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Italy is the birthplace of the tarot, which was originally a card game. In the 18th century the trump cards became the focus of mystification and since then the tarot has become a sort of popular religion or oracle. For believers, the tarot holds the key to inner wisdom, but sceptics must respect their right to freedom of belief.
There has also been a distinguished output of ENGLISH TAROT CARDS. By the 1870s a number of English occultists had begun taking an interest in the tarot, attracted by the idea that the tarot was some sort of repository of ancient wisdom, esoteric lore or such like, and that it could be used to predict the future. French occultists were largely responsible for these beliefs, notably Court de Gébelin, Eliphas Levi and Eteilla,
who saw correlations between the tarot trumps and ancient mysteries.
Thus the tarot became the domain of initiates such as S.L. MacGregor Mathers, A.E. Waite and Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) (see below). MacGregor Mathers was the author of a popular booklet on the tarot, in which he wrote that "the Tarot, consisting as it does, of the ten numbers of the decimal scale counterchanged with the tetrad, and of a hieroglyphical alphabet of twenty-two mystic symbols, must be relegated to a far earlier period in the history of the world than that usually assigned to the introduction of cards into Europe". Mathers also offers theories on the Egyptian origins of the Tarot, and throws in some extra ideas about Gnosticism and Cabbalism.
More recent English tarot packs, as shown on this page, reveal that fortune telling has become a game of fun for all ages, but there are also many other sites on the internet covering this subject in greater depth.
Visit the World of Playing Cards Downloads Centre to find more articles on this subject.
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The Rider-Waite Tarot Cards were first published in England in 1909, and printed by William Rider & Son, London. They were sold either separately, or accompanied by a book written by Arthur Edward Waite titled "The Key to the Tarot". The Rider-Waite tarot was reissued in 1910 and many times since then. It has become the most popular tarot pack of the twentieth century.
Card illustrated: The Star. According to Waite, this is a card of "The Great Mother of Supernal Understanding... who communicates in the measure that they can receive her influx."
The Rider-Waite Tarot was designed by A.E. Waite and Pamela Colman Smith, and it expresses the artist's sense of mysticism, ritual, imagination, fantasy and emotional experience within the context of Waite's astrological and alchemical symbolism. A collection of original articles by Frank Jensen discussing various aspects of The Rider-Waite Tarot can be found in "Manteia Courier 1998-99" which can be downloaded in Adobe Acrobat format (free).
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The Thomson-Leng Tarot Fortune Cards, like the Romany Fortune-Telling Cards, were published in 1935 for readers of women's magazines of the day and printed by The Universal Playing Card Company, Leeds.
Cards illustrated left: Ace of Cups and Temperance... a happy home life full of joy and contentment is possible with a bit of good management, especially in marriage. If upside down, then start worrying! The pale blue background pattern on this page is taken from the reverse of the cards.
The booklet accompanying the pack describes the cards as "the oldest and most wonderful fortune telling cards in the world... in which seers throughout the ages have recorded their knowledge", and then gives instructions on consulting the cards in 'the gypsy way'. Examination of the pack reveals that some of the symbolical motifs reappear in Fournier's "El Gran Tarot Esoterico" (1978).
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The Thoth Tarot was painted by Lady Frieda Harris (1877-1962) under the guidance of Aleister Crowley (1875-1947) during WWII, a time of great national anguish. The imagery of the cards reflects Crowley's eclectic occultist philosophy which, like Waite, included astrological and alchemical symbolism, along with other esoteric lore.
Card illustrated: The Star.
There have been several editions of this pack published since 1972 and it has become one of the more popular 20th century tarot packs. The original paintings were made with wartime materials, and are currently housed in the Warburg Institute, London, where they are beginning to show signs of deterioration.
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Above: The letterhead from the Insight Institute, dated 1949. The letter accompanies the pack of cards, plus lessons, and acknowledges receipt of £2.
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During the late 1940s and 1950s The Insight Institute, of New Malden in Surrey, ran correspondence courses on the Tarot, which consisted of lessons with homework which was checked by tutors. The principal of the Institute was Adrienne Arden, and the "Directors of Studies" were Richard Eden, Noel Jaquin, Colin Evans, Edward Whitman, Vera Crompton and Frank Lind, who subsequently published the correspondence course material under his own name. |
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 he Insight Institute also published courses on Astrology, Graphology, Chiro-Psychology, Yoga and Psychic development, as well as a set of 'Authenticated' Tarot cards. The Insight Institute Tarot course describes the origins of the Tarot as 'Indian', introduced by gypsies who spoke Romany, which accounts for the problemmatic origin of the word 'tarot', (according to the Insight Institute).
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During the 1970s Waddingtons distributed tarot packs in England, often in conjunction with Stuart Kaplan, such as the 1JJ Tarot deck manufactured by A.G. Müller + Cie, Switzerland in 1970. Stuart Kaplan also commenced publishing 'complete and authoritative guides' on the tarot, as well as re-publishing the Rider-Waite Tarot (see above) which has now become a classic.
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Cards illustrated above: Number 11: OOps!, maybe your zits will clear up/Someone you know secretly likes your boyfriend. Number 1: You'll be going to a party/you have great artistic ability. Number 5: Someone will be reading your diary or listening in on your phonecalls.
Waddington's Girl Talk Fantasy Fortune Cards were published in 1989 & 1992: 40 cards. The recommended age is 8-12 years, and simple instructions are given for laying out the cards and telling fortunes, also cautioning that "of course, no one can really predict the future..."
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The Sugar Mystic Tarot was designed by Amber Melody and issued free with the teenage girl's chat magazine "Sugar" in 1997... all you need to predict your destiny. An explanatory booklet contains an introductory welcome from "Atlanta", shown holding a crystal ball, instructions on how to do readings, interpretations, different spreads, etc. It was printed by the West Yorkshire Printing Company Limited.
Cards illustrated above/left: emotion & love... spirituality, or a brilliant new love affair, will lead to harmony and inner peace... etc. Upside down symbolises a break up. Time to reassess your love life!
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The Psychic Companions, formerly The Psychic Friends Network and based in Lancashire, runs a phone-a-psychic service using either tarot, runes or numerology. A set of tarot cards and runes is available, along with a quarterly magazine covering a variety of psychic topics, workshops, prize draws and classified ads. The customer pays for readings at the rate of £1 per minute.
There are a total of 26 cards in the pack: 22 Major Arcana plus the four aces of the tarot deck. Each card is clearly numbered at the top, in Helvetica typeface, and inscribed along the bottom in a half-uncial style of calligraphy, so that the data can be given to the psychic over the telephone. The leaflet accompanying the cards describes the tarot as "one of the most important forms of western mysticism".
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