The Major Arcana (Cards 0-22) represent the bigger mysteries–the greater truths, the universal laws, the energetic and spiritual realities. The mythic Fool’s journey of the Majors outlines the transformational process. Whether you call it self-actualization enlightenment or awakening or whatever doesn’t matter a whit. Many schools of thought have many names for this process, but it’s at core a process of evolution.
The Minor Arcana (Suit cards) illustrate the mundane, everyday world representations of wherever we are in the Major Arcana’s cycle. This is how the energy of above manifests below, sometimes in the form of lessons.
In questions of timing, I usually find Majors to point to months or occasionally years, whereas the Minors speak more often to days or weeks. In general, the Majors just have a bigger and further reaching punch than the Minors.
If the Tarot layout is chock-full of Major Arcana, you know this is a very important time with far-reaching impact. Crossroads and turning points are punctuated with the Majors.
If the layout is mostly Minor Arcana, know the current focus is on refining and integrating what you already know. Individual choices tend to carry less weight, and impact is more temporary. It doesn’t mean the topic isn’t important. Only that current concerns are less pivotal in development.
As every part of life has ebbs and flows, so does the cycle of growth. Thank goodness! That “growth thing” can be very demanding sometimes. The preponderance of Majors versus Minors will give you a pretty good idea of where you’re at.
What do you find true of the Major versus Minor Arcana?