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By:
Cucan
Pemo
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.
About the Author: Meditation Tips – Meditation Secrets – Meditation
Advice www.e-bazi.com
Read the amazing journey of a modern day athlete and her meditation
journal! Free Tarot Reading Secrets www.TarotReadingSecrets.com
Improve your love, money, health, work and career luck today.
Article
Source: NewAgeArticles.com
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