In a world that is modern and full of scientific advances and experiments, there are still some long standing traditions that claim to incorporate mystic forces. People check their horoscopes on a daily basis live by superstitions and believe that there are some things that cannot be explained. A major phenomenon that is now back in fashion is the use of tarot cards to predict a person’s future and discover their past and present issues. 15th century Italy is generally believed to have been the time and place that the use of tarot cards began. The cards consisted of the Minor and Major Arcana. The Minor Arcana includes each of the four suits. The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards that do not belong to any of the suits. The trend spread across Europe and became extremely popular with nobility and commoners alike. Tarot was used to predict events and eventually became of particular use to people who were interested in the occult.
The association of tarot cards and the occult led to the belief that tarot cards were involved in the dark arts and certain religions began to ban the use of tarot cards amongst their followers. Tarot cards then became a secretive form of expression with people using the divination of the cards privately. More recently, tarot cards have experienced a renewal in popularity, as people are more likely to view astrology in a light-hearted way whereas in past times they were overly superstitious. Tarot card readings have once again become hugely popular with a lot of people venturing to have their cards read on a regular basis whether for fun or for serious guidance in their lives.
Tarot symbolism is taken from many sources, including Astrology, Kabbala, Runes, and even I-Ching. Each tarot card has its own unique interpretation.
Each deck has a total of 78 cards of which 22 are major arcana or trumps. Some of these are The Lovers, The Fool, The Pope, and The World. The 56 cards or minor arcana, are divided into 4 suits of 14 cards each. The 4 suits are swords, cups, wands and pentacles.
Each card has a positive and negative interpretation. Read upright it is positive, and reversed it could be negative. The Fool upright would mean new opportunities whereas upside down it could mean foolhardiness. The Magician upright would mean thinking well around situations; reversed it could mean trickery, deception or a warning about someone you trust. The Chariot is associated with triumph, while upside down with rage and tyranny. The Hanged Man is associated with flexibility and negatively with materialism, an inflated ego, martyrdom etc. The Transformation card is associated with change or endings, while negatively it shows loss of opportunity and friendship, or even fear of change. The Wheel of Fortune is linked to destiny, movement, vision and good luck; while on the other hand it could signify obstacles, ill luck and unpleasant surprises.
Believers say that unknown powers in the tarot cards make symbols unite in order to point out what we want to know. These symbols are interpreted based on repeated results. For example, if the death card falls in a favorable position, a couple could have a long and successful relationship.
There are many reasons why people read tarot cards. It could be to look into the future, as problem solving, visualization, meditation or even for the sheer pleasure of a card game! Some even collect these for their sheer beauty and uniqueness. Psychiatrists would use cards to understand a patient?s inner thoughts or associations
