Tarot is a vocabulary of signs and symbols that, when used correctly, helps you to communicate with the universe, spirit, and God. You can go to your doctor for emergency medicine, your lawyer for legal advice, your mechanic for car troubles, and the internet for nutritional advice, but where do you go for answers you can't find elsewhere?
Many people have explored the origins of Tarot, but I would like to share my insights to help you understand its history, if you're interested. Over the past hundred years, Tarot has been used as a card game and for fortune-telling. However, it's only been in the past couple of decades that Tarot has been recognized as a tool to amplify one's inner voice of intuition.
The 1200s
The original Tarot deck contained 22 cards, numbered 0-21, referred to as archetypes. Here, an archetype is defined as the perfect example or model of something all of us go through at one time or another.
The Tarot suits (56 cards) were added to the original 22 cards, making a deck of 78 cards. Each suit has 14 cards, numbered 1 (Ace) through 10, followed by a Page (11), Knight (12), Queen (13), and King (14).
There's no single “correct” order of the suits, because thoughts (Swords) and emotions (Cups) constantly influence each other, so some traditions place Cups second while others place Swords second and Cups third. Almost everyone agrees Wands come first and Coins are fourth.
But in the process of healing or just the way humans tend to experience things, a very natural sequence could be Wands (desire, passion, energy, or event) → Cups (emotions) → Swords (thoughts) → Pentacles (action and manifestation). Here's another way to look at it.
Some Tarot cards, such as the Three of Swords, Nine of Swords, the Devil, and Death, can stir uncomfortable emotions. My Tarot & Tea guide offers comforting herbal teas and gentle calming exercises associated with these cards to soothe your nerves and help you move forward with calm and clarity.
