All the Magic of Tarot: Hundreds, perhaps thousands of tarot card models can be found in the market. From classic ones like the Marseilles – the most utilized – to modern tarots that simply sport a drawing collection with no significance.
Introduction: When selecting a tarot card deck, we should consider what we’ll use it for; if it’s meant for use in tarot reading, then we must pick that style which most inspires us with its symbols to achieve our purposes.
Th Marseilles and Rider Tarots are the most traditional and the ones that are in higher use today.
Amongst classic tarots, we may find the Palladin, Waite, Oswald Wirth’s (these two last ones are based on Rider’s); and the one put forth by the famous magician Alester Crowley – which was very rich in detail and fantastic illustration.
Today, Egyptian tarots are relevant due to their beauty and richness in detail and symbolism. They’re the favorite among specialists.
When picking one or another tarot deck, it’s not possible to determine whether one is better than the other. The tarot reader’s subconscious mind is what determines which one works better for him or her.
Through tarot technique the past, present, and future of the querent is divined. It is not only considered a divination method, but also a tool to achieve understanding of the life circumstances a person is going through.
Time has given tarot the attention and value it deserves and since many people have given the images meaning according to their personal interpretation, the abundance of tarot styles and types - perhaps as many as three thousand by some counts – have even been personalized by wealthy families who comissioned decks for themselves, such as the Visconti-Sforza family. This was done both as a status symbol of social success and to hide secrets within the deck’s design.
It would be impossible to list all existing types of tarot, but here are a few relevant ones:
Tarot of Marseilles: No doubt the most popular and important one, with clear and simple illustrations of medieval style. Since its creation in 1700, it became very popular and extended throughout much of Europe – including Italy, Switzerland, Germany, and other countries. These were the first industrial decks printed in color by xylography (stamping with wooden molds).
Visconti-Sforza Tarot: One of the best conserved decks thanks to the patronage of the Visconti-Sforza family – it is also the most ancient one ever found. It is a very luxurious tarot deck, of incalculable value. The cards are finished with golden foil and hand-painted – which was common up to the time of the Marseilles tarot. Modern for its time, it does however contain some ancient elements such as the Hope Card – which today is the Star Card. It is kept today in prívate collections both in Italy and New York.
Charles VI Tarot: This is one of the most ancient tarots in the world, made at the end of the XV century. The legend tells of Jacquemin Gringonneur, an artist who was commissioned by Odette – the king’s concubine – so as to keep the King entertained in his free time. Some of the cards can be seen at the National Library of Paris.
Sicilian Tarot: It appeared around 1730 – 1740. It’s made up of 78 cards with uncommon names (for example The Judgement is here called Jupiter – card #20).
Minchiate Tarot: There aren’t any left, but this tarot was made in the XV century. It originated in Florence. It had 97 cards and instead of figures mounted on horses, it has centaurs.
Gébelin Court Tarot: From the XVII century and thought to have been born within mason circles, it shows sacred Bible images.
Mategna Tarot: Created in the XVII century by Francesco del Cossa. It holds many different esoteric messages. It is a tarot in which many spiritual phases are presented. One peculiarity is that the numbers appear both in Arabic and roman numerals.
Etteilla Tarot: Alliette Etteilla, a barber, took theories from the Court de Gebelin tarot and created an Egyptian style tarot in 1785. This person is thought to have had Cabala esoteric knowledge and a great commercial accumen; these attributes along with his eloquence and conversationalism made him a very rich man. Tarot had been privy only to those interested in the occult, but Alliette Etteilla popularized and commercialized it.
Eliphas Levi Tarot: Between 1810 and 1875, thw cabalist Eliphas Levi realized he could perform Cabala interpretation through tarot, as he believed the tarot cards to be a good summary of Cabala synthesis.
Oswald Wirth Tarot: This expert was well-appreciated in the occult circles of his time for his divination method design and symbolic interpretation of cards. He published his own 78 card tarot in 1889 when the Marseilles prints changed.
Papus Tarot (Bohemians’ Tarot): In 1889, Gerard Encausse, also known as Papus, published the Bohemians’ Tarot – better known as the Papus Tarot. Encausse studied medicine and helped extend occultism through Europe. He created an Egyptian style tarot that became very popular.
Celtic Tarot: Alan Borvo’s tarot is known as the Celtic Tarot. It has 72 cards of which 18 are Major Arcana. The cards are related, as expected, to the Celtic calendar year (which begins with the Samhain holiday in the Woods of Nemeton) and is quite different from the Marseilles tarot.
Waite Tarot: Developed in the XVIII century by Waite – a fervent admirerer of Levi and Papus, and a Cabala student. He reinvented the Marseilles tarot style and adapted new elements. For instance, he eliminated hebrew letters. This tarot, painted by Pamela Colman, was very well received, especially in America. It was published in London, in 1910, by Rider Editors. After a while, it fell into oblivion until Rider Waite’s daughter sold the copyright to the original drawings in 1971 to U.S. Games of the United States. This was the beginning of its smashing success, expanding around the world and becoming as popular as the Marseilles Tarot. The Minor and Major Arcana are equally relevant in this deck.
Falconnier Tarot: This tarot was edited in 1976 by Falconnier – a chiromancy, astrology, and occult student. He substituted Court’s fantastic theories with a profound analysis of the images that was based on the documentation he had access to through his studies.
Aleister Crowley Tarot: Lady Frieda Harris, wife of british parliamentarian Sir Harris, painted Aleister Crowley’s tarot in watercolors between 1938 and 1942. It was published in black and white in 1944, and only appeared in two colors in 1969. It always kept its surrealist, abstract style. In 1977, it was finally published in full color, but the authors had passed away by then – so they never saw it. Aleister Crowley was an eccentric british poet and occult enthusiast who started several sects and was an intímate friend of Lady Harris, whom he met in 1937. The tarot they created was very detailed and full of fantastic images.
Cabala Tarot: Just like other tarots, this one attempts to divine the future – except not the immediate, but the long-term future. It is based on Samael Aun Weor’s gnosis and has many similarities to the Egyptian tarot. At first, it was considered elitist, but the gradual use by more and more gnostics has made it more common.
To sum up, there are so many types of tarot that it would be impossible to mention every one of them, however the Marseilles and Rider are the ones that are most in use today.
USA 
Free Services from Reading Tarot
Custom Search