The Tarot of Marseilles, which is still made today, is a typical design of 78-card pack of tarot cards with Italian suits that was highly well-liked in France during the 17th and 18th centuries for use in tarot card games. Before spreading to a large portion of France, Switzerland, and Northern Italy, it was probably invented in Milan. Many later tarot packs draw inspiration from this pattern. The International Playing-Card Society recommends Tarot de Marseille, even if it allows the two English titles as alternatives. The name is also occasionally spelled Tarot of Marseille. Despite the fact that today’s customised cards are made for this purpose, it was the pack on which the occult use of tarot cards was initially founded.
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When was the Marseille Tarot created?
In his workshop, Nicolas Conver engraved the TAROT OF MARSEILLE in 1760. The Tarot of Marseille has been restored by PHILIPPE CAMOIN, a member of the House who has carried on the tradition, following years of mutually beneficial historical research with Alejandro Jodorowsky.
IVORIIER ZAHM
For many years, your family has published the Tarot of Marseille in Marseille.
Yes, we have for many generations. PHILIPPE CAMOIN The Camoin factory was founded in 1760, according to records. Our family’s company was started by Nicolas Conver, a master card maker and engraver for the king’s court.
PETER CAMOIN
The geographical and historical roots are intricate. The majority of historians concur that the Tarot originated in Italy in the 14th century. But Alejandro Jodorowsky and I found that the Tarot of Marseille actually came into existence in the first century, not the 13th or 14th.
PHILIPPE CAMOIN Yes, countless years of study. I had to educate myself on all cultures and religions. I also discovered a link to the Coptic Orthodox Church, which was established in Egypt during the early centuries of Christianity. I even managed to show that there is a link to Mary Magdalene. I’m releasing a 600-page book on the exact same topic.
IVORIIER ZAHM
Was Tarot in some way made popular by the humanist fervor of the Italian Renaissance?
Yes, it is similar to the Apocryphal Gospels, which vanished during the fifth century and reappeared at the beginning of the 20th century. PHILIPPE CAMOIN The Tarot was extremely well-liked throughout the Renaissance, although more as a game than for its occult iconography. Although many people were interested in Tarot during the Renaissance, this does not imply that the Tarot was actually created at that time.
Did people at that time solely utilize the Tarot for divination, or did they also have other uses for the cards? OLIVIER ZAHMD
PETER CAMOIN
They may have been employed for divination later, around the 19th century, according to historians.
PETER CAMOIN
The Tarot offers metaphorical and mental support for visualization and meditation. It enables communication with the divine.
What does a Tarot cloth serve?
Tarot cloths are an excellent method to preserve your cards and improve the quality of your readings. By using a Tarot cloth, you may protect your cards both when they are being used and when they are not. You can conduct your Tarot readings in a secure and hygienic environment by using a cloth.
I adore these seven tarot towels, and I sincerely hope you choose the ideal one for you from among them! Since there are so many different Tarot cloths available, there is truly something for everyone. Please let me know which Tarot cloth you decide to purchase in the comments section below.
What tarot deck is the oldest?
The origin of playing cards is unknown, although they initially arrived in Europe in the late 14th century. The earliest records, mostly of card games being outlawed, are from Berne in 1367, and they appear to have spread throughout all of Europe quite quickly. Little is known about the design and quantity of these cards; the only significant information is found in a text written in Freiburg im Breisgau in 1377 by John of Rheinfelden, who, in addition to other versions, describes the basic pack as consisting of the four still-in-use suits of 13 cards, with the courts typically being the King, Ober, and Unter (“marshals”), although Dames and Queens were already well-known by that time.
The suits of Batons or Clubs, Coins, Swords, and Cups were one of the earliest card patterns to emerge. These suits are still present in classic decks of playing cards from Italy, Spain, and Portugal, as well as in contemporary (occult) tarot cards that originally appeared in the late 18th century.
Between 1440 and 1450, in Milan, Ferrara, Florence, and Bologna, additional trump cards with allegorical pictures were added to the conventional four-suit pack, resulting in the first known tarot decks. The additional cards, known simply as trionfi, later became known as “trumps” in English. These new decks were known as carte da trionfi, triumph cards, and trionfi. The first recorded account of trionfi can be discovered in a 1440 Florence court document referring to the transfer of two decks to Sigismondo Pandolfo Malatesta.
The about 15 Visconti-Sforza tarot decks that were painted in the middle of the 15th century for the rulers of the Duchy of Milan are the oldest surviving decks of tarot cards. Martiano da Tortona likely wrote about a missing tarot-like pack that Duke Filippo Maria Visconti had ordered between 1418 and 1425 because the painter he describes, Michelino da Besozzo, left for Milan in 1418 and Martiano himself passed away in 1425. He spoke of a deck of 60 cards, 16 of which featured Roman gods, and four different bird suits. The sixteen cards were referred to as “trumps” because Jacopo Antonio Marcello said that the now-deceased duke had created a new and magnificent category of triumphs in 1449. The Sola-Busca and Boiardo-Viti decks from the 1490s are two other early decks that also had classical themes.
