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| Author: |
Vilma |
| Blog URL: |
http://www.paralore.com/blogs/tarot
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| Description: |
What is the history of tarot cards?
The history of tarot cards is somewhat unknown. In fact, several versions of its history exist. Some claim that tarot cards originated in China, while others claim India or Egypt. Some think that in n the late 14th century, the tarot cards first appeared in their present form. Others believe that the cards were introduced into Western Europe by the gypsies in the 15th century.
Apparently, tarot cards began as a card game called tarocchi and were not associated with fortune telling. However, over time, they became connected to fortune telling and then the occult. Records from a trial in Venice (1589) evidences that tarot cards may have been associated with witchcraft at that time.
Tarot cards are sets of 78 cards which display images which represent forces of nature and virtues/vices of man. The pictures on the tarot cards have changed through its history as the cards have traveled from location to location.
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Tarot Cards: What Are They?
Tarot cards, sometimes called "the book of divination of the gypsies," are known traditionally as a deck of 78 cards with various pictures on them. They have been used for hundreds of years to reveal hidden truths about and foresee the future of the person receiving the card reading. Tarot card decks come in many varieties-one online tarot card encyclopedia lists 70 major varieties of tarot cards ranging from "Tarot of the Cat People" to "Halloween Tarot" to "Dali Universal Tarot" designed by the famous artist, Salvador Dali. There is much speculation over the origin of tarot cards. Did they really originate with the gypsies, or did they come from medieval Europe? Others have maintained that tarot cards came from China or ancient Egypt. A few decades ago, tarot cards were instantly associated with gypsies, but today the cards are just as popular among occultists and New Agers. Whatever their origin, there doesn't seem to be any argument that after being introduced to Western Europe in the 14th or 15th century, their use has spread, and today they can be found all over the world.
Tarot Cards: What's in a Deck?
The tarot card deck is made up of essentially two parts: 56 pictorial cards that are surprisingly similar to a regular deck of playing cards and 22 additional cards called the major arcane. These cards include pictures with names such as the Fool, the Devil, Temperance, the Hermit, the Sun, the Lovers, the Juggler, the Hanged Man, and Death. Those who believe in tarot and have their cards read regularly say that the readings help them prepare for the future by not only revealing truths about their lives, but also by divulging secrets about people all around them. Experienced psychic tarot card readers claim that they are the only ones who can deliver a truthful reading and caution against just reading interpretations out of the book that comes with the cards. In order to get the best reading from the cards, the one who desires the reading must concentrate on the cards with the psychic reader, and the psychic reader helps that person make contact with the cards and put their own "special vibration" on the deck so the cards will reveal all their mysteries. Readers of tarot cards lay the cards out in special combinations called spreads. In these spreads, it becomes possible for the reader to see a detailed, pictorial representation of the situation for which their client has come to them. In a traditional 10-card spread called the Celtic Cross, a reader can look at the positions of the cards and determine what past actions have contributed to or caused the situation, and based on current events in the client's life, and the "energy" of the cards, what will most likely occur in the future.
Tarot Cards: What's the Harm?
The use of tarot cards does not seem to be a religion in the sense that it does not involve the worship of deities. However, in another sense, it is very much a religion (or some would say obsession) when it becomes a practice or activity that someone is completely devoted to. At some point, it can take on cultish or occultish aspects. In fact, there are many people who place tarot cards in the same category as other occult fortune-telling techniques such as the ouija board, astrology, crystal balls, palmistry, and tea leaves. Of course, some maintain that tarot cards are just harmless fun. Tarot cards fit in well with the New Age movement that is so prevalent these days. New Agers use certain practices or methods to "get in touch with their inner spirits," and tarot cards can be a perfect way for them to channel their thoughts and connect with the "Oneness of the Universe."
So where is the harm in tarot cards? If those who use tarot cards are not worshipping Satan and are not conjuring up evil spirits or sacrificing virgins, how can tarot cards possibly be a danger to anyone? Oddly enough the danger of tarot cards is admitted within the ranks of tarot card readers themselves. The readers cannot explain how the tarot readings work, and the decision to use a particular system in reading the cards is entirely a matter of the personal preference of the reader. In other words, two readers could read the same spread of cards and come up with entirely different interpretations of those cards. Tarot card readers also say that the tarot can only provide a static "photograph" of a situation, and that our own choices and actions determine our future-not the cards. If this is the case, why use the tarot cards at all?
There is a romantic irresistibility to the notion of shuffling the cards and casting one's fate, to putting one's cards on the table for all to see, to drawing into the unknown, to having one's life laid out and explained by strangers who have the gift of clarvoyance to gamble on the future, and so on. The idea of staring at a picture card and letting it reveal the future or mirror the soul is not one that austere critics are likely to find tantalizing, but the thought of such visionary mysticism obviously has its attraction. Centuries of scientific advancement and learning have not diminished the popularity of occult guidance systems such as the tarot
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