The Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti is a beautiful modern deck created with digital images. It is based loosely on the popular Rider-Waite cards. If you are simply after a quick guide, here is a list of my favourite keywords and phrases for the Gilded Tarot. This list will also work for any Rider-Waite variation or clone.
Gilded Tarot Reversed Meanings
- Note: British spelling used throughout
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Gilded Tarot Major Arcana
~ Fool 0 — “Let’s go….!” Represents all potential possibilities. A blank slate. Trust in the Universe. Taking a risk, being open to anything. Foolishness.
~ Magician 1 — “As I will, so must it be.” Focus, will power, concentration, control. All the tools available to complete the task in hand.
~ High Priestess 2 — “Silence is golden.” Intuition, silence, stillness. Keeper of secrets and mystery. Maidenhood. Spiritual contemplation.
~ Empress 3 — “Come here and give me a hug.” Fertility, abundance, nurturing, childbirth, motherhood. Prosperity, growth, fruition. Good outlook for marriage and relationships. Gardening, farming, cultivation.
~ Emperor 4 — “Do as I tell you.” Structure, conformity, stability, power. Masculinity, fatherhood, husband. Maker of rules. Business success.
~ Hierophant 5 — “Follow in the footsteps of those who have gone before.” Spiritual guide, mentor, religion, faith. Sometimes represents an established institution.
~ Lovers 6 — “We can make beautiful music… and I bet our kids will be good-looking too.” Love, sex, relationships. Choices, life-changing decisions.
~ Chariot 7 — “Horsey, horsey, don’t you stop…” Self-discipline, determination, goal seeking. Negotiation, mediation, compromise. Gathering resources and driving oneself forward. Travel, journey.
~ Strength 8 — “Shhh, everything will be fine.” Inner strength, persuasion, gentleness, trust, tactfulness, diplomacy, patience. Kindness to animals, children and those in need.
~ Hermit 9 — “I want to be alone; I must be alone.” Solitude, introspection, self-knowledge, study, withdrawal from relationships. Time to pause and think.
~ Wheel of Fortune 10 — “Anything could happen here”. Changes, cycles, chance. Combined with other cards: good or bad fortune.
~ Justice 11 — “Sign here, please.” Legal issue, court case, settlement, retribution, divorce finalizes, property conveyancing. Career connected to law or contracts. Balance, justice prevails.
~ Hanging Man 12 — “Mum, I’m bored!” Inactivity. No apparent progression. Stagnation. Waiting time. Forced to look at a situation from another perspective. Can be a springboard to action or knowledge.
~ Death 13 — “It’s an ex parrot.” An important stage of life is ending – career, job, relationship. Retirement. Release, transformation. Death and rebirth. Life cycles.
~ Temperance 14 — “I’d like to teach the world to sing…” Harmony, healing, blending, integration, moderation, consideration. Good chemistry, balance. Conservation and care of the environment.
~ Devil 15 — “Just one more then….” Addiction, enslavement, holding on to that which does not serve you. Sometimes: “Be a devil”… have fun, eat chocolate, take time out. Good times taken to extremes leads to addiction, enslavement, etc. Stuck in a bad relationship or other situation.
~ Tower 16 — “Arghghghgh!” Perceived catastrophe. Clear out. Energetic transformation. Loss, accident, ‘end of the world’. Removal of obstacles. Starting over.
~ Star 17 — “I’m wishing on a star…” Hope, peace, love. Triumph of good over bad. Looking forward; moving on. Blessings, healing.
~ Moon 18 — “I’m lost, I know I am.” Confusion, distraction, deceptive circumstances, losing one’s way, distorted perception, poor mental health. Need to use intuition to get back on track. Cycles, currents, tides.
~ Sun 19 — “Good morning, sunshine!” Growth, happiness. All aspects of life improve. Counting one’s blessings. Making the most of the good times.
