, unpredictability
ל Justice ♎︎ Libra	Karmic choice, fairness, accepting responsibility, moral clarity, order, virtue, self-awareness	Lack of accountability, imbalance, denial, failure to weigh consequences of choices
מ Hanged Man (Element of Water)	Acceptance, surrender, patience, endurance, a shift in perspective, spiritual pause, sacrifice, a pivotal moment, in which the future hangs in the balance	Stagnation, self-sabotage, martyrdom, self-aggrandizement, inflated ego, lack of impact, limbo
נ Death ♏︎ Scorpio	Metaphorical death and rebirth, deep transformation, surrender, letting go, harvest	Resistance to change, fear of loss, clinging to the past, delayed endings
ס Chariot ♐︎ Sagittarius	Confidence, progress, mastery of will, focused on path, ready to go, wholeness of character	Lack of direction, self-doubt, internal division, loss of control
ע Devil ♑︎ Capricorn	Driven by unconscious instincts, in bondage to emotion, obsession, addiction, dependency, shame, false beliefs, self-doubt, lack of self-awareness	Liberation, breaking chains, overcoming temptation, seeing through illusions, reclaiming power, taking responsibility for choices, awakening from unconscious patterns
פ Tower (Mars)	Sudden change, upheaval, liberation, insight, foundations revealed to be unstable, the collapse of illusion, necessary challenge	Denial, holding onto what is crumbling, internal collapse, negative thinking
צ Star ♒︎ Aquarius	Hope, gratitude, clarity, grace, finding joy in the present, healing, inspiration, guiding others	Self-doubt, disconnection from purpose, failing to recognize your gifts
ק Moon ♓︎ Pisces	Intuitive path, openness to mystery, enchantment, primal instincts, a test of trust	Doubt, depression, self-deception, illusion, fear of the future
ר Sun (Jupiter)	Ecstasy, personal empowerment, joy, new life, radiant success, reward	Burnout, inflated ego, difficulty accepting joy
ש Judgment (Element of Fire)	Awakening, resurrection, truth revealed, revitalization, forgiveness, inner calling	Paying the piper, inability to move on, guilt, avoiding truth, missed awakening
ת World (Saturn)	Wholeness, understanding, fulfillment, attainment, freedom, mastery	Unfinished business, limitation, avoidance of closure, stagnation at the threshold

Tarot is an evolving conversation between intuition, symbolism, and experience. No set of keywords can fully capture the richness of its symbolism or the nuances of each reading. Still, having a flexible and personal vocabulary may help ground your intuitive process and open the way to explore, question, and discover how the cards reflect your life and your wisdom. I hope this list of upright and reversed keywords offers you a useful starting point and inspires you to create your own.

If this post resonated with you, feel free to share it or leave a comment with your own insights into the cards. May your readings grow ever deeper and more meaningful.