The History of the Tarot:
My research suggests that the name 'Tarot' can be traced back to a deck of cards used to play a bridge-like game called Tarocchi in late 15th century Milan.
The “Rider Waite Smith” deck (aka R.W.S.) was created in 1909 by a man named A.E. Waite and the artist Pamela Colman Smith. It was first published by Rider & Company and was the only Tarot deck available in the United States for many years.
There are now hundreds of different Tarot decks to choose from, but many of these beautiful and creative decks are still heavily influenced by the symbolism and imagery in the original R.W.S deck.
Basic Structure of the Tarot:
There are 78 Tarot cards in a Tarot deck consisting of :
22 Major Arcana + 56 Minor Arcana
The 22 Major Arcana may represent: principles, concepts and ideals along with major life issues and are often symbolic of archetypal personalities.
The 56 Minor Arcana consist of: four suits, similar to a regular deck of fifty-two playing cards, but with 4 extra court cards called “pages.” These 56 cards usually relate to daily life.
The name of each suit is different from traditional playing cards:
Clubs = Wands
Hearts = Cups
Spades = Swords
Diamond = Pentacles
Each suit represents an overall theme and is connected to an element:
Wands: indicate action, passion + the element of fire
Cups: rule emotions, relationships + the element of water
Swords: symbolize challenges, communication, education + the element of air
Pentacles: rule the physical material world, career + the element of earth
Determining the meaning of each card within a spread:
The meaning of a card within a spread is based on its position within the spread plus the influence of surrounding cards. As the reading progresses the story is revealed.
There are numerous, nuanced meanings for each of the 78 cards in a Tarot deck which is why each reader and the methodology they use to interpret the cards is different.
How does the Tarot work?
“The Tarot could be viewed as a deck of cards acting as a picture book for your life. The story is activated by the question asked for the session. The reader creates the story by utilizing the symbolism, colour and imagery depicted on each card, offering insight into your current life circumstances.”
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| The Light Seer's Tarot |