Welcome to the Beginning of your Journey through the Tarot.

I am Tara, and I have been involved with Tarot for over 40 years. I am excited to share what I have learned with you in a fun and easy to understand way!

Let’s jump right in with an overview of what the Tarot is, and more importantly, what it is NOT. 

tar·​ot | \ ˈter-(ˌ)ō , ˈta-(ˌ)rō \

Definition of tarot

: any of a set of usually 78 playing cards including 22 pictorial cards used for fortune-https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tarot

a brief history of tarot

The origins of Tarot, like the deck itself, is shrouded in mystery.   It is likely that the origins of tarot correspond closely to the earliest known playing cards. A German monk, Johannes, described a card game called ‘Ludas Cartarum’ in the year 1377. 

The original images from which many of the modern-day tarot cards are taken, are thought to be designed by an Italian artist named Bonifacio Bembo. While there is debate, Encyclopedia Britannica states that Tarot was invented in Italy in the 1430’s by adding to the existing four suit playing cards a fifth suit of 21 cards. This fifth suit was called the “trionfi” or ‘triumph,’ which is now more commonly referred to as the ‘Major Arcana.’ At some point, In addition to these 21, there was an odd card, named ‘The Fool.’

In 1781, Antoine Court de Gebelin wrote in Le Monde Primitif the suggestion that tarot cards derived from an ancient Egyptian book, The Book of Thoth, and that the “Egyptians and Gypsies” were responsible for the deck being dispersed throughout Europe. He claimed that Egyptian priests had encoded their highest knowledge into a game to ensure its survival, entrusting the gypsies with this, which they guarded closely for centuries. Around this same time period, the Tarot de Marseilles became a commonly produced deck, but it was used for playing purposes only.

We will talk all about the Major Arcana next week. The following week, we will start with, you guessed it, the fool!  What a perfect card for a new year, new beginnings, new journeys.

The intention of this blog, and the accompanying podcast is to guide you on a journey (as your compass – get it?). For the most part, we will be focused on derivations of the Smith Waite deck, as it is the most commonly used. My goal is to give you a broader understanding of the tarot, and encourage you to use the cards as a tool in your everyday life to help deepen your understanding of the world around you.  The cards themselves are one of many tools that you can turn to when you are seeking answers.  The cards don’t give you the answers, but rather serve as a graphic interpretation for you to draw the answers from within. The ‘magic’ is you.

That said, a grasp on the meanings of the cards (and, to confuse matters more, there are many) helps you to interpret the messages of the Tarot.  Have you ever traveled in a country where you did not know the language?  You could get where you were going, but it was more challenging.  Understanding the language of the tarot will help guide you on your journey and will ease the way.

Please join me, and next week, we will begin with an overview of the MAJOR ARCANA