A first-person story from a remote location, as told to Anne Ford, is included in Chicagoans. Tarot card reader Alan Salmi is this week’s Chicagoan.
In Renaissance Italy, a card game called tarot first appeared. It was a game with illustrations from the era’s basic moral teachings. Some of the cards have names like Temperance and Judgment, for example. Tarot cards are the source of the familiar playing card set with aces, clubs, and such.
“The printing machine allowed for the mass production of tarot decks, and the tarot was later grafted onto other systems like the Jewish kabbalah. You can use the tarot as a tool for divination, which is a fancy way of saying fortune telling, or you can study it as a spiritual practice in which you spend time reflecting on the images on the cards and seeing yourself speaking to them.
“Where do the powers of the cards come from? The most extreme theory is that there is an angel that watches after the card spirits and directs you as to where to place them. But there is a more rational scientific explanation.
In This Article...
Where did tarot card interpretations originate?
Things become a little mystical around Halloween, when horror movies are playing nonstop on TV and your holiday-loving neighbors’ yards are decorated with grotesque decorations. We decided to explore the background of tarot cards in honor of one of the most enchanted seasons of the year.
Tarot cards were initially just another card game, one that was a lot like the bridge that is played today, despite the fact that we now link them with the occult. Like other decks, the earliest known tarot cards appeared in Europe in the fifteenth century, with the wealthiest households in Italy purchasing the most well-liked sets. It was expensive to commission what was practically dozens of tiny paintings because there was no printing press and only hand-painted cards were available.
These early tarot cards, known as tarocchi in Italian, included suits, trump cards, and even pips, just like any other deck.
While others experimented, the mainstream use of tarot cards for divination didn’t begin until Frenchman Jean-Baptise Alliette produced the first comprehensive book on tarot card reading in the late 1700s. Under the alias Etteilla, he published his own deck along with a user’s manual for the cards. He incorporated ideas about astronomy and the four elements to give each card a purpose. He asserted that he had taken extensive inspiration from the Book of Thoth, a work purportedly penned by Thoth, the Egyptian god of wisdom.
He incorporated ideas about astronomy and the four elements to give each card a purpose.
Etteilla was the first to allocate the cards to a certain sequence and spread, including a front-to-back method that is still in use today. He issued a revised edition of his manual in 1791 when his writings gained popularity, making him the first known professional tarot reader.
The next significant change to tarot cards occurred in 1909. You’ve probably seen the pictures for the Rider-Waite deck, created by publisher William Rider and tarot reader A. E. Waite. The Rider-Waite deck, like Etteilla, came with a written manual explaining how to interpret the cards and what each one meant. When the cards in this deck were arranged together, the intricate scenes presented a narrative. The Rider-Waite Deck was updated and reprinted in the 1970s, along with a new instruction manual by Stephen Kaplan, which led to the most recent tarot card renaissance.
What kind of religion are tarot cards?
Tarot cards are frequently cited as a component of New Age thought and practice along with astrology, aspects of Buddhism, paganism, and First Nations teachings in the eclectic scholarly approach to the New Age.
What is the tarot’s power?
Tarot is quickly evolving into the solution-provider for uncertain times. It combines self-help and spiritual counseling. Alice Grist, a renowned tarot specialist, discusses how we may all harness its powers.
Tarot has always been a source of guidance for me throughout my life, from questions about love and profession to tough choices and fatherhood…
When I was 13 years old, I used a T book gift card to get my first deck, which was the beginning of my relationship with the tarot. It has served as both my savior and objective companion.
My husband, who was 39, suffered a heart attack in January 2018. I fumbled for my cards out of desperation while he was recovering. When the Star cardwhich represents your inner capacity to convert even the worst circumstances into something far betterwas revealed, I had peace of mind that everything would be okay and that we would emerge from this experience changed. And indeed, that is what took place. This is a tarot magic trick that I’ll never forget.
