Tarot History & Origins

• AAncient Egypt
• BMedieval China
• ✓15th-century Italy
• DCeltic Britain

Tarot cards originated in 15th-century northern Italy as playing cards called 'carte da trionfi' (cards of triumphs). They were used for a game called Tarocchi before being adopted for divination centuries later.

• AIt was added later as an afterthought
• BIt represents nothingness and void
• ✓It stands outside the sequence, both beginning and end
• DIt was a printing error that stuck

The Fool is numbered 0 because it exists outside the linear sequence of the Major Arcana. It can be placed at the beginning or the end, symbolizing infinite potential, the eternal traveler who is always starting anew.

• AAncient wisdom
• ✓Hidden secrets
• CSacred cards
• DFortune telling

'Arcana' comes from the Latin 'arcanum' meaning 'secret' or 'mystery.' The Major Arcana are the 'great secrets' and the Minor Arcana are the 'lesser secrets' of the tarot.

• A1789
• ✓1909
• C1945
• D1970

The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was published in 1909. It was designed by Arthur Edward Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith. Its illustrated Minor Arcana cards revolutionized tarot reading.

• AArthur Waite
• BAleister Crowley
• ✓Pamela Colman Smith
• DÉliphas Lévi

Pamela Colman Smith (1878-1951) illustrated the deck under the direction of Arthur Edward Waite. Despite creating one of the most iconic image sets in history, she received little recognition or payment during her lifetime.

• A22
• B52
• C72
• ✓78

A full tarot deck contains 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana (the great mysteries) and 56 Minor Arcana (divided into four suits of 14 cards each).

• AEgypt
• BSpain
• ✓France
• DGermany

The Tarot de Marseille is a standard pattern of tarot deck that originated in France (specifically the Marseille region) in the 17th-18th centuries. It became the dominant pattern in continental Europe and is still widely used today.

• ASpring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
• ✓Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles
• CHearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades
• DFire, Ice, Thunder, Wind

The four Minor Arcana suits are Wands (fire/creativity), Cups (water/emotions), Swords (air/intellect), and Pentacles (earth/material world). Modern playing cards evolved from these: clubs, hearts, spades, and diamonds.

• AA card game using only The Fool
• ✓A narrative framework where The Fool meets each Major Arcana card
• CThe name of the first tarot book ever written
• DA beginner's tarot course

The Fool's Journey is a narrative interpretation of the Major Arcana. It follows The Fool (card 0) as they encounter each archetype from The Magician to The World, representing the stages of life, growth, and self-discovery.

• AFortune telling at royal courts
• ✓A card game called Tarocchi
• CReligious ceremonies
• DCommunication with spirits

Tarot cards were originally created for a card game called Tarocchi (in Italian) or Tarot (in French). The use of tarot for divination didn't become popular until the late 18th century, over 300 years after the cards were invented.

• AThe Egyptian god Thoth
• BThe Italian river Taro
• ✓The Italian word 'tarocchi' (a card game)
• DThe Hebrew word 'Torah'

The most accepted etymology traces 'tarot' to the Italian word 'tarocchi,' the name of the trick-taking card game the cards were designed for. While romantic theories link it to Egyptian or Hebrew origins, linguistic evidence supports the Italian game origin.

• AThe Medici family
• ✓The Visconti-Sforza family
• CThe Tudor family
• DThe Bourbon family

The oldest known tarot cards are the Visconti-Sforza deck, commissioned by the Duke of Milan's family in the mid-15th century. Several incomplete sets survive in museums, featuring hand-painted gold-leaf illustrations.

• AArthur Edward Waite
• ✓Aleister Crowley
• CÉliphas Lévi
• DAntoine Court de Gébelin

The Thoth Tarot was designed by Aleister Crowley and painted by Lady Frieda Harris between 1938 and 1943. It was not published until 1969, after both creators had died. The deck incorporates Crowley's esoteric philosophy and Kabbalistic correspondences.

• APamela Colman Smith
• ✓Lady Frieda Harris
• CSalvador Dalí
• DAlphonse Mucha

Lady Frieda Harris painted the Thoth Tarot over five years (1938-1943) under Crowley's direction. She created multiple versions of many cards, and her art deco and projective geometry style gives the deck a distinctive modern look.

• AAstrology only
• ✓The Kabbalah, astrology, and the four elements
• CChinese philosophy
• DNorse mythology

The Golden Dawn (founded 1888) created a systematic framework connecting tarot to the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, astrological correspondences, and elemental associations. This system remains the foundation of most modern tarot interpretation.

• A13th century
• ✓15th century
• C17th century
• D19th century

The Visconti-Sforza cards were created in the mid-15th century (around 1440-1450) in Milan, Italy. They were hand-painted luxury items commissioned by the ruling Visconti and Sforza families, not mass-produced for common use.

