Le Tarot de Marseille

 

Tarot History

 

"It is almost impossible to know where come from the 22 major Tarot cards as they go back to the origins of humanity."

The Arcana of the Latin "Arcanus" or in English "Secrets", signified the mysterious alchemist work to XVII century.

The Arcana, or hidden meaning contained in each card, will be revealed to all by a search, a spiritual journey.

Court de Gébelin, a French man living between 1725 and 1784, studied the symbolism of the Tarot for many years. He concluded that the Tarot was none other than the Book of Thoth, the famous Egyptian book written by Hermes Trismegistus.

78 tablets engraved on pure gold, This magical book has escaped the fire that destroyed the library of Alexandria burning some 700,000 manuscripts.

According Gebelin, "Tarot", translated from the Egyptian would mean: the Royal Way. "Ta" meaning way or path and "Ros" king or royal.

One theory suggests that the Tarot was used in Ancient Egypt as a support for meditation. Known also by Hebrews, it would be the gypsies people who would have introduced it in the West Europa. But the Egyptian origin remains a theory.

It is more probable that it is the Crusaders or "pilgrim knights" gone to "Holy Land" at the XIV century, who brought with them the Tarot.

In 1392 a man named Jacquemin Gringonneur had the task of designing a card game to entertain the king Charles VI. These cards experienced then a great success. Quickly called Bible of the Egyptians or Book of the Devil, was attributed to these cards demonic or magical powers and that resulted the prohibition of the Tarot several times and several countries such as France and Germany.

Anyway the origins of the Tarot remains a mystery ...

B. Z.

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