A Brief History of Tarot and Why

Brief History of Tarot

I have to start at the beginning with the History of Tarot.  I am not a big history buff, but it is interesting how things evolve over time.  

The first "playing" cards probably came out of Egypt, because that is where paper was first invented.  However, the first Tarot or Tarocchi decks were invented around the mid-15th century in Europe.  And then around 1788 is when the Tarot starting to be used for cartomancy (divination).  It wasn't until the late 1800's - early 1900's that Tarot was "formally" standardized.  

MacGregor Mathers and Harriet Felkin, who were members of The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, wrote Book T.  Book T defines what each suit and card represents.  It even explains what images are to appear on each of the cards. From this writing, different members of The Golden Dawn (Waite, Pamala Colman Smith, Aleister Crowley, and others) started to design and develop their own decks.  Some following Book T and some moving off in their own direction.

There are three decks that are the most widely used (reproduced): Visconti-Sforza tarot decks painted in the mid-15th century for the rulers of the Duchy of Milan, The Rider-Waite-Smith deck and the Aleister Crowley's Thoth deck. However, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck is by far the most reproduced after coming into the public domain.  Most people recognize this today.  This deck also has clear symbolism and therefore one of the easies to read. 

So what does a Tarot deck look like? 

It is a deck of 78 cards.  It is made up of two parts - the Minor Arcana and the Major Arcana. 

The Minor Arcana actually, resemble a regular deck of playing cards.  It has 56 cards with four suits - Swords, Wands, Cups, and Pentacles (Coins).  Each suit has 14 cards: Ace, 2 - 10, Page (Jack/Knave), Knight, Queen and King. 

These are the Aces from each of the four suits of the Minor Arcana - Rider-Waite-Smith deck

The Major Arcana is The Fool and then 21 cards known as trumps.   These trump cards can be read as if moving through the Fool's life (or an event) from start to finish. 

The Major Arcana from the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.

There are literally thousands of Tarot decks printed today.  The majority of the decks follow the symbols that Pamala Colman Smith used to illustrate the Rider-Waite-Smith deck.  However, I will use this deck for the majority of my discussions and images throughout this blog, simply because it is in the public domain.  

For clarity, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck is named because of "Rider" - William Rider & Son, was the company that published the deck in 1910, "Waite" was a Grand Master of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the author/coordinator,  "Smith" - Pamela Colman Smith was the artist and illustrator.   You will also find different titles for this deck, such as Waite/Smith. 

We will dive deeper into what each card means at a later time.

Why I use Tarot?

Before we really dig down into the suits, cards, and all the meanings, I want to share with you why I use Tarot.  As a child I loved all kinds of card games.  I collected many different decks (not Tarot) and knew most of the "adult" games of poker, gin, rummy, and even would do a little betting with the neighborhood kids.  I loved the size of the decks, their smooth surface, and bright colors.  I was attracted to the different ways artists decorated the backs or made the Aces, Jokers and court cards particularly fancy.  To me there was something special about being able to do so many things with a simple deck of playing cards.

This is a mini set of playing cards that I received at a kids birthday party - many, many years ago! 

My first deck of Tarot was actually The Buddha Tarot, by Robert M. Place.  I am Buddhist and thought this would be a good addition to my learning more about Buddhism.  I will have to be honest, that I was very confused by trying to approach it this way.  Because I did not understand the basics of Tarot, this just didn't work for me.  I decided to turn to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck (because this is the one that was most widely published). 

Tarot has become a daily part of my life.  I read Tarot everyday for myself.  I am also a professional Tarot reader, offering my services to others.  

Some Tarot "readers" will actually only read the guide book that comes with the deck.  For a beginner, this is a good place to start.  But, I am an Intuitive and an Empath, and therefore, I only use the meanings as a guide, but often use my gifts overriding what the guidebook may be saying.  

As I said earlier, I am Buddhist, but I also grew up Christian.  People may think that using Tarot is demonic or against different religions.  But, just as I pray to my God or call upon angels to help me, I also use Tarot as a way of divination and helping me answer questions that are sent through God, angels, ancestors, guides and guardians, or whomever else you believe in. 

There is one big, huge, thought that people need to remember when using Tarot - We are of our own free-will!  If I do a reading, for myself, or for someone else, the path and answers can change based on the actions that we take (or don't take).  Tarot is a guide.  It is there to help you choose - like flipping a coin. 

As I have gotten older, I have found comfort in the Tarot.  I like turning to it for guidance and giving me an opportunity to see things in a new way.  Maybe looking at my different choices and see what path that I should be taking.  

The Tarot is not for everyone.  I completely understand that.  Some have been brought up to believe that it is all evil.  Some think that it is a tool for deception (a lot of this comes from the way it is depicted in movies, unfortunately).  Some may just think it is a waste of time.  But to me, Tarot is a never ending learning experience - a learning experience about our choices and journey through this life.  A Fool's Journey!