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.