| Certain historians have reached the conclusion that in | | | | tarot cards during the later 1800s. These cards made |
| the past tarot cards were simply a gaming deck. Their | | | | a major influence on the modern tarot deck. Three |
| sole use was to play a game known as 'tarocchi.' In | | | | men in England established this Hermetic Order. It is |
| course of time, occultists initiated the use of tarot | | | | believed that these men detected an ancient |
| cards for divination. | | | | clandestine manuscript that had some code. They |
| The history of tarot reading is incomplete without the | | | | decoded it and concluded that it contained the by-laws |
| mention of Court de Gebelen. He belonged to a | | | | of a secret society in Germany. Further, they took |
| clandestine society of occultists in the 1700s. He | | | | permission from Germany to initiate their own group in |
| became the writer of 'Le Monde Primitif.' This is a | | | | England. |
| treatise that has 9 volumes. In this, Gebelen has thrown | | | | In course of time, the group known as Golden Dawn |
| light on the meanings of the tarot. | | | | developed as an influential group. The founders of this |
| In 1783, Etteilla wrote a book that consisted of | | | | group in England had a protégé named Crowley. |
| interpretations of tarot cards. Later, all through Europe, | | | | He wrote the 'Book of Thoth' related to this topic. The |
| professional mystics observed the use of tarot. | | | | Golden Dawn had two active members named as |
| However, there was no consensus amongst all these | | | | Arthur Edward Waite and Aleister Crowley |
| mystics regarding the meaning of these cards. | | | | (mentioned above). The efforts of Waite resulted in |
| The next phase in the history of tarot reading is the | | | | the development of a tarot deck that is not much |
| 19th century. It was during this era that Eliphas Levi | | | | different from that used by currently. |
| Zahed (a.k.a. Alphonse Louis Constant), who was a | | | | The Golden Dawn had a member named as Paul |
| famed mystic, developed a connection between the | | | | Foster Case in the 1920s. He established a group |
| tarot and the Kabbalah i.e Hebrew mysticism. Zahed | | | | named as BOTA (Builders of the Adytum) in Los |
| reached the following conclusions. | | | | Angeles. The tarot deck of the BOTA was in black |
| Tarot is a key to life | | | | and white. The aim was that the owner should be able |
| Tarot is a tool that if used by man/woman to | | | | to color the drawings. |
| grow as a human being can lead him/her to heaven | | | | In the 21st century, one can view innumerable |
| There are 22 connections to the tarot major | | | | adaptations of the Crowley/Waite Tarot. Out of these |
| arcana. This is a tool on the route to enlightenment | | | | some might be less impressive, but quite a few have |
| The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn used certain | | | | splendid artwork. |