Tarot Cards & Divination
Abstract
Tarot cards, as we know them in modern culture, are used for divination practices. We see them in movies and TV shows being used by a powerful psychic; and we’ve all heard some rendition of, “To use tarot cards is to be close to the devil and the occult.” But their humble origins date all the way back to the 1400s, and were originally used as playing cards, similar to the ones we use now to play games like Go-fish, or Poker. Here, we will expand on the knowledge of how Tarot cards went from simple games to metaphysical conduits.
Origins of Tarot
There will always be a difference of opinions between tarot card readers and tarot card historians about the purpose and origins of tarot cards. However, the two blend together and the overlap is hard to set apart, like a blurry venn diagram. Historically, tarot cards were not originally invented to be used for divination, they were created to be a simple card game. Dating back to the 1440s, they were created in Spain, and had a total of 56 cards. What made up the deck were four face cards (king, queen, knight, and knave), numbered values from 1-10, a Fool card, and then 21 trump cards. It started as a game of trick taking in which a suit of trump cards could beat only cards of a lower rank. The trump cards being (in descending order) the world, sun, moon, star, temperance, death, traitor, old man, wheel of fortune, fortitude, chariot, justice, love, pope, emperor, popess, empress, mountebank, and 3 angel cards. As time went on and tarot cards were circulated and replicated, people would use them to create new games, with their own interpretations of what each card meant. Italians in the 1500s started to play them as a game called “tarocchi appropriati” in which players were dealt random cards and then used thematic associations with these cards to write poetic verses about one another. Similar to the popular childhood game “MASH”. This is where the overlap starts, and both historians and tarot card readers both have merit in their purpose.
The Link Between Tarot and Divination
How did the tarot card deck go from card game to divination tool? The most accurate beginning to tarot cards and divination came from the Egyptian Book of Thoth; Thoth being the Egyptian god of wisdom. European intellectuals in the 18th century believed that ancient Egypt had a secret point of view of human existence, they linked the tarot imagery with Egyptian mysticism. When the German King Charles VI was found to have a mental illness, his court had entrusted gypsies to bring a copy of the book to France in the 18th century, where the contents of the book were then interpreted along with hieroglyphics onto a deck of tarot cards. They then attempted to use this to “heal” the king’s mental illness. Thus giving credibility to the card’s capacity for divination. Over the centuries the cards gained different meanings and interpretations, but the biggest correlations are Qabalah and astrology. Jean-Baptiste Alliette (1738-1791) began the popularization of the tarot cards, but would strictly use them to make money by fortune telling. He applied astrological meaning to each card and would use Qabalah to back his meanings. Alliette’s interpretation of the cards was very popular and there are different versions of his tarot decks being used to this day.
Ritual Use of Tarot Cards in the Modern Day
It took almost 200 years for Tarot cards and divine readings to be popularized globally and it created a divide in society that we can still see to this day. The devil, the occult, phony fortune tellers, gambling, and major life decisions were all weighing heavily on these small and tangible sets of cards. Although there is so much negativity surrounding Tarot cards, the intent is to use the cards as a way to interpret what is going on in your life and how the cards relate to you. They should be best imagined as a tool, not as a magic 8 ball or a way to look into the future. You have to be willing to pick up the cards, center yourself, clear your mind, and try to figure out what the cards are showing you. In an interesting way, you are being shown your life from a different view if you’re willing to see it. For example, let’s say you go to a tarot card reading and you get 5 cards presented to you, traditionally it leans more towards a “take what applies to you” reading instead of “every card means something to you” reading. To start a reading, there is a deck, a card reader, and the recipient. That is a reading in its simplest form, but some practitioners light a candle, open a window, or light an incense. The cards are then shuffled and the card reader can either continue shuffling the deck until a desired amount of cards fall out naturally or the cards can be pulled directly from the top of the deck. Each card that is pulled then has a specific background, history, and meaning. The card reader interprets each meaning to the best of their ability and applies it to the recipient. Again, the recipient is told to take what applies to them and is warned not to force anything, not because there is danger, but because modern day tarot card readers don’t want the recipient to feel like they were duped if they don’t get the reading they are looking for. Unfortunately there are card readers looking to make a quick buck, and in turn there are recipients looking for a fortune teller and will bet their money or their lives on what a tarot reading gives them. This is why it’s important to take the time to learn and respect the practices that have been handed down for hundreds of years.