Categories: (ES) Tarot

Tarot History: From card games to popular philosophy

The tarot is a set of cards used to guess the future of a person, that is, to read fortune. They are used as a spiritual tool for divination and meditation. A tarot deck consists of 78 cards, divided into two sections: the Major Arcana (for long-term prophecies) and the Minor Arcana (for day-to-day problems).

The origin of the “tarot”

There are countless theories about where the term “tarot” originated. Some relate it to geographical names and others to mystical names, but the most widely accepted theory is that proposed by Idries Shah. According to his theory, the term derives from the Arabic word turuq , whose meaning is “four paths.”

The beginning

At the beginning of the tarot story, the cards were used to play. The tarot was a card game for the upper class. The name of the tarot is mentioned for the first time in the fifteenth century, and the game was popular in France and in Italy. The deck then contained 16 letters with images, painted with images of Greek gods and goddesses.

How has the industry helped

Sounds ironic, but the global industry has helped popularize tarot cards. At the beginning of the history of the tarot, the cards were painted by hand, which resulted in a reduced number of production of decks, and that only a select few could hold tarot cards in their hands. However, the invention of the first printing press helped make mass production possible.

The tarot of today

Gone are the days when tarot cards were used to play card games. After the industrial revolution and the popularization of letters, more people began to use them as a tool for personal growth and development. Currently, tarot cards are used in divination and as a symbolic system. Tarot cards are not only the only ones that make the transition between card games and fortune telling. There are also others intended for fortune reading. However, tarot design and an older pedigree have helped the cards gain popularity. The simple fact that there are hundreds of decks, and thousands of online tarot readings, says a lot about the popularity of the tarot.

Common myths associated with the history of tarot

Since tarot cards are considered hidden cards, there have been numerous misconceptions about the history of tarot. These are some of them:

– They are not known as the devil’s letters. During medieval times, this was the title that the church gave to the cards to play, so it has nothing to do with fortune telling.

– The gypsies are not the ones who brought the tarot cards to Europe. Gypsies are often associated with the divination of the future, but they are not responsible for the growth of tarot in Europe. Tarot cards existed even before the gypsies arrived on the continent.

– Tarot cards did not originate in ancient Egypt.

Sophia Loren

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Sophia Loren

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