How 22 and 56 are arranged
The RWS deck contains 22 major and 56 minor cards. Each of four suits has Ace through Ten and Page, Knight, Queen and King. The site shuffles the complete deck and selects without replacement.
Suits are interpretive cues
Wands often concern action, Cups feelings, Swords judgment and conflict, and Pentacles resources and skill. These are not exclusive life domains: work involves feeling and relationships involve resources.
Court figures do not fix gender or age
A Page can examine learning, a Knight action, and Queens and Kings care, receptivity or leadership. Suit and image determine emphasis. A figure can represent an approach without identifying a particular person’s gender, age or role.
Sources and further reading
Explanations are written by this site; original excerpts are labeled separately. See the source catalogue for editions and scope.
Reviewed: 2026-10-09