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Tarot Basics by Lisa Lamont
A Tarot card deck
typically consists of 78 colorful cards imprinted with what many deem
fascinating and curious images. The cards, each filled with a particular
meaning and portent, most often come somewhat larger than ordinary
playing cards and make an impressive display when ritually laid out.
This deck of special cards can be used by a trained "reader"
for glimpsing into his or her own future or that of another person for
whom the cards are read. The Tarot deck, divided into Major Arcana and
Minor Arcana, contains 22 symbolic cards and 56 suit cards - wands,
swords, cups, and pentacles - interestingly also called "pip"
cards.
Many types and styles of Tarot cards exist, and a breakdown of even the
more common Tarot card deck reads like a mysterious journey into the
occult - and perhaps it is! The Major Arcana includes the magician, high
priestess, empress, emperor, hierophant (a sage or wise man), lovers,
chariot, strength, hermit, wheel, justice, hanged man, death,
temperance, devil, tower, star, moon, sun, judgment, world. The Minor
Arcana (the suits) consists of the aces, twos, threes, fours, fives,
sixes, sevens, eights, nines, tens, court cards, pages, knights, queens,
and kings - all in the above-mentioned suits.
The key to successfully reading the Tarot deck, however, does not lie
only in what the cards mean, but in how to interpret them. A gifted
Tarot reader can sometimes create a huge following by accurately
predicting the futures of friends, family - even strangers who call on
him or her for a reading.
"Tarot" comes from the Italian word "Tarocchi," a
French card game originally termed "carte da trionfi" -
"cards with trumps." It has been theorized that the name was
shortened from "Tarocchi" to "Taro" and thus evolved
over time into "Tarot" by the French. The definition of Tarot
goes hand in hand with the origin of the name because Tarot is
considered to be a tool of divination by believers, and the roots of the
name explain, in part, how this came to be so, though we may never know
the complete story, since its complete origins have been lost in the
passage of time.
The origins of Tarot vary almost as widely as there are people
exploiting the powers of these fascinating cards. Some maintain the
cards have roots beginning in the ancient mysteries of Egypt, the
mythical city of doomed Atlantis, or from the magic-filled background of
the European gypsies. But etymologically speaking, that is, considering
Tarot from the history of the word itself, this mysterious deck of
future-foretelling cards probably came into being in the northern
Italian courts of nobility during the mid-15th century.
Whatever and whenever the source of Tarot, this remarkable deck of cards
remains an entertaining and intriguing journey into the unknown, the
inexplicable, and the sometimes mystifying realms of life. Perhaps the
roots of Tarot lie shrouded in doubt for a reason. Perhaps Tarot is
meant to mystify as well as to reveal. Perhaps…only the Tarot cards
know for sure!
(c) All About Tarot
All About Tarot is an information packed website that features loads of
useful links and articles! Visit now at: http://www.all-about-tarot.com
About the Author
All About Tarot is an
information packed website that features loads of useful links and
articles! Visit now at: http://www.all-about-tarot.com
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