Tarot

Overview & Historical Origins

The Tarot is a complex symbolic system consisting of 78 cards divided into the Major Arcana (22 cards) and Minor Arcana (56 cards). While playing card games using tarot-like decks emerged in 15th-century Italy, the use of Tarot for divination and esoteric purposes developed primarily in the late 18th and 19th centuries, particularly through French occultists and the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn.

The name "Tarot" likely derives from Italian "tarocchi," though its exact etymology remains debated. Early decks like the Visconti-Sforza (c. 1440s) were commissioned as luxury items for Italian nobility. The transformation of Tarot from a game into a mystical tool began with Antoine Court de Gébelin's 1781 work claiming Egyptian origins for the cards, though this theory has been historically debunked.

Purpose and Applications

Tarot serves multiple functions in contemporary spiritual practice:

• Divination: Gaining insight into past, present, and potential future situations
• Meditation: Contemplating archetypal energies and universal patterns
• Psychological Tool: Exploring the unconscious mind and facilitating self-reflection
• Magical Practice: Serving as focal points for ritual work and intention-setting
• Spiritual Development: Mapping the journey of the soul through the Major Arcana

Key Components & Structure

The Major Arcana (22 Cards)

The Major Arcana represents significant life themes, spiritual lessons, and archetypal forces. Often called the "Greater Secrets," these cards depict the Fool's Journey—a symbolic narrative of spiritual evolution from innocence to enlightenment.

The Minor Arcana (56 Cards)

The Minor Arcana consists of four suits, each containing 14 cards (Ace through 10, plus four court cards). These cards represent everyday situations, practical matters, and the progression of elemental energies through various stages.

Court Cards

Each suit contains four court cards representing different aspects of personality, maturity levels, or people in one's life:

• Page: Youth, messenger, new beginnings in the suit's element
• Knight: Action, movement, extreme expression of the suit's qualities
• Queen: Receptive mastery, nurturing expression of the element
• King: Active mastery, authoritative expression of the element

Practice & Methods

Preparing for a Reading

Traditional Tarot practice emphasizes creating sacred space and proper intention-setting:

• Cleansing: Clear the deck of previous energies using smoke, crystals, or intention
• Grounding: Center yourself through meditation, breathwork, or visualization
• Question Formation: Frame clear, open-ended questions rather than yes/no queries
• Shuffling: Mix the cards while focusing on the question or situation
• Sacred Space: Some practitioners create ritual space with candles, cloth, or crystals

Common Spreads

Three-Card Spread

The most versatile spread, adaptable to numerous question types:

• Past / Present / Future
• Situation / Action / Outcome
• Mind / Body / Spirit
• Option A / Option B / Best Course

Celtic Cross (10 Cards)

The most popular comprehensive spread, providing detailed insight into a situation:

1. Present situation / Heart of the matter
2. Challenge / Crossing energy
3. Conscious awareness / Crown
4. Subconscious / Foundation
5. Recent past
6. Near future / Approaching energy
7. Self-perception / Attitude
8. External influences / Environment
9. Hopes and fears
10. Outcome / Final result

Horseshoe Spread (7 Cards)

Excellent for examining situations from multiple angles: Past, Present, Hidden Influences, Obstacles, External Attitudes, Advice, Outcome.

Reading Techniques

Intuitive Reading: Beyond memorized meanings, skilled readers develop intuitive connections to imagery, noticing which symbols draw attention, emotional responses to cards, and narrative threads through spreads.

Elemental Dignities: Advanced technique considering how adjacent cards interact based on their elemental associations (Fire strengthens Air, Water weakens Fire, etc.).

Numerology: Number patterns across spreads provide additional layers of meaning, following Pythagorean and Kabbalistic number symbolism.

Traditions & Variations

Major Tarot Systems

Rider-Waite-Smith (1909)

Created by A.E. Waite and artist Pamela Colman Smith under the auspices of the Golden Dawn tradition. Revolutionary for depicting scenes on all Minor Arcana cards rather than just pip symbols. This deck established the standard for most modern English-language Tarot decks. The imagery draws heavily on Kabbalistic, Christian, and Hermetic symbolism.

