What Is Tarot?

So what exactly is tarot and why is it used? To understand what tarot is now we first have to take a look at what it once was. Tarot originated around the 1430s in modern day France and Italy. Although it was very different from the tarot we know now. It started as a card game known by the name Tarocchini Apporpriati and was a game of wits and inside jokes among the players. This is where we get the tarot decks that we know today as the game was played with a standard deck of cards and a deck of 22 illustrated cards now known as the Major Arcana. So when did tarot become what we know it as in modern day? The first records of tarot being used as we now know it date back to the late 1700s. However it did not gain mass popularity until 1909 when Raider Waite with the help of illustrator Pamala Smith created the most common tarot deck known today! So what exactly is this modren tarot deck that Raider Waite and Pamala Smith made? A standard modern tarot deck consists of 78 cards. These cards are divided into two different categories the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana occasionally called the Major Trumps and Minor Trumps. Most people are most familiar with the Major Arcana which contains 22 cards as it contains the popular cards such as the lovers, death, the hanged man, and the sun and moon cards. Contrary to what most people believe there are no “good” or “bad” cards to get. Although the thought of some of these cards can be scary they do not always mean the name of their cards. The remaining 56 cards are divided into Minor Arcana which has 4 suits each consisting of 14 cards. Each of these suits refer to a human experience as well as represents one of the 4 elements, seasons, as well as predicting time frames. Each set starts with the ace, then has numbers 2-10, and ends with a page, a knight, a queen, and a king. These suits are Wands sometimes referred to as Batons representing spirituality and creativity, fire, spring, or days, Swords representing beliefs and intellect, air, fall, or weeks, Cups representing emotions, water, summer or months, and Pentacles sometimes referred to as Coins representing wealth or experiences, earth, winter, or years. So where do we get these time frames in tarot? Tarot is often used in tandem with numerology. This is where we get those timeframes but we can go deeper into it. When everyone is born they are assigned two tarot cards that predict their life path. The way to find this is by using numerology with your birthday. Using mine as an example 02/12/2001. First what we do is add all of the digits of your birthday together. 0+2+1+2+2+0+0+1=8 now if you are left with a double digit number you will reduce that to a single digit. Example 12/13/1982 1+2+1+3+1+9+8+2=27 you now add 2+7 to get 9 with the exemption of if your final number is 10. Below is a chart with the meanings

Now that we know where tarot comes from why do we use it? Tarot is a divination technique used to predict the current path your life is on. It is extremely important to remember your life is not set in stone and you do have free will to change it. Tarot should not be viewed as the truth and what will happen but what is most likely to happen if nothing changes. So how does something change in tarot? Well you can make the choice to make a change or someone in your life could make an unexpected decision that changes the outcome. So now that we know what it is used for how does it work? Do we just pull random cards? Well when you are getting a reading done it can vary by reader but there is one constant. The way the cards get picked. When one is shuffling cards your spirit guides put the cards in the order needed for them to be placed in the spread. No matter how you pull cards you will get the ones you are supposed to as your guides will order them however they are pulled. That’s why there are so many ways to get the cards for the spreads. So why might someone want a tarot reading? There are so many reasons someone may want a reading but some of the most common readings are year readings used to see what to expect for the upcoming year, relationship readings, financial readings, and career readings. If you feel you would benefit from a reading i offer live zoom readings as well as email readings for a more affordable price. If you have any questions do not hesitate to message me and I’ll get back to you as soon as i can.