Gemini Zodiac Sign Designs

The practice of tarot card reading, a form of cartomancy, involves using a deck of 78 cards to gain insight into the past, present, or future. While tarot packs first appeared in northern Italy around the mid-15th century as an extension of playing cards, they were primarily used for games for centuries. It wasn't until the late 1780s that tarot cards began to be utilized for divination, a shift that occurred after fortune-telling with regular playing cards had already become established.

Early claims by French occultists linking tarot to ancient Egypt, the Kabbalah, or other esoteric traditions have been widely disseminated. However, scholarly research indicates no significant use of tarot for divination before the late 18th century, suggesting that much of its perceived ancient history was a later construction by occultists. From its adoption as a divinatory tool in 18th-century France, tarot evolved to encompass hermeneutic, magical, mystical, semiotic, and psychological applications.

The history of tarot cards begins in 15th-century Italy, where they were initially developed as additions to standard playing card decks, known as 'carte da trionfi' or triumph packs. For several centuries, these cards were exclusively used for games, with no evidence of divinatory use. The transformation of tarot into a tool for divination and esoteric study started in the late 18th century. This period saw the emergence of figures like Antoine Court de Gébelin, who proposed an ancient Egyptian origin for the tarot, linking its symbolism to deities like Isis and to concepts like the 'Royal Road of Life.' Despite lacking linguistic or historical support from Egyptology, these ideas, along with those of Major General Louis-Raphaël-Lucrèce de Fayolle, Comte de Mellet, who first associated tarot with cartomancy and the 'Book of Thoth,' profoundly influenced the occult understanding of the cards.

Jean-Baptiste Alliette, known as Etteilla, was pivotal in formalizing tarot for divination, devising methods and publishing treatises in the late 18th century. He established the first society dedicated to tarot cartomancy and created the 'Grand Etteilla' deck, marketed as a corrected version of the tarot, deeply embedding the 'Book of Thoth' narrative. Later, Éliphas Lévi (Alphonse-Louis Constant) further expanded the esoteric framework, viewing tarot as a mystical key to ancient philosophies and magic. Lévi integrated Kabbalistic concepts, associating the Major Arcana with the Hebrew alphabet and the ten sefiroth, and proposed symbolic meanings for the suits and court cards, solidifying tarot's role in modern occultism.

Marie-Anne Lenormand rose to prominence in the early 19th century as a renowned cartomancer, advising notable figures and utilizing both tarot and standard playing cards. Her influence led to the publication of various Lenormand decks after her death. The use of tarot diversified over time, extending beyond divination to hermeneutic, magical, and psychological practices. It found application in Jungian psychology as a means to access the unconscious and facilitate individuation. While early occultists suggested links between tarot and Romani people, historical evidence for this usage is scarce until the 20th century.

“it was only in the 1780s, when the practice of fortune-telling with regular playing cards had been well established for at least two decades, that anyone began to use the tarot pack for cartomancy.”

“scholarly research reveals that there is no evidence of any significant use of tarot cards for divination until the late 18th century as it was believed to be invented in Italy in the early 15th century.”

“western views of the Tarot pack as "the subject of the most successful propaganda campaign ever launched... An entire false history and false interpretation of the Tarot pack was concocted by the occultists; and it is all but universally believed".”

“the first was Antoine Court de Gébelin, a French clergyman, who wrote that after seeing a group of women playing cards he had the idea that tarot was not merely a game of cards but was in fact of ancient Egyptian origin, of mystical Qabalistic import, and of deep divine significance.”

“The first was Antoine Court de Gébelin, a French clergyman, who wrote that after seeing a group of women playing cards he had the idea that tarot was not merely a game of cards but was in fact of ancient Egyptian origin, of mystical Qabalistic import, and of deep divine significance.”