Complete guide
Tarot: origins, arcana and the art of the reading
A deck of cards or a mirror of the soul? Tarot has crossed five centuries of history without ever losing its power to fascinate.
What is tarot?
Tarot is a deck of 78 cards used both as a divinatory tool and as a support for symbolic reflection. Each card carries an image rich in symbols drawn from mythology, philosophy, alchemy and spirituality.
In its contemporary practice it works like a mirror: the cards drawn reflect the energies, tensions and potentials at play in a given situation, and invite a deeper reflection on oneself and one's choices.
Two great families are distinguished: the 22 major arcana (great forces and archetypes) and the 56 minor arcana (everyday situations and experiences).
"Tarot does not say what will happen. It says what is — and invites us to choose what to do with it." — Rachel Pollack
Origins: from card game to esoteric tool
From the courts of Milan to the Rider-Waite, the history of tarot weaves play, myth and mystery.
1440
Milan — born as a court game
The first documented traces of tarot appear in the aristocratic courts of northern Italy. The Visconti-Sforza commission illustrated card decks — the tarocchi — used for playing, not for prediction.
1500s
Spreading across Europe as a popular game
The tarot game spreads through France, Germany and Switzerland as an ordinary card game. The Tarot of Marseille standardises. No esoteric connotation at this stage.
1781
Antoine Court de Gébelin — the invention of the Egyptian myth
The French scholar publishes a theory claiming that tarot is the ancient Book of Thoth. This thesis, historically unfounded, triggers its association with esotericism.
1789
Etteilla — the first divinatory tarot
The French cartomancer Etteilla publishes the first codified system of divinatory tarot reading and creates the first deck designed specifically for divination.
1888
The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn
The British secret society integrates tarot into a complete esoteric system mixing Kabbalah, astrology and alchemy. Each arcanum is associated with a Hebrew letter and an astrological sign.
1909
The Rider-Waite-Smith — the iconographic revolution
Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith publish the first tarot to illustrate the 56 minor arcana with figurative scenes. The Rider-Waite is today the best-selling and most-copied deck in the world.
1944
Aleister Crowley and Lady Frieda Harris — the Thoth Tarot
Creation of the Thoth Tarot, a visual work of exceptional symbolic complexity integrating projective geometry and Kabbalah.
1970s
The New Age revolution
The New Age movement massively popularises tarot. Hundreds of new decks are created. Tarot becomes a personal-development tool as much as a divinatory one.
Today
TikTok and the tarot renaissance
#Tarot counts more than 30 billion views on TikTok. The global market for tarot decks exceeds 500 million dollars per year.
The structure of the deck: 78 cards, two worlds
Tarot is divided into two great complementary families.
Major arcana
From the Fool (0) to the World (XXI). The great universal forces, the archetypes of human existence.
Minor arcana
Four suits of 14 cards. Describe the situations, events and characters of everyday life.
Wands (Fire)
Action
Creativity, ambition, vital energy, work, projects. The domain of will and initiative.
Cups (Water)
Emotion
Relationships, feelings, intuition, dreams, emotional life. The domain of the heart and the unconscious.
Swords (Air)
Mind
Thought, conflicts, truth, decisions, challenges. The domain of the intellect.
Pentacles (Earth)
Matter
Money, body, concrete work, health, security. The domain of the material world.
The 22 major arcana — the Fool's journey
The major arcana tell the initiatory journey of a soul — the Fool — through 21 stages of experience and transformation.
The Fool
Innocence · Beginning
The carefree traveller who takes the leap. Pure potential, spontaneity, freedom — and the risk of recklessness.
The Magician
Will · Manifestation
The magus who turns intention into reality. Skill, initiative, mastery of the tools at hand.
The High Priestess
Intuition · Mystery
The keeper of hidden knowledge. Introspection, inner wisdom, patience.
The Empress
Abundance · Fertility
The creative and nurturing energy. Nature, sensuality, creation, motherhood, beauty and prosperity.
The Emperor
Authority · Structure
The builder of order. Ambition, stability, power, rules and protection.
The Hierophant
Tradition · Transmission
The transmitter of institutional wisdom. Faith, conformity, teaching.
The Lovers
Choice · Union
A decisive crossroads. Alignment of values, authentic choice, deep relationship.
The Chariot
Victory · Mastery
The will that overcomes obstacles. Determination, control of opposing forces.
