| |
|
|
A Fascinating History Of Tarot And Tarot Reading |
 |
|
|
| Publisher: |
Cucan Pemo |
| Date: |
2007-07-04 |
| Word count : |
990 |
|
| Ranking |
Click at the star to rank |
| Ranking Level |
|
0 |
| No. ranking |
0 |
|
|
|
| |
Sponsored Links
Most of what I'm going to lecture from come from Cynthia Giles' book: The Tarot, History, Mystery and Lore and some other resources. The origins of the Tarot have been attributed a wide range of wacky sources – paleolithic cave paintings, gypsy folk lore, Moroccan mystics and even gifts from space aliens to Egyptian priests!. Most of these stories are, of course, speculation of the wildest, most ridiculous kind, and only serve to muddy the waters when it comes to understanding the Tarot. If you’re going to use the cards, it’s important to understand where they come from – so that you know their rich history, their potential and their value – and not put faith in silly urban legends. Tarot on parade The first mention of the cards was in Italy in the 14th century, called “Tarocco” and used for games – and already, authorities were lecturing against its use. The first known deck was made for the Vicsconzi-Sforza family of Milan, designed by the artist Bembo. According to Tarot expert Gertrude Moakley, the various characters illustrated in the major arcana represented the triomfi, or parade, that accompanied Italian celebrations. Historians believe that there may have been other cards that existed to represent other characters but have disappeared over time. Few decks of Tarot cards exist for those early days, but there’s enough similarity in artwork to make it clear that the deck was in common use in that time. Some historians believe that the Tarot was originally only used as a gaming deck – to play a game called tarocchi – until occultists began using them for divination. Taking Europe by storm The next big milestone in Tarot’s history came in the late 1700's when Court de Gebelen, a member of a secret society of occultists, came across the a game of tarocchi and became obsessed with the cards. He believed them to be imbued with important symbolism which he attributed to ancient Egyptian lore. De Geblen wrote a nine-volume treatise titled "Le Monde Primitif" in which he discussed the meanings of the Tarot. That he attributed the Tarot’s symbolism to the Egyptian’s was based less on any real fact than on the fascination that Europeans had with Egypt at that time, believing it to be the center of all of man’s early wisdom. Use of the cards for divination spread during that time, with a book by a man named Etteilla in 1783, in which he offered his interpretations of the cards. In fact, professional mystics began using the Tarot throughout Europe, although there was no consensus of what the cards actually meant. The mystical background of the Tarot Card readings have long been associated with Gypsies, although they certainly weren’t responsible for their creation. For hundreds of years, Gypsies made their way across the world, living by their wits and earning a living by any skills that they could market. Gypsies were exotic, feared and looked down on, but there was an aura of romance about them that caught the imagination of Europeans in the 1800's. A book was published towards the end of the century called “The Tarot of the Bohemians,” attributing the Tarot to the Gypsies (who Europeans commonly believed came from Egypt). Interestingly, Gypsies used regular playing cards for divination – not the Tarot. In the 19th century, the famed mystic Eliphas Levi Zahed (whose real name was Alphonse Louis Constant) connected the Taror with Hebrew mysticism – the Kabbalah. He saw the Tarot as a key to life, a tool that man can use to develop himself as a human being, as a way to grow so that he might find heaven. His work outlined 22 connections to the tarot major arcana, making it a tool to be used on the path to enlightenment. The modern Tarot deck was most influenced by the cards used in the late 1800's by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The order was founded in England by three men who, according to lore, found an old secret manuscript written in code, deciphered it as the by-laws of a secret German society, and received permission to start their own group in England. Years later, the woman who gave them permission died, and the German members disavowed the British branch, saying they never got permission after all. The modern Tarot is born Despite its contentious beginnings, the Golden Dawn became a very influential group, with two members in particular doing a great deal to spread the popularity of occultism – Aleister Crowley and Arthur Edward Waite. Crowley, a protégé of the Golden Dawn founders in England, created a Tarot called the Book of Thoth. Waite created the Tarot deck that’s most familiar to modern users. Working with an American artist named Pamela Coleman Smith, Waite used a storytelling theme, utilizing characters from myth, legend and religion, allocating a group of symbols to each card that gives them unique meaning. His Tarot formed the foundation on which most decks that followed were based. The next milestone in the Tarot’s history came in the 1920's, when a Golden Dawn member named Paul Foster Case started a group in Los Angeles called Builders of the Adytum (BOTA). The BOTA deck is in black and white, created so that the owner could color the drawings themselves (it was a tradition in the Golden Dawn that each member had to make their own deck as part of their training). The group offers Tarot training to this day, although their interpretations of the cards are disputed by many divination experts. Today, there are countless versions of the Crowley/Waite Tarot available, some with magnificent artwork, others less impressive. Whatever your choice of deck, using the Tarot as a divination tool is a personal experience, one that’s origins reach far back in history. Hopefully, knowing the background of this ancient art will enhance your connection to the cards, and to your own readings.
