The Tarot's Hidden History: From Playing Cards to Oracle

## The Tarot's Hidden History: From Playing Cards to Oracle My dearest friends, have you ever held a Tarot deck in your hands and felt a thrill of ancient magic, a whisper of forgotten secrets? It’s a feeling I know well, a sense of connection to something far greater than ourselves. But have you ever wondered where these beautiful, enigmatic cards truly come from? The story of the Tarot is as rich and complex as the cards themselves, a journey that winds through the opulent courts of Renaissance Italy, the smoky parlors of Parisian occultists, and finally, into the hands of seekers like you and me. It may surprise you to learn that the Tarot’s origins are not shrouded in the mists of ancient Egypt or the secret societies of the Knights Templar, as some have claimed. The truth, my loves, is a little more… playful. The earliest Tarot cards were not created for divination at all, but for a game! In the 15th century, the Italian aristocracy, ever fond of their games and pastimes, commissioned artists to create lavish, hand-painted decks of cards. These were not the 78-card decks we know today, but rather an extension of the standard playing card decks of the time. They were known as “carte da trionfi,” or “cards of triumph,” and they were used to play a trick-taking game similar to bridge. These early decks, like the stunning Visconti-Sforza deck, were masterpieces of Renaissance art, depicting scenes of courtly life, allegorical figures, and classical motifs. The four suits we are familiar with today ~ Swords, Cups, Coins (or Pentacles), and Batons (or Wands) - were already present, a legacy of the Mamluk playing cards that had made their way to Europe from the Islamic world. But it was the addition of the “trionfi,” a set of 22 trump cards, that set the Tarot apart. These cards, which we now know as the Major Arcana, depicted a cast of characters and archetypes that would capture the imagination of generations to come: the Fool, the Magician, the High Priestess, the Emperor, the Empress, and so on.

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For centuries, the Tarot remained a game, a diversion for the wealthy and a source of entertainment for the common people. It spread from Italy to France, Switzerland, and Germany, evolving and adapting to the local cultures. The famous Tarot de Marseille, with its bold, woodcut-style illustrations, became one of the most popular and influential decks of this era. But the seeds of a deeper purpose were already sown. The allegorical imagery of the Major Arcana, with its rich symbolism and archetypal power, hit homed with something deep within the human psyche. It was only a matter of time before these cards would be recognized for what they truly are: a mirror to the soul. ## The Great Unveiling: The Tarot and the Occult The turning point in the Tarot’s history came in the late 18th century, a time of great intellectual and spiritual ferment. The Enlightenment had championed reason and science, but it had also sparked a renewed interest in the esoteric and the mystical. In the salons of Paris, a new breed of thinkers and seekers began to explore the hidden dimensions of reality, drawing inspiration from ancient wisdom traditions and secret societies. It was in this milieu that the Tarot was “rediscovered” and reinterpreted as a tool for divination and spiritual enlightenment.

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A key figure in this transformation was Antoine Court de Gébelin, a French Protestant pastor and Freemason. In his monumental work, “Le Monde Primitif,” published in 1781, he dedicated a chapter to the Tarot, claiming that it was not a mere game, but a repository of ancient Egyptian wisdom, a sacred book of Thoth that had been cleverly disguised as a deck of cards. While his theories were based on speculation rather than historical evidence, they captured the imagination of the public and set the stage for the Tarot’s new role as an oracle. Following in Court de Gébelin’s footsteps, a man named Jean-Baptiste Alliette, better known as Etteilla, became the first professional Tarot reader. He published a series of books on the subject, creating his own deck and developing a complex system of interpretation that blended Egyptian magic, astrology, and alchemy. Etteilla’s work, though often criticized for its fanciful claims, was instrumental in popularizing the Tarot as a tool for fortune-telling and self-discovery. The 19th century saw the rise of the great occult revival, and the Tarot was at the heart of it. Secret societies like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, whose members included such luminaries as W.B. Yeats and Aleister Crowley, embraced the Tarot as a key to understanding the mysteries of the universe. They developed their own elaborate systems of correspondence, linking the cards to the Kabbalah, astrology, and other esoteric disciplines. It was out of this tradition that the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, the most popular and influential Tarot deck of all time, was born. Created in 1909 by Arthur Edward Waite, a member of the Golden Dawn, and illustrated by the talented artist Pamela Colman Smith, this deck was a game-changer. For the first time, all 78 cards, including the Minor Arcana, were fully illustrated with scenes and symbols, making the Tarot more accessible and intuitive than ever before.

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## The Tarot Today: A Tool for Our Times And so, my friends, we arrive at the present day. The Tarot has come a long way from its humble beginnings as a parlor game. It has been embraced by people from all walks of life, from all corners of the globe. It has become a trusted friend, a wise counselor, a source of inspiration and guidance for millions. In a world that is often chaotic and confusing, the Tarot offers us a way to connect with our inner wisdom, to find clarity and meaning in our lives. I remember a time in an ashram when Amma’s darshan left me trembling, not just from her embrace but from what surfaced inside me — old anger, buried grief, tightening my chest like a vise. Breath work and shaking practices I learned later helped me unclench that grip. It wasn’t some airy feeling of peace at first, but raw, physical release in my nervous system, a storm passing through the body. That’s where real healing starts, not in pretty words but muscle and breath and the guts to feel what we’ve run from. In my early days as a tech executive, logic was my language; emotions were liabilities to manage. Then I started reading Tarot for people in crisis — grief, betrayal, spiritual collapse — and it pulled me into the messy human core. One woman’s rage would shake through her hands like wildfire, and I’d guide her through somatic release until the tension dissolved and her breath slowed. Tarot became more than cards; it was a mirror to the nervous system, a tool for tracking the body's stories too many refuse to feel. It is this same spirit of wisdom and self-discovery that I have sought to capture in my own creations, The Shankara Oracle and The Personality Cards. The Shankara Oracle, born from ten years of channeled wisdom rooted in the ancient traditions of Advaita Vedanta, Buddhism, and Hinduism, is a complete system for divine guidance. With its four oracle decks, two thorough guidebooks, and sacred black obsidian gemstones, it is a powerful tool for accessing the sacred action, alchemy, release, and mastery that lie within you. The Personality Cards, on the other hand, are a journey into the fascinating world of Jungian archetypes and spiritual psychology. With their 78 beautifully illustrated cards, they offer a way to understand yourself and your relationships on a deeper level, to identify the patterns that shape your life, and to open up your fullest potential.

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Whether you are drawn to the ancient wisdom of the Tarot, the divine guidance of The Shankara Oracle, or the psychological insights of The Personality Cards, the journey is the same. It is a journey of self-discovery, of healing, of transformation. It is a journey back to the love and wisdom that have always been your birthright. So, the next time you hold a Tarot deck in your hands, remember its incredible story. Remember the laughter of the Italian courtiers, the passion of the Parisian occultists, the vision of the artists and mystics who have shaped its destiny. And remember, my loves, that the true magic of the Tarot lies not in the cards themselves, but in the beautiful, unfolding story of you. May your journey be filled with love, light, and endless discovery.