What tarot is
Lesson 1 of 7 · 4 min
Where the deck comes from and what it's used for today.
The Fool
Tarot is a 78-card deck split into Major and Minor Arcana, used mainly as a tool for introspection: you draw one or several cards at random and read their images and symbols in relation to a question or situation.
It was born in 15th-century Italy as a deck of playing cards, with a structure similar to a regular deck. It wasn't until the late 18th century, in France, that a group of esotericists began using it for divinatory purposes, which is when the layers of symbolism — astrology, kabbalah, numerology — we associate with it today were added.
That double history is the key to understanding its structure, which we'll look at in detail over the next two lessons: on one hand it has suits like a playing deck, and on the other it has a set of 22 cards with no equivalent in any regular deck, the Major Arcana.
Over 7 short lessons, this course will cover how the deck is put together, what it means when a card comes up reversed, how to prepare a question before drawing, and what spreads exist and when to use each one.
To put into practice
Before moving on, think of an open question you'd like to ask the tarot at some point. No need to answer it yet — we'll come back to it in lesson 5.