|
|
| |
|
A Fascinating History Of Tarot And Tarot Reading Keywords: |
|
|
|
cards deck tarot A Fascinating History Of Tarot And Tarot Reading Arts & Entertainment Arts & Entertainment |
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
Related Article:A Fascinating History Of Tarot And Tarot Reading |
Collapse All
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
Alexandra Luna |
2007-08-09 |
|
|
|
Title: Learn how to Read Tarot Cards: Taking the first 2 Steps to Reading Tarot Cards for yourself. What does Your Future hold?
|
|
Before you can learn how to read the tarot cards, you must choose a tarot card deck. Some say that they must be given to you, or you must find them: that is not the case (although, if you really believe that to be true, then, of course, it will be true for you). Although it is awesome if someone gives you a deck, or you discover one in your grandmother’s attic, that is not how most modern-day tarot card readers come across their decks. Go look at them, (all of the cards in the deck that you think you like), and feel them. If a merchant will not let you feel them, go somewhere else (you do not have to go to a psychic fair, even popular book stores, like Borders, carry tarot cards nowadays. However, you might not find as large of a selection as if you go to a self-help/spirituality/new age store). Pick the deck that pleases you the most, and go ahead and buy it for yourself.
Once you have yourself a tarot deck, you will want to do things like, cleanse it (not with water, but with the smoke of incense or burning sage), bless it or attach the tarot deck to yourself (infuse it with your energy), and store it in a nice silk scarf, or box. Now, once you have used your own psychic energy (your thoughts, infused with your spirit) to cleanse the vibration of commerce and other people from your new tarot deck, you are ready to do a reading. Well, almost. That is, first, you want to choose a format, or how many tarot cards you are going to throw, in what order, and what you are seeking to learn from the tarot cards when you toss them (You will, of course, shuffle the cards well, or have the querent (person you are reading for) shuffle them, and cut them at least 3 times with your/her left hand first).
An easy reading to get started with is the 7 day tarot card reading. A seven day reading gives the querent what s/he expects: a reading covering what energies will be present in the next seven days. After the cards are shuffled and cut, the reader will deal out seven cards, in a horizontal row. Next, before analyzing the cards, the reader will deal seven more cards, one on top of each of the previous seven cards. Two cards are required for each day because the focus of a psychic reading is always energy. And, energy is always in motion.
The first set of tarot cards reflect the energies for the next day. It is important for the tarot reader to pay attention to the potential interactions of the two cards and hence the two energies. What also must be considered is the energy of the querent. I have found that the querent’s energy is often reflected in the position of the card. For example, if the card is positive, such as the Wheel of Fortune, and it lands upright in the reading, the querent will interact with the positive energy in a positive way, and there is likely a positive result: that is, a great day with some goal realized.
If however, the wheel of fortune comes up reversed, (or similarly, if it covered by another card that is not so positive, such as the ten of swords) then the outlook for that day is not as positive, and the cards are more difficult to read. Perhaps the querent will have a great opportunity but will take an inappropriate stance and will not realize on the potential positive energy. Perhaps the querent will get the benefit of the energy, but will have to overcome some drama or other obstacle before acquiring the goal. One benefit to utilizing circular tarot cards, such the Motherpeace tarot, by Vicki Noble and Karen Vogel, is that the card can land, not only upright, or reversed, but also, it can land a little to the right, a little to the left, or a lot to the right or a lot to the left. A circular card can land in any position and can give you a wider degree of variables.
The next two cards will reflect the energies for the day after the day following the reading, and so forth, until the reader details the querent’s (or her own) next week. The reading will get less precise as time goes on. This is because reading tarot cards and telling fortunes are prophetic arts. And, people change all the time. When a person changes, her or his energy changes. How the person thus interacts with the energies coming into her or his life will hence be different. Over the longer term, a shift in a person’s energy will ultimately affect what energies will come into her or his life, rendering any previous reading even less accurate. The reason that a psychic reading tends to be relatively accurate is because most people do not change themselves very quickly or very often (there are many exceptions to this generalization). Use this information to remind yourself that every day is a new opportunity to change how we interact with world, and hence change the world we live in.