• A15th century
• B16th century
• ✓Late 18th century
• DEarly 20th century

The divinatory use of tarot began in the late 18th century, particularly after Antoine Court de Gébelin published his theory linking tarot to ancient Egyptian wisdom in 1781. Before that, tarot was primarily a card game.

• AInvented the first tarot deck
• ✓Claimed tarot had ancient Egyptian origins, sparking occult interest
• CFounded the Rider publishing company
• DWas the first person to read tarot professionally

In 1781, Court de Gébelin published an essay claiming tarot descended from the Egyptian Book of Thoth. Although historically inaccurate, this claim ignited occult interest in tarot and transformed it from a card game into a tool for esoteric exploration.

• ADesigning the Marseille deck
• ✓Linking the 22 Major Arcana to the 22 Hebrew letters
• CWriting the first tarot instruction manual
• DCreating the Celtic Cross spread

French occultist Éliphas Lévi (1810-1875) mapped the 22 Major Arcana onto the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet, creating a lasting connection between tarot and the Kabbalah. This correspondence became foundational to modern esoteric tarot.

• AFire
• BEarth
• CAir
• ✓Water

Cups are associated with the element of Water, representing emotions, intuition, relationships, and the subconscious. Water flows and adapts, just as our emotional lives are fluid and ever-changing.

• ✓Fire
• BEarth
• CAir
• DWater

Wands correspond to the element of Fire, representing passion, creativity, ambition, and willpower. Like fire, Wand energy is dynamic, inspiring, and sometimes unpredictable.

• AFire
• BEarth
• ✓Air
• DWater

Swords correspond to the element of Air, representing intellect, communication, truth, and conflict. Like air, Sword energy deals with thoughts and mental processes, both clarity and turbulence.

• AFire
• ✓Earth
• CAir
• DWater

Pentacles correspond to the element of Earth, representing the material world, finances, health, and practical matters. Earth energy is stable, grounding, and connected to tangible results.

• A20
• B21
• ✓22
• D24

The Major Arcana consists of 22 cards, numbered 0 (The Fool) through 21 (The World). These represent major life themes, spiritual lessons, and archetypal energies.

• A10
• B12
• C13
• ✓14

Each Minor Arcana suit contains 14 cards: the Ace through 10 (pip cards) plus four court cards (Page, Knight, Queen, and King). This structure predates modern playing cards, which dropped one court card per suit.

• AKing, Queen, Prince, Princess
• ✓Page, Knight, Queen, King
• CAce, Jack, Queen, King
• DKnave, Cavalier, Dame, Roi

In the Rider-Waite-Smith tradition, the four court cards are Page, Knight, Queen, and King. Some decks use different names (Princess/Prince in the Thoth deck), but the four-level hierarchy remains consistent.

• AThe court cards (Page through King)
• ✓The numbered cards (Ace through 10)
• CThe Major Arcana
• DOnly the Aces

Pip cards are the numbered cards from Ace through 10 in each suit. In older decks like the Marseille, these showed only the suit symbols (like pips on dice). The Rider-Waite-Smith deck was revolutionary in adding illustrated scenes to each pip card.

• AThe Freemasons
• ✓The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
• CThe Theosophical Society
• DThe Rosicrucians

Both Arthur Waite and Pamela Colman Smith were members of the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The deck incorporates many Golden Dawn teachings, including Kabbalistic symbolism, elemental correspondences, and astrological associations.

• AEndings and completion
• BBalance and partnership
• ✓New beginnings and initiative
• DStability and foundation

The number 1 in tarot represents new beginnings, initiative, willpower, and individuality. This is why Aces (the 1s of each suit) signify new opportunities, and The Magician (card I) represents the power to manifest.

• AConflict and opposition
• ✓Creativity, growth, and expression
• CStability and structure
• DChange and freedom

The number 3 represents creativity, expression, growth, and the synthesis of ideas. It appears in The Empress (III) and in the 3s of each suit, which all deal with expansion and creative collaboration.

• APeasants and commoners
• ✓Wealthy noble families
• CReligious clergy
• DTraveling merchants

Early tarot decks were hand-painted luxury items commissioned by wealthy noble families like the Visconti and Sforza. Mass production through printing only made tarot accessible to broader society later.

• APablo Picasso
• ✓Salvador Dalí
• CClaude Monet
• DVincent van Gogh

Salvador Dalí created a surrealist tarot deck in 1984, originally commissioned for the James Bond film 'Live and Let Die' (though not used). His deck features his signature dreamlike style applied to the traditional tarot archetypes.

• ABanning tarot across Europe
• ✓Introducing occult and esoteric interpretations
• CStandardizing the deck to 52 cards
• DTranslating all decks into English

Paradoxically, the age of reason sparked occult interest in tarot. French occultists like Court de Gébelin and Etteilla transformed tarot from a game into a divinatory tool, giving each card esoteric meaning for the first time.

• ✓Creating the first tarot deck specifically designed for divination
• BInventing the Celtic Cross spread
• CWriting the Book of Thoth
• DFounding the Golden Dawn

Jean-Baptiste Alliette (pen name Etteilla, his surname reversed) created the first tarot deck designed exclusively for divination around 1789. He also published the first comprehensive guide to tarot card reading.

