October 24, 2025 • 28 mins
TXT us your feedback!! <3 your fayce!
This week, we’re taking a journey through time and trust me, it’s wilder than any Halloween story you’ve heard.
Tarot didn’t begin in the dark corners of an occult bookstore or a dusty Romani caravan (yep, we’re busting that myth). It started in Renaissance Italy as a card game for nobles who probably had more coin than conscience. So how did those gilded game cards become the magical, psychological, and spiritual tool we use today?
We’ll trace the transformation from the Visconti-Sforza decks and the Tarot de Marseille to Court de Gébelin’s “Book of Thoth” fantasy, through Eliphas Levi, the Golden Dawn, Pamela Colman Smith’s revolutionary artwork, and into modern tarot as a tool for reflection, ritual, and healing.
I’m breaking down the history, the myths, and the moments where humanity turned art and archetype into alchemy. Whether you’re witchy, clinical, skeptical, or just tarot-curious, this episode reminds you that the magic isn’t in the cards — it’s in you.
Listen if you want to learn:
•The real, documented origins of tarot in Renaissance Italy
•How myths of Egypt and “fortune-telling gypsies” shaped the story
•Why the Golden Dawn and Pamela Colman Smith matter more than you think
•How tarot evolved into a spiritual mirror for modern witches, pagans, and even therapists
If you love Halloween, history, and a little magical realism with your caffeine, this one’s for you.
Share this episode with your favorite tarot friend, your skeptical coworker, or anyone who loves a good story grounded in truth and mystery.
And if you have thoughts, feedback, or a favorite tarot myth I missed, use the feedback link at the top of the show notes or email me directly. I love hearing from you, and your messages help keep this podcast as authentic as a midnight coffee on night shift.
Stay ritual, stay curious, and remember, the cards don’t have power. You do.
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Love your FAYCES!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:10):
Welcome back to the Ritual Nurse Podcast.
I'm your host, Reva, and todaywe're doing something a little
different.
It is October.
It is spooky season.
And if you know me, you knowthis is my favorite time of
year.
So I wanted to give yousomething special.
Today, we are diving into theactual, documented, verifiable
(00:31):
history of Tarot.
Not the myths, not the mysticalorigin stories that you hear at
every metaphysical shop.
The real deal.
But here's where it getsinteresting.
We are also going to talk aboutthe legends, the rumors, and the
wild stories that transformed aRenaissance card game into one
(00:54):
of the most revered divinationtools in modern pagan, Wiccan,
and even secular spiritualpractices.
Because here's the thing (01:02):
the history of tarot is not just
about facts and dates.
It is about how humans takesomething ordinary and breathe
magic into it.
How belief, culture, and alittle bit of creative
storytelling can turn 78 piecesof cardstock into a portal for
(01:22):
self-reflection, guidance, andyes, sometimes a peek behind the
veil.
So buckle up, besties.
We are going medieval Italy,Revolutionary France, Victorian
England, and everywhere inbetween.
We are meeting con artists,occultists, artists, and
mystics.
And by the end, you're gonnaunderstand why Tarot is not just
(01:45):
cards.
It is a living, evolving systemthat reflects who we are, what
we fear, and what we hope for.
Let's get started.
(02:08):
So, where did Tarot actuallycome from?
Not Egypt, not ancient mysticaltemples, not wandering Romani
caravans, though we'll get tothose myths in a minute.
Tarot was born in northern Italyin the mid-1400s, specifically
around 1440 to 1450 in thecourts of Milan, Ferrara,
(02:30):
Florence, and Bologna.
Playing cards had already beencirculating in Europe since the
late 1300s, brought over fromthe Islamic world via the Mamluk
deck from Egypt and Persia.
These early decks had foursuits: cups, swords, coins, and
polo sticks, which soundremarkably familiar to anyone
(02:51):
who has picked up a tarot deck,right?
But tarot added something new.
The Italians created a specialset of 22 trump cards called
Trianfi or Triumphs.
These cards featured allegoricalimages like justice, temperance,
death, the Pope, the Emperor,and the Fool.
(03:12):
These were not random.
They reflected the moral,philosophical, and spiritual
values of Renaissance humanism.
Think of them as a visual lessonin virtue, hierarchy, and the
human journey towardsenlightenment.
The oldest surviving tarot decksare the Visconti Sforza decks,
hand-painted masterpiecescommissioned by the ruling
(03:35):
families of Milan in themid-1400s.
These were not mass-produced,these were luxury items gilded
with gold and silver, created byartists like Bonifacio Bembo.
And here's the kicker (03:48):
they were used for playing games,
specifically trick-taking gamessimilar to bridge.
Tarot was a courtly pastime, away for the wealthy to show off
their taste and engage instrategic gameplay.
There is no evidence, none, thatthese early decks were used for
divination.
They were games.
(04:09):
Beautiful, symbolic,philosophically rich games, but
games nonetheless.
The structure we recognizetoday, 78 cards total, 22 major
arcana, and 56 minor arcana, wasstandardized pretty early.
By the time Tarot spread toFrance in the 1500s,
particularly to Marseille, theTarot de Marseille became the
(04:31):
dominant pattern.
This deck, produced by cardmakers in southern France
throughout the 17th and 18thcenturies, is what most
occultists eventually used asthe foundation for divination
work.
But even then, for hundreds ofyears, Tarot was still just a
card game.
Popular?
Yes.
(04:52):
Mystical?
Not yet.
So what changed?
How did a deck of playing cardsturn into a tool for reading the
future and exploring theunconscious?