|
| |
|
|
Chloe Kor |
2008-03-26 |
|
|
|
Title: 4 simple tips to reading tarot cards
|
|
If you are a newbie and absolutely lost in reading tarot cards, carry on reading this article. Truth be told, many people are interested to learn about tarot and reading tarot cards. However, very often, tarot newbies find tarot card instructions too complicated and tricky. Before being discouraged by the seemingly sheer amount of information they have to look through, it is important that tarot newbies learn about the facts of reading tarot cards and the tarot deck. Before we proceed to talk about the 4 simple tips you can use to enable you to embark in the amazing journey of reading tarot cards, you need to know that tarot cards is not going to predict your future. As a matter of fact, nobody knows what their future has in store for them. What reading tarot cards really does is that it allows you to tap into your subconscious mind and to speak to your intuition. Our intuition can be a really powerful tool and tarot cards allow us to tap into this tool, which when used properly, can be beneficial and helpful. Tarot cards will not tell you anything which you haven't already known. So, just keep this in mind before embarking on the journey of reading tarot cards. Let's cover the 4 simple tips you can use to be better at reading tarot cards, especially when you are a tarot beginner. Tip 1: Choose your tarot deck carefully. Tarot cards are not like your normal poker cards. Each tarot deck has its own energy and it is important that you choose a tarot deck that you can relate to or feel comfortable with before deciding to use that particular tarot deck for reading tarot cards. Look at the illustrations depicted on the tarot cards before purchasing. If you feel that you can understand and relate to the illustrations, that tarot deck might be suitable for you. The reverse is true. Keep this point in mind before reading tarot cards. Tip 2: Take some time out to study the tarot cards. Do not worry about memorizing the tarot card meanings. Reading tarot cards is a matter of you relating and understanding what the illustrations on the cards are trying to tell you. Reading tarot cards will only be easier for you when you have "connected" well with the tarot deck. Hence, do remember to take some time to study the cards and relate to the tarot deck. Tip 3 After relating to the tarot cards, now begin to study the exact meaning of the card. Reading tarot cards become a much more enjoyable activity when you can easily call to mind the meaning of each card. It can be disruptive if you have to check on each and every tarot card while you are trying to interpret the tarot card meanings. Tip 4 When you are familiar enough with your tarot deck, you can start using tarot spreads. There are many different types of tarot spreads, with differing degree of complexity. Start easy and build confidence. Tarot beginners are usually encouraged to use the three card spread when reading tarot cards. This tarot card spread gives insight into the past, present and future. I have mentioned earlier that reading tarot cards cannot predict your future. However, it can provide you with some insight into your feelings for the future. After mastering the three card spread, you can advance into harder aspects of reading tarot cards. These four tips are some of the most simple tips to help you get started in reading tarot cards. Reading tarot cards is an entertaining and therapeutic activity and there are just so much more interesting aspects to it. Drop into my site if you are interested to learn more about reading tarot cards. Interested in learning how to read tarot cards? Want to know how tarot cards can provide advice to your love life, career or relationships? Visit Chloe Kor at www.tarotnewbie.com”> Tarot Newbie
|
| |
|
|
Chloe Kor |
2008-03-24 |
|
|
|
Title: Reading Tarot Cards as a form of Alternative Therapy
|
|
Many individuals view a tarot deck as a set of illustrated cards used for predictions and the individual reading the tarot cards is often thought of as an eccentric person who is dressed in robes and seated behind the fortune-telling booth in a fun fair. Many people have associated reading tarot cards and tarot readers in such a manner and are comfortable in thinking so. Hence, not many have dug deeper into the matter. Many individuals reading the tarot cards misinterpreted the Death Card and associated this tarot card with too many negative meanings. Hence, reading tarot cards and the tarot decks have often been thought of as tools of the evil. While some individuals do make use of the tarot decks for evil purposes, we can't avoid the positive benefits of tarot decks and reading tarot cards. In fact, reading tarot cards can be a good therapy and can be used for good causes. The most solid piece of evidence to prove that the tarot decks may be a good therapy is the fact that tarot decks and reading tarot cards were a game for the Italians in the fifteenth century. The tarot deck served just as an ordinary form of playing cards and was not taken as a tool of divination, until 17th or the 18th century. As time passes, scholars begin to take closer look at the rich symbols illustrated on the tarot deck and began to associate deeper meanings to the tarot decks. Reading tarot cards began to evolve into a form of divination. This radical shift in the nature of the tarot deck changed reading tarot cards into a life-changing therapy. Carl Jung, a prominent psychologist has always considered tarot deck and reading tarot cards as an alternative psychotherapy. By utilizing the rich imagery encapsulated in every tarot card, reading tarot cards enabled the tarot readers to voice out concerns, look into the past and prepare for the future. In certain cases, children who have difficulties in speaking can make use of the rich images depicted in the tarot cards to piece together their thoughts. Seen in this matter, the tarot cards and reading tarot cards is simply a form of beneficial therapy and shouldn't be shunned as a tool of evil. Jung further explained that tarot cards actually represent different archetypes of human personality and situations. For example, the Death Card is not simply a dreaded card which means physical death. Rather, it should be seen as the death or end of something inside us, such as a vice, long standing pain, bad habit or sorrow. It can signify rebirth, and taken in the positive light, it actually means a new life. Hence, reading tarot cars is not a tool of evil. It is just a tool and can help many. It depends on how people perceive the activity of reading tarot cards. After all, the tarot cards is just a piece of tool. It is the human being who gives meanings to it. Interested in learning how to read tarot cards? Want to know how tarot cards can provide advice to your love life, career or relationships? Visit Chloe Kor at www.tarotnewbie.com”> Tarot Newbie
