Gilded Tarot Meanings

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 🙂 Feel free to save or print for your own reference but please do not republish elsewhere.

Gilded Majors

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 Wands

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 Cups

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 Swords

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 Pentacles

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.

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29 thoughts on “Gilded Tarot Meanings

  1. Rose

    Hi I’m new to tarot. I have a question what does the high priestess and the three of cups card mean together. I pulled the high priestess cars first then the three of cups.

    Reply
    1. Troi Post author

      Hi Rose,

      You are asking for a cold reading. I don’t know the question or the circumstances. Why don’t you tell me what your interpretation is?

      Reply
    2. Willie

      Good Luck Rose! I find that Gilded Tarot is a beautiful deck and it really can speak to you.
      Have you connected with your deck?

      Reply
      1. Alici leslie

        My name is alicia and i have a deck of gilded tarrot cards amd i want to read them how do i go about doing that. Im new to this

        Reply
        1. Troi Post author

          Hi Alicia, get yourself a good beginner’s book. There are loads on Amazon, “Tarot for Beginners: A Practical Guide to Reading the Cards” by Barbara Moore may work for you. Or have a look at “Tarot for Beginners: A Guide to Psychic Tarot Reading, Real Tarot Card Meanings, and Simple Tarot Spreads” by Lisa Chamberlain.

          I also have lots of articles on this site for beginners. These might be helpful:

          https://tarot-study.info/articles/how-to-interpret-tarot-cards/
          https://tarot-study.info/articles/make-tarot-work-for-you/
          https://tarot-study.info/articles/tarot-one-card-reading/

          Be warned, learning to read the tarot takes dedication and time. I’ve been studying it for 23 years and I’m always learning new things about it.

          Good luck.

          Reply
  2. Stewart Young

    I had a set of the Gilded cards but when I was between housing I left them a a friends. her roommates found the box they were in wrapping up in a silk cloth and thought they attracted evil and threw them out. I had the deck for years and they were very attuned to my energies.
    It has taken me two years to find an other Gilded deck but I now have a new deck that is only now feeling like they are part of me. I love the deck

    Reply
  3. Tracy

    My sister gave me the guilded deck , which I absolutely love. The problem is, it’s just the deck. No book, no type of instructions etc. I am wondering if I can purchase those items. I’m new to tarot cards and would like to have the meanings at my finger tips instead of stopping to search the Internet.
    Peace and love
    Tracy

    Reply
    1. Troi Post author

      Hi there Tracy,

      There is a book with the Gilded Tarot but it comes as a set with the deck. It’s available on Amazon.

      Any book related to the Rider-Waite deck will work with the Gilded. The images are different but the meanings are just about identical.

      I’m sending you my original list on a Word.docx. You can print it out. Although, of course it’s not very comprehensive.

      I also recommend the free downloadable Learn Tarot course by Joan Bunning: http://www.learntarot.com/

      Reply
      1. Shiv

        Hi, I have also just bought the deck, I was wondering if there is a difference if the cards are facing me or not, are there different meanings of it ?

        Reply
        1. Troi Post author

          Hi Shiv, you are referring to reversed cards. You don’t need to use them if you are just starting out. Learn the basic upright meanings first. They cover all aspects of life in any case. Reversals just make it all a bit more complicated.

          Reply
          1. Belinda

            Tarot is not for the faint at heart. Sure if people dont take tarot very seriously and choose to see life through rosie colored glasses and not face the situations in life for what they truly are then go ahead and leave reversals out. You have to be willing to see the good the bad and the ugly in situations. You have to be able to see if there is danger ahead like in the form of a Reversed King of Pentacles or Reversed King of Wands that sits with The Devil in Rev and an upright 3 of swords. Reversals help you provide good council. It adds a dimension and depth and helps u bring the darkness into the light. But thats just my humble opinion 😉

          2. Troi Post author

            Hi Belinda,

            I understand where you are coming from, and I know this goes against conventional tarot systems, but I find that the upright cards contain all the meanings necessary to give an accurate reading. As you become more experienced, you learn that the card interpretations are on a spectrum from positive to negative.

            Also I’ve never been very comfortable with deciding how many cards should be upright or reversed. Some people only turn a third of the deck, some turn half. Some smoosh them randomly. I prefer to see my cards upright and then decide on their meaning from the question, the situation, the other cards, and my own intuition. Context is everything. The deck that brought this home to me was the Revelations Tarot, which shows the reversal within the image. I highly recommend it.

  4. Darshan

    I have just started to learn the gilded tarot cards. I pulled 3 cards First Empress 3, then Hermit 9 and the third Six of Swords. I got separate meaning but how you pu them together. what it is trying to say thank for any guidance I can get.

