The Minors are separated into four suits. These suits represent certain things:

WAND (Air):
Usually predict energy, growth, enterprise, animation, ideas, thought and glory.
Will and magical power,  continual renewal of life. Represents pure mind,  thinking, speaking. Best known for representing problems and troubles especially those relating to communications or bad press,  but really about anything to do with either words and/or thoughts. Brilliant thoughts as well as nightmares;  sharp ideas or a sharp tongue. This is the card of scientists and analysts of thinking things though or thinking/saying too much. Ideas breeze into your mind, words are given breath, written letters and messages fly on the wind.



CUPS (Water):
Usually predict love, happiness, feelings, emotions, fertility, and beauty.
Symbol of knowledge,  preservation, love, pleasure and enjoyment. Best known for representing the Querent's love life, but it also stands for emotional extremes, such as elation, depression or bliss, and the negatives that come with such emotions, like over-indulgence in food, drink, drugs. Likewise the positives like poetry or music. Also, psychic powers, visions, illusions. These are feelings that you surrender to, that you flow or sink into.



PENTACLE (Earth):
Usually predict physical, expressions, money, industry, and material gain.
The suit Pentacles in the Tarot is made up of three elements: the Circle, Pentagram, and Coin, symbolically they total: Sun (Solar Power and Fire) + Pentagram (figure of Power) + Money (Gold. physical wealth) in the form of an amulet, protects against evil spirits.  Also represents the body and the physical, work, job, task, craft and luck; which is solid, real.



SWORD (Fire):
Usually predict motivations, power, free will aggression, force, ambition, courage, strife, misfortune, passion
Protection,  knowledge, mind, constructive or destructive activity, elimination of outworn forms, bravery, freedom.  Upward blade usually represent victory. As such, in a reading it usually stands for a querent's ambition, career, creative endeavors, religion and/or philosophy. Anything a person might put their energy and soul into, such as teaching and leadership. This is something you have to do, whether you are recompensed for it or not. It is something that burns inside of you and you need to act on it.

Strange?? In my book the wands and the swords are reversed??

well blousie, there are many different intepretations to the present tarot cards. the original inepretation had been lost and the many interpretations had develop during all these ages.
i dont know which book u prefere? but i have been prefering tarot knowledge written in articles of tarot. they really help mea lot!
well u can share ur knowledge with us. its only a good thing!
u can suggest the author of ur book so that new learners over here may get a little help!

Thanks for the information cool cat.  I did know that the definitions varied, but I thought that the four suits would be generally the same.  Just shows that you learn something new everyday That is why I'm here  The book I have is called The Mythic Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Green.  I like it because each suit is based on a story from Greek Mythology and it seems to be easier for me to remember the card meanings as a stage of the story.  I still have a ton to learn Thanks for adding your information to the sight!  It makes it so much easier when you have such a wealth of information available to you.  I hope you weren't offended by my previous post.  I should have elaborated

i also feel it is easier to remember to a story line especially when tarot cards are linked up with each other.   thanks for refering the book.
well of course not,  i was not offended at ur statement as sharing knowledge does help in increasing the knowledge.
i have learnt the tarot recently, i can interpret the key words easily but linking it into a story form  relating it to the particular situation will still take a little time .  and i think that is what more important thing.  
thanks for adding up ur views.

bye
catty