Any introduction to Tarot cards must begin with answering the questions, “Why study the Tarot and What is It?” Is it really possible that a deck of cards could provide answers about life’s deepest questions? Opinions on the Tarot can be divided into believers and skeptics. Many people are skeptical about the Tarot but, in fact, the cards can help you to change the way you approach your life, your perceptions and most importantly, your actions.
For this introduction to the Tarot we will start by looking at the origins of the Tarot. Where or how Tarot originated is not known. Tarot was used during the fifteenth century by the Italians in the form of a card game. During these times ornate decks were custom-made and some of these decks survive to this day, in particular the Visconti-Sforza, created in 1450.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the cards were used by occult practitioners and these men connected the cards to the ancient mysteries of Egypt, Hermetic philosophy, the Kabbalah and alchemy. During the early twentieth century the Taro was used by the Order of the Golden Dawn in secret practices. So an introduction to the Tarot begins by understanding its roots in the occult.
As part of an introduction to the Tarot it’s also important to understand that tarot is no longer only a tool of the occult. Modern Tarot is used by a variety of different people, who practice different beliefs, many of which have nothing to do with the occult. Different decks are used these days including Native American, herbal, dragon and Japanese decks.
The main purpose of Tarot is divination. A reading involves a “seeker” (someone who is asking a question) and the “reader” (the person who interprets the cards to provide guidance). In the next section of this introduction to the Tarot we examine how the cards are read.
Before a reading, the cards are shuffled and the deck is “cut”. The reader asks the seeker to choose a number of cards. These cards are then laid on a table in a specific pattern called a “spread”. To the reader, the position of the cards (as well as the cards themselves) has a certain meaning.
So these two pieces of information are used to find answers to the seeker’s question. An introduction to the Tarot will teach students how to spread and interpret the cards.
Because of their occult roots the Tarot has been condemned by many schools of scientific and religious thought. Many religious groups see them as evil while science views them as a symbol of a time of ignorance. But the Tarot may also be viewed simply as a deck of symbolic cards that can be used for a certain purpose. What is this purpose? How can it help us in our daily lives? We’ll examine this in Part 2 of this introduction to the Tarot entitled: “What is the Purpose of the Tarot”