THE TAROT STUDIES GLOSSARY · A–Z
The Letter M
Explore Tarot terms beginning with M, including the Major and Minor Arcana, Marseille Tarot, metaphors, modifiers, mirroring, Moon readings, and mythology.
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Major Arcana
The twenty-two trump cards of a traditional Tarot deck, numbered from The Fool at 0 through The World at 21. They often represent significant archetypes, developmental themes, turning points, or forces that give a reading broader emphasis.
Subject: Card Structure
Related terms: trump, Greater Arcana, Fool’s Journey
Manifestation
The process of bringing an intention, idea, or possibility into concrete expression through attention and action. In spiritual Tarot practice, the term may include belief or ritual, but a reading does not guarantee a desired result or replace practical steps.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: intention, action, Outcome Card
Mars
A planet associated in astrology with drive, assertion, conflict, courage, desire, and decisive action. Tarot correspondence systems connect Mars with selected cards and zodiacal relationships, adding a particular quality of force or urgency.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: astrology, action, planetary correspondence
Marseille Tarot
A family of traditional European Tarot patterns known for emblematic trump images and suit cards that generally arrange their symbols without the fully illustrated scenes familiar from Rider-Waite-Smith decks. Reading methods often emphasize number, suit, direction, and visual pattern.
Subject: History and Systems
Related terms: Tarot de Marseille, pip card, historical decks
Masculine and Feminine Energies
Traditional symbolic language used in some Tarot and esoteric systems to describe paired qualities such as active and receptive, expressive and containing, or outward and inward. These energies are archetypal metaphors and should not be treated as fixed rules about gender.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: polarity, active and receptive, archetype
Meditation
A practice of sustained attention or quiet observation that may be used with a Tarot card. A reader might study the image, follow the breath, visualize entering the scene, or reflect on a symbol to deepen familiarity and awareness.
Subject: Tarot Foundations
Related terms: card contemplation, visualization, focus
Mediumship
A spiritual practice in which a person believes they communicate with spirits or the deceased. Some practitioners combine mediumship with Tarot, but the two are not the same skill. Claims should be described honestly and handled with clear consent and emotional care.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: spirit communication, channeling, boundaries
Mental Health Boundaries in Tarot
The limits that keep Tarot in a reflective and educational role rather than presenting it as mental-health diagnosis, treatment, or crisis care. Tarot may help someone name feelings or prepare questions, but concerns about symptoms, safety, diagnosis, or treatment should be taken to a qualified health-care professional.
Subject: Tarot Foundations
Related terms: Psychological Reading, Unconscious Pattern, Self-Reflection
Metaphor
An image or idea that describes one experience through another. Tarot frequently works through metaphor: a tower may represent a collapsing belief, a road may suggest choice, or a garden may describe cultivation and growth without being interpreted literally.
Subject: Symbols and Imagery
Related terms: symbolism, visual language, analogy
Minor Arcana
The fifty-six suited cards of a traditional Tarot deck. They include four suits, each containing cards Ace through Ten plus Page, Knight, Queen, and King. Their imagery often explores everyday choices, relationships, thoughts, emotions, work, conflict, and growth.
Subject: Card Structure
Related terms: suit, numbered card, Court Cards
Mirroring
A relationship in which two cards repeat or reflect one another through posture, symbols, number, direction, or meaning. Mirroring may show agreement, reinforcement, contrast, or a pattern being recognized through another person or situation.
Subject: Symbols and Imagery
Related terms: card pairing, repetition, reflection
Mirror Spread
A Tarot layout designed to compare self-perception with another perspective, underlying reality, or a reflected pattern. Position meanings vary, but the spread commonly explores projection, blind spots, strengths, and the difference between appearance and experience.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: self-reflection, projection, spread structure
Missing Suit
A suit that does not appear in a multi-card spread. Some readers treat its absence as a clue that a particular element or area of experience is receiving less attention. The reading’s size and question should be considered before assigning significance.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: elemental imbalance, suit dominance, spread pattern
Modality
An astrological classification describing how a zodiac sign approaches action and change. The twelve signs are grouped as cardinal, fixed, or mutable, with four signs in each group. Tarot correspondence systems may use modality to add qualities of initiation, continuation, or adaptation to interpretation.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: Fixed Signs, Zodiac Sign, Astrological Association
Modifier
A card or contextual factor that changes how another card is expressed. Nearby cards, reversals, elemental relationships, and spread positions can all act as modifiers by strengthening, narrowing, challenging, or redirecting a meaning.
Subject: Reading Language
Related terms: card relationships, context, elemental dignity
Moon Phase Reading
A Tarot reading organized around the lunar cycle. Positions or timing may reflect beginnings at the New Moon, development through waxing phases, illumination at the Full Moon, and release or review during waning phases.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: lunar cycle, Moon, timing
Mutable Signs
The zodiac signs Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius, and Pisces, which conclude their respective seasons. Mutable energy is associated with adaptation, transition, flexibility, and the ability to respond to changing conditions.
Subject: Correspondences
Related terms: astrology, modality, zodiac
Mythology
Traditional stories about deities, heroes, creation, conflict, and cultural values. Tarot artists and readers may use mythological parallels to deepen archetypal interpretation, but the original culture and story should remain visible rather than being reduced to a generic symbol.
Subject: Symbols and Imagery
Related terms: archetype, cultural context, story