Over the years, I’ve discovered that the tarot cards have an amazing capacity to empower you, enabling you to find or create anything you desire. The cards can help you develop extraordinary intuition and realize the control you have over your life. They don’t hold back and say things as they are. If you are content with life as it is and don’t want to change, develop, or flow with it, you should probably stop reading right now. Because they are such powerful tools for self-help, self-love, and personal development. The magic of the cards, a contemporary type of divination, is not contained in the paper they are printed on, but rather in the hearts and minds of those who hold them. They make use of the innate intuition we all possess from long ago.
People want explanations, a sense of direction in their life, and a sense of inner magic. They seek assurance that everything will be alright, that they will live, be prosperous, find love, be healthy, and be happy. Although the tarot cannot give you this directly, it may certainly point you in the correct path and help you get over obstacles that have previously prevented you. The foundation for a more spiritually connected life is laid out by tarot cards. I urge you to purchase a deck and embark on a lifelong journey that will enlighten, empower, and frequently astound you.
How do tarot cards function spiritually?
According to her, “Tarot cards do not predict the future; rather, tarot is a tool for spiritual guidance and allows the reader to connect to his or her inner wisdom.” “Tarot readings assist a person in learning the information required to make sense of a specific circumstance. As readings provide a person with insight into past, present, and future occurrences based on their current path at the time of the reading, decks are best utilized as a tool of inner wisdom and guidance. The cards don’t always predict what will happen; rather, they help a person analyze a situation and choose the best course of action based on what is already known and what the cards indicate.”
Is astrology a branch of tarot cards?
These days, almost everyone you know possesses a tarot deck and regularly receives readings. Tarot is no longer simply for the esoteric. Tarot has evolved over time into an intuitive art that may assist you in planning for both the best and worst scenarios. Tarot cards are filled with symbolism, but you might not be aware of how closely it is related to astrology. For instance: In the Major Arcana, a card corresponds to each sign of the zodiac.
What tarot card has the most influence?
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.
What society are tarot cards a part of?
The sniper threatening Greater Washington, D.C. placed a taunting tarot card near the shooting scene with the words “Dear Policeman, I am God.” Where are tarot cards made?
In the late 14th or early 15th century, northern Italy is where tarot cards most likely first appeared. The Visconti-Sforza deck, the oldest surviving set, was made for the family of the Duke of Milan sometime around 1440. The cards were used to play tarocchi, a bridge-like game that was then quite popular among nobility and other leisure enthusiasts. The whimsical designs on the cards, from the Fool to Death, were reportedly inspired by the costumed characters that marched in carnival parades, according to tarot historian Gertrude Moakley.
Where is the focus of spirituality?
As you continue reading, you’ll see that many of the actions suggested for developing spirituality are also suggested for enhancing emotional wellbeing. This is due to the relationship that exists between the two; all components of wellbeing influence and overlap with one another, including emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
- Seeking a genuine connection with something greater than oneself can lead to feelings of calm, amazement, contentment, appreciation, and acceptance, among other positive emotions.
- Developing a positive mindset is key to emotional wellness because it can broaden your perspective and help you discover and accept a connection to something greater than yourself.
Emotions and spirituality are so separate but connected and intricately entwined.
Spirituality: Is it a religion?
Religion and spirituality might be difficult to distinguish from one another, but there are some rather clear differences between the two. A community or group usually shares a particular set of organized beliefs and behaviors that make up religion. It has to do with finding serenity and meaning in life and is more of an individual discipline.
Questions you don’t really want answered
Even though it might seem apparent, it’s advisable to refrain from asking the tarot cards questions that you aren’t prepared to hear the answers to. That’s because answers to these questions can reveal information you’re just not quite ready to hear.
“Tarot can definitely come off as offensive if you’re not willing to hear the truth or consider an opposing opinion. Tarot reading Nicole Fortunaso
According to tarot reader and life coach Nicole Fortunaso, “tarot may truly come out as offensive if you are not willing to hear the truth of the problem or look at an alternate viewpoint.” She advises analyzing why you’re reacting the way you are in order to reflect on how to effectively address the underlying problem if you ask the question and aren’t satisfied with the response.