The first question one might ask when the word “Tarot” is mentioned, most likely has to do with what is Tarot and how does it work. According to its practitioners, Tarot is a form of divination using a deck of cards, each carrying a symbolic meaning. Tarot is a window through which one can learn to see the future. It is best if one considers Tarot as a mirror that deeply and, for its funs, accurately reflects the feeling, dreams, thoughts and aspirations of a person. For the thousands who have been reading or listening to Tarot cards readings, Tarot resembles a guide that can help someone face the unknown landscape of his or her life. Contrary to many of its opponents, Tarot is not spooky or something supernatural. But where did it come from and why people seem to be drawn by its “magic?”
There are a number of different theories, stories, guesses, and assumptions, regarding Tarot’s origin, the exact sources of Tarot are not completely known. People that have researched on Tarot’s history, find that the earliest available reliable information categorizes Tarot as a card game played in Italy during the fifteen century –the oldest of found Tarot cards belonged to the Visconti family, rulers of Milan. But it is unknown when exactly Tarot earned its reputation as a device used for fortune-telling. Different civilizations over time, like that of Ancient Egypt, used images drawn on cards which were used to predict events through symbolic representation. There are some who claim that Tarot cards traveled to Europe from the Middle East through trading caravans or during the Crusades. But although the exact origin of Tarot cards remains unknown, the fact still is that Tarot makes some people, who do not believe that the future can or should be predicted, feel uncomfortable. Interestingly enough, Tarot has managed to survive over the centuries, although fortune-telling is actually forbidden by some religions and is considered incompatible with some spiritual approaches to life.
For a long time Tarot cards remained privileged to the upper class of society, but after the invention of the printing press the once hand-painting deck of cards became available to the masses. The typical 78-card Tarot deck is structured into two distinct parts: the major arcana and minor arcana. The word “arcana” means the secret or mysterious knowledge. Neither part is more important than the other, just different. The first set, major arcana, also referred to as the Trump cards, consists of 21 cards without suits numbered from 1 through 21, plus a 22nd card “The Fool,” which is sometimes given the value of zero. The second group, minor arcana, consists of 56 cards divided into 4 suits of 14 cards each. Further classified, the 14 cards in each suit consist of an Ace, nine cards numbered 2 through 10 and four court cards; just like the regular deck of 52-cards.
Today Tarot is used by many practitioners in assisting people to examine carefully their past experiences, explain their present actions and figure out how to better pursue their future endeavors. Although Tarot is assigned an illusive and mystical character, many of its proponents argue that everything comes from a person’s willingness to see things clearly and allocate the available resources to the areas needing his or her attention the most. If you are now convinced that you would like to learn more about the Tarot deck and its meanings, a plethora of articles, books, and online sources, exist to assist you in retrieving additional information, which can at least entertain you during a dull evening.
