The earliest known Tarot deck are those between 1840-1842. There are only 17 that remain in existence. The first of these decks were painted by Bonifacio Bembo for the Duke of Milan.
There are many theories as to how the Tarot originated. One theory was that in the Great Library of Alexandria in Eygpt there lay scrolls that contained all of the wisdom of the ancient world. One of these scrolls were basd on the Eygptian Book of Thoth. Ancient, secret teachings were hidden within the pictures of the Tarot. Gypsies carried these cards to Europe where they were deemed "the devil's picture book" by the Catholic church. The cards were seen as a way to preserve ancient knowledge that the Catholic church found dangerous and just to be in possession of the Tarot was severely punished.
However these cards originated, their story rings loud and true. The Tarot is a journey through life. It is the conscious and the subconscious. It is the successes, failures and trials. It is dreams and secrets. The Tarot is everyone's story. It is always different yet always the same. |