|
| |
|
|
Chloe Kor |
2008-03-16 |
|
|
|
Title: Tips to Reading Tarot Cards
|
|
If you think is hard, then please read this article. The Tarot may be one of the most accessible tools that can be learned by anyone and reading tarot cards need not be as hard as most of the tarot newbies think. There are many advantages to learning the skills of reading tarot cards; one of the most being: extra-sensory sensitivities of individuals who have mastered the art of reading tarot cards will be enhanced. For newbies who are just starting out on the journey of reading tarot cards, it is highly advisable that some time is taken to really study the cards. Do not be restrained by the reading instructions which often accompany the tarot deck that is purchased. Just follow your own feelings about the tarot cards that you see. Very often, the difficulties in reading tarot cards are not in the actual tarot cards themselves but when these cards are positioned in a certain manner. Many newbies who are just starting to learn the art of reading tarot cards will often get jitters and lose their confidence. However, practice makes perfect. Just be consistent with the practice of reading tarot cards and very often, fluency will be attained. Try to think of the individual cards like a segment or piece of a story. Each time the cards are mixed, a new version of a story occurs and reading tarot cards is just a matter of relating the story that the cards are trying to tell. With these in mind, think of reading tarot cards as an activity which creates infinite possibilities of stories, futures, wisdom and advice. Practice is a vital part of becoming a confident and proficient Tarot Reader. Treat the art of reading tarot cards as acquisition of a new language. Plan to do a tarot reading at least once a day. Choose to do the reading in the morning and formulate a question that you are interested in. Shuffle, divide and layout the cards in the Celtic Cross pattern, a very common and popular form of tarot spread. Look over the reading with the notion that the spread represents your path for the next 24 hours. If possible, leave the cards in their original positions. Return to the cards at the end of the day. Review the cards and relate the day's events with the readings that you have obtained earlier in the day. See the connection between the day's events and the readings. Repeat for 90 days. Very soon, you will see how reading tarot cards is a meaningful activity as it encourages you to reflect on your day's activities with reading tarot cards. Newbies very often find that reading tarot cards may be a difficult task as they are limited by their own experiences, filters and prejudices. Hence, objectivity is pretty crucial in reading tarot cards. Do be diligent in practicing reading tarot cards and try to keep an open mind when reading tarot cards as it will prove more benefits than otherwise. Reading tarot cards is meant to be an activity to tap into our inner talents and capabilities and also can serve as advice to improve ourselves. Only with an open mind can the benefits of reading tarot cards be truly reaped. Interested in learning how to read tarot cards? Want to know how tarot cards can provide advice to your love life, career or relationships? Visit Chloe Kor at www.tarotnewbie.com”> Tarot Newbie
|
| |
|
|
John Gibb |
2006-08-20 |
|
|
|
Title: Why Should You Learn Tarot?
|
|
Although it is not an unfamiliar sight to witness a Tarot reader drawing out cards from a deck of 78 to advice on problems ranging from relationships to career wellbeing, most people find it difficult to imagine doing the actual reading themselves. But the fact is that Tarot is now out there available for everyone to experience and learn. Although having a Tarot practitioner analyzing the symbols of the cards drawn is certainly an enchanting experience and probably “less risky,” a few of today’s Tarot lovers purchase their own decks and begin reading its cards with the help of Tarot manuals or mentors. Starting to learn anything new is always a daunting experience and especially when one considers learning the Tarot cards can seem a bit odd; to say the least. This is probably the case because Tarot is associated with fortune-telling and future is the thing that excites human imagination the most. But Tarot, can in fact take people into a better understanding of the past and the present, assisting many to decode daily problems, and issues. Living in the information age, it is actually only logical to seek more information, on any given situation, before having to make a decision on the subject of interest. But the tremendous potential and effect Tarot relates to self-realization. That notion is probably less realized by those who wish to learn the future through Tarot, but in the end, this is where they are in fact led. Most often regarded as a method of predicting the future, Tarot is much less considered as a method used to better understand oneself. But, if you are interested in learning to read the Tarot cards, it is best if you keep in mind that you should do it primarily because it is one of the most effective methods to begin knowing thyself. Since the Tarot cards have numerous different meanings depending on the order they are drawn and placed in relation to each other, many people quickly give up the effort of learning to read them. But experts claim that learning the meaning can be an effortless process, as well as rewarding and enjoyable. One of the simpler methods existing to learn the Tarot cards is through meditation. As practitioners reveal, you should begin by picking up a card from the pile and “studying” it for some time. You