History of Tarot Cards
Astrology, Tarot, and Cabala are three pillars of Western mysticism. Among them, astrology is better than "Principles", Tarot cards are better than "Xiang", and Kabbalistic mathematics is better than "Numbers". Today's Western mystical scholars must study these three skills in order to complement each other and go deep into the Western world. The mystery of magic. Among these three magics, Tarot cards have both artistic beauty and mystery. They can be used for divination and can also be viewed and collected as works of art. Therefore, they are widely welcomed by all walks of life with colorful patterns. , has also been attached to various magics and myths and legends. There are seventy-eight traditional Tarot cards, divided into two parts. The first part contains twenty-two main cards, called the Major Arcana, which means "The Big Secret." , each card has a unique name and complete meaning (such as: magician, female pope), the patterns are complex and profound, and can be matched with the astrology. The second part is a deck of fifty-six cards, called the Lesser Arcana, which means "little secret." The cards are divided into four groups: sword, pentagram (or coin), Holy Grail, Wands, each set of cards is divided into ten number cards (1 to 10) and four palace cards (king, queen, knight, follower), which are used to assist the Major Arcana in in-depth details and can be combined with the calendar. Cooperate. The Minor Arcana is the predecessor of today's playing cards. Each of the seventy-eight tarot cards has its own numbers, which can be used in conjunction with Kabbalah numerology.
Since the word "Tarot" has appeared in many cultures, and the patterns of Tarot cards are a mixture of different myths and legends, the true origin of Tarot cards is still divided. There is no actual evidence, but it can be found in Egypt, China, Hebrew, India, France, and Italy. Among them, the Egyptian origin theory is the most familiar, but there are also many strong supporters of origins in other regions, such as China and Hebrew.
Egyptian origin theory: Supporters of this school believe that the word "Tarot" is taken from the Egyptian words Tar (Tao or Dharma) and RO (King or Emperor), which means "King's Way" and also Refers to the correct decision-making required to be a king. Supporters of this school believe that Tarot cards are the ancient Egyptian wisdom and magic classic "Book of Thoth". The Book of Thoth was originally a pattern painted on the temple to convey the will of the gods and solve the pharaoh's doubts. Later, the Egyptian dynasty was destroyed, and the patterns were painted on grass scrolls and carried out by the priests. Later, they were used by the Gypsies. This theory spread to Europe, represented by the French occult researcher Gebelin who published a series of books on tarot card theory in 1781.
Chinese origin theory: In the Tang Dynasty of China, there was a monk named Yi Xing who was proficient in astronomy and calendar, known as "Monk Yi Xing" in the world. He invented a card game called "Monk Yi Xing" in about 772 AD. Making "leaf play", each card is about the size of a leaf, which was deeply loved by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. Later, leaf play became widely popular among aristocrats, gentry and the people. Later, the leaf cards were painted with various patterns of different characters. They also became more and more exquisite. During the Ming Dynasty, a deck of forty cards divided into four suits appeared. Supporters of this school believe that the earliest Western playing cards appeared around the 13th century, later than the Chinese leaf cards. In the 500s or 600s, there were two periods of great exchanges between Chinese and Western cultures, which may have flowed into Europe. Although the specific form of the leaf cards invented by Yi Xing is currently unknown, Yi Xing is good at astronomical calculations. Maybe this deck of cards is related to calendar calculations. The author I think this has something to do with the Minor Arcana. The tarot cards that everyone always thinks of as "imported" are probably also genuine "domestic products"!
Hebrew origin theory: In Jewish, "TARAH" represents "law". The 19th-century occultist Levi linked tarot cards to the ancient Jewish esoteric religion Kabbalah. He found the correspondence between the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet and the Tarot cards, as well as the correspondence between the 22 paths in the "Tree of Life" in Kabbalah and the Tarot cards, which gave the Hebrew Great support from originists. Some people even think that tarot cards are the spiritual séance rituals of ancient Jewish esotericism!
The earliest preserved Tarot deck is the 17 Major Arcana cards currently stored in the National Library in Paris, France. It is said that the painter Gringonneur gave it to King Charles VI of France in 1392. It is also said to be the playing cards of Venice in the 15th century. In addition, in 1397, French law prohibited workers from playing cards except on holidays. I believe this is also related to tarot cards. In short, the earliest document related to tarot cards that can be tested is about Around the 14th century.
In the Middle Ages in Europe, Tarot cards were regarded as heresy by the churches and were suppressed. Many churches prohibited members from accessing Tarot cards, and they continued to vilify and burn Tarot cards, which have been passed down to this day. , and many people think that tarot cards have "evil power" and can be "subdued" by just using the name of Christ. This is really ridiculous.
Under this kind of religious persecution, Tarot cards went underground and were kept by some secret sects that were regarded as heretics. They were used to teach people as a path to spirituality and wisdom. In the 18th and 19th centuries, through the works of Geblin and Levi, etc. Through research and promotion, Tarot cards have appeared in front of the world with a new look.
At the end of the 19th century, Papus, a follower of Levi (he was Gerard Encause), greatly improved the theory and system of Tarot cards. He applied the teachings of Kabbalah to the interpretation of Tarot cards, and Find out how the tarot cards relate to the corresponding magical rituals. Papus's famous book "The Tarot of the Bohemians" is the first complete Tarot monograph, which also adds numberology to enrich the connotation of Tarot cards. Papus is therefore regarded as the modern European Tarot theory and system
The most important event in the history of the development of modern tarot cards - in 1888, a witchcraft association "The Hermetics" inherited the medieval mystical school "Ross Cross". Order of the Golden Dawn was established in London. They once again combined tarot, astrology, Kabbalah and alchemy to make the theoretical system of tarot more complete. In 1891, A.E. Waite added "Golden." "Dawn", and in 1910, he and Ms. Smith published the Ride-Waite Tarot. In addition, Waite wrote a book "A Pictorial Key to Tarot" to explain this deck of cards, which soon became the world's most widely circulated book. Playing cards are also recognized by most tarot card researchers as the "International Standard Edition" and are used as a "textbook" for introductory tarot card study. Today, this deck of playing cards is packaged in a yellow paper shell. As long as tarot cards are sold, Its traces can be seen everywhere
Today, the development of tarot cards is more diverse, and many tarot cards are combined with local culture and art to create new ones, such as Russian tarot cards and British tarot cards. Tarot cards, Swedish Tarot cards, Chinese I Ching Tarot cards, it can be said that in addition to divination, Tarot cards also express different cultures and customs around the world. It is worth noting that due to the New Age movement (New Age). With the advancement of Tarot, in addition to divining the practical aspects of life, today's tarot cards also emphasize the motivations and inner reactions of the diviners, serving as a "mirror of the soul" and a tool that "directly points to the human heart". Master Gurdjieff's disciples and Osho and his disciples have published books on Tarot cards and theoretical research for spiritual practice, popularizing the spiritual level of Tarot cards.