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Tarot Analysis
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Version
1.0
The origin of the tarot is a mystery. We do know for
sure that the cards were used in Italy in the
fifteenth century as a popular card game. Wealthy
patrons commissioned beautiful decks, some of which
have survived. The Visconti-Sforza, created in 1450 or
shortly thereafter, is one of the earliest and most
complete.
Later in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the
cards were discovered by a number of influential
scholars of the occult. These gentleman were
fascinated by the tarot and recognized that the images
on the cards were more powerful than a simple game
would suggest. They revealed (or created!) the "true"
history of the tarot by connecting the cards to
Egyptian mysteries, Hermetic philosophy, the Kabbalah,
alchemy, and other mystical systems. These pursuits
continued into the early part of the twentieth century
when the tarot was incorporated into the practices of
several secret societies, including the Order of the
Golden Dawn.
Although the roots of the tarot are in the occult
tradition, interest in the cards has expanded in the
last few decades to include many different
perspectives. New decks have been created that reflect
these interests. There are Native American, herbal,
dragon and Japanese decks, among others.
The tarot is most commonly viewed as a tool for
divination. A traditional tarot reading involves a
seeker - someone who is looking for answers to
personal questions - and a reader - someone who knows
how to interpret the cards. After the seeker has
shuffled and cut the deck, the reader lays out the
chosen cards in a pattern called a spread. Each
position in the spread has a meaning, and each card
has a meaning as well. The reader combines these two
meanings to shed light on the seeker's question.
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