can always look up a guide for its “official” meaning, but the important thing here is to realize what the card you picked means to you. If the card suggests a positive career development, for example, it does not matter if in the Tarot manual symbolizes something entirely different. As long as it means this to you, it will always mean that when it comes up. As readers put it, “the card responds to you, not the other way around.” By picking at least one card every day, you will slowly but surely familiarize yourself with the Tarot deck in a natural easy way. Keep notes and later read the Tarot manual to check how close your guessing was to the “original” meaning. The important thing here is to concentrate on the cards and let their images be “absorbed” by your brain. Ask questions and give answers to yourself in relation to the pictures you see and the story that the card is trying to convey. Remember that it does not matter how close to the “true” meaning you really are. What matters is how easily you will remember your original thoughts when you draw the same card later during this familiarization procedure. In less than a month you will be able to associate the cards together and “translate” their meaning. Remember that this is nothing more than a game to learn better yourself and how you react to a given set of variables. Then Tarot will be a fun experience to devote some time alone or with your friends. John Gibb is the owner of tarot-reading resources For more information on Tarot Reading check out http://www.tarot-reading-guidance.info
|
| |
|
|
John Gibb |
2006-08-20 |
|
|
|
Title: Some Facts About Tarot
|
|
The first question one might ask when the word “Tarot” is mentioned, most likely has to do with what is Tarot and how does it work. According to its practitioners, Tarot is a form of divination using a deck of cards, each carrying a symbolic meaning. Tarot is a window through which one can learn to see the future. It is best if one considers Tarot as a mirror that deeply and, for its funs, accurately reflects the feeling, dreams, thoughts and aspirations of a person. For the thousands who have been reading or listening to Tarot cards readings, Tarot resembles a guide that can help someone face the unknown landscape of his or her life. Contrary to many of its opponents, Tarot is not spooky or something supernatural. But where did it come from and why people seem to be drawn by its “magic?” There are a number of different theories, stories, guesses, and assumptions, regarding Tarot’s origin, the exact sources of Tarot are not completely known. People that have researched on Tarot’s history, find that the earliest available reliable information categorizes Tarot as a card game played in Italy during the fifteen century –the oldest of found Tarot cards belonged to the Visconti family, rulers of Milan. But it is unknown when exactly Tarot earned its reputation as a device used for fortune-telling. Different civilizations over time, like that of Ancient Egypt, used images drawn on cards which were used to predict events through symbolic representation. There are some who claim that Tarot cards traveled to Europe from the Middle East through trading caravans or during the Crusades. But although the exact origin of Tarot cards remains unknown, the fact still is that Tarot makes some people, who do not believe that the future can or should be predicted, feel uncomfortable. Interestingly enough, Tarot has managed to survive over the centuries, although fortune-telling is actually forbidden by some religions and is considered incompatible with some spiritual approaches to life. For a long time Tarot cards remained privileged to the upper class of society, but after the invention of the printing press the once hand-painting deck of cards became available to the masses. The typical 78-card Tarot deck is structured into two distinct parts: the major arcana and minor arcana. The word “arcana” means the secret or mysterious knowledge. Neither part is more important than the other, just different. The first set, major arcana, also referred to as the Trump cards, consists of 21 cards without suits numbered from 1 through 21, plus a 22nd card “The Fool,” which is sometimes given the value of zero. The second group, minor arcana, consists of 56 cards divided into 4 suits of 14 cards each. Further classified, the 14 cards in each suit consist of an Ace, nine cards numbered 2 through 10 and four court cards; just like the regular deck of 52-cards. Today Tarot is used by many practitioners in assisting people to examine carefully their past experiences, explain their present actions and figure out how to better pursue their future endeavors. Although Tarot is assigned an illusive and mystical character, many of its proponents argue that everything comes from a person’s willingness to see things clearly and allocate the available resources to the areas needing his or her attention the most. If you are now convinced that you would like to learn more about the Tarot deck and its meanings, a plethora of articles, books, and online sources, exist to assist you in retrieving additional information, which can at least entertain you during a dull evening. John Gibb is the owner of tarot-reading resources For more information on Tarot Reading check out http://www.tarot-reading-guidance.info
|
| |
|
|
Frederick Gimino |
2007-11-13 |
|
|
|
Title: Tarot Reading The History Of The Cards
|
|
The fascinating art of Tarot reading has an amazing history. But, where did Tarot cards originate? Some speculate that Tarot may have originated in Egypt but there is no concrete evidence to support these claims. Although, the standard playing cards migrated to Europe in the late 14th century with the Mamelukes of Egypt, it is a stretch to say they invented the Tarot deck, card games, or divinatory practices associated with it. In fact the modern Tarot deck as we know it today is a collection of images and symbols from a wide variety of cultures, from ancient Greece, Romania, Norway, India, Egypt, Italy, and France. Some people even speculate that Pythagoras, one of the first gurus of modern day esoteric philosophy and practices, may have invented the precursors to Tarot through his work with mathematics, music, tetractys, and Numerology.
