Before I discuss tarot as a form of Jungian Pagan practice, I want, in this post, to give a little background about how I approach tarot.
Tarot, for anyone who does not know, is a deck of cards that derives from a mid-15th century card game called Triumphs, which is the origin of various modern trump card games like Euchre, Bridge, and Hearts. The tarot card deck resembles the common 52 playing cards used today, with important differences. There are four suits: Swords, Batons (or Wands), Cups, and Coins (or Pentacles). In addition to the King and Queen face cards, there is a Knight (which became the Jack) and a Page. These constitute the court cards, which are also called the Minor Arcana. In addition, there are 22 trump cards, also called the Major Arcana, with names like the Fool, the Lovers, Death, and the Hanged Man, numbered 0 to 21. All of the cards have evocative imagery on them, which accounts for their continued appeal. The cards are now primarily used for divination, or fortune telling, rather than as a card game. The deck exists in many versions. The most well known historical deck is the Tarot de Marseilles and the most well known occult deck is the Rider-Waite Tarot, but there are literally thousands of variations.
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I linked to your article from my Goodreads site (it was shared with me on Facebook). I just wrote a book about Tarot, so linked th
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Very interesting! I have never seen the Major Arcana described this way but it makes sense. Great article!
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Very interesting blog. When it comes to the Major Arcana, a study of the BOTA deck can be extremely rewarding. What the difference
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This was a wonderful read! I am just getting into studying the Major Arcana and had no idea the cards have been rearranged differe