Thoth Tarot (1969)

Designed by Aleister Crowley and painted by Lady Frieda Harris. Based on Crowley's Thelemic philosophy and incorporating Egyptian, Kabbalistic, astrological, and alchemical symbolism. Features renamed cards (Lust for Strength, Adjustment for Justice, The Aeon for Judgement) and reordered Major Arcana (switching Justice and Strength positions).

Marseille Tarot (Historical)

Traditional European pattern dating to the 17th-18th centuries, featuring simple pip cards and distinctive Medieval imagery. Preserved the original structure before Golden Dawn innovations. Favored by some practitioners for its direct symbolic language and historical authenticity.

Cultural Adaptations

Psychological Approaches

Carl Jung's concept of archetypes significantly influenced modern Tarot interpretation. Many contemporary readers view the Major Arcana as representing universal patterns in the collective unconscious. Jungian analysts including Robert Wang and Sallie Nichols have written extensively on Tarot as a tool for individuation and psychological integration.

The therapeutic use of Tarot has grown, with counselors using cards as conversation prompts, helping clients externalize internal conflicts and access intuitive wisdom without necessarily claiming predictive power.

Primary Sources & Further Reading

Foundational Texts

• Waite, Arthur Edward. The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (1910)
  Original companion to the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, containing Waite's explanations of symbolism, divinatory meanings, and the Kabbalistic framework underlying the deck. Essential primary source for understanding the most influential modern Tarot system.
• Crowley, Aleister. The Book of Thoth (1944)
  Comprehensive explanation of Crowley's Thoth Tarot, integrating Thelemic philosophy, Egyptian mythology, Kabbalah, astrology, and alchemy. Dense with esoteric correspondences and magical theory.
• Lévi, Éliphas. Transcendental Magic: Its Doctrine and Ritual (1855-56)
  Influential work establishing connections between Tarot trumps and the Hebrew alphabet, foundational to all subsequent Western esoteric Tarot interpretation. Translated by A.E. Waite.
• Case, Paul Foster. The Tarot: A Key to the Wisdom of the Ages (1947)
  Golden Dawn perspective on Tarot symbolism with detailed color symbolism, Kabbalistic Tree of Life correspondences, and meditative practices. Founder of Builders of the Adytum (BOTA).

Historical & Academic Studies

• Decker, Ronald, Thierry Depaulis, and Michael Dummett. A Wicked Pack of Cards: The Origins of the Occult Tarot (1996)
  Scholarly examination of Tarot's historical development from Italian playing cards to occult tool, debunking many myths while documenting the actual evolution of esoteric associations.
• Kaplan, Stuart R. The Encyclopedia of Tarot (4 volumes, 1978-2005)
  Comprehensive reference documenting thousands of decks, historical development, and variations across cultures. Invaluable resource for understanding Tarot's diversity.
• Place, Robert M. The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination (2005)
  Accessible scholarly work tracing Tarot from Renaissance Italy through its occult transformation, examining historical context and symbolic development.

Interpretive & Practical Guides

• Nichols, Sallie. Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey (1980)
  Jungian analysis of Major Arcana as representing stages of psychological individuation, connecting Tarot symbolism to depth psychology and universal archetypes.
• Pollack, Rachel. Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom (1980, revised 1997)
  Influential modern interpretation combining historical symbolism, Kabbalistic correspondences, and intuitive reading techniques. Widely considered one of the best comprehensive guides.
• Greer, Mary K. Tarot for Your Self: A Workbook for Personal Transformation (1984)
  Pioneering work on using Tarot for self-exploration and personal growth rather than fortune-telling, with exercises and journaling techniques.

Cross-References & Related Practices

Related Divination Systems

Associated Magical Traditions

Archetypal Connections

Mythological Correspondences

Major Arcana cards connect to deities and mythological figures across traditions:

• The Fool: Dionysus (Greek), Loki (Norse), Holy Fool (Christian)
• The Magician: Hermes/Mercury, Thoth, Odin
• The High Priestess: Isis, Artemis, Persephone
• The Empress: Venus/Aphrodite, Demeter, Freya
• The Emperor: Zeus/Jupiter, Horus, Thor
• Death: Hades, Anubis, Yama, the Morrigan
• The Star: Ishtar, Inanna, Nut