According to the most accurate historical data available modern day Tarot cards originated in Northern Italy. The oldest surviving Tarot cards, called the Visconti-Sforza tarot deck, were created in the mid 15th century. This sixty-six card deck based on the “carte da trionfi” or triumph cards were designed and painted for the Visconti family the rulers of Milan and one of the most prestigious families in Italy. They were designed to be played as a trick based card playing game with trumps called Tarrochi. This game spread slowly across Italy and mostly in the upper stratum of society. This was because pre-printing press hand manufactured cards were quite expensive and news traveled fairly slowly in those days. It appears that in 1450 there was an Italian jubilee year with many festivities and pilgrims which brought the game into the public eye on a broad scale. In addition in the 1460’s the introduction of Gutenberg’s printing press to Italy made mass manufacturing books and cards possible. From this innocuous game of Tarrochi (called Tarrock in German/Austrian, or Tarot in France) it was not long before these cards aided by the wide spread use of the printing press became a medium for fortune telling and parlor tricks.
From Italy tarot cards migrated into Southern France and the “Tarot of Marseilles” is one of the most famous decks from that country originating around 1499 when France conquered northern Italy. The English Tarot deck is often called the Rider-Waite deck and is the one we are most familiar with in the modern day English speaking countries. It consists of 78 cards 56 minor arcana and 22 major arcana or what would have been the trump cards in the game of Tarrochi. It was created in 1909 by artist Pamela Colman Smith and Arthur Edward Waite. It was published by the Rider company and now is copyrighted by U.S. Games.
In addition it is no surprise that Tarot cards were under condemnation from their very conception by the religious authorities of the time. They were frowned upon by the Roman Catholic Church especially as a form of idolatry. Interestingly enough science was much kinder to the Tarot deck than religion. For example, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud subscribed to tarot beliefs. Carl Jung attached symbolic importance to The Tarot cards attributing the cards with inkblot type properties. These enabled the psychologist to form evaluative inferences about an individual’s archetypal characteristics. The cards helped identify characteristics that represent the subconscious symbolic and pre-symbolic attributes that affect how they view themselves, others, and their environment. However, most modern psychologists frown on the notion of using Tarot cards in therapeutic settings for archetypal analysis. These methods of archetypal analysis are relegated to the fringes of the clinical practices.
Unearthing the true origins of Tarot cards may never occur with empirical certainty. But, one thing is for certain these divinatory aids of the occult are certain to continue on through the ages as a mystical tool for ascertaining answers to questions on past, present, and future events.
|
| |
|
|
Tenzin Pemo |
2008-04-16 |
|
|
|
Title: Reading Tarot Cards: The Lovers Tarot Card May Just Hold Your Relationship Secrets!
|
|
Just by its name, you would think that the Lovers card in a Tarot deck would signify romance, love and marriage. Good guess. The Lovers card has a lot to do with relationships, sexuality, personal beliefs, and values.
Has the Lovers card ever come up when you are reading Tarot cards? The Lovers card speaks for itself. The Lovers card is number 6 on the list of Tarot cards.
For most people, when they are looking for advice from either a fortune teller or a psychic, they want the Lovers card to appear.
Why is this?
The Lovers card deals with forming bonds, feeling loved, creating a loving union, acknowledging a relationship bond, having sympathy of another person, becoming closer, establishing a connection, and being intimate.
The Lovers card signifies a world where there are no boundaries to intimacy, romance flourishes, and sex is passionate, but gentle. At the same time the Lovers card represents life-long partnerships, companionship, and trusting another person that you are in love with.
Given that love is such a universal need, it is little wonder that most individuals feel the need for it somewhere in their Tarot reading
1) Breaking Down The Lovers Card
The Lovers card is part of the major arcana. Love is one of the many stages of life, and that means it is a fairly important card in a reading.
The Lovers card represents that an individual is looking for a union, experiencing desire, making love, being open to love, responding with passion, feeling a physical attraction, or tapping into the energy within them.
When this card is turned, predominately, the person who is having their Tarot cards read is in a committed relationship or is looking for attention from the opposite sex.
Because of the personal beliefs of the individual, they are questioning who they are, trying to find where they stand, being true to themselves, walking their on path in life, abiding by their own principles, or making up their own mind.
Overwhelmingly, though, the Lovers card does not represent being a loner. In dealing with the values of the person, they may be deciding what their values are at that time, struggling with temptation, choosing between what is right and wrong, refusing to let the ends justify the means, or discovering what is truly important to them.
