A little while ago I had the pleasure of teaching Tarot cards to one of my nieces. When I was briefly explaining the card meanings to her she asked me:
What is the most powerful card in Tarot?
In Tarot card games typically the highest valued cards are the Trump cards and all the Kings of the Minor Arcana. In some games the Fool might be considered the strongest trump compared to others. However, In tarot readings there is no single card that can be pointed to be the most powerful card.
Children are great students because they ask questions and they are able to think outside the box. I couldn’t give her a straight answer so I decided to do some searching on this topic. I found some interesting viewpoints that deepened my understanding of the cards. Let’s take a look more closely.
Can you rank Tarot cards?
When we look at the subject of ranking the cards it is good to make a division between what we are using the cards for. Generally the cards are used for two different purposes: gaming and divination such as Tarot reading.
First let’s look at the standard Tarot deck and then go through how they are ranked for different purposes.
The most commonly used Tarot card deck includes 78 cards. You can play most card games of the Tarot family with this deck although not all of the games use all the cards. The 78 card deck is also most commonly used for Tarot readings.
The 78-card tarot deck is divided to two entities that are called Major Arcana and Minor Arcana:
- Major Arcana
- 21 cards that are also known as the Trumps
- The Fool is either “0” or an unnumbered card
- Minor Arcana
- 56 cards consisting of four 14 card suits. The suits are numbered 1-10 plus four court cards, a Page/Jack, a Knight/Cavalier, a Queen, and a King.
Ranking in the Card Games
In the context of different card games that are played with the Tarot cards some cards are more valuable than others. They have different scoring systems that give the cards different numeric values. The most commonly used division is to divide the cards into counters and low cards. A typical scoring system is as follows.
A table for different card values.
- Trumps I to XXI and the Fool: 5 points
- Kings: 5 points
- Queens: 4 points
- Cavaliers or Knights: 3 points
- Knaves, Valets or Jacks: 2 points
- Low cards: 1 point
Although the Major Arcana cards and the Kings of the Minor Arcana have the same values, in some of the Tarot card games the Fool tricks the next player from following a suit or playing a trump.
Therefore you can argue that the Fool acts as the strongest trump compared to others.
Ranking in Tarot reading context
In Tarot readings it is not possible to make an objective argument how the different cards rank. Although they have numerations on the cards they don’t serve the purpose for valuing the cards into a clear order.
In Major Arcana the numerization symbolizes the different stages of the “Fool’s journey”. This is a metaphor for a person’s adventure through life.
Each of the Major Arcana cards represent phases along that journey. These phases can be divided into three stages.
- The material plane – 0 The Fool – VII The Chariot
- The mental plane – VIII Strength – XIV Temperance
- The spiritual plane – XV The Devil – XXI The World
The Minor Arcana, which includes 56 cards also has numeration on 40 of them. As you can see from the table below, they are not giving values to the cards, but they symbolize meanings. Using the numbers adds depth to the meanings and the interpretation of the cards.
Shortly the meanings are:
- I – New beginnings, pure potential
- II – Duality, partnership, balance
- III – Groups, growth, creativity
- IV – Foundation, stability, manifestation
- V – Change, fluctuation, conflict
- VI – Communication, cooperation, alignment
- VII – Introspection, assessment, knowledge
- IIX – Mastery, action, achievement
- IX – Fruition, attainment, nearing completion
- X – Completion, end of a cycle, moving forward
While there are some possibilities to rank the cards in Tarot card games, in Tarot readings the distinction is impossible. Each card symbolizes different meanings and the meanings relate to different people very subjectively.
You can make some arguments that major arcana are more important cards because they denote important life events or lessons, while the minor arcana cards reflect more day to day events.
This of course is debatable and doesn’t serve any extra value to the purpose of the cards.
Tarot Cards that symbolize Power and Strength
Although there is no clear way to rank the Tarot cards I have included some cards from the tarot deck that symbolizes strength, power and courage.
Major Arcana
The Strength – Sounds like an obvious card to put on this list although it represents many other qualities rather than being physically strong. If you look at the history of Tarot, the Strength was priorly known as fortitude. It represents a gallant spirit that maintains its composure while under pressure. Working with others while forgiving imperfections are typical attributions of the strength card. When it shows up in a Tarot reading, it messages that stamina and patience will be required in some life’s challenges.
The Emperor – This card represents the Father Archetype. It symbolizes power, strength and success and the dominance of rationalization over emotion. The Emperor represents leadership and status. It also encourages hard work, being brave and to be in command of things. Success follows the one that is willing to work hard and smart.
The Empress – She is the embodiment of feminine power. It symbols a strong desire to take care of others with love and compassion. It is the mother of all cards so the strength comes in a motherly form. And we all know that there is so much power there.
The Chariot – In the most basic level the Chariot is all about getting what you want. It signifies more willpower rather than physical power. It represents hard-won triumph over enemies, obstacles, and the insecurities inside you. When it shows up in a reading it guides the seeker to concentrate their energy on a particular path or purpose.
Minor Arcana
Seven Of Wands – It depicts a man who is ready to hold his ground and take on the opponent. It signals that you need to be strong to defend your position against those that try to come and steal away your spot and territory.
Nine Of Wands – This card symbolizes that as long as there is hope there is a chance. It encourages to face challenges and trials with courage in order to maintain success. Setbacks are part of the game, but one must not quit and keep on fighting and confront the ones that are against.
The Kings – All of them are very powerful figures and they are naturally linked to the Emperor card. They represent power, stability and maturity.
The Queens – Just like their male counterparts they are all powerful figures. Their strength comes from influence, practical intelligence and empathy.
Powerful Tarot Decks
Is there such a thing as a powerful tarot deck? As we are not ranking them into any particular order I can say that there is.
The deck that is powerful is the one that you can connect with and it feels the right for you. The look, symbolization, size, smell, and the feel might be different but only you can be the judge which one is powerful for you.
Allow me to to list a few of my favorite decks here that I feel are powerful.
Rider Waite Tarot Deck – I need to have this here because it will be the first deck for most of the people getting into Tarot. It is the most popular deck in the world. It has clear symbolism in the images and it makes it easy for anyone who is getting started with Tarot.
The Illuminated Tarot – This one is actually a bit of an unconventional deck as it has only 53 cards. Although it may seem that this is a more advanced deck even beginners can start their tarot journey with this one. This deck has combined Majors and Minors together so that some cards act as both. The reader has the choice to pick the meaning he or her wishes to interpret them or they can be interpreted based on how they lay on the spread. This Deck is beautifully designed and is really high quality. Another great thing about learning to use this deck is that after you will be able to use any traditional playing card deck to read Tarot.