~ Judgment 20 — “Heads up!” A call to action, something you must do. Be accountable; responsible. Change of career or lifestyle.
~ World 21 — “I’m exactly where I need to be.” Completion, fulfilment, attainment. End of a life cycle. Pause, transition, waiting.
Gilded Tarot – Wands
~ Ace of Wands – New initiatives, ideas or inspiration. Change of lifestyle or new personal image. New business or enterprise. High energy levels. Birth of a baby.
~ Two of Wands – Planning stage, possible frustration, minor decisions must be made.
~ Three of Wands – Part way to success, more work to do, positive movement forward. Anticipation of good things to come.
~ Four of Wands – Achievement, a job well done, a resting period. Possible marriage, new home or other celebration.
~ Five of Wands – Disconcerting competition, arguments, squabbling that could escalate if not checked.
~ Six of Wands – Success, victory, passing a test. Recognition of your contribution. Good news.
~ Seven of Wands – Challenges, pressure, questioning of your position and policies. Having to defend your stance.
~ Eight of Wands – Fast moving changes. Get organised! Possible pregnancy. Travel.
~ Nine of Wands – Temporary defeat or lack of energy. Perseverance in the face of adversity.
~ Ten of Wands – Overburdened. Taking on too many responsibilities. Forward movement is slow but can be achieved. Try to shed some of the load.
~ Page of Wands – Explorer of possibilities. Full of ideas and enthusiasm. Someone on the cusp of an adventure. Young person. An important message is on the way.
~ Knight of Wands – Ambitious, passionate, hasty. Unreliable. Butterfly personality.
~ Queen of Wands – Warm, ambitious, fun, flirty, cheerful, disorganised, no shrinking violet, may be temperamental. Likes older children and teenagers whom she can interact with.
~ King of Wands – Strong, inspirational, optimistic, successful. Hot tempered and irritable but bad moods pass quickly. Rule breaker. Has a relaxed, somewhat irresponsible attitude towards his children. Can sometimes alienate the more sensitive ones with his temper.
Gilded Tarot – Cups
~ Ace of Cups – New connection, relationship, love. Emotional happiness. Conception.
~ Two of Cups – Mutual attraction, developing friendship, forming an emotional bond, love.
~ Three of Cups – Girls’ night out, celebration, widening circle of friendship, cementing emotional bonds.
~ Four of Cups – Self-absorbed, low-level depression, withdrawn, ignoring possible opportunities (usually of an emotional nature). Lack of enthusiasm. Detachment.
~ Five of Cups – Grief, loss, despair, deep depression. However, all is not lost – there is always a way through.
~ Six of Cups – Emotional healing, renewing old friendships, nostalgia, childhood, children. Playfulness.
~ Seven of Cups – Too many choices, daydreaming about possibilities, emotional overwhelm.
~ Eight of Cups – An emotional decision made. Turning away from a situation. Taking a more difficult path.
~ Nine of Cups – Pleasure, fulfilment, contentment, abundance.
~ Ten of Cups – Emotional security, family, love. A happy marriage or partnership.
~ Page of Cups – Explorer of emotions, artistic, creative, healing. A young child or baby. A message delivered in person.
~ Knight of Cups – Romancer, bringer of gifts, Sometimes emotionally shallow and immature.
~ Queen of Cups – Empathic, compassionate, emotionally supportive, good listener, gentle, quiet, reserved. Loves babies and children.
~ King of Cups – Sincere, wise, avoids conflict. Good mediator and diplomat. Open hearted but can be introverted. Kind to his children but may appear weak to them in later life.
Gilded Tarot – Swords
~ Ace of Swords – Sudden break-though, clarity of thought, new ways of communication. The truth revealed. A new philosophy or way of perceiving the world.
~ Two of Swords – Preventing oneself from seeing the truth, refusing to engage, reluctance to make a decision.
~ Three of Swords – Communication breakdown. Separation, misunderstanding. Medical procedures.
