A Brief History of the Tarot
An Introduction by Cybee
For Thousands of year's people have looked to the heavens and made their own assumptions of what all those celestial bodies do to serve our needs here on earth. One of those assumptions was that the Earth was the center of the whole Universe yet nowadays scientists have disproved that theory.
The actual and authentic history of playing cards only goes back about five hundred years, and various theories have been mooted as to the source from which Europe obtained them. It is an established fact that in past ages many eastern peoples, notably those of India, China, and Chaldea, possessed cards which differed materially both in use and design from those known in the West at a later date. It is impossible to trace these prehistoric beginnings of card-lore, but there seems little doubt that the Wise Men of eastern lands regarded their cards with none of the contempt usually bestowed upon them in the West. They held them in high esteem as mediums for the partial revelation of the Unknowable, and included them as a part of their mystic lore. Fortune Telling by Cards, by P.R.S. Foli, [1915]
Tarot cards are a collection of 78 images (22 of the Major Arcana and 56 in the Minor Arcana) representing ancient and universal archetypes, as well as situations that might arise in the course of the lifetime of an individual. The collection is arranged in the form of a pack of cards and is used to gain insights into psychology and metaphysics, as well as foretelling the future. The true origins of the Tarot are controversial, having long been lost in antiquity. There are a number of theories, but most scholars agree that its present form originated in the Middle Ages.
It is thought by many that we owe our cards to the gypsies, who are supposed to have been the offspring of a low caste of Hindus, and who, driven from their own land, found their way, as fugitives, through Western Asia into Egypt, and from Northern Africa into Europe. It is certain that all kinds of fortune-telling, whether by Cartomancy or whatever method, are inseparably connected with that curious, fascinating, highly gifted and elusive people. They excelled in music and ail mechanical pursuits; they could learn a language, or distinguish themselves in metal work, with equal ease; but they had to live more or less on the defensive, as very children of Ishmael, and years of persecution only deepened their craftiness, sharpened their intuition, and rendered them more keen to assert their mysterious power over those who oppressed and yet inwardly feared them.
For over 600 years now the Tarot has been redefined, remastered and even messed around with, even up to the present day. Many have thought of the Tarot as "Magical", mystical and even dangerous if used in the wrong way for predictive purposes. The Tarot cards incorporate many other types of divination, such as Astrology, Kabbalah, Karma etc. They have a symbolic nature inherent to themselves and this symbolism defines through our psyche our true inner thoughts of the subconscious. And so we use these pictures and symbols to connect to our own deeper thoughts and through that process, in turn, we connect to the universe, of which we are all apart.
These Romany folk have preserved intact the ancient lore of the East, while incredulous Europe has turned the sacred pages of divination from the book of fate into mere instruments of amusement, and a vehicle for winning or losing money. The gypsy remains a past master in the art of Cartomancy, and though we may scoff, there are very few amongst us who do not feel a sense of disquietude when brought face to face with an instance of her uncanny power. We can afford to laugh when the sun of our lives is shining brightly and all is well in mind and body, but there come dark days in the lives of all, and then some are impelled to seek the aid of these weird sons and daughters of an unknown land.
By many, perhaps by the majority, this inexplicable gift has been vulgarised and debased to a mere means of extorting money from the ignorant and the credulous; but by some it is still held as a sacred faith—possibly no more superstitious than some forms of unenlightened or perverted Christianity.
Interpreting the cards is obviously a major part of reading and understanding them. For the beginner/novice it is paramount to understand and familiarise yourself with the interpretations before you can start to evaluate any reading that you do.
Anything you learn in life has it's own basic principles and structure, so therefore learning and understanding these principles and structures give you the foundations to build on in the future.
As you progress and learn to understand the meanings, you will start to realise that what you have learned at the beginning, starts to change with practice and experience and you will start to formulate your own interpretations, as I have done.
This doesn't mean, re-inventing the wheel, but now you have started to blend your knowledge, experience and understanding into the Tarot system.
Interpretation of the cards is always changing as we change within our own society structure but the basic principles and methods stay the same.
It's about using your intuition and sensing what is around you and the client. Feel the reading as you lay the cards down, one by one. As thoughts start to build in your mind, speak them out loud, no matter what they are saying. To the client they will certainly mean something.
If you want a more in depth understanding of the History of Tarot cards
click this link. It is from the French wikipedia and I suggest using Google Chrome to view it if you want the English version translated.