A traditional Tarot consists of 78 cards, divided into two sections known as the Major and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards,12 of which correspond with the signs of the zodiac and the other 10 with the planets. The Major Arcana cards are also known as the Keys or Trumps of the Tarot, and their symbols and imagery tell us about life principals, our collective experiences and the universal laws at work in our lives. The Minor Arcana consists of 56 cards divided into four suits representing the four elements. Each Minor card is also assigned to a 10 degree area of the zodiac. The numbering of the suits is Ace (1) through ten, with an additional four Court cards (usually, Page, Knight, Queen, King) per suit. The cards of the Minor Arcana are filled with symbols, scenes and portraits that tell us about the specific details of the events, situations and personalities in our daily lives.

In combination, it then becomes possible for the imagery of the cards of the Major and Minor Arcana to spread out before us a rich, pictorial representation of any imaginable situation, providing us as well with information about the mundane and higher order forces that are influencing it. These card combinations are called "spreads", and they are laid out in particular patterns designed to answer certain kinds of questions.
Some readers use one of the many traditional spreads, others create their own. It's a matter of personal preference and choice. So, too, is the decision to use a particular "system" in reading the Tarot. It is a living system that lends itself well to change and innovation.