    Reply
    1. Troi Post author

      Hi Darshan,

      The way to pull the story out is to relate each card back to your question. If the question is clear and defined the cards will automatically tell the tale. Then look to see if there’s any relationship between the cards. Similarities? Shared symbolism? Are there any other details in common? For example, You have three, six and nine. Threes, and multiples thereof, usually imply the ending/beginning of a life cycle. The higher the number, the more significant it is.

      I love the Gilded Tarot, but it lacks a lot of detail and symbolism. I would suggest that you also study the Rider-Waite or one of its closer clones: The Universal Waite is a good one as it’s a recolouring of the original. The deck I learned with was the Robin Wood. It doesn’t mean you should abandon the Gilded, just that you need a little extra dimension to help cement the meaning and feeling of the cards.

      For instance, the Six of Swords means recovery, healing, moving on, getting to a better place (in both mind and body). In the Rider-Waite it is illustrated by a little boat carrying a family moving towards land and safety after navigating choppy water. That’s not shown in the Gilded. Have a look at the Robin Wood Six of Swords — see the little star twinkling in the cave? To me that’s an important detail. The seeker is moving towards the energy of the Star, or perhaps even the Hermit’s abode. And he has unseen help to get there. His faith that he can make it is what propels him forward. The Robin Wood deck is the one I keep in my head, even when looking at other decks. It’s almost like it represents the language of the tarot.

      Good luck on your tarot journey, Darshan, and thank you for your question.

      Reply
      1. Jack

        Hello,
        Like you I look for the symbolism of the animals and elements but also the sky. Any card that has for example, the moon is casting shadows and the available information is short of making informed decisions. However, the King of Wands has a planet which is symbolic but difficult to say which planet it is, to measure the weight of the symbol within the interpretation. I would appreciate any ideas towards my own interpretation of this card from Gilded Tarot.

        Reply
        1. Troi Post author

          Hi Jack, one of the things which is apparent in most tarot decks is that the two ‘masculine’ suits, Wands and Swords, seem to decay or lessen in energy, while Cups and Pentacles appear to increase/thrive. So how about if that planet is actually the decaying sun? How would that affect your interpretation?

          Reply
  5. Tarot Learner

    Hi there!

    The link to Jan Carol’s study guide does not seem to work anymore. Any ideas of where else I could find it?

    Reply
    1. Troi Post author

      Thanks for letting me know. It was working a few days ago. I’ve edited the page to mention that it’s not available. No, I don’t know where else to find it 🙁 Perhaps Jan will set up another site.

      Reply
    1. theraggededge Post author

      Hi Jared, apparently the creator of the deck says the sleeping mole represents voluntary blindness, i.e. keeping your eyes shut when it is time to open them, dispel darkness and move forwards. If it signifies something different for you, then use that in your readings. Symbolism can be as personal as you want it to be.

      Reply
  6. Keith Lee

    Hi, I find your site very helpful. This is the one I’ve used but never really got interested in studying deeply the Tarot, it was more of a hobby to me. However, now that I’m actually taking a more in depth look at the cards and I’m wondering, there appears to be an animal (I think it’s a huge rat, but I’m not sure). What do you read into it. I’d love to know your or anyone else’s thought (who uses the deck). Thank you in advance and thanks for the great work in summing up the deck for us! Cheers.

    Reply
    1. theraggededge Post author

      Hi Keith,

      You are referring to the Ten of Pentacles, yes? The rat is a symbol of adaptability and hard work. He suggests keeping an eye on your resources and to use them wisely. The Romans viewed the rat as a symbol of prosperity. The tortoise in the foreground says, slow and steady, and refers to building up an estate, tradition, structure or business over a period of time.

      Hope that helps 🙂

      Reply
  7. Ann

    Hi I’m new to tarot and chose the gilded as my first deck, love it and keep just picking it up, need to really get down to knowing it, thank you for this information very useful . X

    Reply
  8. Debbie

    Hello Troi,

    I really like your card meanings for the Gilded Tarot. I’m very new to tarot and have just bought the Gilded, but decided to use RW to learn. Gilded is certainly a beautiful deck, but I think I’ll stick with RW for the moment.

    Thank you so much…and this is a great site! Wonderfully informative.

    Happy taroting!
    Debbie

    Reply
  9. Chris Powell

    I was looking at your site on Gilded Tarot Card meanings. on the side of the page, you have pictured a purple “The Star” and other cards spread out. Love the beauty in that deck…..what deck is this if you don’t mind my asking.

    Thank you

    Chris

    Reply
    1. theraggededge Post author

      Hi Chris,

      The deck is the Pagan Tarot 2000. I’m not sure if it’s still in print. It was printed by a small Cornish press, which was one reason why I bought it. The Majors are gorgeous, the Minors are not illustrated, they are pips with just the suit emblems. You can see images on Aeclectic.

      🙂

      Reply

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