Website design By BotEap.comWhen it comes to creating a Tarot card story, there are many holes in the available data and much of what remains is guesswork. In terms of the history of the Tarot, the Tarot cards probably evolved as a secret way of transmitting occult teachings. A common idea put forth is that Tarot cards evolved as a way for teachers and students from a variety of countries and cultures to share universal knowledge. With different languages ​​and literacy levels, a pictorial guide was necessary to share spiritual truths.

Website design By BotEap.comThe earliest remains of a Tarot deck date back to the 1390s; from the original deck, only 17 cards remain. Around 1420, an Italian artist, Bonifacio Bembo, painted the only complete deck that has survived to modern times. Originally commissioned by the Duke of Milan, this first deck is now known as the Visconti deck, named after the Duke’s family.

Website design By BotEap.comWhile it is unlikely that Tarot cards existed before this time, the concepts illustrated in Tarot images are universal and have been around for thousands of years, both in common knowledge and in myths and legends. While many of the images in the Tarot decks are common to the medieval period (the Fool, The Pope, and the Judgment), many of the other archetypes present, including the High Priestess, point to a pre-Christian system with roots in much older times. ancient. The need for a secret spiritual practice has been necessary for survival for thousands of years. The fact that the Major Arcana present symbols showing powerful men Y women suggest it significantly predates Christianity.

Website design By BotEap.comBeing labeled a religious heretic in medieval Europe meant torture or death. Recording alternative beliefs through a pictorial key allowed these teachings to survive and created a more secure way of transmitting this information, with less chance of retaliation.

Website design By BotEap.comIn the Renaissance period, a practice based on ancient Greek teachings developed which was a pictorial memory system. Working with this became an integral part of the occult teachings at this time and was commonly used to aid in meditation.

Website design By BotEap.comIn later periods, astrology, Gnosticism, Kabbalah, and magic have joined the history of the Tarot cards. These practices, along with modern psychology, have played a role in developing the meanings of each Tarot card. Many of the Tarot strips and the meanings of the individual cards were reinterpreted during the occult revival that occurred during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Website design By BotEap.comThe Order of the Golden Dawn, a short-lived group of esoteric magicians, played a particularly potent role in this regard. One member, AE Waite, created a pictorial key for the Tarot and worked with another member, Pamela Colman Smith to create a new Tarot deck, the Colman-Rider-Waite deck (also known as the Rider-Waite Tarot deck). Another prominent member, Aleister Crowley, also created a Tarot guide and worked with a notable artist, Lady Frieda Harris, to design and create the Thoth Tarot deck. Crowley believes that the Major Arcana was based on images from the Egyptian Book of Thoth – hence the name of its cover.

Website design By BotEap.comThe current history of Tarot cards will sometimes claim that the cards were created for evil purposes or make them much older than they are. While the Tarot cards have been linked to various religions and occult movements, there is nothing inherently bad or negative about them. Working with the Tarot cards in the Major Arcana is like moving through all the main phases of life, both internal and external. This brief history of the Tarot cards should clear up some mystery about their past and give you the opportunity to connect with them in the present.

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