That, my friends, is where theurban legends and the occult
revival come in.
So let's talk about the myththat launched a thousand tarot
(05:14):
decks.
The idea that tarot came fromancient Egypt.
In 1781, a French pastor, that'sright, a clergyman and Freemason
named Antoine Cours de Jebelinpublished an essay claiming that
tarot was actually the Book ofFath, an ancient Egyptian text
purportedly containing thesecrets of the pharaohs and the
(05:38):
priests.
He said the word tarot came fromthe Egyptian words tar meaning
road and ro meaning royal.
So according to him, tarotliterally meant the royal road.
Here's the problem.
He made it all up.
Egyptian hieroglyphics had noteven been deciphered yet.
That would not happen until the1820s with the Rosetta Stone.
(06:00):
Corps de Jevelin had noevidence, no historical
documentation, nothing.
He saw a tarot deck for thefirst time, must have gotten
really excited, and decided itmust be Egyptian.
Because, well, Egypt was trendyin Enlightenment Europe.
To put it mildly, everythingmysterious and esoteric was
(06:20):
immediately attributed to Egyptback then.
And quite frankly, I don't thinkwe've stopped doing that.
But the damage, or maybe thegift, was done.
Once Corps de Jevelin publishedhis theory, it spread like
wildfire.
Suddenly tarot was not just agame, it was a mystical
artifact, a remnant of lostwisdom, a tool for accessing
(06:42):
hidden ancient knowledge.
Then came Atelia.
Jean-Baptiste Alliette, a Frenchoccultist and professional
fortune teller, took Corps deJevelin's ideas and ran with
them.
In 1783, Atelia published thefirst book on tarot divination
and later created the firsttarot deck, designed
(07:02):
specifically for fortunetelling, not gameplay.
He assigned meanings to eachcard, created systems for
reading them, and essentiallyinvented tarot as we know it
today.
Now, little side note, theFrench names I could very well
be completely butchering.
So if I am, I apologize.
(07:23):
I'm trying my best to recreatethe pronunciations that I looked
up and pronounced themcorrectly.
But here's where it gets evenmore interesting.
Around the same time, anothermyth started circulating that
Tara was brought to Europe bythe Romani people, often
disparagingly called gypsies atthe time.
(07:44):
The story went that the Romani,mistakenly believed to have come
from Egypt, carried thesemystical cards with them as they
traveled, using them fordivination and fortune telling.
Now, there's some truth and somefiction here.
The Romani did use cards fordivination, and some still do to
this day, but they typicallyused regular playing cards, not
(08:06):
tarot.
So cardomancy, or fortunetelling with playing cards, was
a widespread folk traditionacross Europe, and the Romani
were among many groups whopracticed it.
The association between Romanipeople and tarot was partly due
to Orientalist stereotypes, andpartly because fortune-telling
became one of the survivaltrades for Romani communities
(08:28):
facing severe discrimination andpersecution.
So, yes, Romani people have areal, documented connection to
cardomancy and divinationpractices.
But no, they did not inventtarot and they did not bring it
from Egypt.
That is a myth born fromromanticization, exoticism, and
a hefty dose of 18th and 19thcentury Orientalism.
(08:51):
What matters here is this.
These legends, true or not,became a widespread community
gnosis, and it gave tarot acompletely new identity.
It was no longer just a game.
In fact, it was no longer a gameat all.
It was a sacred tool, a bridgeto the divine, a key for
unlocking mysteries, and thattransformation, that shift in
(09:13):
perception, is what allowedTarot to become what it is
today.
Right now, if you need to pause,it's a perfect time because
we're at our dance break.
Grab some water, stretch, lighta candle if you're feeling
witchy.
When we come back, we're divinginto the 19th century occult
revival, meeting some truly wildcharacters and talking about how
(09:37):
tarot became the cornerstone ofmodern Western esotericism.
And we'll be right back.
(10:03):
Welcome back.
Let's talk about the 1800s.
Because this is when Tara wentfrom folk divination tool to
full-blown esoteric system.
Enter Elephus Levi.
Born Alphonse Louis Constant in1810.
Levi was a French occultist,magician, and writer, who's
(10:24):
basically the godfather ofmodern Western occultism.
In 1854, he published a bookcalled Dogme et Rituelle de la
Haute Magie.
Again, I'm probably totallybutchering the pronunciation.
But translated into English, itjust means transcendental magic,
basically.
In this book, Levi did somethingno one had done before.
(10:45):
He connected the 22 cards of themajor arcana to the 22 letters
of the Hebrew alphabet.
This was huge for Tarot.
Levi linked Tarot to Kabbalah,the Jewish mystical tradition.
And suddenly, Tara was not justEgyptian, now it was also
Kabbalistic.
He associated each card with anastrological sign, elements,
(11:06):
planets, and esotericprinciples.
He turned tarot into acomprehensive, symbolic system
that could be used for spiritualdevelopment, magical practice,
and divination.
Now, scholars today will tellyou that there's no historical
basis for any of this.
Tarot and Kabbalah developedcompletely independently.
But again, what matters is notnecessarily whether it's
(11:30):
historically accurate.
What matters is that it worked.
It resonated.
Massive engaging communitygnosis.
It gave people a framework, alanguage, a way to engage with
tarot as something more thanjust pretty pictures on
cardstock.
Levi's work influenced justabout every occultist who came
(11:55):
after him, including theHermetic Order of the Golden
Dawn, a secret society foundedin London in 1888.
