The Tarot cards are the embodiment of esoteric religions believed to have been created from traditions in Alexandria, Egypt more than 4000 years ago. Thoth, who was one of the earliest Egyptian Kings and the inventor of the hieroglyphic system, wrote Scriptures on the universal forces which govern man. The book of Thoth began to be used by Egyptians around this time and was said to reflect a similar concept of divination to Tarot reading. An ancient ritual, which gathered people into the temple of Thoth or Hermes, was the spiritual base of the method of the Tarot we use today. The walls of the temple were hung with pictures which were believed to symbolise the forces of life. A bundle of rods were thrown and the pattern in which they fell in relation to the pictures would be interpreted by priests. Those with faith in the system began carrying around unbound pages of the Sacred Book of Thoth and would scatter them for divine inspiration.
Another prominent base of origin for the Tarot stems from India and Persia where Hebrew Qabahlistic beliefs were the way of life. Many connections have been made between this faith and the mysterious purpose behind the Tarot deck.
Western society first learned of the cards in the fourteenth century by means of travelling gypsies throughout Europe. People were first amused at the strange insight the gypsies seemed to have in revealing peoples fate and circumstances but curiosity soon turned to fear when the power of the cards could not be explained or revealed by the user. Tarot reading became outlawed in some areas of Europe and classed as the work of the devil.
Tarot cards pre-date ordinary playing cards. The deck of cards used for playing games today were fashioned from the tarot deck by King Charles the sixth of France in 1390. His mistress introduced him to the cards with unusual symbols and numbers and from this he decided to create his own deck using members of the court. He was pleased with the artists creations and announced their approval for use by himself and the community. This changed however when a gypsy came to the court and did a prophetic reading for the King which revealed love-affairs, plots and other activities which made members of the court nervous. This unravelling of secrets forced the King to ban the cards both in and out of the court. Although they were banned, the cards still existed and were passed on for generations until they became popular again in the early 1800's.
Dr. Arthur Edward Waite, author of the Rider/Waite Tarot deck, published works including "The Holy Qabbahla" and "The Key to the Tarot" in 1910. He believed that his designs were inspired by a higher authority. He was said to have been compelled to create them, being inspired by spiritual force. All the symbols and colours used were chosen carefully to create what is one of the most popular Tarot decks used today.
The Tarot & the Ancient Qabblah