Tarot has been used throughout the past hundred years or so as a game and for fortune telling. It's only been the past couple of decades that Tarot become recognized as a tool to magnify one's inner voice of intuition. 

 

Initially, Tarot was simply a regular deck of playing cards. It was not intended to intuit personal insight, divination, or fortune-telling. The earliest decks of the Tarot varied in their number of cards. They were created, for the most part, for entertainment purposes and occasionally for education.

 

But where do the cards come from? The origin of the Tarot has yet to be discovered. Some say Tarot may have originated in China, India, Persia, Saudi Arabia, Europe or Egypt. However, this has never been proven. Many feel some of these this connections have been encouraged to deepen the mysteriousness and sales of the cards themselves.

 

Regular playing cards did exist in China and the Middle East as early as the 10th century. However, these cards were very different from cards found later in Europe and not considered Tarot cards. Furthermore, "Tarot" is likely derived from the Italian word for cards, "Tarocchi." This word is recorded as being used in Italy during the 15th century, where many people believe the actual game of Tarot originated as it is used today. They were called "Taraux" in France around the same period.

 

In the beginning, a deck of Tarot contained only twenty-two cards with images. These images differed depending on the area they were created in and how they were painted by hand. For example, older cards designed in the locality where Germany now exists were illustrated with scenes of kings, queens, and animals found in nature. Images created on the cards were left up to the artist based on what he favored or considered popular then. For example, in 1424, The Greek Emperor visited Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milano (Italy), to ask for help against the Osmans. During his visit, he offered to commission a card deck. Sixteen Greek gods were chosen as images. The duke's wife soon gave birth to a daughter, Bianca Maria Visconti, who, years later, was involved in the production of "Carte da Trionfi", which was much later referred to as "Tarot" decks.

 

Other decks in other parts of the world contained religious scenes or scenes of Greek mythology. Some even included images of daily tasks, such as carving meat. Later, images of the Empress and the Emperor, the High Priestess (female pope), and the Hierophant (pope) came into existence. Still, these cards were used more for card playing than metaphysical purposes.

 

As time went by, images changed, and card-playing generally fell under attack by the church. Gambling was outlawed. Any images that seemed religious in any way were These particular card images were replaced with other images because the church saw them as blasphemous. In 1432 the church denounced card-playing as "the work of the devil". And again, in the 1570s, the church outlawed card playing (gambling) and theatre because both were seen as worshipping false gods. However, Tarot was not banned as it was seen as a recreational mainstay in upper-class society by this time.

 

Eventually, another fifty-six cards were added to the deck as "Suits". It was only when the suits were added that the original twenty-two cards became known as the Major Arcana, considered archetypical cards. Each of the twenty-two cards represents an archetype that conveys an important lesson one is learning or needs to learn to become whole.

 

Each of the four suits, known as the Minor Arcana, contained fourteen cards labeled Ace, King, Queen, Knight, Page, and another nine cards numbered from two to ten. The Suits comprise Wands, Swords, Cups, and Coins (some say Pentacles). The suits represent facets of everyday life, such as human passions and desires (Wands), thoughts and conflicts (Swords), emotions and feelings (Cups), and material and financial concerns (Coins). Originally, the minor cards numbered 1-10 contained no images other than a certain number of Wands, Swords, Cups, or Coins.

 

The suits can be played like modern-day cards, except that, unlike modern playing cards, they contain a Knight, which must be removed. The Tarot page becomes Jack, and the Tarot Fool can pose as the Joker. In a regular card game, the Wands represent Clubs, Swords represent Spades, Cups represent Diamonds, and Coins represent Diamonds. Looking at it this way, one can easily read one's fortune with a deck of regular playing cards as long as one knows the Tarot cards' meanings.

 

It was in the late 1700s that Tarot became more popular as a divination tool, which may have been widely due to Antoine Court de Gebelin writing a book where he stated the images on the cards contained secret messages concerning civilization. And who doesn't love a good mystery? He also suggested that the secrets were handed down from Egyptian priests in images to keep them safe from those who sought religious dominance. This enthusiasm for the Egyptian connection was swept up by many others, including the authors of The Golden Dawn, of whom Arthur Waite was a member. The idea that Tarot was somehow associated with forbidden knowledge was used for marketing tarot books, decks, and readings. This type of marketing only encouraged the acceptance of Egyptian origin and the idea that Tarot migrated to the rest of the world by "gypsies". Again, this has never been proven. So that you know, Arthur Waite reversed the placements of the Strength and Justice cards of the Major Arcana.

 

There are a variety of Tarot decks to choose from in today's world. There are thousands. All modern-day Tarot decks are said to have descended from decks like the ancient deck of the French Tarot of Marseilles, which was created in 1760 by Nicholas Conver.

 

In 1910, the Rider-Waite tarot deck was published. It is the most popular deck in the English-speaking world and was illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. This deck is frequently suggested for use as a beginner deck. Its illustrations are universally easier to understand than other decks and are widely used in study materials, books, and television shows.

A Detailed Review of Tarot History

The 1200s

 

• The very first paper mills were built in Italy.