The Golden Dawn was a magicalorder that blended Kabbalah,
alchemy, astrology, and tarotinto a comprehensive system of
ceremonial magic.
Members included some of themost influential occultists of
(12:16):
the time, like Arthur EdwardWaite, Alistair Crowley, Dion
Fortune, and others.
The Golden Dawn placed Tarot atthe center of their teachings.
Each member was expected tocreate their own tarot deck as
part of their training.
They mapped the cards onto thetree of life, the central
diagram in Kabbalah, and usedthem in rituals, meditations,
(12:39):
and pathworkings.
Tarot was no longer just forreadings, it was now part of a
spiritual practice and a toolfor transformation.
And this, this is where we getto the deck that changed
everything.
The Rider Waite Smith Tarot,published in 1909.
Arthur Edward Waite, a member ofthe Golden Dawn, commissioned
(12:59):
artist Pamela Coleman Smith toillustrate a tarot deck based on
Golden Dawn teachings, butaccessible to the general
public.
Pamela Coleman Smith, who'soften completely left out of the
history of Tarot, despite doingall of the actual artwork,
created the first tarot deckwhere every single card,
(13:20):
including the minor arcana, hada full illustrated scene.
Before this, most tarot decksjust had pips, like playing
cards do.
Smith's innovation made thecards intuitive, narrative, and
deeply symbolic.
She quite literally changed theface of Tarot forever.
(13:42):
The Rider Wait Smith deck becamethe blueprint for almost every
tarot deck created in the 20thand 21st centuries.
It is the deck most beginnersstart with, it is the deck most
readers reference, and it is thedeck that brought Tarot out of
secret occult societies and intothe hands of everyday people.
(14:03):
But we can't talk about moderntarot without mentioning
Alistair Crowley.
Love him or hate him, and trustme, people have some strong
opinions.
Crowley created the Thoth Tarotbetween 1938 and 1943,
illustrated by Lady FridaHarris.
This deck is dense, esoteric,and rooted in Crowley's Telema
(14:25):
religion.
It is stunning, it is powerful,and it is deeply controversial
because Crowley himself wasdeeply controversial.
The point is, by the early 20thcentury, Tarot had fully
transformed.
It was no longer a game, it wasa spiritual tool, a
psychological mirror, and apractice embraced by mystics,
(14:47):
witches, magicians, agnostics,clergymen, and seekers of all
kinds.
That's right.
I said clergymen.
Remember who started all this?
So where does that leave ustoday?
Well, tarot is everywhere.
It is in metaphysical shops,bookstores, online communities,
(15:08):
therapy offices, and livingrooms.
It's been adopted by Wiccans,pagans, witches, agnostics,
atheists, and people who justwant a tool for self-reflection.
Modern tarot is not bound by anyone tradition.
Some people still read tarotthrough a Kabbalistic lens.
Others use it purely forpsychological insight, drawing
(15:29):
on Carl Jung's concept ofarchetypes.
Jung himself never wrote abouttarot directly, but his ideas
about the collective unconsciousand archetypal images mapped
beautifully onto the majorarcana, the fool as the
innocent, beginning a journey,the devil as our hidden,
repressed self, the world as theintegration of all parts into
(15:51):
wholeness.
For many pagans and Wiccans,tarot is a way to connect with
their deities, with theelements, with the cycles of
nature.
The four suits correspond to thefour elements: wands to fire,
cups to water, swords to air,and pentacles to earth.
The cards can be used in ritual,in spell work, and in honoring
(16:12):
the turning of the wheel of theyear.
And for a growing number ofpeople, Tarot is not about
predicting the future at all.
It is about understanding thepresent.
It is about asking questions,exploring possibilities, and
reflecting on your own thoughtsand feelings and patterns.
Tarot has also become a mirror,not just a crystal ball.
(16:33):
Here's what I find mostbeautiful about Tarot.
It is a living tradition.
It has evolved over 500 years,absorbing influences from art,
religion, psychology, and popculture.
Every generation has reimaginedit.
Every reader brings their owninterpretation.
(16:55):
And that is exactly how itshould be.
Because at the end of the day,tarot is not about the cards
themselves.
It's about what we bring tothem.
It's about the questions we ask,the meanings we find, and the
stories we tell.
So where have we arrived at now?
(17:18):
The real history of tarot isthis.
It started as a game inRenaissance Italy, became
associated with mysticismthrough 18th and 19th century
occultists, and was transformedinto a spiritual practice by
artists, magicians, and seekersthroughout the 20th century.
The urban legends, the mythsabout Egypt and Romani origins
(17:41):
are not historically accurate,but they're not meaningless
either.
They reflect something deeper.
Our human need for mystery, forconnection to ancient wisdom,
for tools that help us navigatethe unknown and reflect and
delve into our present.
Tarot works not because it isancient, but because it's
(18:03):
archetypal.
The images speak to somethinguniversal in the human
experience.
Birth, death, love, loss,transformation, choice.
These are all themes that we allface.
And tarot gives us a language toexplore them.
So whether you believe tarot isdivination, psychology, art, or
(18:26):
just a really interestingcollection of art in card form,
what matters is how you use it.
What questions do you ask?
What insights do you gain?
What stories do you uncover?
That is the magic.
Not in the cards themselves, butin you.
(18:48):
So before we close out, we gottado our tradition.
Coffee, crystals, anddivination.
So coffee of the week, okay, Igotta admit it, I love pumpkin
pie and I abhor pumpkin spice.
However, I love it for you.
I totally love it for you.
I've been obsessed with a dirtychai latte lately with the
(19:09):
addition of protein.
