Arcana: definition

The arcanum is a tarot card regarded as carrying a symbolic principle, a dynamic or a stage of human experience. The word comes from the Latin arcanum: secret, hidden thing, reserved knowledge.

In the Marseille Tarot, an arcanum is not a mere illustrated support: it acts as a symbolic structure that must be interpreted, a dense image charged with several layers of meaning.

Two kinds are distinguished: the major arcana, the twenty-two bearers of the great universal figures, and the minor arcana, the fifty-six cards spread across four suits tied to the concrete areas of life.

An arcanum never delivers a mechanical message: its meaning depends on the question, on the position in the spread, on the neighbouring cards and on the reading method used.

The very etymology —the secret, what must be uncovered— reminds us that the arcanum gives something to interpret rather than to read literally: it invites a work of understanding, not a simple lookup of answers.

Understanding what an arcanum is means understanding tarot: not just any deck, but a set of image-symbols whose richness unfolds in interpretation and in the relationship between the cards.

Keeping this nature of the arcanum in mind changes the reading attitude: it invites you to interpret and relate the cards to one another, rather than seeking in each a closed, definitive answer.