There have been many questions asked about the Tarot cards and their
origins over the years. However, to this day this continues to be shrouded
in mystery. No one really knows when or where the Tarot originated from;
whether it was in medieval Europe or hailing from rather more ancient
cultures.
To
some, mystery surrounds the how or why Tarot Cards do their work, but
to others, they are simply a tool (like a pen or pencil) to clarify
what is already there... However, no matter how we may view the Tarot,
it is safe to say that the mystery and controversy that has surrounded
these cards and their compelling imagery throughout the ages is as intriguing
today as it was in their shadowy beginnings...
So where
and when exactly was that?
One Idea
is that they initially came from Ancient Egypt…. Others however, theorise
that the Gypsies introduced them into Europe in the Middle Ages during
their migrations westward from, believe it or not, Egypt! For where
else could the name ‘Gypsy’ originally be derived from? Nevertheless
popular belief is that they were indeed spawned in Medieval Europe as
the playthings of the Naughty Italian Nobility….
It is supposed
that the first ‘recorded’ use of a Tarot type deck was around the mid
15th Century in the form of the ‘Visconti Trumps’ in the Duchy of Milan,
Italy. The Visconti Family ruled in Milan at the time and it has been
said that they themselves commissioned the painting of a deck of unnumbered
picture cards to reflect society’s various quirks, foibles and beliefs
of the day- whilst at the same time introducing certain religious allegories
to further illustrate life in both the physical and spiritual planes.
To further back up the ‘Italian Connection’, the word ‘Tarot’ may have
derived from the ‘Taro River’ in Northern Italy, or that the game these
cards were originally designed for was called ‘Tarrocchi’ (the French
translation perhaps being ‘Tarot’?). However, as with any mystery, that
explanation would be far too simple! Is it that we seek something far
more mysterious to justify the image of the present day Tarot cards?
There are numerous words from many exotic cultures dating as far back
as Ancient India and even China that have meanings which could also
lead to the origins of the Tarot or a similar method of reading, for
where ever there are readers in the world, they will find something
to read… and vice versa!
Over the
centuries however, the Tarot as we have come to know it these days has
evolved, swelling its ranks with what we now know as the ‘Minor Arcana’
(as opposed to the ‘Major Arcana’ or Trumps). These have been referred
to as the ‘numbered suits’ of which there are four: the wands; the cups;
the swords and the pentacles, and they reflect the more day to day aspects
of our journey through life whereas the Major Arcana direct us towards
the key turning points in our lives, so giving rise to the 78 card deck
that we now have. Between them they give an accurate view of what’s
going on, on all levels.
Evolution
didn’t stop there however as the present day playing card deck with
it’s four numbered suits were actually derived form the Tarot suits
themselves, with the wands translating in to the clubs, the cups becoming
the hearts, the swords being the spades and the pentacles, the diamonds.
In the realm of divination when using playing cards, it’s interesting
to note that the meaning and references that these suits have correspond
to those of the Tarot suits themselves… With this the cups/hearts reveal
emotion; the wands/clubs; movement and journeys; the swords/spades reflect
officialdom, medical matters and doctors or surgeons, and all things
intellectual and the pentacles/diamonds home in on material wealth.
There are
only 52 cards in the playing card deck as opposed to 56 in the numbered
suits of the Tarot, and this is due to the Knight and Page being united
to form the ‘Jack’.
One thing
is for certain though, whenever or wherever the Tarot did actually evolve
from, they have demonstrated mans insatiable need to know all things
past, present and future, matched equally by the importance of reaching
out and transcending the barriers of the mind and body and so freeing
the Spirit.
Eclipsed Moon (with Saturn)
Photo
by Babz Bell
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