The Deck That Captured the World’s Imagination

But the story of tarot’s rise is anything but simple. It begins not with a fortune-teller’s crystal ball, but with secret symbols, coded messages, and centuries of political and religious tension. This is the tale of how a forbidden set of images journeyed from occult societies into your local coffee shop.

Tarot’s True Origins: Not What Most People Think

One of the most persistent myths is that tarot originated in ancient Egypt as a “Book of Thoth” passed down through secret initiations. While this makes for a compelling mystical narrative, historians have yet to find concrete evidence linking tarot directly to Egyptian temples.

Instead, the earliest confirmed tarot decks appeared in 15th-century Italy, not as tools of divination but as lavish playing cards called carte da trionfi — “cards of triumph.” Commissioned by wealthy families like the Visconti and Sforza, these decks featured allegorical images celebrating virtues, moral lessons, and the grandeur of their patrons.

From Plaything to Portal: The Esoteric Turn

So how did a game for nobles become a tool for unlocking the secrets of the universe?

The shift began in the late 18th century, when French occultists like Jean-Baptiste Alliette (Etteilla) and Antoine Court de Gébelin declared that tarot imagery hid ancient mystical wisdom. Court de Gébelin, after examining a deck, claimed the images contained Egyptian priestly knowledge encoded in symbols.

Etteilla took this further:

• Reordered the cards to fit his divinatory system.

• Associated them with astrology, numerology, and the four classical elements.

• Published one of the first comprehensive tarot reading manuals.

From that moment, tarot was no longer just a card game — it was a spiritual technology.

The Role of Forbidden Symbolism

In an era when open practice of esoteric arts could invite suspicion or persecution, tarot’s imagery served as a camouflaged code. Hidden within the art were:

• Astrological correspondences disguised as decorative motifs.

• Alchemical processes depicted through metaphor.

• Kabbalistic references embedded in the sequence of the Major Arcana.

For example:

• The Fool — often portrayed with a small satchel — was seen as the initiate carrying secret wisdom.

• The Tower — a crumbling structure — became an image of both divine judgment and spiritual awakening through destruction.

• The World — with a central figure encircled by a wreath — mirrored sacred mandalas and the concept of cosmic unity.

To the uninitiated, these were charming illustrations. To the initiated, they were an esoteric curriculum.

Tarot and the Occult Revival

By the 19th century, Europe was in the midst of an occult revival. Secret societies like the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn wove tarot into their systems of ritual magic and mystical study.

Members of the Golden Dawn — notably Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith — created the now-iconic Rider–Waite–Smith deck (1909). This deck:

• Introduced full pictorial scenes to the Minor Arcana, making intuitive reading easier.

• Retained esoteric correspondences in colors, symbols, and compositions.

• Spread widely thanks to the mass printing capabilities of the early 20th century.

This was a turning point: tarot was no longer the guarded tool of a select few — it was in the hands of the public.

From Taboo to Trend: Tarot in the Modern Era

For much of the 20th century, tarot was still viewed with suspicion by religious authorities and dismissed as superstition by academics. In some countries, fortune-telling was regulated or outright banned.

Then came the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 70s, which embraced tarot as:

• A tool of self-discovery aligned with the human potential movement.

• A symbol of rebellion against rigid religious and social norms.

• A portable piece of art with limitless potential for reinterpretation.

By the 1990s and early 2000s, tarot found its way into:

• Therapy rooms (as a tool for guided reflection)

• Art communities (with decks created by contemporary artists)

• Pop culture (appearing in films, TV shows, and music videos)

The Symbolism That Survives

Despite tarot’s mainstreaming, its layered symbolism remains potent. The Major Arcana — the 22 “trump” cards — still tell the Fool’s Journey, an archetypal story of spiritual awakening:

1. Innocence (The Fool)

2. Learning (The Magician, The High Priestess)

3. Trials (The Tower, Death)

4. Integration (The Star, The World)

These symbols work on multiple levels:

• Conscious mind — providing narrative and imagery.

• Subconscious mind — triggering archetypal recognition.

• Energetic/spiritual — serving as portals for meditation and ritual.

Tarot as a Mirror, Not a Fortune Machine

One of the most significant modern shifts is the understanding that tarot doesn’t dictate the future — it reflects the present. Rather than predicting an unchangeable destiny, tarot reveals:

• Hidden patterns in thought and behavior.

• Subconscious desires or fears.

• Potential outcomes based on current energy.

This reframing has made tarot far more acceptable to mainstream audiences, positioning it as a tool for empowerment rather than fatalism.

Why the Hidden History Matters

In a world where tarot is sold in chain bookstores and featured in lifestyle magazines, it’s easy to forget its journey — from courtly entertainment, to occult codebook, to countercultural emblem, to therapeutic artform.

Remembering its hidden history:

• Honors the generations of practitioners who kept the tradition alive under threat.

• Reminds us that its images are multilayered cultural artifacts, not just pretty pictures.

• Deepens our appreciation for the deck as a bridge between the mystical and the everyday.

Practicing Tarot with Historical Awareness

If you want to bring the richness of tarot’s past into your own practice:

1. Study historical decks like the Visconti–Sforza, Marseille, and early Rider–Waite–Smith.

2. Learn the symbolic languages it draws from — astrology, Kabbalah, alchemy, Christian mysticism.

3. Acknowledge its cultural journey in your readings, weaving history into your interpretations.

4. Experiment with both traditional spreads and intuitive pulls, blending old and new.

Conclusion: A Deck That Holds Many Worlds

Tarot has been a game, a secret code, a mystical map, a rebel’s emblem, and now, a mainstream tool for self-understanding. Its resilience lies in its adaptability — and in the way its symbols speak to universal human experiences.

The next time you shuffle a deck, remember: you’re holding centuries of art, politics, magic, and human longing in your hands. Beneath the modern gloss, the forbidden symbolism still hums — ready to reveal itself to those who know how to look.