Unfortunately the history of the Tarot is only speculative. One of the most popular theories is that the Tarot was brought to Europe by a nomadic group of Egyptians known as "Gypsies." Even though there isn't sufficient evidence of this, its supporters insist that the Tarot was based on an ancient book called The Book of Thoth, and that the mysteries of its wisdom were hidden within the illustrations of the Major Arcana.
A more widely accepted theory is that the cards originated in Italy. It seems to have started out as a game in the 15th century where 22 trump cards and 4 queens of each suit were added to a normal deck of cards.
Some of the early original Italian Tarot decks, which date back to the early to mid 15th century, have remained. These were called carte da trionfi or cards of the trumps.
Later these cards came to be known as Tarochi. It is unknown when the tarot was first used for divination. A book entitled "The Oracles of Francesco Marcolino da Forli" from 1540 shows a simple method of divining from the coin suit of a regular playing card deck.
Text dated from 1735 (The Square of Sevens) and 1750 (Pratesi Manuscript) show rudimentary divinatory meanings for the cards of the tarot, as well as a system for laying out the cards.
In 1765 Giacomo Casanova quotes in his diary that his Russian mistress frequently used a deck of playing cards for divination.
In 1781 Antoine Court de Gebelin wrote a speculative history and detailed system for using the tarot to foretell the future. It is from this that various explanations have been given for the origins of tarot, most of which are of doubtful veracity.
Perhaps more interesting than the origins of the Tarot, are the facts that surround playing cards. Cards were designed by Spanish Muslims as early as the early 1300s, although did not reach the rest of Europe until 1375 to 1380.
The four suits commonly found today didn't exist until the French revised them in the late 1470s. The original suits were almost identical to those used in Tarot decks today: cups, coins, sticks or staves, and swords. However, when the Tarot came into being, all that changed. A set of queens appeared, as did the Fool and the trump cards. Although it's important to understand that the additions had nothing to do with divination,. They were simply necessary components for playing a game, much like a game of bridge.
If this is the case, how did Tarot become a spiritual device? How could a simple parlour game become such an important tool?
Since regular playing cards had been associated with fortunetelling since the 15th century, there's no reason to think that the Tarot escaped the seer's eye. However, it wasn't until around 350 years later that precise divinatory meanings were associated with the cards, and the illustrations used to reflect this. In fact, the Tarot wasn't even considered valuable to occult study until the early 1780s. It was at that stage that the system took its place as part of philosophy and began its development into the powerful spiritual tool we know today
So now you want to buy a tarot pack but find there are so many out there. How do you know which ones to choose? Well, just take your time. Look at the different packs and just see which ones appeal to you the most. Are there any that jump out at you?
You buy your pack and rush home to do a reading. You shuffle your cards. Lay out a spread and consult the book that came with the tarot, only to find a list of meanings for each card. Which do you choose? Put the book to one side and try this instead. Start with the picture cards, the Major cards. What do they say to you? Try concentrating on one or two a day. Write down what you feel about a card until it means the same each time. Just trust your intuition.
Once you are happy you can then consult your book to get an idea of what the Minor cards mean.
When you are ready to give a reading it is best not to ask the sitter what is going on around them. This way you are not influenced by their problem etc. It is much easier to give a reading using your intuition.
TRUST YOUR INTUITION
It gets easier the more you practice.
A more widely accepted theory is that the cards originated in Italy. It seems to have started out as a game in the 15th century where 22 trump cards and 4 queens of each suit were added to a normal deck of cards.
Some of the early original Italian Tarot decks, which date back to the early to mid 15th century, have remained. These were called carte da trionfi or cards of the trumps.
Later these cards came to be known as Tarochi. It is unknown when the tarot was first used for divination. A book entitled "The Oracles of Francesco Marcolino da Forli" from 1540 shows a simple method of divining from the coin suit of a regular playing card deck.
Text dated from 1735 (The Square of Sevens) and 1750 (Pratesi Manuscript) show rudimentary divinatory meanings for the cards of the tarot, as well as a system for laying out the cards.
In 1765 Giacomo Casanova quotes in his diary that his Russian mistress frequently used a deck of playing cards for divination.
In 1781 Antoine Court de Gebelin wrote a speculative history and detailed system for using the tarot to foretell the future. It is from this that various explanations have been given for the origins of tarot, most of which are of doubtful veracity.
Perhaps more interesting than the origins of the Tarot, are the facts that surround playing cards. Cards were designed by Spanish Muslims as early as the early 1300s, although did not reach the rest of Europe until 1375 to 1380.
The four suits commonly found today didn't exist until the French revised them in the late 1470s. The original suits were almost identical to those used in Tarot decks today: cups, coins, sticks or staves, and swords. However, when the Tarot came into being, all that changed. A set of queens appeared, as did the Fool and the trump cards. Although it's important to understand that the additions had nothing to do with divination,. They were simply necessary components for playing a game, much like a game of bridge.
If this is the case, how did Tarot become a spiritual device? How could a simple parlour game become such an important tool?
Since regular playing cards had been associated with fortunetelling since the 15th century, there's no reason to think that the Tarot escaped the seer's eye. However, it wasn't until around 350 years later that precise divinatory meanings were associated with the cards, and the illustrations used to reflect this. In fact, the Tarot wasn't even considered valuable to occult study until the early 1780s. It was at that stage that the system took its place as part of philosophy and began its development into the powerful spiritual tool we know today
So now you want to buy a tarot pack but find there are so many out there. How do you know which ones to choose? Well, just take your time. Look at the different packs and just see which ones appeal to you the most. Are there any that jump out at you?
You buy your pack and rush home to do a reading. You shuffle your cards. Lay out a spread and consult the book that came with the tarot, only to find a list of meanings for each card. Which do you choose? Put the book to one side and try this instead. Start with the picture cards, the Major cards. What do they say to you? Try concentrating on one or two a day. Write down what you feel about a card until it means the same each time. Just trust your intuition.
Once you are happy you can then consult your book to get an idea of what the Minor cards mean.
When you are ready to give a reading it is best not to ask the sitter what is going on around them. This way you are not influenced by their problem etc. It is much easier to give a reading using your intuition.
TRUST YOUR INTUITION
It gets easier the more you practice.