The Tarot is probably one of the most popularly used tools of divination in the world today. While not as simple as some other methods, like pendulums or tea leaves, the Tarot has drawn people into its magic for centuries. Today, cards are available to purchase in hundreds of different designs. There is a Tarot deck for just about any practitioner, no matter where his or her interests may lie. Whether you’re a fan of Lord of the Rings or baseball, whether you love zombies or are interested in the writings of Jane Austen, you name it, there’s probably a deck out there for you to choose.
Although methods of reading the Tarot have changed over the years, and many readers adopt their own unique style to the traditional meanings of a layout, in general, the cards themselves haven’t changed much. Lets look at some of the early decks of Tarot cards, and the history of how these came to be used as more than just a parlor game.
Physical evidence of early tarot cards comes from the country of Italy in the 15th century. The cards appear to have come into existence around the year 1430, give or take a decade. These cards were originally used to play a card game that is similar to Bridge, and is still a popular card game in Europe today. The two early Italian tarot decks that still exist today are the "Charles IV" deck and the "Visconti-Sforza" deck.
The word tarot is French in origin. The early names for these cards come from Italy. The cards were first called carte da trionfi which mean "cards of the triumphs". Approximately 100 years after the cards came into existence, people began to distinguish these cards from other games of trumps that used ordinary playing cards. The German word for these cards is tarock.
The ancestors of what we today know as Tarot cards can be traced back to around the late fourteenth century. Artists in Europe created the first playing cards, which were used for games, and featured four different suits. These suits were similar to what we still use today – staves or wands, discs or coins, cups, and swords. After a decade or two of using these, in the mid-1400s, Italian artists began painting additional cards, heavily illustrated, to add into the existing suits.
These trump, or triumph, cards were often painted for wealthy families. Members of the nobility would commission artists to create for them their own set of cards, featuring family members and friends as the triumph cards. A number of sets, some of which still exist today, were created for the Visconti family of Milan, which counted several dukes and barons among its numbers.
Because not everyone could afford to hire a painter to create a set of cards for them, for a few centuries, customized cards were something only a privileged few could own. It wasn’t until the printing press came along that playing card decks could be mass-produced for the average game-player.
In both France and Italy, the original purpose of Tarot was as a parlor game, not as a divinatory tool. It appears that divination with playing cards started to become popular in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth century, although at that time, it was far more simple than the way we use Tarot today.
By the eighteenth century, however, people were beginning to assign specific meanings to each card, and even offer suggestions as to how they could be laid out for divinatory purposes.
Can wishes come true, can dreams come to life? Can what we imagine, for what we truly aspire turn to reality? Is fate beyond us or in our hands? What role does destiny play in this and to what extent can we chose our own path? Have such or similar questions ever crossed your mind?
Here are many different things that you can learn from a Tarot card reading. Often taken lightly or as a joke, a Tarot card reading, when done properly, can serve as a very useful tool for helping one plan ahead, consider various options and get a lot of information about a situation or a question one is facing. In today’s post, I am going to highlight some of the important things that one can learn from a Tarot card reading. A Tarot card reading serves as a guiding tool for many. Very typically, a reading can give us a lot of information that helps us take decisions that are more aligned with our life’s purpose.
Some of the things you can learn from Tarot card readings include:
⦁ Perspectives– Tarot card readings can offer you a perspective that is quite different from your own, and help you see things differently.
⦁ Options– A Tarot card reading can help you evaluate the different options in front of you, so that you can choose something that is more aligned with your goals and purposes.
⦁ Guidance– Tarot cards provide all kinds of valuable guidance and advice that can help you understand your self better, and find the path towards a more fulfilled and abundant life.
⦁ Creative Approaches– With a Tarot card reading, you can explore many different creative paths and approaches towards resolving your problems and questions, and that too in a fun, interactive way.
⦁ Deeper Information and Insight– And of course, the cards provide you with a deeper look into your scenario, helping you evaluate your situation more practically and insightfully.
One of the best applications of Tarot card readings is the process of evaluating options. What if you have two very good job offers and you want to know which one will be better suited to help you achieve your long term career goals? Or how about a situation where you have to choose from among two or three different options, either of which will lead your life down different paths? In each such scenario, Tarot cards can help you evaluate your options. You can learn about how your life will shape up if you choose either option – thus leaving you with full control over your life, and allowing you to choose an option that is more aligned with your goals!
The Tarot cards can also open up many different aspects of your life to deeper scrutiny, thus helping you understand yourself better. Knowing yourself is the first step towards understanding yourself and accepting yourself, and eventually loving yourself for who and what you are. This process can also help you identify the different destructive or repetitive patterns in your life, and the lessons you are supposed to learn from them, thus helping to clear out your karmic burdens and find a path to a more fulfilled and happy life. Tarot card readings can also help you to achieve your goals. You can ask the cards simply ‘how’ you can go about reaching a particular goal in your life, and they will tell you how to go about it in a no-nonsense, practical way.
