The Origins & Philosophy of Tarot

The Tarot is far more than a simple deck of cards used for fortune-telling. It is a profound system of symbolic wisdom, a visual encyclopedia of the soul's journey through life, death, and rebirth. To truly understand the Tarot is to embark upon a path of self-discovery that draws from the deepest wells of Western esoteric tradition—Hermeticism, the Qabbalah, alchemy, and astrology. These ancient streams of knowledge converge in the seventy-eight cards, each one a doorway into the mysteries of existence.

Why Learn Tarot Through Sacred Tradition?

Many approach the Tarot seeking answers to mundane questions: Will I find love? Should I take this job? While the cards can certainly illuminate such matters, their true power lies in something far greater. The Tarot, when studied through the lens of Hermetic philosophy and Qabbalistic wisdom, becomes a mirror for the soul—a tool for understanding the archetypal forces that shape our lives and the universe itself.

Each card in the Major Arcana corresponds to a path on the Qabbalistic Tree of Life, linking the ten Sephiroth (divine emanations) in a cosmic map of consciousness. The Minor Arcana, divided into four suits, reflects the four elements and the four worlds of Qabbalistic cosmology. This is not mere coincidence but intentional design, crafted by initiates who encoded timeless wisdom into seemingly simple playing cards.

The Hermetic Foundation

Hermeticism traces its origins to the legendary figure of Hermes Trismegistus—'Thrice-Great Hermes'—who was believed to be a fusion of the Greek god Hermes and the Egyptian god Thoth. The writings attributed to him, particularly the Corpus Hermeticum and the Emerald Tablet, form the philosophical bedrock upon which much of Western esotericism rests.

The famous Hermetic axiom 'As above, so below; as below, so above' encapsulates the principle of correspondence that permeates the Tarot. Every card reflects both celestial patterns and earthly experiences, macrocosm and microcosm united in symbol. When we read the Tarot, we are not merely shuffling pieces of cardboard—we are engaging with a living system that mirrors the dance between heaven and earth.

The Qabbalah, the mystical tradition of Judaism, provides the structural framework through which the Tarot's symbols gain their deepest meaning. The Tree of Life, with its ten Sephiroth and twenty-two connecting paths, maps the journey of divine light from the infinite (Ein Sof) down through increasingly dense realms until it manifests in physical reality. Each of the twenty-two Major Arcana corresponds to one of these paths, while the numbered cards of the Minor Arcana align with the Sephiroth themselves.

The Origins of the Tarot

The historical origins of the Tarot are shrouded in mystery and scholarly debate. The earliest documented tarot decks appeared in northern Italy during the mid-fifteenth century, created as elaborate playing cards for noble families. These early decks, known as 'carte da trionfi' (cards of triumphs), featured the familiar structure of four suits plus a fifth suit of trump cards depicting allegorical figures.

While romantic theories have linked the Tarot's origins to ancient Egypt, the Romani people, or even Atlantis, historical evidence suggests a more modest European beginning. However, this does not diminish the cards' esoteric significance. The Renaissance period in which the Tarot emerged was a time of intense interest in recovering and synthesizing ancient wisdom traditions—Hermeticism, Neoplatonism, Qabbalah, and alchemy all flourished among the educated elite.

It was during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries that occultists began to systematically connect the Tarot with these esoteric traditions. Figures such as Antoine Court de Gébelin, Éliphas Lévi, and the members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn transformed the Tarot from a card game into a comprehensive system of initiation and spiritual development.

Evolution Through the Ages

The Tarot evolved significantly from its Renaissance origins to its modern form. Early decks varied considerably in their imagery and structure, with different regions developing their own traditions. The standardization of the deck into seventy-eight cards—twenty-two Major Arcana and fifty-six Minor Arcana—emerged gradually over centuries of use and refinement.

The nineteenth century marked a turning point when French occultist Éliphas Lévi published his groundbreaking work linking the twenty-two Major Arcana to the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet and, by extension, to the paths of the Tree of Life. This synthesis provided a coherent esoteric framework that would influence all subsequent occult Tarot traditions.

The Tarot de Marseille

The Tarot de Marseille represents one of the oldest and most influential standardized Tarot traditions. Originating in France during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, these decks feature bold, woodblock-printed imagery with a distinctive style that has remained remarkably consistent across centuries. The Major Arcana cards display archetypal figures in medieval costume, while the Minor Arcana present geometric arrangements of suit symbols without scenic illustration.

Many contemporary practitioners value the Marseille tradition for its relative simplicity and historical authenticity. The unillustrated Minor Arcana invite readers to engage more deeply with numerological and elemental symbolism, while the Major Arcana's stark imagery preserves an aesthetic link to the medieval worldview from which the Tarot emerged. The Marseille deck continues to be widely used, particularly in France and among readers who prefer a traditional approach.

The Rider-Waite-Smith Deck

The Rider-Waite-Smith deck, first published in 1909, revolutionized the Tarot and remains the most influential deck in the English-speaking world. Created through the collaboration of Arthur Edward Waite, a scholar and member of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and Pamela Colman Smith, a gifted artist and fellow initiate, this deck introduced fully illustrated Minor Arcana cards for the first time in the Tarot's history.

Smith's evocative illustrations for the Minor Arcana transformed the experience of reading these cards. Rather than abstract arrangements of cups, wands, swords, or pentacles, each card now told a story, depicted a human situation, conveyed an emotional atmosphere. This innovation made the Tarot far more accessible to beginners while also enriching the interpretive possibilities for experienced readers.

Waite drew upon his extensive knowledge of Qabbalistic and Hermetic symbolism to design cards rich with esoteric meaning. The subtle details—the positioning of figures, the colors chosen, the background elements—all carry significance for those with eyes to see. Yet the deck also works perfectly for those unfamiliar with its deeper layers, a testament to the genius of its creation.

Beginning Your Journey

Understanding the philosophical and historical context of the Tarot enriches every reading and deepens every study session. When you shuffle the cards, you are handling not merely painted cardboard but a distillation of centuries of wisdom, a portable temple containing the collected insights of mystics, philosophers, and artists across generations.

As you begin learning the individual cards, remember that each one is a gateway. Behind The Fool stands the vast tradition of the holy innocent, the divine madman who sees truth that the wise overlook. Within The High Priestess dwells the mystery of the feminine divine, Sophia, the Shekinah, the soul of the world. Every card you study opens doors to rooms within rooms, worlds within worlds. This is the gift of the Tarot: a lifetime of discovery contained within seventy-eight small rectangles.