The
earliest unambiguous mention
of a tarot trump (Major Arcana)
occurs in 1442. The place
was Northern Italy. Forget
Egyptian, Lemurian, Rider-Waite
Tarot Atlantean or Gypsy origins.
Sorry to burst your bubble,
but the Tarot is simply an
impressive game of cards originating
from Renaissance Italy. Fortunately
for us, its beauty and its
scope make it a wonderful
tool for divination.
The Tarot deck consists of
78 cards which are broken
down into 22 Major Arcana
and 56 Minor
Arcana. The Major Arcana are
the trump cards, Tarot of
Marseilles the Minor Arcana
are the pip cards. The pip
cards are similar to European
playing cards with the following
difference: the Court Cards
include a Page, Knight, Queen
and King. The suits are Cups,
Staves (Wands, Rods), Swords
and Coins (Pentacles, Disks,
Stones). The meanings for
the cards follow different
traditions in different countries
and amongst the different
decks available.
Many versions of the Tarot
exist. Most people are familiar
with the Rider-Waite Tarot.
This Tarot may be the most
popular but it is fairly new
on the scene, published in
1909. Beginners usually prefer
this deck because of Pamela
Colman-Smith's illustrations
on the pip cards.
Mythic Tarot The three most
recognised styles of Tarot
cards are the Rider-Waite
Tarot, the Thoth Tarot and
the Marseilles Tarot. Other
versions do exist but most
of the newer tarot decks are
usually either based on Crowley's
Thoth deck or Waite's deck.
Wayang Tarot Some of the
more recently designed decks
have taken traditional stories
and based them on a Rider-Waite
template. One success is the
Mythic Tarot (pictured right).
Another interesting variant
is the Wayang Tarot Indonesia
which is based on the traditional
Javanese Mahabarata philosophy
and Ramayana mythology (pictured
left, see more cards from
Wayang Tarot).
The Minchiate Tarot of Italy
(pictured below right) is
also very interesting in that
it has 97 cards. This deck
includes cards for the four
elements, the twelve signs
of the zodiac and extra virtues.
The Ancient Minchiate of Etruria
deck (1725) has the virtues
Faith, Hope, Prudence and
Charity joining the existing
virtues of Strength, Temperance
and Justice. The cards of
the Papess, Empress, Emperor
and Pope are replaced by only
three cards: the Grand Duke,
the Western Emperor and the
Eastern Emperor. This deck
can be a full handful to shuffle!
Ancient Minchiate of Etruria
Interpretations can vary between
the various Tarot decks. Most
people use the interpretations
set out by Waite in 1909.
However, there are alternate
systems in use. For example,
the Seven of Coins (Pentacles,
Disks, Stones) can be interpreted
as perseverance, long-term
success, finetuning plans
for success (Waite), disharmony,
failure is possible (Haindl),
rest after fatigue, reflexion,
recovery (Ancient Minchiate
of Etruria) or money, silver,
purity, moon, innocence (Etteilla).
Don't despair at the different
Tarot interpretations available.
As with playing cards, simply
stick to the one system and
it will serve you well.
Readers take different viewpoints
on interpreting the Tarot.
It is very common at the moment
to see a certain amount of
disdain for the fortune telling
aspect of Tarot. I prefer
an approach that blends both
the spiritual and predictive
aspects of the Tarot. Then
it is up to querent to absorb
what he or she needs (or is
ready for) from the reading.
Arcana. The Major Arcana are
the trump cards, Tarot of
Marseilles the Minor Arcana
are the pip cards. The pip
cards are similar to European
playing cards with the following
difference: the Court Cards
include a Page, Knight, Queen
and King. The suits are Cups,
Staves (Wands, Rods), Swords
and Coins (Pentacles, Disks,
Stones). The meanings for
the cards follow different
traditions in different countries
and amongst the different
decks available.