~ Four of Swords – Forced rest. After-effects of emotional breakdown or stress. Voluntary withdrawal. Recuperation.
~ Five of Swords – Deceit, bullying, defeat. Depends which figure you identify with; deceiver, victim or one who refuses to retaliate and walks away.
~ Six of Swords – Mental healing. Progression, moving on. Feeling guidance from within. Assimilating life lessons.
~ Seven of Swords – Theft, deception. Retrieving something lost, for example: self-confidence, peace of mind.
~ Eight of Swords – Surrounded by problems of your own making. Feeling dis-empowered. Unable to move forward. Fear of the future.
~ Nine of Swords – Fear, anxiety, worry, nightmares. Unable to see a solution. Know that the solution lies within the problem. Turn things around and try seeing everything from a new perspective.
~ Ten of Swords – End of a life cycle. End of something long established. Can indicate death in combination with other cards. Light on the horizon. A new beginning is imminent.
~ Page of Swords – Explorer of thought and philosophy. Brings ideas into manifestation. Quick thinker, good communicator, excellent debater. A message delivered swiftly, i.e. SMS or email.
~ Knight of Swords – Fights for a cause. Single-minded and determined. Can be critical. Swift acting.
~ Queen of Swords – Seeker of truth, does not tolerate fools, intellectual, incisive. Tells it how it is. Capable of making it to the top of her profession. Prefers intelligent adults to children.
~ King of Swords – Authoritarian, intellectual, usually at the top of his profession (lawyer, surgeon, writer, etc.). Fair, takes responsibility, good communicator, logical, clear thinker, commands respect. Fair with his children but never indulgent.
Gilded Tarot – Pentacles
~ Ace of Pentacles – A gift, a new income source or a prize. A renovation, DIY or new build project. A new job, career or business. Prosperity, reward, improving finances.
~ Two of Pentacles – Financial planning and budgeting. More money going out than coming in. Waiting for results: medical tests, exams, etc.
~ Three of Pentacles – Project nearing completion. Succeeding with the help of others. Hard work pays off.
~ Four of Pentacles – Overly cautious, holding on to material wealth, mean with money, fear of letting go, fear of poor health. Lacking the impetus to socialise.
~ Five of Pentacles – Material challenges. Lack of money, lack of adequate accommodation. Hard times. Bad time to agree any financial commitment.
~ Six of Pentacles – Which figure do you identify with? Sharing, giving, receiving, financial/material relief. A debt repaid.
~ Seven of Pentacles – Material wealth doesn’t equal happiness. On the surface you are doing well, however you may feel frustration and lack of fulfilment.
~ Eight of Pentacles – Honing your talent, learning new skills. Training course may be required or offered. Change of profession.
~ Nine of Pentacles – Financial independence. Fulfilment. Contented with what you’ve achieved in life. May indicate an upcoming career break due to pregnancy.
~ Ten of Pentacles – Traditional family values. Inheritance. Paperwork all in order. Provisions made for future contingencies. A gathering together of family generations.
~ Page of Pentacles – An explorer of the world; academic, scientific. A student. Someone who is interested in many things. A person who loves to read. An animal lover. A message delivered traditionally, i.e. by post or similar means, often regarding financial or property matters.
~ Knight of Pentacles – A hard worker. A quiet man; “Still waters run deep”. Trustworthy and reliable. Keeps his feelings hidden unless he is 100% comfortable. Good marriage material but slow to commit.
~ Queen of Pentacles – Practical, home-loving, creative, hard working. Likes to help others but also encourages them to help themselves. A do-er rather than a listener. Prefers to use her own methods. Likes children and animals.
~ King of Pentacles – A business owner, a self-made man (or woman). Likes good food and entertainment. Happy to enjoy the fruits of his labours. May have issues with adult children; expecting them to do things his way. Adores his grandchildren.
I hope these quick interpretations are useful to you and that you can expand on them in your readings.
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