Hermetic tradition believes the earliest records of tarot to be about 35,000 years old. Ancient Egypt was the guardian of these spiritual truths. From Egypt, India and Persia, this knowledge passed on to Hebrews and in the last 2000 years , because of the persecution of the church of all the esoteric groups, it remained underground In secret societies and brotherhoods, under the direction of initiated Keepers of The Flame.
Tarot , in the form that we know today, dates back to the middle ages. The term trifoni was first used to describe the 22 cards of the major arcana. This was later replaced by the term tarocchi which was used to describe both major and minor arcana. Tarot is the French derivative of the Italian word.
The influence of the ancient Hebrew texts especially the torah is clearly understood while studying the origins of Tarot. Torah , in general sense includes both Judaism’s written and oral law. Meaning of Torah – teaching doctrine instruction.
Although there is no written proof, but the earliest name for The Bible seems to have been “Torah of Moses”.
Also, is apparent, the importance of Kabbalah……. as in ancient times, the Tarot and Kabbalah were to be studied together.
The Tarot Deck was initially thought to be a playing deck due to it’s similarity with the regular playing cards. Later on the mystery (the images, names, numbers etc that they represent) was discovered.
In the 19th century, the French magician Eliphas Levi connected the Kabbalah to the Tarot. This connection was further developed by the occult group in England known as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The Golden Dawn produced a major syncretistic work, combining the Tree of Life with Hindu and Buddhist philosophies, Greek and Egyptian Deities, Alchemy, Astrology, Numerology and Esoterism.
Through the combination of tarot and the intuitive insight of the tarot card reader, guidance in day-to-day life and also in bigger issues in life is certainly possible. People have developed awareness about the mystic world of tarot, and no longer consider it evil, as in olden times.
