The Origin and history of the tarot

The origin of the tarot has been lost in the mist of time. They have been attributed to the esoteric schools of philosophy of ancient Egypt and India. They were adapted by the Gypsies for fortune telling around the shores of the Mediterranean. Traditionally they were played as a popular card game in Italy, and France, were wealthy nobles commissioned beautiful decks, some of which have survived. In the early part of the twentieth century, the tarot was incorporated into the practices of several secret societies, including the Order of the Golden Dawn.

The tarot is most commonly viewed as a tool for divination. It is also the most accurate and complete divination known. A traditional tarot reading involves a seeker - someone who is looking for answers to personal questions - and a reader - someone who knows how to interpret the cards. After the reader has shuffled and cut the deck, the reader lays out the chosen cards in a pattern called a spread. Each position in the spread has a meaning, and each card has a meaning as well. The reader combines these two meanings to answer the seeker's question. A simple process, but rarely presented in a simple way.

The Tarot deck has evolved thru the centuries to a deck of seventy-eight cards, somewhat larger than the traditional playing cards with altogether different meanings and powers. The very names of the two sections of the pack - the Minor and the Major Arcana - suggest their ancient and occult tradition.

The power of the tarot cards comes from the subconscious, where the universal knowledge can be found, the cards allows us to access this part of our mind, so we can predict the future, and understand our lives. The goal of The Mystic Tarot is to allow you to tap into your subconscious mind, using your own virtual Tarot deck without having to spend years learning to read, and understand these Mystical and Magical cards.