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Cartomancy, the art of fortune telling or divination through a deck of cards, has been used since playing cards arrived in Europe during the 1300's. Although a normal deck of playing cards may be used for this purpose, many cartomancers believe that a deck used for playing should not be also used for a higher spiritual purpose. Decks of playing cards for the specific purpose of divination were developed; the most popular and best-known ones are the tarot decks.

Today, most scholars contend that the use of tarot for fortune telling, meditation and divination did not really occur until the middle of the 18th century.

Like the origins of playing cards, the exact origins of the tarot deck are obscure. Until recently, the relationship between tarot and playing cards was vague. Currently, there are enough documented references to show there is a common history between tarot and regular playing cards.

The traditional tarot deck is divided into two sets. The first 22 cards are called the Major Arcana and are referred to as trumps. The second set of the tarot deck is made up of 56 cards, which are divided into four suits and called the Minor Arcana.

The 78 card tarot decks came from when the original playing card deck of 52 was added to the 22 trump deck, without the four joker cards. The exact reason for this combination is not certain but many historians believe it was in an attempt to avoid anti-gambling laws written against the 52 card deck.

The first deck of surviving tarot cards originates from the nobility in Italy. They were extravagant, lavishly painted hand made cards.

tarot playing cards in many parts of the world are used in card games and nothing more. The English-speaking, Western world does not know of these games so they, almost always, only associate tarot with the occult. The original use of the tarot is along these lines and appears to have been a card game closely resembling modern-day bridge.

Reading the Meaning behind the Tarot Cards

The association between tarot and mysticism didn't appear for hundreds of years after their introduction into Europe. The first reference to the use of tarot for fortune telling is in the 1700's, although the tarot fortune-telling and mystical portents didn't become popularly known until the late 1800's. During this century, tarot became associated with divination, occult, Kabbalah and religious symbology.

Throughout their history, men have claimed to know the secret behind the tarot symbols and paintings. Tarot has been deemed the holder of the ancient secrets of Egypt. One theory states that it was divinely given by the god Thoth-Hermes. It has also been explained as an insight into the mystical Kabbalah and the outward symbolization of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet.

Schools and religions have modeled themselves after the knowledge stored in the tarot decks. Some even believe the secret to the holy grail's resting place is hidden within its symbols.

Beyond these conjectures, the history and the meaning behind the tarot will probably never be discovered. Many people who believe in the tarot's spiritual significance think that leaving a little mystery in the world inspires imagination and creativity and can only bring positive occurrences.

It should also be noted that cartomancers use many different types of cards and decks for divination and fortune-telling purposes. Tarot is merely the most popularly known example.