Protein cold foams and proteinmilks have suddenly kind of
sprung up as this new addition,not new to everybody that's been
mixing their own drinks onsocial media, but new to hit
menus and be options out there.
And the cold foam option hasbeen amazing.
But mixing a protein shake orthe cold foam with protein
(19:34):
powder or just milk and proteinpowder with a little bit of
cinnamon, maybe some nutmeg ontop.
It's cozy, it's grounding, andit pairs perfectly with a tarot
reading on a rainy Octobernight.
So I'm gonna do a live poll anda personal recommendation for
our crystal of the week.
My personal recommendation isLabradorite.
(19:55):
This one is perfect for tarotwork.
It's known as the stone ofmagic, transformation, and it
enhances intuition and psychicabilities.
So if you're doing tarotreadings, especially during
spooky season, keep a piece ofLabradorite nearby, maybe a
bracelet, maybe a necklace.
(20:16):
So let's see what our cards haveto tell us for the rest of our
crystal prescription for tarot.
I was beyond excited to do thisepisode and actually look at the
history of tarot.
I personally have quite a numberof decks that well, I'm 47 and
(20:44):
my first deck I got when I wasabout 15 or 16.
And I still have it.
And of course, what do you thinkfeatures prominently on it?
Cats.
And other decks that I'vecollected throughout the years,
including the one that Iroutinely use here while I'm
(21:08):
pulling for you guys.
I've collected for variousreasons, whether I feel like it
called to me, whether the artdrew me.
I think each one kind of has itsown unique draw.
Well, communication.
(21:28):
We drew Kayanite.
So Labradorite and Kayanite areyour crystals for this episode.
And let's take a look at whatKainite has to say.
So communication.
Honesty, self-expression.
This card demands unfilteredhonesty as you amplify your
(21:53):
voice and express yourselffearlessly.
It's time to ditch the filters.
Speak your mind unapologeticallyand let your truth and
authenticity shine.
Shout through your megaphone,communicate how you truly feel,
and express yourself withconfidence.
I think this is absolutelyphenomenal for a set of crystals
(22:13):
for this reading.
It's uplifting, it'senlightening, and it's directing
us to really amplify our innervoices.
And I am 100% here for it.
I don't know why I just put themback in the box because of
course I'm going to takepictures of them and put them on
TikTok, or sometimes I put themin the Instagram stories on our
(22:36):
socials.
Now let's get to tarot.
Let's see what our deck has forus for this special episode.
I'm really interested in seeingwhat pops up.
(22:59):
And shuffling like I do, I thinkI oh goodness.
Okay.
Well, it's a three-card spread,apparently.
So the first one is the ace ofswords, which is appetite.
The second one is the magician,clear courts.
(23:19):
And the third is temperance,celestial.
So let's see.
I love that the magician is themiddle.
It couldn't be more perfect.
All right, so the ace of swords,let's see what we have.
And I think I've explained thisbefore, but whenever I get a
deck of tarot, I always keep theaccompanying book with it.
(23:43):
When artists create these decks,the images that they include
with them, they include for areason.
It's part of the meaning of thecard, it's part of the symbolic
imagery that's meant to evokethoughts, evoke emotion.
So I always include what theartist's intent was with the
(24:09):
cards in terms of looking atthem and taking them in.
The meaning, the manifestation,the journaling, the
introspection, the insight, allthat comes from me.
But I do bring in the artist'sintention in terms of having
respect for that andincorporating it into the
(24:29):
reading of the card.
So the Ace of Swords is focus,mental clarity, and truth.
Appetite is mental clarity,wisdom, and expression.
This is the mental breakthroughyou've been waiting for.
Fresh ideas and new ways ofthinking are flowing to you.
Channel this energy intostarting and focusing on a new
endeavor while keeping asuccessful mindset.
(24:52):
Okay, I'm totally here for that.
That's an amazing card.
Now let's look at the magician.
The magician, manifestation,creation, and resourcefulness.
Clear quartz signifiesamplifying, cleansing, and
manifestation.
The magician is the card formanifesting.
When you pull this card, knowthat you have everything you
(25:12):
need to start manifesting yourdestiny at this very moment.
Proceed with confidence andcreate something magical.
I think my tarot has a sense ofhumor.
All right, temperance is thelast one.
And temperance is 14.
(25:32):
So the cards that have the namesto them, like the magician and
temperance, are considered majorarcana.
So earlier I was talking abouthow the 78 cards are split into
22 major arcana and 56 minorarcana.
The ace of swords would beconsidered minor arcana, and one
of those 56 cards, whereas themagician and temperance would be
(25:55):
part of the major arcana.
So let's look at temperance.
Temperance is balance, healing,and patience.
Celeste is for calming, balance,and harmony.
The temperance card is a gentlereminder to try to remain calm
and patient when you havemoments of stress to allow
things to work out the way theyneed to.
(26:16):
It's time to find balance and gowith the flow.
And I think this is so uniquelyperfect for the combination of
both the crystal prescriptionfor this week and the message in
the divination, which was allabout manifesting, creating
something magical, enliveningsomething, bringing something to
fruition.
And then that really gentlereminder stress might accompany
(26:39):
that.
And we need to stay balanced andhave patience that it's going to
work out.
So it's kind of a call out,maybe.
Don't do the ADH thing ofstarting the big thing and
dumping all the dopamine intoit.
And then when we're not perfectat it immediately, the very
first time, give up and I'mnever doing it again.