Justice
Balance · Truth
The card of cause and effect. Fairness, responsibility, impartial decision.
The Hermit
Solitude · Guidance
The sage who withdraws to find the inner light. Introspection, search for meaning.
The Wheel of Fortune
Cycles · Destiny
The great turn. The cycles of life, inevitable change, luck.
Strength
Courage · Gentleness
The inner strength that tames through love rather than fear. Resilience, compassion.
The Hanged Man
Suspension · Letting go
The willing sacrifice that opens a new vision. Necessary pause, change of perspective.
The Nameless Arcanum
Transformation · Passage
Rarely announces a physical death. Signals a radical transformation, an ending that prepares a new beginning.
Temperance
Balance · Patience
The art of right mixing. Moderation, flow, integration of opposites, gradual healing.
The Devil
Attachment · Shadow
The chains we willingly wear. Dependencies, illusions, excess, but also raw energy.
The Tower
Rupture · Revelation
The structure that collapses to reveal the truth. Sudden upheaval, forced liberation.
The Star
Hope · Renewal
The light after the storm. Faith, inspiration, healing, generosity.
The Moon
Illusion · Unconscious
The deep waters of the unconscious. Confusion, fears, dreams, raw intuition.
The Sun
Joy · Clarity
One of the most beneficial cards. Success, vitality, clarity, happiness, confidence.
Judgement
Awakening · Rebirth
The call to rise. Awareness, forgiveness, fresh start on clear foundations.
The World
Fulfilment · Integration
The conclusion of the journey. Complete realisation, harmony, lasting success and wholeness.
How does a reading unfold?
A tarot reading follows a simple protocol: formulating an intention, shuffling the cards, drawing them in a precise spread. Each position has a defined meaning.
Card of the day
A card drawn each morning as an invitation to reflection. Ideal for beginners.
Three-card spread
Past / Present / Future. The simplest and most versatile reading.
The Celtic Cross
The most classical and complete spread. Explores past influences, obstacles, hopes and likely outcome.
Year-ahead spread
One card per month for an overview of the year to come.
Depending on the school, a reversed card may signify blocked energy, its shadow aspect, an inner resistance, or energy turned inward. Some readers do not use reversals at all.
Does it work? The question of validity
What science says
There is no scientific evidence that drawing random cards can predict the future. Studies in cognitive psychology show that interpretation is strongly influenced by confirmation bias and the Barnum effect.
The honest takeaway
A tarot reading reveals more about the consultant than about an objective future. The value of tarot lies in the quality of the reflection it sparks. Many psychologists recognise its value as a projective tool, similar to the Rorschach test.
What millions of practitioners experience
For its users, tarot is a tool of dialogue with oneself. The cards ask questions rather than provide answers, and offer a symbolic frame to name what one feels without always knowing how to express it.
Fun facts — tarot in every state
Fun fact
Tarot has no Egyptian origin
The Egyptian theory, invented by Court de Gébelin in 1781, is a fascinating but historically false myth. The oldest cards date from the 15th century in northern Italy.
Fun fact
30 billion views on TikTok
The hashtag #tarot exceeds 30 billion views on TikTok. Filmed tarot reading has become a genre in its own right on social media.
Fun fact
Card XIII has no name
In the traditional Tarot of Marseille, the Death card (arcanum XIII) bears no name — it is the nameless arcanum. A symbolic way of saying that some transformations are beyond words.
Fun fact
The Rider-Waite was illustrated by a woman
Pamela Colman Smith illustrated the Rider-Waite in 1909. Her name did not appear on the first editions, she never received royalties and she died in poverty in 1951.
Fun fact
Carl Jung used tarot
Carl Gustav Jung referred to tarot in his work on archetypes. He saw it as a system representing universal psychological archetypes.
Fun fact
More than 3,000 decks in the world
It is estimated that more than 3,000 different tarot decks have been published worldwide today, with several hundred new creations each year.
Where to start?
Most practitioners recommend starting with the Rider-Waite: its figurative illustrations make reading intuitive and the available documentation is immense.
Daily practice of a card of the day is the best way to gradually befriend the 78 arcana — by developing a personal relationship with each image rather than memorising lists.
A personalised reading report offers you a deep and contextualised reading, far beyond what an app or a generic description can provide.
Get your personalised tarot reading
A complete and in-depth reading, adapted to your question and your situation.
Order my reading