The Amazing History Of The Tarot
Sep 8th, 2008 by Jack Levine
The origin of tarot cards is northern Italy in the fifteenth century. The cards were originally designed for a game that is a lot like the game of bridge. The original deck of tarot cards had all of the same cards as a traditional deck of cards with the addition of the twenty-two cards that we know today as the tarot cards.
That first deck of cards contained all of the cards that we are familiar with in a standard deck of cards but it also had the addition of the twenty-two trump cards that we would recognize as the cards of the tarot. Each of these cards had a special place in the game and would be able to trump any other card when it was played.
The game was very popular during this time and there were many decks created for playing. However, because each of the cards had to be hand painted it was not a game that everyone had the privilege of playing. Only the very rich could afford the deck of cards to play the game of Triumphs.
When the cards were first introduced, the divination meanings that we associate with the cards today were not ever mentioned. No one during this time attributed these cards to any other purpose than the playing of a game. It was only centuries later that the cards began to be seen in this light.
The cards changed in their look as they moved from country to country. Every region added their own touch to the designs on the tarot deck. In the time when the cards were created, playing cards, as well as the tarot deck, were hand painted. If the cards exist today, they are artistic masterpieces and very valuable relics from a time gone by.
Today, there are a number of different tarot card decks that can be used for divination purposes. Each deck has the same number of cards and the meanings behind the symbols are the same. However, each deck has its own representation of the symbols that are extraordinarily beautiful. Even if you don’t practice tarot for the divination purpose, the cards are a beautifully artistic item to collect.
It took centuries for the tarot card deck to take on the divinatory aspect and become used for more magical purposes. People began to see meanings behind the cards and the order in which they would fall. This is how the current use of tarot cards evolved over time.
As the cards moved from country to country, they began to be changed in their appearance. Every region put its own representation of the tarot deck out for the public display. These hand painted decks of cards are true artistic wonders and should be viewed if you get a chance.



