History & Mystery of
Tarot
by M. J. Abadie
The Tarot has experienced a
resurgence in the past two decades and has become especially popular recently,
with newly minted modern Tarot decks coming out frequently. There are now dozens
of decks from which to choose, representing themes from Egyptian and Celtic to
Native American and Feminist.
Over time, the Tarot cards have
had their ups and downs, falling from popular interest only to be once more
resurrected by those in search of the deeper meanings behind their complex
symbolism. As the saying goes, "Truth will always out."
The earliest known "book" of Tarot
cards still in existence are those from 1840-42, of which seventeen remain. The
first entire deck still in existence was painted by the Italian Bonifacio Bembo
for the Duke of Milan.
Many theories exist about the
origins of the Tarot. During different periods of history, occult (the word
means "hidden") studies were either freely available to all or deeply secret,
depending upon the prevailing authorities of the culture's attitude toward
occult knowledge.
One theory is that in the great
library of Alexandria in Egypt, whose female librarian Hypatia was
world-renowned for her wisdom and learning, there existed scrolls (which was how
books were made in those days) containing all of the wisdom of the ancient
world.
One of these "books" was
supposedly based on the legendary Book of Thoth, derived from the mystery
schools of Egypt. The allegorical illustrations on the Tarot cards are said to
contain these secret teachings, which in the Major Arcana represent a course in
personal development. The esoteric teachings were hidden in the seemingly
innocent pictures.
Gypsies are said to have carried
the cards to Europe and "gypsy" is considered a corrupt form of "Egyptian."
Considered by the Church to be "the devil's picture book", the cards were
quickly condemned by the Catholic Church as heretical. Just to possess them was
a dangerous act.
There seems no doubt that the
cards were a means for preservation of ancient knowledge that the Church
considered dangerous, or heretical, at a time when it was literally a danger to
your life to believe anything other than the established Church
dogma.
Though we can only speculate on
its origins, the Tarot images are inextricably linked to ancient beliefs,
mythologies, and religious systems such as the Hebrew Cabala. Others, notably
Pythagoras, believed that letters and numbers are in themselves divine beings
possessing extraordinary powers; the Greek neo-Pythagorean school taught these
ideas.
No matter the origin of the Tarot,
it is clear that its motifs refer directly to fundamental human psychological
and spiritual experiences. The more one studies them and practices their use,
the deeper one's understanding becomes, and the more they resonate to the inner
life, as well as to events in the outer life. They are primarily meant to be
used for enlightenment, for discovery of the authentic Self.
Number cards are believed to have
been added at a later date, around the time of the first known deck in the
fourteenth century. This theory suggests that they derive from an Italian card
game known as tarrochi.
Though we will never know their
true history, that needn't prevent us from using their wisdom, for the Tarot
cards do indeed tell a powerful story: the story of the development of human
life. It is an adventure story, like the hero's journey, filled with challenges,
obstacles to be overcome, lessons to be learned, reconciliations to be achieved,
honor to be protected, goals to be formulated and reached. In this universal
story, each of us undertakes his or her own Way, following whatever symbolism
speaks to us at the moment of a reading. It is this amazing flexibility that has
allowed the Tarot and its marvelous symbols to endure through long and
tumultuous centuries in order to come down to us today.
The Soul of the
World
In the view of the alchemists and
mystics, the universal significance of such symbols as the Tarot presents and
preserves was thought to spring from the anima mundi, or soul of the
world, which was seen as a vast repository of knowledge, like a universal
library, that was filled with the memories and wisdom of the entire human
race-past, present, and future. Sometimes called the "Akashic records",
this source of knowledge could be
accessed by anyone willing to make the effort of deep
contemplation.
Within this collective pool are
all the basic figures found in religions, myths, legends, and fairy tales. Taken
together, these figures encapsulate a magical storehouse of profound esoteric
knowledge. For example, The Empress symbolizes the essence of femininity as
represented by the great mother Goddess of the world's most ancient religion.
She can be seen as the representative of what Goethe called "the eternal
feminine", in both myth and psychology.
Thus does each figure of the Tarot
call forth from the individual's unconscious a deep resonance. Contact with
these images in a conscious, intentional way allows their hidden counterparts --
denizens of the deepest layer of human collectivity -- to surface and become
integrated into a person's life.
Properly conducted, a reading is a
story -- the images on the cards meld into a meaningful pattern that can clarify
the issues confronting the person for whom the reading is held. In a profound
sense, if taken rightly, a reading can act like a vivid, enlightening dream or a
moment of the flash of inspiration-the "Ah-ha" experience. "So, that's how it
goes!"
Tarot cards are wonderful for
meditation, as well as for divination, or the answering of questions. They act
to stimulate the intuition, which is the key to the gateway of the unconscious.
They act to illuminate the hidden factors in a person's life that bear on the
situation at hand. Often, the person him- or herself may be unaware of these
inner issues that are secretly shaping the course of his or her life. The Tarot,
by contacting what is inside the person, reveals them.
This article has been excerpted with permission from the book
"The
Everything Tarot Book" ©1999 by M.J. Abadie.
Published by Adams Media Corp., Holbrook, MA. Visit
the publisher's website athttp://www.adamsmedia.com.
Info/Order this book
About The
Author
M. J. Abadie is a professionally trained
psychic, Tarot reader, and author. She has written several books on a variety of
New Age topics, including Your Psychic Potential; Awaken to Your Spiritual Self ; and most recently Child Astrology: A Guide to Nurturing Your Child's Natural
Gifts.
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