The History of Tarot Card Reading

The history of tarot card reading is difficult to pin point because the exact history of these cards is unknown.

However, it is commonly thought that tarot cards and tarot reading began between the years 1430 and 1450 when the first known tarot cards were created. These cards were created in Bologna, Milan, and Ferrara, all located in northern Italy. Some researchers have tried to pin point the origin as early at the 1300s.

It was not until the late 1700s reaching into the 1800s that a Catholic priest named Eliphas Levi, who was also a writer and teacher, created the foundation for the Tarot desks that are commonly used in the present day.

Levi studied a variety of different religions even though he was a trained Catholic priest. He created the cards to serve as a vessel in which his students could learn self-improvement, the art of spiritual enlightenment, and learn self-awareness.

Towards the late 1800s, A.E. Waite discovered that the tarot cards could possibly be used to predict future events. Waite created his own deck of tarot cards, called the Rider-Waite deck which was based on Levi’s work. This deck of cards was published in 1896. This is the most popular deck used today.

In the early 1900s, Tarot reached the Western part of the world and was introduced to Western culture. Tarot was very popular during the First World War.

Beginning in the 1990s, more people began to open up to the idea of Tarot, Psychics, and Astrologers; throughout this long history of tarot card reading there are many people who believe that Tarot is evil and a work of the devil; however, this is not the case. The cards do not contain evil powers and they cannot harm anyone.

The history of tarot card reading did begin Levi using the cards to help his students. But with the discovery of Waite, individuals who are curious about the future have the opportunity to discover what may lay ahead for them. Seeing the possible future is not the only part of Tarot though. The cards can be used as a guide or an advisory to an individual who asks a particular question.

Tarot card reading has grown tremendously since the 1400s. Today, there are numerous books, spreads, and decks available today. There are individuals who even specialize in tarot card reading. While there were once only one or two decks available, now there are many choices.