The tarot cards, their origins, their interpretation
Where they come from?
The question is far from having a solution. Traces of tarot cards have been found in numerous civilizations for several thousand years. They were used in Egypt, in India, in China, they appeared in certain branches of the Jewish Kabbalah ... The symbolism of these cards refers to universal phenomena: life, death, temptation, love ... In the West, the tarot would appear in the late 14th century. Modern tarots, on the other hand, known as Marseilles, date back to the 16th century. It is the type of reading most used today by fortune tellers, although there are many variations. It consists of 78 cards, called blades or arcane. Even today, tarot cards are used both as a game and as a support for divination.
Zoom on the Tarot of Marseille
See also
New zodiac signs: what they are and what their meaning is
The 78 tarot cards of Marseille are divided into two groups: 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana. The major arcana have a strongly allegorical character. They stage lively characters, who were already, roughly, in the ancestral forms of the game: the fool, the juggler, the popess, the empress, the emperor, the pope, the lovers, the chariot, the justice, the hermit, the fortune, the strength, the death), temperance, the devil, the tower, the stars, the sun, the moon, judgment and the world. Each blade corresponds to a particular symbolism. The 56 minor arcana are divided into 4 groups or seeds, linked in particular to the elements, seasons and astrological signs: sticks (fire / summer / aries, leo and sagittarius), le cups (water / spring / cancer, scorpio and fish), i money (earth / autumn / taurus, virgo and capricorn) and the swords (air / winter / twins, libra and aquarium). Each suit consists of 10 number cards and 4 figures: the king, the queen, the knave and the knight.
How does it work?
There are many ways to read the tarot: the oracle with two cards, three cards, the horseshoe game with 7 cards, the oracle for couples (13 cards) ... But the ritual always starts in the same way. The consultant shuffles the cards for a long time then raises them with his left hand to the left before returning them to the seer. It is then up to him to distribute the cards face down, that is, with the image against the table so that the consultant can choose "his" cards. Once this operation is finished, the seer arranges the selected cards according to the preferred method, but always from left to right. The interpretation can begin! It often happens that only the major arcana are used for divination. When all the cards have been dealt, the minor arcana play an auxiliary role and only serve to clarify the meaning of the major arcana. The blades are interpreted according to those that surround them. Depending on whether they appear straight or upside down, they give a positive or negative message.
Consultation: it's all an art
Tarot cards can be read during a consultation made in person by a seer but also by telephone. The atmosphere in which the reading of the cards takes place is primordial. During the consultation, the room should be quiet, protected from outside noise and direct light. The success of a consultancy depends on the expert's savoir-faire, talent and clairvoyance. It also depends on the consultant's receptivity. If you go and get your tarot cards read, do your best to arrive relaxed. Wear loose clothing, take off your jewelry, breathe slowly, and focus on the issues that are bothering you.
Questions and answers
Like most of the divinatory arts, tarot cards answer questions of an emotional, professional, financial and physical nature or about a particular person among the consultant's acquaintances. Cards can give very concrete predictions: for example when it comes to answering yes or no to a simple question. But above all, they can accompany the consultant in his life choices. Depending on its position (straight or reverse) and where it is compared to the other cards, each arcane is the bearer of a council. The bagatto, for example, a symbol of creative momentum, invites us to jump into action. Under its negative aspect, it recommends postponing a business or a choice to a more propitious moment. The arcana allow to place the forecast in time (season, day of the week), in space (place of forecast) and in duration: short or long term forecast.
The Tarot of Marseille… and the others
Although the Tarot of Marseilles remains the best known and most used, there are dozens of other types. This is the case with the Persian tarot. This 55 card game is inspired by the "Thousand and One Nights". Its 19 major arcana and its 36 minor arcana stage sultans and sultans in changing robes but also owls, which symbolize the observing and reflective spirit of the bird, messenger of the gods.
The Belline Oracle or still the Sibyls ofMademoiselle Lenormand they also have their followers. As well as the Egyptian tarot or the Celtic tarot. It is not uncommon for a visionary to switch from one game to another during a consultation; depending on his sensitivity, his mood, or to confirm the predictions given by another reading.
