About the Tarot

[HouseDealer]

there are so many people who misunderstand the Tarot. there are fears associated, labels slapped on those who study, read, or consult readers...that we are superstitious, mystics...
BAH!!
it’s synchronicity, which is something we’ve all experience, i’m sure.
it’s also psychology..it tends to act as a mirror to "bring out" situations that the querent already knows, but may not be aware of in the forefront.

the origins of the Tarot are mysterious in that there are several stories going around. i’ve read that they were originally created and used in Egypt in ancient times. i’ve also read that they originated in Italy. and in France. that seems to add to the appeal for some reason. my attitude is this: since we don’t know, who cares?

we do know that the Tarot was originally used for a game called Tarocchi (if my spelling is wrong, this is because i’m not referring to any sources..i’m going by memory here), which was one of the first card games, if not The first card game in human history. it wasn’t until later when people began using the cards for divinations purposes.

there are two cards that people generally fear. Death and the Devil.
there are no "scary" cards in the deck. the Death card implies no physical death at all. it does NOT mean that someone is going to physically die. rather, the death card indicates a death and rebirth of cycles. the Devil card doesn’t mean that *BOO!!* the devil is watching you. rather, the Devil card reminds us that we are being too "sinful" for lack of a better word, and the bondage that "sin" entraps us in.

the Tarot is not evil. in fact, there are so many Christian and Catholic symbols in there that this fact is very obvious. The Tower is the falling tower of Babel. Christian symbolism is *everywhere* in the Tarot, as well as other religious symbols from the Kabbalah, etc.

the Tarot is based on symbols. it takes time to get to know the symbols. if you want to take lessons, it’s best that you purchase a deck of cards...preferably a variation or the Rider-Waite deck. there are many...and this is the easiest deck to begin with. if you already have a deck, you’re set to go.

you can still take lessons without having a deck.

the Tarot does NOT decide your fate. that is on YOU. nothing is set in stone, free will always exists. however, if a particular situation is drawn to your attention (synchronicity), you are aware of it and can change things to suit your needs.

free will is so necessary to consider when dealing with the Tarot, and having readings performed for you. as far as learning and studying the Tarot, free will is still the most prominent aspect of the Tarot, no matter how "grim" the reading might appear.

there is no magic in the cards. life is the magic!
requests are being accepted in this group, or via email on this site.
and no, i will never charge. i simply don’t believe in that.

there will be a lot of content in this group. give it time and you will have some interesting experiences and discussions.
don’t forget to invite your friends! anyone who is even slightly interested in Tarot should be involved in this group. where else can you get this for free?

[_Angel_]

there is a lot of good info here. i agree with you if no one really knows where the tarot started than who cares.

[HouseDealer]

you know, what's interesting to me is that people did not use them for fortune telling until Much later. the original cards were for the Italian game.

but the beginnings are mysterious. since we don't know about the beginnings, it draws us more..the mystery. and were they originally created for the Italian card game? predating the Rider-Waite times, and other popular decks?

it's been implied in my studies over and over that the Tarot is very old.

i do wonder sometimes what they were made for originally. i've also learned that the original cards were not made of paper. there was no paper back then.

using metal pieces, rocks...man, that must have been really hard to shuffle!

[_Angel_]

lol. i guess metal would be hard to shuffel. so they wasn't used as forture telling in the beginning. that's interesting.

[HouseDealer]

not that we know of, but the ancient Italian card game, Tarrochi (sp?)...i don't think that was around when the first tarot deck was made. nobody is really sure. if they began in Egypt as has been suggested, that would pre-date the game of Tarrochi. i've read they started in Egypt, in the Middle East...in the Orient...in Italy....it does make one wonder what the first tarot cards were used for.

there are so many "stories" floating around. but i do know the first cards were not made of paper, and yeah...metal cards would have to be handled a lot differently!

mysterious roots...that seems to make them more appealing.

[_Angel_]

you have me intrigued about their history. i will now have to do some research.

[HouseDealer]

oh my gosh yes, and please share! i haven't read every book out there, but i do have some very good ones.

i'd love to know more about it. i can't seem to find much about the origin.

[HouseDealer]

i found this, thought it was interesting. i'll be digging more..but it all still comes down to the same conclusion in the end, no matter how much speculation...nobody knows.

http://www.tarothermit.com/infosheet.htm