2) The Two Types of Lovers Cards
a. The Upright Lovers Card
This card represents being in tune with others and an improvement in the relationships you have, especially ones that are romantic in nature. This card carries a clear message that we should all develop a deep connection with the others that share our lives.
b. The Reversed Lovers card
This card is a warning not to make hasty decisions as you may regret them in the future. You have to be careful with the decisions you make and make sure they feel like the right decisions in your gut. The reversed Lovers also symbolizes bad timing and frustration in relationships
3) Cards That May Reinforce The Lovers Card
There are a few cards in the tarot deck that mean similar things to The Lovers card including such cards as:
a) The Empress
This card represents sexual fulfillment and feeling pleasure in your relationship as well as being very sexually active.
b) Two of Cups
This card symbolizes a union, marriage, or some type of connection. It also stands for happiness of the person that is in that relationship.
c) Nine of Cups
This card stands for outright sexual pleasure. The person is promiscuous and has no qualms about their body.
d) Ten of Cups
This card stands for solid permanent unions and family ties.
e) Ten of Pentacles
This card stands for a person that has been in a long marriage and has full grown children, who they are still close to.
f) Can The Lovers Tarot Card Help your Relationship?
Many people want to know if the Lovers card will be the remedy for their problems in relationships.
It is often the case that people feel that Tarot cards will enlighten them so that they will be able to read their partner. They have the belief that these cards can give them information about relationships they are currently in, as well as past ones.
So can your relationship questions be answered by the Lovers card?
It has been said that that cards reveal secrets in your relationship, which then will reveal other aspects of your life, and then it snowballs. Finally, everything you wanted to know about is exposed to you. The Lovers card may just hold your relationship secrets.
|
| |
|
|
Frederick Gimino |
2007-11-16 |
|
|
|
Title: Tarot Reading The History Of The Cards
|
|
The fascinating art of Tarot reading has an amazing history. But, where did Tarot cards originate? Some speculate that Tarot may have originated in Egypt but there is no concrete evidence to support these claims.
Although, the standard playing cards migrated to Europe in the late 14th century with the Mamelukes of Egypt, it is a stretch to say they invented the Tarot deck, card games, or divinatory practices associated with it. In fact the modern Tarot deck as we know it today is a collection of images and symbols from a wide variety of cultures, from ancient Greece, Romania, Norway, India, Egypt, Italy, and France.
Some people speculate that Pythagoras, one of the first gurus of modern day esoteric philosophy and practices, may have invented the precursors to Tarot through his work with mathematics, music, tetractys, and Numerology.
According to the most accurate historical data available modern day Tarot cards originated in Northern Italy. The oldest surviving Tarot cards, called the Visconti-Sforza tarot deck, were created in the mid 15th century. This sixty-six card deck based on the "carte da trionfi" or triumph cards were designed and painted for the Visconti family the rulers of Milan and one of the most prestigious families in Italy.
These cards were designed to be played as a trick based card playing game with trumps called Tarrochi. This game spread slowly across Italy and mostly in the upper stratum of society. This was because pre-printing press hand manufactured cards were quite expensive and news traveled fairly slowly in those days.
It appears that in 1450 there was an Italian jubilee year with many festivities and pilgrims which brought the game into the public eye on a broad scale. In addition in the 1460's the introduction of Gutenberg's printing press to Italy made mass manufacturing books and cards possible. From this innocuous game of Tarrochi (called Tarrock in German/Austrian, or Tarot in France) it was not long before these cards aided by the wide spread use of the printing press became a medium for fortune telling and parlor tricks.
From Italy tarot cards migrated into Southern France and the "Tarot de Marseilles" is one of the most famous decks from that country originating around 1499 when France conquered northern Italy. The English Tarot deck is often called the Rider-Waite deck and is the one we are most familiar with in the modern day English speaking countries. It consists of 78 cards 56 minor arcana and 22 major arcana or what would have been the trump cards in the game of Tarrochi. It was created in 1909 by artist Pamela Colman Smith and Arthur Edward Waite. It was published by the Rider company and now is copyrighted by U.S. Games.
In addition it is no surprise that Tarot cards were under condemnation from their very conception by the religious authorities of the time. They were frowned upon by the Roman Catholic Church especially as a form of idolatry.
Interestingly enough science was much kinder to the Tarot deck than religion. For example, Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud subscribed to tarot beliefs. Carl Jung attached symbolic importance to The Tarot cards attributing the cards with inkblot type properties. These enabled the psychologist to form evaluative inferences about an individual's archetypal characteristics. The cards helped identify characteristics that represent the subconscious symbolic and pre-symbolic attributes that affect how they view themselves, others, and their environment.
However, most modern psychologists frown on the notion of using Tarot cards in therapeutic settings for archetypal analysis. These methods of archetypal analysis are relegated to the fringes of the clinical practices.
