Tarot is an ancient art of divination that allows us to decipher our past, present
and future fortunes from the imagery and symbolism contained within a special set of
cards. Each of the cards in a standard Tarot pack carries its own
significant meaning - and your destiny can be depicted
in the fall of the cards.
Tarot has continued to fascinate philosophers, historians and spiritualists for
centuries. And although there are many, many different Tarot packs available today,
the core values of each pack have remained unchanged for over six hundred years.
Origins
The true origin of Tarot is shrouded in mystery but it is believed to have stemmed
from ordinary playing cards, which appeared in China more than a thousand years ago.
Playing cards were widespread in Europe by the 14th century and the gambling game
Tarocchi - similar to Bridge - became popular.
The cards were used in Italy during the 1500s for story telling and poetry and, indeed,
the first recorded use of playing cards for divination purposes is credited to a series
of sonnets by Italian poet Merlini Cocai in 1527. The Occultist movement in France
during the 18th century further strengthened the popularity of Tarot. Occultists believed
the symbols in the cards could be traced to Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Today, there are three main groups of Tarot deck design:
Occultist: Based on images by A E Waite and Aleister Crowley, the most
common pack used for divination, occultism and meditation. Contain Egyptian and
Judeo-Christian symbolism.
Traditional: Decks used prior to Occult changes, containing Judeo-Christian
symbols but with minor differences, such as the Trumps not being numbered.
Modern: Fantastic artwork which may or may not contain Occult symbols. Trump
order may vary.
How The Tarot Card System Works
There are seventy-eight cards in each pack of Tarot cards,
divided into two sections: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana.
Major Arcana consists of twenty-two cards, each of which depicts a universal theme.
The Major Arcana are also known as Trumps. You can find a detailed description of
these cards and their individual meanings by clicking here.
Minor Arcana consists of fifty-six cards, very similar to the common deck of
playing cards (cards one-to-ten and the face cards: King, Queen and Jack). The only
difference between the Minor Arcana and a regular pack of playing cards is the addition
of a Knight in the tarot pack. The Minor Arcana are also knows as Suits because they are
further divided into four suits of: wands, cups, swords and pentacles.
Although the origin of Tarot is largely speculative, it is believed the full deck of
seventy-eight cards was combined from these two separate packs.
The cards are shuffled and dealt to form a 'spread', the layout of which will depend
on the question you want to find answers to. The accuracy of your reading depends on
the skills and experience of the reader.
Why The Tarot Cards Work For You
No one really knows how or why Tarot cards help people in their daily life. Some
say that positive energy is being channelled, through the cards, from God or another
higher spiritual being. Others believe, like philosopher Jung, that the cards are
synchronised at that precise moment to work with your thoughts and intuitions. And
cynics say we simply project our personal situation onto the random fall of the cards
and then take away what we want to hear.
Whichever of these is the case there is one sure outcome - that you can reassess your
situation with the added clarity of a fresh and honest perspective. No matter what has
been troubling you in your personal or professional life, the cards may help you change
your life's path, break out of that rut, or give you the confidence to make a bold
decision.