 

 

The 1300s

 

• 1356-74. Several written accounts refer to cards being played in Europe.
• Petrarch writes the poem “Trionfi”.
• Winning a game of Trionfidepends upon "triumphing" the preceding card that was played.
• Germany begins printing on paper.
• Arab cards are changed to reflect Italian suits, swords, batons, cups, and coins.
• Spain refers to cards in Europe as "Naip", which are typically Saracen or Moorish cards. It is thought they were called "Naip" because there was a French card maker named Rodrigo Borges, who was called a "Naipero", meaning "playing card". Much later, the cards are called "Carte da Trionfi". 

 

 

The 1400s

 

• Sagramoro of Florence, a painter, was commissioned to create and repair luxurious decks for the Marchesa Parisina of Ferrara. Ferrara's account book mentions painted batons (wands), swords, cups, coins, and figures for four decks.
• Duke Filippo Maria Visconti of Milan, mentioned earlier, commissioned a card game with extra trump cards.
• The Marchese of Ferrara purchased two decks for his younger brothers. Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan, requests two decks by Sunday within the same week. Meaning, packs were readily available.
• A large mural of Tarocchi players is painted on a wall of Borromeo Castle(Milan). Presses owned by the Count Borso of Ferrara mass produce cheap playing cards. He also loaned out his printing blocks. Count Borso also commissions the artist da Vicenza to create two luxurious decks of Carte Grande da Trionfi containing 70 cards.
• An uncut sheet of playing cards was found containing fragments of suits and court cards.
• The Sermones de Ludo Cum Aliiswas written by a priest preaching against gambling. The priest listed the major arcana cards (the trumps) with the same names and the same order used today.
• There are written accounts of the manufacture of "Trionfi" and playing cards in Spain. French symbols begin to appear.
• Regular card games convert to the suits we know today. The Sola Buscadeck is created with minor arcana images. Gambling is prohibited, but Tarot is not due to ruling classes. Card manufacturing switched over to France after Italy is conquered. 

 

 

The 1500s

 

• Printed wood-block cards survive with typical Tarot de Marseilles
• Decks begin to appear that depict the 12 astrological signs and the four elements.
• Trionfiand Tarot are now two separate games.
• In Venice, the cards are related to interpreting fate.
• Giulio Bertoni wrote an essay, "Tarocchi Verification", which includes the names and order of the tarot trumps.
• The first printed account of a game of Tarot comes about.

 

 

The 1600s

 

• The Parisian block-printed deck survives.
• The first printed rules of the game are seen in a pamphlet.
• A Belgian pattern appears.
• A deck by Jean Noblet closely resembles the Tarot de Marseille
• Tarocchi is introduced to Sicily with fewer cards and different images.
• Mitelli Tarotis produced in copper engraving.

 

 

The 1700s

 

• Various decks are created all over the world.
• Tarot is at its height of popularity.
• Decks and rules are regulated and standardized.
• Divinatory meanings of some of the cards are discovered in Bologna.
• The manuscript says to separate the cards into piles but neglects to mention what to do afterward.
• Double-headed trumps are invented.
• Much more is printed concerning how to play the "game" with various decks.
• Etteilla (Paris) writes How to Entertain Oneself with a Pack of Cardsand mentions the Tarot for divination.
• Antoine Court de Gebelin links Tarot with the Hebrew alphabet in print.

 

 

The 1800s

 

• D'Odoucet publishes a book on Etteilla's teachings, which is the basis for many Rider-Waiteminor arcana meanings.
• The term arcana is used for the cards for the first time.
• Arthur Waite uses reading techniques used by British soldier's wives to give meaning to the minor arcana.
• Mathers (London) writes and publishes The Tarot: Its Occult Signification, Use in Fortune Telling, and Method of Play.

 

 

The 1900s

 

• There are a slew of writers in the 20th century who make the teachings of Tarot a possibility for everyone to discover.
• Arthur Waite's Rider-Waitedeck illustrated by Pamela Coleman and his book The Pictorial Key to Tarot show illustrations for all 56 Minor Arcana cards. The Justice card (#8) becomes the 11th card and the Strength card (#11) becomes #8. 
• The Tarot of the Bohemiansby Papus (1889) is translated into English.
• Aleister Crowley publishes a magazine, The Equinox.
• Paul Marteau publishes Le Tarot de Marseille, which teaches one to pay attention to imagery, numbers, and colors rather than esoteric correspondences.
• The Witchcraft Actis repealed in Britain, and tarot decks can be printed and sold freely.
• The Rider-Waitedeck gains worldwide distribution, Eden Gray publishes The Tarot Revealed, and S. Games Systems begins issuing tarot cards. It also purchases rights to the Rider-Waite deck.
• Llewellyn, a publishing house founded in 1901, becomes one of the world's major tarot deck publishers and partners with an Italian publisher, Lo Scarabeo.
• By the mid-1990s, Tarot is global by way of the internet.

So, How is a Deck of Tarot Used Today?

While you can still find entertaining fortune tellers at psychic fairs and through those "readers" who have a theatric flare (fun stuff), Tarot is primarily used today as a healing tool by ordinary people for magnifying one's voice of intuition by studying images and placements of the cards as they are dealt. How so? Every card in a deck of Tarot corresponds with life lessons, daily activities, health correspondences, and natural remedies, so viewing the cards is like holding up a mirror that reflects present challenges, advantages, and possibilities for you to draw from.

 

Would you like a Tarot reading? Herb, Oil & Stone provide answers and insights via email within 48 hours.

 

Also, see The 78 Tarot Messages.