Now almost everyone knows about the existence of tarot cards. The history of this deck is very mysterious and confusing. Not everyone can firmly answer the question of where they came from. Also, no one knows exactly who was their creator. These symbols are able to describe almost all events in our world. This makes Tarot cards an ideal tool in the hands of soothsayers. To date, there are several options for how the mystical deck appeared.
Versions
The history of the origin of the tarot cards is mixed. There are many versions of their creation. Each has both supporters and opponents. There are many assumptions, but five major versions stand out among them.
- Italian It is considered the most reliable.
- Egyptian. It lies in the fact that the cards are secret knowledge that the priests of ancient Egypt encrypted.
- Gypsy. According to supporters of this hypothesis, everything related to cards and fortune telling is based on the knowledge of gypsy nomadic tribes.
- The Atlanta Hypothesis. It lies in the fact that a magic deck was created in Atlantis. The inhabitants of a vanished civilization have encrypted in their maps the knowledge about the world collected over many years.
- Kabbalistic. This version says that Jews were involved in the creation of Tarot cards, and their structure is interconnected with the basis of Kabbalistic science (Sephiroth Tree).
Italian version
Based on numerous studies, it was found that Tarot appeared in Italy in the 15th century. In 1450, the famous Visconti Sforza deck appeared. It was created by these two illustrious families. This deck consisted of 78 sheets. Images on them were made very beautifully. It was this deck that became the prototype for modern Tarot. At first, these cards were used only for the game.
In 1465, another deck appeared, which was composed by Tarocca Montaigne. It consisted of 50 sheets. The basis of these cards was the cabalistic division of the Universe (550 Bina Gate). Some symbols of modern tarot are taken from this deck. The name “tarot” was assigned to the cards. Initially, it was used to separate them from ordinary playing cards.
Egyptian theory
For the first time about this version in 1781, the French scientist Antoine Cours de Geblen spoke. The famous Frenchman assumed that this deck is encrypted characters that convey important secret knowledge of the past. They are hidden in pictograms that contain a deep philosophical and magical meaning. The French scientist believed that there is a special sanctuary located in ancient Egypt.
It was on its walls that 22 pictograms were found, which became the basis for creating the major arcana of the deck of Tarot cards. The history of this country has been studied quite well. Many researchers of ancient civilizations completely disagree with the French scientist, since they have never managed to stumble upon such a mysterious and unusual sanctuary, although quite a lot of excavations of ancient buildings have been carried out in Egypt.
Gypsy version
Most of the inhabitants of our planet associate any fortune-telling with representatives of this nomadic people. Perhaps this is why some scholars are inclined to believe that the history of tarot cards is directly related to gypsies.
According to an ancient legend, once higher powers turned their eyes to our planet. They saw that so many people do not honor nature, do not experience the most important feeling - love. Then they realized that if all knowledge of the Universe was left accessible to every person, then this world would simply disappear, destroying itself.
To save the planet, it was decided to encrypt all secret knowledge and give the solution of 78 images to only one people who continued to love and honor the laws of nature. Since they constantly wander around the world, this knowledge will be available to all worthy citizens. The mission was assigned to the nomads to help people and show them the right path.
For a long time, this theory of the history of the emergence of Tarot cards existed separately, but over time it merged with the Egyptian version. It turned out that the roots of the gypsies lie at the origins of this civilization, lost for us. But over time, scientists managed to find out that the ancestors of the Gypsies lived in ancient India, which again threw Egyptian theory into the background.
But the gypsy version was supported by the information that in Europe these mystical cards became popular precisely thanks to the nomadic people. Appearing in cities and villages, they not only showed magic tricks and entertained residents, but also could predict the future, using strange picture cards for this.
Secrets of Atlantis
According to legends, once there was a rich and developed civilization on the territory of the island-state of Atlantis. Many believe that huge giants lived there. Each of them had supernatural abilities. They were smarter and more skillful than ordinary people. But once there was a very strong earthquake, as a result of which the whole island went under water.
There is a hypothesis that before the death, the inhabitants of the great Atlantis managed to pass on their knowledge, philosophy and accumulated experience to other civilizations. This is stated by one of the theories about the history of the appearance of Tarot cards. Many people believe in it, since the legendary island theoretically was located exactly in the place where the Bermuda Triangle is now located (according to one hypothesis). Scientists have found at the bottom in that area a lot of magic items, including a huge pyramid, which is many times larger than the size of similar Egyptian structures.
Kabbalistic version
In ancient times, Judaism (the religious movement of the Jewish nation) contained a special esoteric teaching. He was called Kabbalah. Many adhere to the version that the history of Tarot cards originates from there. It is assumed that all the Kabbalistic knowledge of past times is encrypted in magic cards, however, very briefly.