Unearthing the true origins of Tarot cards may never occur with empirical certainty. But, one thing is for certain these divinatory aids of the occult are certain to continue on through the ages as a mystical tool for ascertaining answers to questions on past, present, and future events.
|
| |
|
|
Mailcucan |
2006-11-04 |
|
|
|
Title: A Fascinating History of Tarot and What you Should Know About Tarot Reading
|
|
Most of what I'm going to lecture from come from Cynthia Giles' book: The Tarot, History, Mystery and Lore and some other resources.
The origins of the Tarot have been attributed a wide range of wacky sources paleolithic cave paintings, gypsy folk lore, Moroccan mystics and even gifts from space aliens to Egyptian priests!. Most of these stories are, of course, speculation of the wildest, most ridiculous kind, and only serve to muddy the waters when it comes to understanding the Tarot. If you're going to use the cards, it's important to understand where they come from so that you know their rich history, their potential and their value and not put faith in silly urban legends.
Tarot on parade
The first mention of the cards was in Italy in the 14th century, called "Tarocco" and used for games and already, authorities were lecturing against its use. The first known deck was made for the Vicsconzi-Sforza family of Milan, designed by the artist Bembo. According to Tarot expert Gertrude Moakley, the various characters illustrated in the major arcana represented the triomfi, or parade, that accompanied Italian celebrations.
Historians believe that there may have been other cards that existed to represent other characters but have disappeared over time. Few decks of Tarot cards exist for those early days, but there's enough similarity in artwork to make it clear that the deck was in common use in that time. Some historians believe that the Tarot was originally only used as a gaming deck to play a game called tarocchi until occultists began using them for divination.
Taking Europe by storm
The next big milestone in Tarot's history came in the late 1700's when Court de Gebelen, a member of a secret society of occultists, came across the a game of tarocchi and became obsessed with the cards. He believed them to be imbued with important symbolism which he attributed to ancient Egyptian lore. De Geblen wrote a nine-volume treatise titled "Le Monde Primitif" in which he discussed the meanings of the Tarot. That he attributed the Tarot's symbolism to the Egyptian's was based less on any real fact than on the fascination that Europeans had with Egypt at that time, believing it to be the center of all of man's early wisdom. Use of the cards for divination spread during that time, with a book by a man named Etteilla in 1783, in which he offered his interpretations of the cards. In fact, professional mystics began using the Tarot throughout Europe, although there was no consensus of what the cards actually meant.
The mystical background of the Tarot
Card readings have long been associated with Gypsies, although they certainly weren't responsible for their creation. For hundreds of years, Gypsies made their way across the world, living by their wits and earning a living by any skills that they could market. Gypsies were exotic, feared and looked down on, but there was an aura of romance about them that caught the imagination of Europeans in the 1800's. A book was published towards the end of the century called "The Tarot of the Bohemians," attributing the Tarot to the Gypsies (who Europeans commonly believed came from Egypt). Interestingly, Gypsies used regular playing cards for divination not the Tarot.
In the 19th century, the famed mystic Eliphas Levi Zahed (whose real name was Alphonse Louis Constant) connected the Taror with Hebrew mysticism the Kabbalah. He saw the Tarot as a key to life, a tool that man can use to develop himself as a human being, as a way to grow so that he might find heaven. His work outlined 22 connections to the tarot major arcana, making it a tool to be used on the path to enlightenment.
The modern Tarot deck was most influenced by the cards used in the late 1800's by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The order was founded in England by three men who, according to lore, found an old secret manuscript written in code, deciphered it as the by-laws of a secret German society, and received permission to start their own group in England. Years later, the woman who gave them permission died, and the German members disavowed the British branch, saying they never got permission after all.
The modern Tarot is born
Despite its contentious beginnings, the Golden Dawn became a very influential group, with two members in particular doing a great deal to spread the popularity of occultism Aleister Crowley and Arthur Edward Waite. Crowley, a protégé of the Golden Dawn founders in England, created a Tarot called the Book of Thoth. Waite created the Tarot deck that's most familiar to modern users. Working with an American artist named Pamela Coleman Smith, Waite used a storytelling theme, utilizing characters from myth, legend and religion, allocating a group of symbols to each card that gives them unique meaning. His Tarot formed the foundation on which most decks that followed were based.
The next milestone in the Tarot's history came in the 1920's, when a Golden Dawn member named Paul Foster Case started a group in Los Angeles called Builders of the Adytum (BOTA). The BOTA deck is in black and white, created so that the owner could color the drawings themselves (it was a tradition in the Golden Dawn that each member had to make their own deck as part of their training). The group offers Tarot training to this day, although their interpretations of the cards are disputed by many divination experts.
Today, there are countless versions of the Crowley/Waite Tarot available, some with magnificent artwork, others less impressive. Whatever your choice of deck, using the Tarot as a divination tool is a personal experience, one that's origins reach far back in history. Hopefully, knowing the background of this ancient art will enhance your connection to the cards, and to your own readings.
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
Leave Comment |
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
