THE BIRTH OF TAROT CARDS

Those who approach the world of tarot are very wary. Their minds associate those strange cards with a rather superficial and unfair imagery .

The media hype pushes to paint esotericism , the divinatory arts and everything that goes beyond the physical and economic dimension as a trap for idiots.

But is it really like that?

Is everything related to tarot cards just a scam targeting the gullible? Is that how it all works?

No. The world of tarot is complex, fascinating, incredible yet real, mythical yet tangible. It's an ancient tradition , and nothing can withstand the ravages of time unless it has eternal value.

To clear up the tarot's image, let's look at some misunderstandings about this important tradition. Besides the self-interested obstinacy of the media hype, even a crude use of tarot can be a source of slander.

The birth of the Tarot

One of the most debated topics regarding tarot is its origins. Unfortunately, this too is a source of inaccuracies and approximations.

In fact, this ancient tradition has its roots in the past centuries. No one knows for sure when tarot cards were invented, but there are countless hypotheses. They have given rise to veritable legends, stories, and suppositions bordering on the impossible .

One of these hypotheses, undoubtedly one of the most fascinating, sees the Tarot as the pages of the Book of Thoth , an ancient Egyptian deity. In short, according to this interpretation, the god of the Moon, wisdom, writing, magic, the measurement of time, mathematics, and geometry, left behind a book of superior knowledge.

What remains of this book would be the Tarot. The mysterious symbols depicted would therefore have a direct connection to the profound knowledge of life and the Afterlife of Egyptian culture.

Other hypotheses trace the origin of the tarot to Mary Magdalene , a central figure in Christianity and, according to some sources, the true guardian of the secrets of the Savior, Jesus .

According to more recent and less mythological analyses, brought to light by the director and shaman Alejandro Jodorowski , the origins of the tarot are not so distant, neither geographically nor temporally.

The game of tarot dates back to 1400 in the city of Bologna . Jodorowski created a true science, tarology, which analyzes ancient decks, studying them in depth in every aspect.

From that moment on, according to the director, the game of tarot would become increasingly popular, among all social classes. But it spread mostly in a hidden way .

This would have created an aura of mystery about its origins .

The Tarot and the Catholic religion

According to popular belief, tarot cards don't go well with the Catholic religion. Indeed, ministers of the Church have never looked favorably on tarot cards, but more for reasons of power than out of any aversion to them related to their faith.

The Catholic Church , especially in the past, did not greatly appreciate alternative sources to its doctrine. Anything not explicitly approved by the popes was considered blasphemy.

References to Catholicism are plentiful in the Tarot: the Pope and the Popess, the Magician who believes in God but does not follow all the commandments, the Hermit who teaches us not to betray God.

Without forgetting that some of the fundamental rules of tarot divination are derived from the Christian liturgy . The cards must be prepared using knowledge and timeframes linked to the Catholic religion.

For example , tarot readings are not available from December 8th to January 6th . From the Immaculate Conception until Epiphany, those who practice tarot divination should avoid readings and recharge with positive energy.

Tarot and free will

One of the key issues for those new to this world is free will: many people believe that our destiny cannot be controlled by the cards.

Thus, assuming that those who rely on the Tarot are convinced of the opposite. It's important to remember, then, that the cards advise, not compel!

The symbols depicted in the cards offer information, a lesson; they are not a law or an obligation . Tarot readers can use two main methods for their reading:

• The metaphorical one that analyses the symbol for its metaphorical meaning and delves into the concept through reason.
• The Neoplatonic one, on the other hand, relies on the immediate emotion that takes hold of the fortune teller during the reading.

What is certain is that there is no obligation in the readings but only suggestions for the person who requested the reading.

The cards and their meanings

Another topic that is often misunderstood is the meanings of the cards. It's enough to point out that no card has a completely positive or completely negative meaning .

It's a question of the relationships between the cards in the reading and the interpretation of the figure. A simplistic reading is almost always incorrect.

For example: the Hanged Man card , which was anciently depicted with a murder scene, is a card that represents change.

A change of perspective and changes in general are not necessarily negative, but in popular belief the Hanged Man card is seen as a bad omen.