Believe me, I'm kissing thebrick before I throw it because
(27:00):
I'm throwing it at myself also.
But it's just a really, reallygood reminder to ride the wave
and just go with the flow andallow that manifestation and
that energy just completelycarry you through the project,
knowing that there may be somechallenges and adversity.
And balance is how you're goingto navigate that and continue
(27:22):
forward rather than losingsteam, rather than losing sight
of it.
So I think this was anabsolutely amazing reading for
this episode, especiallyfocusing on the history of tarot
and the magicians that createdit.
So thank you for joining me onthis deep dive into the history
of tarot.
(27:43):
I hope you learned somethingnew, questioned something old,
and maybe felt a little spark ofmagic along the way.
If you loved this episode, shareit with your witchy friends,
your tarot loving co workers, oranyone who appreciates a good
historical rabbit hole with alittle side of mysticism.
Until next time, remember thecards don't hold the answers.
(28:05):
You do.
They just help you find them.
Love your faces.
Welcome back to the Ritual Nurse Podcast.
I'm your host, Reva, and todaywe're doing something a little
different.
It is October.
It is spooky season.
And if you know me, you knowthis is my favorite time of
year.
So I wanted to give yousomething special.
Today, we are diving into theactual, documented, verifiable
(00:31):
history of Tarot.
Not the myths, not the mysticalorigin stories that you hear at
every metaphysical shop.
The real deal.
But here's where it getsinteresting.
We are also going to talk aboutthe legends, the rumors, and the
wild stories that transformed aRenaissance card game into one
(00:54):
of the most revered divinationtools in modern pagan, Wiccan,
and even secular spiritualpractices.
Because here's the thing (01:02):
the history of tarot is not just
about facts and dates.
It is about how humans takesomething ordinary and breathe
magic into it.
How belief, culture, and alittle bit of creative
storytelling can turn 78 piecesof cardstock into a portal for
(01:22):
self-reflection, guidance, andyes, sometimes a peek behind the
veil.
So buckle up, besties.
We are going medieval Italy,Revolutionary France, Victorian
England, and everywhere inbetween.
We are meeting con artists,occultists, artists, and
mystics.
And by the end, you're gonnaunderstand why Tarot is not just
(01:45):
cards.
It is a living, evolving systemthat reflects who we are, what
we fear, and what we hope for.
Let's get started.
(02:08):
So, where did Tarot actuallycome from?
Not Egypt, not ancient mysticaltemples, not wandering Romani
caravans, though we'll get tothose myths in a minute.
Tarot was born in northern Italyin the mid-1400s, specifically
around 1440 to 1450 in thecourts of Milan, Ferrara,
(02:30):
Florence, and Bologna.
Playing cards had already beencirculating in Europe since the
late 1300s, brought over fromthe Islamic world via the Mamluk
deck from Egypt and Persia.
These early decks had foursuits: cups, swords, coins, and
polo sticks, which soundremarkably familiar to anyone
(02:51):
who has picked up a tarot deck,right?
But tarot added something new.
The Italians created a specialset of 22 trump cards called
Trianfi or Triumphs.
These cards featured allegoricalimages like justice, temperance,
death, the Pope, the Emperor,and the Fool.
(03:12):
These were not random.
They reflected the moral,philosophical, and spiritual
values of Renaissance humanism.
Think of them as a visual lessonin virtue, hierarchy, and the
human journey towardsenlightenment.
The oldest surviving tarot decksare the Visconti Sforza decks,
hand-painted masterpiecescommissioned by the ruling
(03:35):
families of Milan in themid-1400s.
These were not mass-produced,these were luxury items gilded
with gold and silver, created byartists like Bonifacio Bembo.
And here's the kicker (03:48):
they were used for playing games,
specifically trick-taking gamessimilar to bridge.
Tarot was a courtly pastime, away for the wealthy to show off
their taste and engage instrategic gameplay.
There is no evidence, none, thatthese early decks were used for
divination.
They were games.
(04:09):
Beautiful, symbolic,philosophically rich games, but
games nonetheless.
The structure we recognizetoday, 78 cards total, 22 major
arcana, and 56 minor arcana, wasstandardized pretty early.
By the time Tarot spread toFrance in the 1500s,
particularly to Marseille, theTarot de Marseille became the
(04:31):
dominant pattern.
This deck, produced by cardmakers in southern France
throughout the 17th and 18thcenturies, is what most
occultists eventually used asthe foundation for divination
work.
But even then, for hundreds ofyears, Tarot was still just a
card game.
Popular?
Yes.
(04:52):
Mystical?
Not yet.
So what changed?
How did a deck of playing cardsturn into a tool for reading the
future and exploring theunconscious?
That, my friends, is where theurban legends and the occult
revival come in.
So let's talk about the myththat launched a thousand tarot
(05:14):
decks.
The idea that tarot came fromancient Egypt.
In 1781, a French pastor, that'sright, a clergyman and Freemason
named Antoine Cours de Jebelinpublished an essay claiming that
tarot was actually the Book ofFath, an ancient Egyptian text
purportedly containing thesecrets of the pharaohs and the
(05:38):
priests.
He said the word tarot came fromthe Egyptian words tar meaning
road and ro meaning royal.
So according to him, tarotliterally meant the royal road.
Here's the problem.
He made it all up.
Egyptian hieroglyphics had noteven been deciphered yet.
That would not happen until the1820s with the Rosetta Stone.
(06:00):
Corps de Jevelin had noevidence, no historical
documentation, nothing.
He saw a tarot deck for thefirst time, must have gotten
really excited, and decided itmust be Egyptian.
