Tarot for the Un-Taroted

Italian Tarot Cards from 1890

Tarot cards seem mysterious for two reasons. One is that they are a tool of fortune-tellers. The other is that occultists and New Agers claim all sorts of esoteric origins for the cards. Some go so far as to state that the Tarot originated in ancient Egypt.

Tarot first appeared in the Middle Ages, about 1400. The cards were first seen in the Mediterranean. They quickly spread. Most used them for card games. A variant, the Taroch, or Taroque, had fewer cards. The Taroch was used as a game only. Somewhere along the line, Tarot was seized upon buy fortunetellers and esotericists. Both groups like to claim an ancient heritage for whatever they do. So it is that the Medieval Tarot was given a much older origin.

Tarot is actually a combination of two decks, commonly known as the Major and Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana equates very much with common playing cards. There are four suits and ten numbered cards. The first difference is that instead of three face cards, there are four. Both Playing and Tarot cards have a King and Queen. The standard playing deck has a Jack, or Knave. Tarot has a Page and a Prince. The four suits of regular cards - Clubs, Spades, Hearts and Diamonds - equate with Tarot’s Wands (or Staves), Swords, Cup and Pentacles (or Disks).

The Major Arcana are 22 face cards. These go from the Fool and the Magician to The World. Some are quite bizarre. These have more emphasis than the cards in the four suits. Nobody is sure where the Major Arcana originated. The symbolism is unusual. Cards include The Fool. The Magician, The High Priestess, Empress, Emperor, High Priest, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, The Wheel, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, the Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, the Sun, Judgement, and The Universe / The World.  If you think it an odd assortment, keep in mind that the name of the card does not necessarily match is interpretation.

The Major Arcana, from the Rider-Waite deck

Various artists have tried their hand at the Tarot. There are hundreds of decks, from the mundane to the absolutely weird. For instance, one odd deck uses women’s shoes for its illustrations. Artistic as they may be, the decks all have the same Major and Minor Arcana cards. The difference is how the imagery is depicted.

The most common Tarot Decks are inspired by the Rider-Waite deck. A.E. Waite was a well-known writer and student of esoteric matters. Waite designed a deck in which all the cards were illustrated. Many decks follow his lead, often to the point of doing their versions of his symbolism and imagery. Waite wrote “The Pictorial Key to the Tarot” in 1910. The book was illustrated with the cards of his design. (You can download copies online.)

Temperance and The Devil cards from a Belgian deck

I learned to read the Tarot many years ago. It is one of the many arcane talents I acquired in my quest for spiritual experiences. I can tell you that the cards themselves are not magick. They are just a different deck of cards, like Taroch, Pinochle or Skat decks. The actual reading depends on the reader. You might be surprised to know that there are readers whose deck of choice is a common Poker deck. Then again, folks read Runes, stones, bones, tea leaves, palms, and heads.  How does it work? I believe psychologist Carl Jung came close with his concept of Synchronicity.

Tarot is a Medieval card deck that has been popular ever since. There are many artistic variations. It is colorful and interesting, but not spooky. Though the origins are obscure, it is not as mysterious as esotericists like to claim.

The Fool, from old French decks

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Part of the inspiration for esotericists and occultists is the numbers of the Tarot. There are 22 major Arcana cards. The Hebrew system of Kabbalah (Qabalah) is popular with occultists. In Kabbalah, there are 22 Paths on the Tree of Life. To their thinking, the 4 suits equate with the Four Elements: Wands - Fire, Swords -Air, Cups - Water, and Disks / Pentacles - Earth. Something as simple as numbers leads to all sorts of occult speculation over a deck of cards.

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A common style of reading is the Celtic Cross. The cards are placed in a pattern, in an order from first to eleventh. The position of each cards denotes its significance. The placement of the cards and their relation to one another give the reader information.

Celtic Cross Spread

In the Celtic cross spread, eleven cards are drawn and placed as shown in the diagram.  The first card is the significator, and describes the individual or situation.  The one covering it describes factors working for the person; the card laying crossways portrays opposing factors.  The bottom card, numbered 4, describes underlying facts.  This is both the past and those deeper issues leading to the situation at hand.  The sixth card, to the right, describes the immediate past.  It is generally read before the fifth card, which tells of the person's goals, ideals, or where the person thinks he is headed.  The seventh card tells of the immediate future.  The eighth card denotes the immediate ramifications of the seventh.  It can also be read as events which occur right after the immediate future: a "middle future".  The ninth card shows how the person sees himself.  It can sometimes also show an individual whom the person considers important to the issue.  The tenth card depicts the person's hopes and fears.  It shows which issues cause him the most concern for good or bad.  Sometimes the hopes and fears are just that, and have no facts to support them.  The eleventh card is the probable final outcome of the matter.

The Celtic Cross spread

I used to do Tarot readings for a few regular customers about 30 years ago. It was an easy way to make a few extra bucks.

The best readers will tell you that the cards are like a weather forecast. They give the likely outcome. They also claim that cards can also reveal hidden things in the present. Again, some readers can get the same results with common playing cards. Is it real or a psychological trick?  I’ll let you decide that!

(If you are interested in my Divination booklet, email me at thortrains@comcast.net)

Cards from the Visconti-Sforza deck, circa 1460