The origin of the Tarot is not clear, nor the language it derives, and what games inspired it.
The first written reference to the Tarot dates from 1227 and tells us: “the Italian children are instructed with the knowledge of the virtues with cards called “carticellas.” These cards could be the origin of the famous Tarot de Marseille, and only 17 cards from 1392 exist.
Looking at these dates, we see that the Inquisition had an essential role in perpetuating the Tarot as a medium for transmitting truths and knowledge that during that time became “occult” as pagans became heretics.
The cults that survived the Christian dogmatism succeeded by masking and adapting to Latin and Christianized forms. To the point that it is impossible to distinguish the actual origin of many beliefs.
An excellent example of this is the card of The World in the Tarot based on pre-Christian symbology; the Marseille tarot represents the central figure as a woman. Likewise, the Christians of the Xll century put Christ as the central figure among the symbols of the Apocalypse: angel, human, eagle, lion, and bull.
The French philosopher Antoine Court de Gébelin (1728-84) re-discovered the Tarot and believed it was related to old secret Egyptian spiritual practices, a visual registry of occult doctrines.
Tarot has not had any pivotal role in predicting or changing historical events. However, from Queen Elizabeth I, to Ronald Reagan to other current presidents, having intuitive advisors is well known and documented.
As the expert Marianne Costa explains, a tarot read could be two things: an intuitive work with the other person, where the ego barriers fall, and communion between two people. Or like the old porn movies, the reader enters the other person’s world to the beat of their drum, projecting on the other to their convenience.
Unfortunately, the Tarot has been prostituted to a reduced form of divination, where ambiguous and vague personality descriptions mostly dominate the communication. Expressions like “you need to be accepted by others” or “your family is significant for you.” This type of expression is known as the Bertram Forer effect.
The Tarot is a valuable tool to come to terms with the past, correct negative models of conduct, and bring limiting beliefs to light. In addition, professionals like life coaches or psychologists use today’s Tarot as an additional tool for their sessions.
Will my ex come back with me? Well, I might not need the cards to tell you an answer. And I am not projecting; I am simply saying that maybe a better question would be, “what aspects of myself must I work on to bring healthy, loving relationships to my life?”
Some tarot “professionals” might use the ex question to keep the person coming back with the promise of seeing changes in the future, a projected way of using the Tarot. But, to me, Tarot can help you get out of your head and look at your life from a healthy distance, bringing clarity.
Working with Tarot is more about how we situate ourselves in the present regarding the desired outcome. It is translating the messages from the person’s subconscious and express them in practical and valuable ways.
A session has an introductory part and an explanation of how the session will develop. Then, the sitter can make questions, and we will answer them by drawing the cards.
What happens when the reader sees something negative? There’s no such thing as something negative but only the perception of a situation that can feel overwhelming at the moment. This situation can be transformed into an action that will create a positive movement.
Alejandro Jodorowsky, the father of the Evolutive Tarot, says, “the Tarot is not the cure but the means to detect the illness.” It is the work of a coach or psychologist to help with deeper issues.
The Tarot is like a mirror, and it allows us to discover ourselves.