Because, well, Egypt was trendyin Enlightenment Europe.
To put it mildly, everythingmysterious and esoteric was
(06:20):
immediately attributed to Egyptback then.
And quite frankly, I don't thinkwe've stopped doing that.
But the damage, or maybe thegift, was done.
Once Corps de Jevelin publishedhis theory, it spread like
wildfire.
Suddenly tarot was not just agame, it was a mystical
artifact, a remnant of lostwisdom, a tool for accessing
(06:42):
hidden ancient knowledge.
Then came Atelia.
Jean-Baptiste Alliette, a Frenchoccultist and professional
fortune teller, took Corps deJevelin's ideas and ran with
them.
In 1783, Atelia published thefirst book on tarot divination
and later created the firsttarot deck, designed
(07:02):
specifically for fortunetelling, not gameplay.
He assigned meanings to eachcard, created systems for
reading them, and essentiallyinvented tarot as we know it
today.
Now, little side note, theFrench names I could very well
be completely butchering.
So if I am, I apologize.
(07:23):
I'm trying my best to recreatethe pronunciations that I looked
up and pronounced themcorrectly.
But here's where it gets evenmore interesting.
Around the same time, anothermyth started circulating that
Tara was brought to Europe bythe Romani people, often
disparagingly called gypsies atthe time.
(07:44):
The story went that the Romani,mistakenly believed to have come
from Egypt, carried thesemystical cards with them as they
traveled, using them fordivination and fortune telling.
Now, there's some truth and somefiction here.
The Romani did use cards fordivination, and some still do to
this day, but they typicallyused regular playing cards, not
(08:06):
tarot.
So cardomancy, or fortunetelling with playing cards, was
a widespread folk traditionacross Europe, and the Romani
were among many groups whopracticed it.
The association between Romanipeople and tarot was partly due
to Orientalist stereotypes, andpartly because fortune-telling
became one of the survivaltrades for Romani communities
(08:28):
facing severe discrimination andpersecution.
So, yes, Romani people have areal, documented connection to
cardomancy and divinationpractices.
But no, they did not inventtarot and they did not bring it
from Egypt.
That is a myth born fromromanticization, exoticism, and
a hefty dose of 18th and 19thcentury Orientalism.
(08:51):
What matters here is this.
These legends, true or not,became a widespread community
gnosis, and it gave tarot acompletely new identity.
It was no longer just a game.
In fact, it was no longer a gameat all.
It was a sacred tool, a bridgeto the divine, a key for
unlocking mysteries, and thattransformation, that shift in
(09:13):
perception, is what allowedTarot to become what it is
today.
Right now, if you need to pause,it's a perfect time because
we're at our dance break.
Grab some water, stretch, lighta candle if you're feeling
witchy.
When we come back, we're divinginto the 19th century occult
revival, meeting some truly wildcharacters and talking about how
(09:37):
tarot became the cornerstone ofmodern Western esotericism.
And we'll be right back.
(10:03):
Welcome back.
Let's talk about the 1800s.
Because this is when Tara wentfrom folk divination tool to
full-blown esoteric system.
Enter Elephus Levi.
Born Alphonse Louis Constant in1810.
Levi was a French occultist,magician, and writer, who's
(10:24):
basically the godfather ofmodern Western occultism.
In 1854, he published a bookcalled Dogme et Rituelle de la
Haute Magie.
Again, I'm probably totallybutchering the pronunciation.
But translated into English, itjust means transcendental magic,
basically.
In this book, Levi did somethingno one had done before.
(10:45):
He connected the 22 cards of themajor arcana to the 22 letters
of the Hebrew alphabet.
This was huge for Tarot.
Levi linked Tarot to Kabbalah,the Jewish mystical tradition.
And suddenly, Tara was not justEgyptian, now it was also
Kabbalistic.
He associated each card with anastrological sign, elements,
(11:06):
planets, and esotericprinciples.
He turned tarot into acomprehensive, symbolic system
that could be used for spiritualdevelopment, magical practice,
and divination.
Now, scholars today will tellyou that there's no historical
basis for any of this.
Tarot and Kabbalah developedcompletely independently.
But again, what matters is notnecessarily whether it's
(11:30):
historically accurate.
What matters is that it worked.
It resonated.
Massive engaging communitygnosis.
It gave people a framework, alanguage, a way to engage with
tarot as something more thanjust pretty pictures on
cardstock.
Levi's work influenced justabout every occultist who came
(11:55):
after him, including theHermetic Order of the Golden
Dawn, a secret society foundedin London in 1888.
The Golden Dawn was a magicalorder that blended Kabbalah,
alchemy, astrology, and tarotinto a comprehensive system of
ceremonial magic.
Members included some of themost influential occultists of
(12:16):
the time, like Arthur EdwardWaite, Alistair Crowley, Dion
Fortune, and others.
The Golden Dawn placed Tarot atthe center of their teachings.
Each member was expected tocreate their own tarot deck as
part of their training.
They mapped the cards onto thetree of life, the central
diagram in Kabbalah, and usedthem in rituals, meditations,
(12:39):
and pathworkings.
Tarot was no longer just forreadings, it was now part of a
spiritual practice and a toolfor transformation.
And this, this is where we getto the deck that changed
everything.
The Rider Waite Smith Tarot,published in 1909.
Arthur Edward Waite, a member ofthe Golden Dawn, commissioned
(12:59):
artist Pamela Coleman Smith toillustrate a tarot deck based on
Golden Dawn teachings, butaccessible to the general
public.
