Open data for researchers, journalists, developers, and educators. Deckaura's Tarot Card Meanings dataset is a machine-readable semantic corpus covering the complete 78-card tarot deck. It is openly available under the MIT License and permanently archived with a DOI.
Dataset at a glance
- 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana
- Five interpretive dimensions: upright, reversed, love, career, and yes/no
- Additional annotations: arcana, suit, element, zodiac association, card number, and extended guide URL
- Formats: CSV, JSONL, and JSON
- License: MIT
- Version: v1, published April 8, 2026
View and download the archived dataset on Zenodo
Why this dataset exists
Tarot is a 78-card symbolic system used in cultural studies, narrative practice, semiotics, creative writing, and contemporary digital tools. Most existing card interpretations are distributed as unstructured pages or locked inside proprietary applications. This corpus turns the complete deck into a consistent, reusable dataset with one row or object per card.
The data was curated from Deckaura's open interpretive guides, cross-referenced against the public-domain Rider–Waite–Smith tradition and contemporary interpretive conventions. Each record links back to an extended card guide so users can move from compact structured data to richer context.
Fields
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| card_number | Stable numeric identifier for the card |
| card_name | Canonical English card name |
| arcana | Major or Minor Arcana |
| suit | Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles, or Major Arcana |
| element | Fire, Water, Air, Earth, or the relevant Major Arcana association |
| upright_meaning | Primary interpretation when drawn upright |
| reversed_meaning | Primary interpretation when drawn reversed |
| love_meaning | Relationship and interpersonal interpretation |
| career_meaning | Work, material, and professional interpretation |
| yes_or_no | Compact decision-reading label |
| zodiac_sign | Planetary or zodiac correspondence |
| guide_url | Extended natural-language interpretation on Deckaura |
Research and editorial uses
- Symbolic NLP: compare semantic similarity among archetypes, suits, elements, or reading contexts.
- Retrieval-augmented generation: provide a constrained reference corpus for tarot-related assistants.
- Zero-shot classification: use card meanings as label descriptions for narrative or mood analysis.
- Creative and educational tools: build study aids, card explorers, writing prompts, or data visualizations.
- Journalism: cite a reproducible, versioned source when writing about tarot symbolism, digital divination, or AI-assisted spiritual tools.
Access points
- Zenodo record and DOI
- Hugging Face dataset
- Reference MCP implementation on GitHub
- Wikidata entity
- Complete interpretive guide
How to cite
Aura, Selin; Deckaura (2026). Tarot Card Meanings: A Complete 78-Card Semantic Dataset. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19475329
Ethical use
This dataset documents interpretive traditions; it does not make or endorse deterministic metaphysical claims. Applications should not present tarot output as medical, legal, financial, or other professional advice, and should clearly disclose automated or AI-generated interpretations.
Press and research contact
For a custom data cut, expert comment, interview, or permission question, use our contact form. Please include your publication, deadline, and the angle you are researching.