In Kabbalah, the Universe was portrayed under the guise of the Tree of Sephiroth. Many mystics, studying the deck, come to the conclusion that it is from there that the Tarot cards originate. There are many confirmations of this version. One of them is the incredible similarity of lassos and letters of the Hebrew alphabet. That is why many are convinced that the history of the creation of Tarot cards began with Kabbalah and Judaism.
Arcana Images
A lot of ancient decks of these magic cards have reached us. However, even the most daring theorists and scientists are now finding it difficult to say which of them appeared first. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the fact that not all pictures and knowledge about this magical instrument could survive to this day.
There are 22 major lasso in each deck. Each of them contains an image (archetype) wave understandable and clear to both clairvoyants of past years and modern fortune tellers. Over the course of hundreds of years, the appearance of Tarot cards has changed, and the history and deep meaning of each card has always remained unchanged.
Examples
As an example, we can use the story of the origin of the ninth lasso - The Hermit. Since ancient times, it symbolized the spiritual path to the inner wisdom of the individual, showed that a person should comprehend why he appeared on this earth, what his purpose is. Hermit is a departure from the world in order to find oneself. As before, and now it is a very recognizable and understandable image.
Little would have changed if the Buddha, the Slavic Tree-God, the scarab beetle (Egyptian symbol of wisdom and secret knowledge) or a hermit had been depicted on this map. Therefore, it does not matter what is depicted in the pictures, because everything depended on the era, country and people's beliefs.
It is significant in the history of Tarot cards that the Arcana had the same secret meaning. Always the images on the cards were recognizable and understandable for any person.
School of Marseille handouts
To fully understand the history of Tarot cards and fortune-telling on them, it is worth exploring the most basic schools. Most of the decks that appeared from the eighteenth century through the twentieth are a converted version of the Marseille Tarot cards. It was them that Kurt de Jebelin depicted in his book.
There is still no information about who created this deck. But there is evidence that different versions of these cards were popular in France in the seventeenth century. The Marseille version of the magic instrument is distinguished by its simplicity. There are no Kabbalistic or astrological correspondences on the cards. However, it will not be very simple for beginners with such a deck, because in it the minor arcana have no images at all.
Levy School
According to the history of the tarot cards, the founder of this tradition in France was Eliaphas Levy, who possessed occult knowledge. In the 19th century, this occultist first associated 22 Arcana of the Tarot with the Hebrew letters (they were combined with alchemical, mystical and astrological symbols). This allowed the Tarot to be considered not only cards for games and fortune telling, but also a powerful magic tool.
According to Levy’s teachings, cards could already be used not only by certain talented individuals, but also by all comers. Their functionality has expanded. Now, with the help of the deck, you could work out absolutely any question. Subsequently, Papus, a famous magician and Rosicrucian, studied the cards. It was he who supplemented the pictures on the magic instrument with astrological symbols.
English School
These magic cards first began to be studied in England only in the nineteenth century. The influential occultist Samuel Mathers dealt with this issue. But the Ryder-Waite School became especially popular. The deck he created can be safely considered one of the most common in our time. How did the tarot cards of Waite come about?
The translator and occultist Arthur, along with the artist Pamela Smith, began creating images for the younger Arcana in 1909. They tried to make the deck as clear and simple as possible. Therefore, it was so loved by beginners studying this magic tool. New cards were published by a person named Ryder. Hence the name of the most common Tarot deck in the world. According to many historians, it was Waite who made the revolutionary discovery. He practically opened access to the secret knowledge of the Order of the Golden Dawn for all of humanity.
Alistair Crowley School
Only the black magician and tarologist Allister Crowley managed to combine the knowledge of the order, Kabbalah and astrology together. His school has always kept aloof from other teachings. The first deck of Thoth appeared in 1938. The Satanist himself thought out the symbolism and concept of images. And the Egyptologist Frida Harris embodied his ideas into reality.
For the first time before the public, Tarot cards of Thoth appeared in 1943. They were mystical, unusual and very beautiful. Knowledgeable people were amazed at the depth of the symbolism of these cards. Today it is the second most popular deck among esotericists and foretellers.
Conclusion
There are bad stories with tarot cards. They warn that it is impossible to work with a deck without appropriate knowledge. If you do not find a connection with this magic tool, you can attract troubles and misfortunes. Tarot allow you to look into the supernatural world, to find a connection with higher powers. In inept hands, this is a very dangerous thing.
Many esotericists believe that these cards are alive. They themselves choose who to help and who not. If you do not want to incur trouble, do not try to color your everyday life with irresponsible fortune-telling.