Lesson One:
What is the Tarot?
According to Wikipedia:
"The tarot (/ˈtæroʊ/; first known as trionfi and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of playing cards (most commonly numbering 78), used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot. From the late 18th century until the present time the tarot has also found use by mystics and occultists in efforts at divination or as a map of mental and spiritual pathways.
Like a normal deck of cards, the tarot has four suits .
Each of these suits has pip cards numbering from ace to ten and four face cards
for a total of 14 cards. In addition, the tarot has a separate 21-card
trump suit and a single card known as the Fool. Depending on the game,
the Fool may act as the top trump or may be played to avoid following
suit.[1]
Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play card games. In English-speaking countries, where these games are largely unplayed, tarot cards are now used primarily for divinatory purposes.[1] Occultists call the trump cards and the Fool "the Major Arcana" while the ten pip and four court cards in each suit are called Minor Arcana. The cards are traced by some occult writers to ancient Egypt or the Kabbalah but there is no documented evidence of such origins or of the usage of tarot for divination before the 18th century.[1]
The English and French word tarot derives from the Italian tarocchi, which has no known origin or etymology[citation needed]. One theory relates the name "tarot" to the Taro River in northern Italy, near Parma; the game seems to have originated in northern Italy, in Milan or Bologna.[3] Other writers believe it comes from the Arabic word طرق turuq, which means 'ways'.[4] Alternatively, it may be from the Arabic ترك taraka, 'to leave, abandon, omit, leave behind'[5]
Playing cards first entered Europe in the late 14th century, probably from Mamluk Egypt, with suits very similar to the tarot suits of Swords, Staves, Cups and Coins (also known as disks, and pentacles) and those still used in traditional Italian, Spanish and Portuguese decks.[6]
The first known documented tarot cards were created between 1430 and 1450 in Milan, Ferrara and Bologna in northern Italy when additional trump cards with allegorical illustrations were added to the common four-suit pack. These new decks were originally called carte da trionfi, triumph cards, and the additional cards known simply as trionfi, which became "trumps" in English. The first literary evidence of the existence of carte da trionfi
is a written statement in the court records in Florence, in 1440. The
oldest surviving tarot cards are from fifteen fragmented decks painted
in the mid 15th century for the Visconti-Sforza family, the rulers of
Milan.[7]
.. and are Tarot Cards evil?
"Are Tarot Cards Evil?
by Alec Satin
"Has this ever happened to you?You’re with friends at a party or coffee shop when the subject of Tarot comes up. You reach into your bag to grab your Tarot deck. It’s barely on the table when someone comes over with eyes as big as saucers and starts talking about the evil of tarot cards.
Depending on where you live, this type of confrontation may or may not be a frequent occurrence. Even if it’s never happened to you, a little preparation now can put you in a more confident position if and when this does come up.
First ask your accuser what they think tarot cards are.
Listen very closely. There’s a chance that the person raising this issue of evil tarot has a natural, if hidden, attraction and affinity to tarot cards.They may be looking to you to give them permission to explore. If you act with skill and kindness, you just might make a friend.
If you choose to engage them in dialog (and this is your choice), your main job will be to dispel some of their fear and ignorance. If they respond with hate and refuse to make eye-contact, you’d be wise to end the conversation as quickly as possible in whatever way works best.There is little to gain in arguing with people whose minds are made up. As it says in Proverbs, cast not your pearls before swine, lest after trampling them under foot, they turn and rend you.
Don’t get injured unnecessarily.
The 5 Reasons People Claim Tarot Cards are Evil
Be ready to respond to each of these five reasons given for the evil of tarot.
1. Tarot cards are dangerousDo you remember how you first learned about Tarot? Many people know only what they have seen in movies, which invariably associate tarot with darkness, vampires, fortune-tellers or spooks. Religion which seeks to improve people through fear is still very much alive and well. For example, there are still churches which forbid the playing of cards. If poker cards are bad, how much worse must tarot cards be?
The best way to address this objection is to talk a little bit about what tarot cards are and how they work. This person probably needs specifics. You can talk about the fact that there are 78 cards divided into major and minor arcana, etc. If you have a theory about how tarot cards work, you might want to give some basics.
My belief is that tarot cards provide a connection to a deeper part of the reader than is usually accessible in normal day-to-day awareness. You as the tarot reader become a mirror for that part of the person being read for. This is a rare and valuable service for people.
2. Tarot cards are of the devilThe person who raises this objection truly believes there is an evil force in the world which wants to cause them harm. This is a terrifying way to live. This person needs to see that you are loving, caring, and anything but frightening. Assess their level of fear. If they seem to be barely holding it together, tread carefully.
It may be useful to ask them how they learned that the devil operates through tarot cards. From there you can use your own understanding to provide some ideas that may help.
3. If you use tarot cards you will be possessed by evilMany years ago I heard a sermon in which the pastor described how his two nieces were possessed by a devil through the use of an Ouija board they found at a yard sale. The story was so disturbing that I still remember it today. Remember this. Horrifying stories have nothing to do with the reality of what Tarot cards are and how they work.
To counter these kinds of vague fears, it’s most effective to provide real-life examples. If your life is more or less happy and balanced, this would be something you might talk about.The same would be true of the lives of your Tarot friends and teachers.
Most Tarot readers I know personally possess faith, humility and intuition. The Tarot cards may not have been the cause of these qualities, but they certainly help.
Tarot cards are self-protecting and self-regulating.
A natural protection towards people who approach Tarot cards seems to be built in. People who approach the cards with negative or destructive motivations seem to quickly get bored, put them down and stop using them. I’ve never met anyone possessed by evil from using the cards. Have you?
4. The Death card and Devil cards prove that tarot is evilScary movies love to depict tarot readings showing the Death, Devil and Tower cards. Let’s face it. There are a few scary looking tarot cards.
You might point out that these are only a few cards out of the tarot deck. The rest are inviting or neutral. Try pulling out 3 or 4 of the friendliest and happiest cards (for example The Sun, the 6 of Cups, the 4 of Wands or 10 of Coins). Tarot depicts all aspects of life. Life has troubles as well as love and joy. If the tarot only depicted sweetness and light, it would not be a very believable tool in understanding life, would it?
5. Tarot is used to talk with dead peopleWhile there may be people who use tarot to commune with the dead, I’ve never met them.The people who speak with the dead are usually going into a trance of some kind. That’s assuming that they are genuine. Whoopie Goldberg in Ghost was not reading tarot cards.
So, what do you say to people who tell you that tarot cards are evil?Hopefully now you have some ideas of where to start. It’s not always easy to remain professional when faced with someone who attacks you in this way. Remember that others have faced it before, and handled it with grace. You can too. Good luck. "
