TAROT INTRODUCTION TALK

Good evening everyone.. Welcome to this introduction to tarot session. Today we will briefly speak about the history of tarot and the nature of tarot as an oracle or a divination tool. I might use the examples of a few cards during the Course of the introduction. I would request you all to jot down your doubts and ask any doubt only after the end of the introduction. 

Ok to start… we will first have 2-3 minute focus session whereby we will focus on the ‘strength card’ to bring our full focus to this session.

No one exactly knows when or where the tarot originated. It may have been derived from ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs or from the Chaldean secret texts. Some researchers believe the knights templar brought back the tarot deck to Europe after the crusades. Others trace its roots to the gypsies who travelled through the continent during the middle ages. Evidence suggest that the 78 cards tarot deck much like the ones we are familiar with , might have been used to tell fortunes in Italy and France during the renaissance. 

It is said that Playing cards first entered Europe in the late 14th century. The first records date to 1367 and they appear to have spread very rapidly across the whole of Europe.

One early pattern of playing cards that evolved was one with the suits of Batons or Clubs, Coins, Swords, and Cups. These suits are still used in traditional Italian, Spanish and Portuguese playing card decks, and are also used in modern (occult) tarot divination cards that first appeared in the late 18th century.

The first documented tarot decks were recorded between 1440 and 1450 in Milan, Ferrara, Florence and Bologna when additional trump cards with allegorical(symbolic) illustrations were added to the common four-suit pack. 

These new decks were called carte da trionfi, triumph cards, and the additional cards known simply as trionfi, which became "trumps" in English. The earliest documentation of trionfi is found in a written statement in the court records of Florence, in 1440,

Because the earliest tarot cards were hand-painted, the number of the decks produced is thought to have been small. It was only after the invention of the printing press that mass production of cards became possible. The expansion of tarot outside of Italy, first to France and Switzerland, occurred during the Italian Wars. The most prominent tarot deck version used in these two countries was the Tarot of Marseilles of Milanese origin.

We can see here that the tarot has survived for 700 years as one of the western world’s most important bodies of mystical knowledge.

More than a device for divination, it provides key understanding to universal truth and shows the way to enlightenment.

Today, the tarot continues to be a living, evolving medium..

Now, it takes quite some dedicated time and focus to really become adept at reading the tarot. But you don’t have to be an expert to benefit from the wisdom of tarot. Our basic courses are designed for people who want to understand the fundamentals, so that they can use the tarot to guide them and their loved ones in their daily lives.

Tarot cards can also serve as subjects for meditation and contemplation. One can select a card randomly from the deck or intentionally choose one that represents something.. which is the focus of your life at that point of time. For example, reflecting on the strength card can help you develop resilience, perseverance and power to overcome obstacles.

During times of transformation, when we face challenges, make decisions, or change our familiar ways of doing things, the oracles of tarot can serve as roadmaps on the journey to unknown territory. As a divination aid, it shines a light into the darkness to help us see where we are going. 

Here let me stress the fact that tarot is not a future prediction / date / time prediction tool. Tarot helps us understand the forces operating beneath the surface of a situation to reveal angles we might not have been otherwise aware of, so that we can see the problems and take positive actions. Tarot suggests ways to handle challenges and opportunities.eg tower card.. then pull another card for guidance… They caution or encourage us. Their advice may be ambiguous at times but they never lie.

The most powerful way to read the Tarot is to use the cards to access your intuition and your inner wisdom. The imagery in the cards give you instant access to your subconscious mind and your intuition.

The tarot and all other oracles operate on the premise that the answers to all questions already exist in some part of you--- your subconscious, higher mind, inner wisdom, or whatever you choose to call it- knows the answers. The trick is to access the information and bring it to your awareness. Through symbols, colours, meaningful patterns, movement and imagery, oracles help you bypass your rational, logical intellect and its limited understanding so you can see the bigger picture.

Mind you, logical intellect by itself will not help you interpret the cards.. meditate, draw-sketch, do tai-chi …, or do whatever suits you to bring your consciousness to focus and most importantly, accept the fact that you are not doing the reading – let go of that ego- me- I am doing the reading – no- the universe speaks through you and you are just using the cards as a guide to have a clear picture of the situation. Trust that whatever message the universe is sending you is correct. Be gentle with your words to convey your message. Increase your vocabulary, improve your knowledge base in general, read more books.. basically improve your communication skills.. so that you are able to fluently convey the message sent by the universe. 

Choosing a tarot deck 

Choosing a deck is purely a personal decision.. no deck is more authentic or better than the other. The Rider-Waite deck created by Arthur Edward Waite & Pamela Coleman Smith is the most popular deck today.