About Tarot

The Fascinating Journey of Tarot Cards

The story of the Tarot is a tapestry woven through art, mysticism, and human curiosity. What began as a card game for the European elite evolved into one of the most iconic spiritual tools in the world — a mirror reflecting both the mysteries of the universe and the inner depths of the human soul.

The origins of Tarot can be traced to 15th-century Italy, where noble families like the Visconti-Sforza commissioned beautifully hand-painted decks known as “Trionfi” or “Tarocchi.” These early cards were not instruments of divination but part of an elegant game enjoyed at royal courts. The imagery — kings, virtues, celestial symbols — mirrored the intellectual and artistic values of the Renaissance, blending beauty with symbolism.

For centuries, Tarot remained purely a pastime. Its transformation began in 18th-century France, when philosophers and occultists started to see something deeper in the cards. Thinkers such as Antoine Court de Gébelin proposed that Tarot imagery preserved the lost wisdom of ancient Egypt, while Jean-Baptiste Alliette, better known as Etteilla, created the first Tarot deck intended for divination. He assigned esoteric meanings to each card, linking them to astrology, the four elements, and spiritual archetypes. Though modern historians dismiss the Egyptian connection, this moment marked the birth of the Tarot as a mystical system.

By the 19th century, the Tarot had become central to the growing world of Western mysticism. The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a secret society devoted to esoteric studies, reinterpreted the cards through the lens of Kabbalah, numerology, and alchemy. Within this movement, Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith created the legendary Rider–Waite–Smith deck in 1909 — the most recognized Tarot deck in existence. Each card, from The Fool to The World, became a visual poem filled with allegory and psychological meaning. Around the same time, Aleister Crowley collaborated with Lady Frieda Harris to produce the Thoth Tarot, a bold and philosophical reinterpretation that fused Egyptian, astrological, and alchemical motifs.

The 20th century brought Tarot into the hands of the public. During the counterculture and New Age movement, the cards were rediscovered as a tool for personal reflection rather than fortune-telling. Readers began to use Tarot as a way to explore emotions, creativity, and the subconscious mind. Today, Tarot reading blends psychology, storytelling, and intuition — an art form as much as a practice.

A modern Tarot deck contains 78 cards divided into two groups: the Major Arcana, which represents the great archetypal forces of life, and the Minor Arcana, which depicts everyday experiences through four suits — Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles. Together, they form a symbolic journey through human existence, from innocence to enlightenment.

The Tarot’s enduring power lies in its adaptability. Across cultures and generations, artists and readers have reimagined its images — creating decks inspired by mythology, pop culture, feminism, and even digital art. Yet at its core, the Tarot remains what it has always been: a bridge between the visible and invisible worlds, a mirror for the human spirit, and a timeless companion on the path of discovery.