It is believed that in its origins the Tarot was more of a table game, a deck for playing. Apparently, although there are no certainties, it emerged in the thirteenth or fourteenth century. The deck is composed of 78 cards: the Major Arcana (22 cards) and the Minor Arcana (56 cards divided into 4 suits: Pentacles, Wands, Cups, and Swords, each item symbolizing an element: Air, Fire, Earth, and Water).

What are the arcana? The word "arcane" comes from the Latin arcanum, which means "mystery" or "secret". Therefore these "secret" representations can reveal certain information to us (present, past, and future). Information that can be interpreted in different ways (by whoever "reads the cards").

There were several stories and assumptions about the origins of these cards: many of them were lost. Some decks were found incomplete. The reproduced and modified game rules made tracking the origin of these decks complex.

There is a universal definition of the cards and it is  attributed to Visconti Sforza. It is said that they were written on sheets of gold, on which each character and figure had been drawn and painted. That is to say that in principle they were made one by one in an artesanal way until the arrival of the printing press.

For Carl Gustav Jung, the symbolism of Tarot and in particular that of the Major Arcana can be of great help as a tool in psychoanalysis. According to his theory of archetypes, Tarot would be a method for unveiling the unconscious and reaching the individualization and development of "Self" (for oneself).

Following this author,  and interpreting what each print has to tell us is an attempt to know ourselves; In this introspection, it is intended that the diagnosis and cure be done by one's own hand and not by waiting for a phrase or word to be a definitive remedy.

The most used cards are the Tarot of Marseilles, which is the most famous, or the Rider-Waite Tarot, which is a more contemporary deck. The difference between both decks is aesthetic, mainly in regards to the Minor Arcana. In the Rider-Waiter decks, specific scenes are represented, and in the Tarot of Marseilles, however, we only see the different suits of the cards and the interpretation will be based on numerology, colors, and small details in the cards.

The language in tarot is very personal. Each one will take the path that best suits them to approach and learn it. It is a very particular language and it is important to approach the word symbolically and not  literally.

The cards can be interpreted card by card or in a dialogue with the others. The order of the arcana is not casual (Those 21 arcana plus "The Fool"). One form is to place the cards in three rows of seven and  it attempts to see them as if they were spirit, soul and body. That is to say in the first row: The Magician, The Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Pope, The lovers and The Chariot. In the second row: Justice, the Hermit, The Wheel of Fortune, Strength, The  Hanged man, Death, and Temperance. And the last row: The Devil, The Tower, The star, The Moon, The sun, Judgment, and The world.

It is considered that the first group of cards, included between 1 and 7, are associated with the human personality, the concrete experiences of life; from 8 to 14, they relate to the soul or the virtues that we have to acquire and from 15 to 21 with the spirit, cosmic forces and laws with which we relate.

You can play three cards (past, present, and future) or consult a yes or no, throwing a single card. There are many variables. The objective of a Tarot reading is the awareness of a consultant as to the reasons for the situations and how to improve them.

It is said that when we ask the tarot about the future we come from a position of fear, fear that something may not happen or that something may have a disconcerting result.

Therefore, possibly the most interesting thing is not to predict the future but to understand the present. From this image, the cards will not tell us if we will find someone in the future, but they could help us see why we are not finding someone in the present. The best thing we can do is think a lot about the questions in order to receive deep and accurate answers. Would you dare to learn this information through the Tarot?

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