| Most of what I'm going to lecture from come | | | | aura of romance about them that caught the |
| from Cynthia Giles' book: The Tarot, History, | | | | imagination of Europeans in the 1800's. A book |
| Mystery and Lore and some other resources. | | | | was published towards the end of the century |
| The origins of the Tarot have been attributed a | | | | called "The Tarot of the Bohemians," attributing |
| wide range of wacky sources - paleolithic cave | | | | the Tarot to the Gypsies (who Europeans |
| paintings, gypsy folk lore, Moroccan mystics and | | | | commonly believed came from Egypt). |
| even gifts from space aliens to Egyptian priests!. | | | | Interestingly, Gypsies used regular playing cards |
| Most of these stories are, of course, speculation | | | | for divination - not the Tarot. |
| of the wildest, most ridiculous kind, and only serve | | | | In the 19th century, the famed mystic Eliphas |
| to muddy the waters when it comes to | | | | Levi Zahed (whose real name was Alphonse Louis |
| understanding the Tarot. If you're going to use | | | | Constant) connected the Taror with Hebrew |
| the cards, it's important to understand where | | | | mysticism - the Kabbalah. He saw the Tarot as a |
| they come from - so that you know their rich | | | | key to life, a tool that man can use to develop |
| history, their potential and their value - and not | | | | himself as a human being, as a way to grow so |
| put faith in silly urban legends. | | | | that he might find heaven. His work outlined 22 |
| Tarot on parade | | | | connections to the tarot major arcana, making it |
| The first mention of the cards was in Italy in the | | | | a tool to be used on the path to enlightenment. |
| 14th century, called "Tarocco" and used for | | | | The modern Tarot deck was most influenced by |
| games - and already, authorities were lecturing | | | | the cards used in the late 1800's by the Hermetic |
| against its use. The first known deck was made | | | | Order of the Golden Dawn. The order was |
| for the Vicsconzi-Sforza family of Milan, designed | | | | founded in England by three men who, according |
| by the artist Bembo. According to Tarot expert | | | | to lore, found an old secret manuscript written in |
| Gertrude Moakley, the various characters | | | | code, deciphered it as the by-laws of a secret |
| illustrated in the major arcana represented the | | | | German society, and received permission to start |
| triomfi, or parade, that accompanied Italian | | | | their own group in England. Years later, the |
| celebrations. | | | | woman who gave them permission died, and the |
| Historians believe that there may have been | | | | German members disavowed the British branch, |
| other cards that existed to represent other | | | | saying they never got permission after all. |
| characters but have disappeared over time. Few | | | | The modern Tarot is born |
| decks of Tarot cards exist for those early days, | | | | Despite its contentious beginnings, the Golden |
| but there's enough similarity in artwork to make it | | | | Dawn became a very influential group, with two |
| clear that the deck was in common use in that | | | | members in particular doing a great deal to spread |
| time. Some historians believe that the Tarot was | | | | the popularity of occultism - Aleister Crowley and |
| originally only used as a gaming deck - to play a | | | | Arthur Edward Waite. Crowley, a |
| game called tarocchi - until occultists began using | | | | protégé of the Golden Dawn founders |
| them for divination. | | | | in England, created a Tarot called the Book of |
| Taking Europe by storm | | | | Thoth. Waite created the Tarot deck that's most |
| The next big milestone in Tarot's history came in | | | | familiar to modern users. Working with an |
| the late 1700's when Court de Gebelen, a | | | | American artist named Pamela Coleman Smith, |
| member of a secret society of occultists, came | | | | Waite used a storytelling theme, utilizing |
| across the a game of tarocchi and became | | | | characters from myth, legend and religion, |
| obsessed with the cards. He believed them to be | | | | allocating a group of symbols to each card that |
| imbued with important symbolism which he | | | | gives them unique meaning. His Tarot formed the |
| attributed to ancient Egyptian lore. De Geblen | | | | foundation on which most decks that followed |
| wrote a nine-volume treatise titled "Le Monde | | | | were based. |
| Primitif" in which he discussed the meanings of the | | | | The next milestone in the Tarot's history came in |
| Tarot. That he attributed the Tarot's symbolism | | | | the 1920's, when a Golden Dawn member named |
| to the Egyptian's was based less on any real fact | | | | Paul Foster Case started a group in Los Angeles |
| than on the fascination that Europeans had with | | | | called Builders of the Adytum (BOTA). The BOTA |
| Egypt at that time, believing it to be the center | | | | deck is in black and white, created so that the |
| of all of man's early wisdom. Use of the cards for | | | | owner could color the drawings themselves (it |
| divination spread during that time, with a book by | | | | was a tradition in the Golden Dawn that each |
| a man named Etteilla in 1783, in which he offered | | | | member had to make their own deck as part of |
| his interpretations of the cards. In fact, | | | | their training). The group offers Tarot training to |
| professional mystics began using the Tarot | | | | this day, although their interpretations of the |
| throughout Europe, although there was no | | | | cards are disputed by many divination experts. |
| consensus of what the cards actually meant. | | | | Today, there are countless versions of the |
| The mystical background of the Tarot | | | | Crowley/Waite Tarot available, some with |
| Card readings have long been associated with | | | | magnificent artwork, others less impressive. |
| Gypsies, although they certainly weren't | | | | Whatever your choice of deck, using the Tarot |
| responsible for their creation. For hundreds of | | | | as a divination tool is a personal experience, one |
| years, Gypsies made their way across the world, | | | | that's origins reach far back in history. Hopefully, |
| living by their wits and earning a living by any skills | | | | knowing the background of this ancient art will |
| that they could market. Gypsies were exotic, | | | | enhance your connection to the cards, and to |
| feared and looked down on, but there was an | | | | your own readings. |