The Minchiate enlarged deck was in use in Florence. Along with conventional tarot imagery, this 97-card deck also features astrological signs, the four elements, and other themes.
Tarot was not routinely condemned in its early history, despite a Dominican priest railing against the sinfulness of cards in a sermon from the 15th century (mostly because of their usage in gambling).
The initial decks of tarot cards are said to have been few in number because they were all hand-painted. The printing press was the first tool that made mass production of playing cards feasible. During the Italian Wars, tarot began to spread outside of Italy, first to France and then to Switzerland. The Tarot of Marseilles, which has Milanese origins, was the most widely used tarot deck in these two nations.
Tarot cards are they French?
By the end of the 14th century, cards had spread throughout Europe, maybe starting in Catalonia or Italy. In Italy, towards the middle of the 15th century, tarot cards are first referenced. Italians eventually dubbed them tarocchi as the concept of trumps spread to other card games. Originally called trionfi, which means “triumph” and is where the English word “trump” comes from. From the early 16th century onward, the words tarocchi in Italian and tarot in French both appear, however it is unclear if one came from the other.
As a result of the First and Second Italian Wars (14941522), tarot was introduced to France in the early 16th century. This is well documented in that century’s French literature, with the first mention being from Rabelais in Gargantua in 1534. The first account first appeared in Nevers about 1637, and by 1622 it had surpassed chess in popularity in France. This is an explanation of a three-player, 78-card game using an Italian-suited pack, with the Fool serving as an Excuse and the suits ranked in their “original” order, that is, with number cards in the suits of Cups and Coins ranking from Ace (high) to Ten (low). Except for France and Sicily, all Tarot games now maintain this classification. Tarot was popular in France up until 1650, but after that, it started to lose ground until it was practically unknown outside of Provence by the 18th century.
In the late 18th and early 19th century, the game had a resurgence. Italianization led to the Tarot de Marseille’s original Italian-suited cards being abandoned in favor of French designs, most notably the Tarot Nouveau.
There is some indication that the Droggna Tarot game, which has resemblance to the old French Tarot, was brought to Austrian Tyrol by Napoleon’s troops. According to Dummett and Berloquin, it is also known that French soldiers were issued Tarot packs during the Franco-Prussian War (1870), the First World War (191418), and the Algerian War (19541962), which each contributed to the spread of le jou de Tarot throughout France. The French Tarot Federation (Fdration Franaise de Tarot) was established in 1973, and by the end of the 20th century Tarot had overtaken Belote as the second most played card game in France. The rules have been relatively constant everywhere the game is played, which is one of the reasons French Tarot has endured. The specifics of play outside of officially sanctioned events, however, may differ from circle to circle, making the established terms and rules more indicative than definite.
Tarot cards were first connected to fortune telling in 18th-century France, a tradition that expanded throughout most of the Western world. However, the decks with occultic iconography like the French Tarot Nouveau and Austro-Hungarian Industrie und Glck packs, as well as earlier Italian-suited packs and custom recent versions, are preferred for divination.
What size should my tarot card spread be?
Traditional (Normal) Bags Tarot cards of most common sizes will fit in it (3″ x 5″ or less). The Rider-Waite Tarot, Shadowscapes Tarot, Gilded Tarot, and Tarot of a Moon Garden, or pretty much the bulk of tarot cards, are some well-known examples of decks that fit in this size bag.
What Tarot card is the rarest?
The Fool is typically seen as a card from the Major Arcana when performing a tarot reading. Contrary to popular belief, the Fool does not fall under either category in tarot card games. Instead, the Fool serves a function that is distinct from both the simple suit cards and the trump cards. As a result, the Fool has no number assigned to it in the majority of tarot decks that were initially created for playing games. Although Waite assigns the Fool the number 0, in his book, the Fool is discussed between Judgment (number 20) and The World (number 21). The Tarocco Piemontese is the only traditional game deck that numbers the Fool 0. Since the 1930s, the corner index for the Fool in Tarot Nouveau decks has frequently been a black inverted mullet. The Fool is one of the most expensive cards in practically all tarot games.
How should I maintain my Tarot deck?
While rearranging the cards in the tarot deck is a good approach to purify and clear their energy, there are some circumstances in which you might wish to perform a more specialized ritual. If you’re just getting started with tarot, cleaning your deck can be an excellent place to start.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You feel as though you’ve been using your cards a lot, especially for readings that are emotionally taxing.
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. Consider it as a little spiritual hygiene to maintain a strong and clear connection. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t stress if you don’t believe it is necessary for your deck. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). It works well to leave it like way for an hour, but I prefer to leave it overnight.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Unorderly shuffle. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.
What society does tarot originate from?
The first tarot decks were created in Italy in the 1430s by adding a fifth suit of 21 specially designed cards called trionfi (“triumphs”) and an odd card called il matto to an already existing four-suited pack (“the fool).