Pamela Coleman Smith, who'soften completely left out of the
history of Tarot, despite doingall of the actual artwork,
created the first tarot deckwhere every single card,
(13:20):
including the minor arcana, hada full illustrated scene.
Before this, most tarot decksjust had pips, like playing
cards do.
Smith's innovation made thecards intuitive, narrative, and
deeply symbolic.
She quite literally changed theface of Tarot forever.
(13:42):
The Rider Wait Smith deck becamethe blueprint for almost every
tarot deck created in the 20thand 21st centuries.
It is the deck most beginnersstart with, it is the deck most
readers reference, and it is thedeck that brought Tarot out of
secret occult societies and intothe hands of everyday people.
(14:03):
But we can't talk about moderntarot without mentioning
Alistair Crowley.
Love him or hate him, and trustme, people have some strong
opinions.
Crowley created the Thoth Tarotbetween 1938 and 1943,
illustrated by Lady FridaHarris.
This deck is dense, esoteric,and rooted in Crowley's Telema
(14:25):
religion.
It is stunning, it is powerful,and it is deeply controversial
because Crowley himself wasdeeply controversial.
The point is, by the early 20thcentury, Tarot had fully
transformed.
It was no longer a game, it wasa spiritual tool, a
psychological mirror, and apractice embraced by mystics,
(14:47):
witches, magicians, agnostics,clergymen, and seekers of all
kinds.
That's right.
I said clergymen.
Remember who started all this?
So where does that leave ustoday?
Well, tarot is everywhere.
It is in metaphysical shops,bookstores, online communities,
(15:08):
therapy offices, and livingrooms.
It's been adopted by Wiccans,pagans, witches, agnostics,
atheists, and people who justwant a tool for self-reflection.
Modern tarot is not bound by anyone tradition.
Some people still read tarotthrough a Kabbalistic lens.
Others use it purely forpsychological insight, drawing
(15:29):
on Carl Jung's concept ofarchetypes.
Jung himself never wrote abouttarot directly, but his ideas
about the collective unconsciousand archetypal images mapped
beautifully onto the majorarcana, the fool as the
innocent, beginning a journey,the devil as our hidden,
repressed self, the world as theintegration of all parts into
(15:51):
wholeness.
For many pagans and Wiccans,tarot is a way to connect with
their deities, with theelements, with the cycles of
nature.
The four suits correspond to thefour elements: wands to fire,
cups to water, swords to air,and pentacles to earth.
The cards can be used in ritual,in spell work, and in honoring
(16:12):
the turning of the wheel of theyear.
And for a growing number ofpeople, Tarot is not about
predicting the future at all.
It is about understanding thepresent.
It is about asking questions,exploring possibilities, and
reflecting on your own thoughtsand feelings and patterns.
Tarot has also become a mirror,not just a crystal ball.
(16:33):
Here's what I find mostbeautiful about Tarot.
It is a living tradition.
It has evolved over 500 years,absorbing influences from art,
religion, psychology, and popculture.
Every generation has reimaginedit.
Every reader brings their owninterpretation.
(16:55):
And that is exactly how itshould be.
Because at the end of the day,tarot is not about the cards
themselves.
It's about what we bring tothem.
It's about the questions we ask,the meanings we find, and the
stories we tell.
So where have we arrived at now?
(17:18):
The real history of tarot isthis.
It started as a game inRenaissance Italy, became
associated with mysticismthrough 18th and 19th century
occultists, and was transformedinto a spiritual practice by
artists, magicians, and seekersthroughout the 20th century.
The urban legends, the mythsabout Egypt and Romani origins
(17:41):
are not historically accurate,but they're not meaningless
either.
They reflect something deeper.
Our human need for mystery, forconnection to ancient wisdom,
for tools that help us navigatethe unknown and reflect and
delve into our present.
Tarot works not because it isancient, but because it's
(18:03):
archetypal.
The images speak to somethinguniversal in the human
experience.
Birth, death, love, loss,transformation, choice.
These are all themes that we allface.
And tarot gives us a language toexplore them.
So whether you believe tarot isdivination, psychology, art, or
(18:26):
just a really interestingcollection of art in card form,
what matters is how you use it.
What questions do you ask?
What insights do you gain?
What stories do you uncover?
That is the magic.
Not in the cards themselves, butin you.
(18:48):
So before we close out, we gottado our tradition.
Coffee, crystals, anddivination.
So coffee of the week, okay, Igotta admit it, I love pumpkin
pie and I abhor pumpkin spice.
However, I love it for you.
I totally love it for you.
I've been obsessed with a dirtychai latte lately with the
(19:09):
addition of protein.
Protein cold foams and proteinmilks have suddenly kind of
sprung up as this new addition,not new to everybody that's been
mixing their own drinks onsocial media, but new to hit
menus and be options out there.
And the cold foam option hasbeen amazing.
But mixing a protein shake orthe cold foam with protein
(19:34):
powder or just milk and proteinpowder with a little bit of
cinnamon, maybe some nutmeg ontop.
It's cozy, it's grounding, andit pairs perfectly with a tarot
reading on a rainy Octobernight.
So I'm gonna do a live poll anda personal recommendation for
our crystal of the week.
My personal recommendation isLabradorite.
(19:55):
This one is perfect for tarotwork.
It's known as the stone ofmagic, transformation, and it
enhances intuition and psychicabilities.
So if you're doing tarotreadings, especially during
spooky season, keep a piece ofLabradorite nearby, maybe a
bracelet, maybe a necklace.
