The History and Meaning Behind Tarot Cards

by Marco Gonzales, age 9

Tarot is a special card deck used for fortune-telling, but that wasn’t always true. It originated in Italy during the 1440s, when a fifth suit of 21 cards called "trionfi" (triumphs) and a "fool" card were added to a typical four-suited pack of cards. Originally, tarot was used as a game called "tarocchi," not for divination.

The modern tarot deck is based on the Marseille Tarot, consisting of 78 cards split into two groups: the major and minor arcana. The major arcana has 22 cards known as trumps, while the minor arcana has 56 cards. A special card in the deck is the Fool, also known as "Il Matto" in Italian or "Le Mat" in French.

The major arcana is numbered I to XXI (1 to 21), while the Fool is unnumbered. Some of the illustrations on the major arcana cards include The Magician (sometimes called the Juggler), the High Priestess, the Empress, and more. The minor arcana is divided into four suits with 14 cards in each group: swords (spades), wands (clubs), cups (hearts), and coins (diamonds). Each of these suits has four court cards – King, Queen, Knight, and Page – and ten numbered cards. Unlike a standard deck of cards, the minor arcana includes an additional card for each suit.

The adoption of tarot cards for fortune-telling first occurred in France around 1780. Each of the cards has a different meaning. Cards from the major arcana represent spiritual matters and address personal questions, while cards in the minor arcana deal with business, career, love, and material comfort. Many of the pictures represent a feeling or topic: cups signify love, swords symbolize conflict, and coins represent money.

In a tarot card reading, the deck is shuffled, and the fortune-teller lays out a few cards selected at random by the questioner or dealt from the top of the deck. Depending on the orientation and positioning of the cards, new interpretations are made by the fortune-teller. Many people say that tarot is not just a game, it can be used to gain insight into oneself and one’s journey through life.

[Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica; The World of Playing Cards]