In the 1400's, card playing was all the rage in Italy. Games were played with decks much like our modern playing cards. At some point, a new kind of deck was introduced that had 22 extra cards called triumphs. These cards had the power to take or "trump" the suited cards. Most scholars now believe this larger deck was the original tarot deck.

From Italy, the game of tarot spread quickly throughout Europe. Many different tarot decks were printed. Although there were variations among decks, a general pattern developed early on. This pattern became known as the Tarot of Marseilles. Decks of this style are still popular to this day.

It wasn't until the 1700's that the tarot became more than just a card game. People began using the tarot for divination. Occultists speculated about the "true" origin of the cards. They believed the cards contained secret symbols conveying mystical knowledge. Some drew correspondences between the tarot and other esoteric subjects. In 1910, the Rider Tarot was published by Rider & Co. in England. This influential deck was the result of a collaboration between artist Pamela Colman Smith and the originator of the deck, mystic Arthur Edward Waite. It is often called the Rider-Waite Tarot, or sometimes the Smith-Waite.

Beginning students often wonder how you can read the tarot correctly if card meanings aren't fixed. The answer is you open to the energy of a card anew each time you see it. In this way, you receive the message the card is communicating in the moment. Usually the message is a familiar one, but sometimes it's unexpected. Knowing how to sense a card comes with learning and experience. You begin by using meanings you learn from others, but over time, you adapt those teachings to fit your own vision and experience. As you work through these lessons, don't be concerned about "getting it right." Just be aware of your responses to your cards. You are in the process of creating your own set of tarot meanings.