• AThe Industrial Revolution
• BWorld War II
• ✓The counterculture and New Age movements
• DThe digital age

The 1960s-70s counterculture and New Age movements brought a massive revival of interest in tarot. The search for alternative spirituality, self-exploration, and Eastern philosophy made tarot popular outside traditional occult circles.

• AThe Marseille has more cards
• ✓The Marseille has unillustrated pip cards showing only suit symbols
• CThe Marseille uses different suits
• DThe Marseille has no Major Arcana

The key difference is that Marseille pip cards show only suit symbols (like playing cards), while the RWS deck illustrates every pip card with a unique scene. This made the RWS deck far more accessible for intuitive readings.

• AHearts
• BDiamonds
• ✓Clubs
• DSpades

Clubs in modern playing cards evolved from the tarot suit of Wands (also called Batons or Staves). Hearts came from Cups, Spades from Swords, and Diamonds from Pentacles/Coins.

• ✓Hearts
• BDiamonds
• CClubs
• DSpades

Hearts in modern playing cards evolved from the tarot suit of Cups. Both relate to emotions, love, and relationships. The transformation happened gradually as tarot-style decks were adapted for different card games across Europe.

• ABalance
• ✓Adjustment
• CTruth
• DKarma

Crowley renamed Justice to 'Adjustment' in the Thoth Tarot, emphasizing the cosmic balancing act rather than human legal justice. The Thoth deck renames several cards to reflect Crowley's philosophical perspective.

• APower
• BFortitude
• ✓Lust
• DCourage

Crowley renamed Strength to 'Lust' in the Thoth deck, representing not mere physical desire but the passionate embrace of life force and divine ecstasy. This reflects his more radical esoteric philosophy.

• AXX
• ✓XXI
• CXXII
• DXIX

The World is card XXI (21), the final numbered card of the Major Arcana. It represents the completion of The Fool's Journey, wholeness, accomplishment, and the integration of all lessons learned along the way.

• AA fresh start
• ✓Completion of a cycle and transition
• CConflict and tension
• DSpiritual awakening

The number 10 represents the completion of a cycle and the transition to the next. The Wheel of Fortune (X) embodies this, cycles turning, one chapter ending so another can begin. The 10s of each suit also mark endings.

• AA knight on horseback depicted on the cards
• BThe surname of the illustrator
• ✓The publishing company that first printed the deck
• DA horse-riding spread technique

Rider refers to the William Rider & Son publishing company that first printed the deck in 1909. For decades the deck was called simply 'Rider-Waite,' but the illustrator Pamela Colman Smith's name was added later to credit her contribution.

• ADark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd
• ✓Led Zeppelin IV by Led Zeppelin
• CThe Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie
• DHouses of the Holy by Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin IV (1971) features The Hermit on its inner sleeve, drawn by Barrington Coleby. Jimmy Page was deeply interested in the occult, including tarot and the works of Aleister Crowley, which influenced the band's imagery.

• AHarmony and love
• ✓Inner reflection and spiritual seeking
• CMaterial success
• DSudden change

The number 7 in tarot represents introspection, spiritual seeking, and assessment. The Chariot (VII) channels this through focused willpower, while the 7s of each suit often involve evaluation, strategy, and inner challenges.

• ✓Stability, structure, and foundation
• BFreedom and adventure
• CSpiritual enlightenment
• DConflict and challenge

The number 4 represents stability, structure, order, and solid foundations. The Emperor (IV) embodies these qualities as an authority figure. The 4s of each suit reflect moments of structure and consolidation.

• ACompletion and harmony
• BStability and peace
• ✓Change, conflict, and instability
• DNew beginnings

The number 5 represents disruption, change, conflict, and instability. The Hierophant (V) paradoxically channels this through tradition and structure. The 5s of each suit are often among the most challenging cards, depicting strife and loss.

• A22
• B40
• C52
• ✓56

There are 56 Minor Arcana cards: four suits of 14 cards each (Ace through 10 plus Page, Knight, Queen, King). This is four more than a modern playing card deck, which dropped one court card from each suit.

• AThe Magician
• BDeath
• ✓The Fool
• DThe Jester (not a real card)

The Joker is widely believed to have evolved from The Fool of the tarot. Both stand apart from the standard card hierarchy, serve a special wild-card function, and are often depicted as carefree, unpredictable figures.

• AEnglish names (The Fool, The Magician, etc.)
• ✓French names (Le Mat, Le Bateleur, etc.)
• CLatin names (Stultus, Magus, etc.)
• DItalian names (Il Matto, Il Bagatto, etc.)

The Tarot de Marseille uses French names for its Major Arcana: Le Mat (The Fool), Le Bateleur (The Magician), La Papesse (The High Priestess), etc. These French titles reflect the deck's origins in 17th-18th century southern France.