(20:16):
So let's see what our cards haveto tell us for the rest of our
crystal prescription for tarot.
I was beyond excited to do thisepisode and actually look at the
history of tarot.
I personally have quite a numberof decks that well, I'm 47 and
(20:44):
my first deck I got when I wasabout 15 or 16.
And I still have it.
And of course, what do you thinkfeatures prominently on it?
Cats.
And other decks that I'vecollected throughout the years,
including the one that Iroutinely use here while I'm
(21:08):
pulling for you guys.
I've collected for variousreasons, whether I feel like it
called to me, whether the artdrew me.
I think each one kind of has itsown unique draw.
Well, communication.
(21:28):
We drew Kayanite.
So Labradorite and Kayanite areyour crystals for this episode.
And let's take a look at whatKainite has to say.
So communication.
Honesty, self-expression.
This card demands unfilteredhonesty as you amplify your
(21:53):
voice and express yourselffearlessly.
It's time to ditch the filters.
Speak your mind unapologeticallyand let your truth and
authenticity shine.
Shout through your megaphone,communicate how you truly feel,
and express yourself withconfidence.
I think this is absolutelyphenomenal for a set of crystals
(22:13):
for this reading.
It's uplifting, it'senlightening, and it's directing
us to really amplify our innervoices.
And I am 100% here for it.
I don't know why I just put themback in the box because of
course I'm going to takepictures of them and put them on
TikTok, or sometimes I put themin the Instagram stories on our
(22:36):
socials.
Now let's get to tarot.
Let's see what our deck has forus for this special episode.
I'm really interested in seeingwhat pops up.
(22:59):
And shuffling like I do, I thinkI oh goodness.
Okay.
Well, it's a three-card spread,apparently.
So the first one is the ace ofswords, which is appetite.
The second one is the magician,clear courts.
(23:19):
And the third is temperance,celestial.
So let's see.
I love that the magician is themiddle.
It couldn't be more perfect.
All right, so the ace of swords,let's see what we have.
And I think I've explained thisbefore, but whenever I get a
deck of tarot, I always keep theaccompanying book with it.
(23:43):
When artists create these decks,the images that they include
with them, they include for areason.
It's part of the meaning of thecard, it's part of the symbolic
imagery that's meant to evokethoughts, evoke emotion.
So I always include what theartist's intent was with the
(24:09):
cards in terms of looking atthem and taking them in.
The meaning, the manifestation,the journaling, the
introspection, the insight, allthat comes from me.
But I do bring in the artist'sintention in terms of having
respect for that andincorporating it into the
(24:29):
reading of the card.
So the Ace of Swords is focus,mental clarity, and truth.
Appetite is mental clarity,wisdom, and expression.
This is the mental breakthroughyou've been waiting for.
Fresh ideas and new ways ofthinking are flowing to you.
Channel this energy intostarting and focusing on a new
endeavor while keeping asuccessful mindset.
(24:52):
Okay, I'm totally here for that.
That's an amazing card.
Now let's look at the magician.
The magician, manifestation,creation, and resourcefulness.
Clear quartz signifiesamplifying, cleansing, and
manifestation.
The magician is the card formanifesting.
When you pull this card, knowthat you have everything you
(25:12):
need to start manifesting yourdestiny at this very moment.
Proceed with confidence andcreate something magical.
I think my tarot has a sense ofhumor.
All right, temperance is thelast one.
And temperance is 14.
(25:32):
So the cards that have the namesto them, like the magician and
temperance, are considered majorarcana.
So earlier I was talking abouthow the 78 cards are split into
22 major arcana and 56 minorarcana.
The ace of swords would beconsidered minor arcana, and one
of those 56 cards, whereas themagician and temperance would be
(25:55):
part of the major arcana.
So let's look at temperance.
Temperance is balance, healing,and patience.
Celeste is for calming, balance,and harmony.
The temperance card is a gentlereminder to try to remain calm
and patient when you havemoments of stress to allow
things to work out the way theyneed to.
(26:16):
It's time to find balance and gowith the flow.
And I think this is so uniquelyperfect for the combination of
both the crystal prescriptionfor this week and the message in
the divination, which was allabout manifesting, creating
something magical, enliveningsomething, bringing something to
fruition.
And then that really gentlereminder stress might accompany
(26:39):
that.
And we need to stay balanced andhave patience that it's going to
work out.
So it's kind of a call out,maybe.
Don't do the ADH thing ofstarting the big thing and
dumping all the dopamine intoit.
And then when we're not perfectat it immediately, the very
first time, give up and I'mnever doing it again.
Believe me, I'm kissing thebrick before I throw it because
(27:00):
I'm throwing it at myself also.
But it's just a really, reallygood reminder to ride the wave
and just go with the flow andallow that manifestation and
that energy just completelycarry you through the project,
knowing that there may be somechallenges and adversity.
And balance is how you're goingto navigate that and continue
(27:22):
forward rather than losingsteam, rather than losing sight
of it.
So I think this was anabsolutely amazing reading for
this episode, especiallyfocusing on the history of tarot
and the magicians that createdit.
So thank you for joining me onthis deep dive into the history
of tarot.
(27:43):
I hope you learned somethingnew, questioned something old,
and maybe felt a little spark ofmagic along the way.
If you loved this episode, shareit with your witchy friends,
your tarot loving co workers, oranyone who appreciates a good
historical rabbit hole with alittle side of mysticism.
Until next time, remember thecards don't hold the answers.
(28:05):
You do.
They just help you find them.
Love your faces.
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