Tarot cards have been around since the 15th century, though their exact beginnings are a mystery. Some believe they were first used in Egypt, but there are theories about other places as well. All cultures have formed some sort of system of divination or guidance beyond our daily lives and Tarot is a version of such a system. The images on the Tarot cards are basically a language of symbols which speak to the deeper truths that give meaning to our lives.

There are many different types of decks of Tarot cards, but the most common used today is from the European tradition and called the Rider Pack, created in 1910. The Tarot deck consists of 78 cards. 22 of those are known as the Major Arcana and 56 as the Minor Arcana. Arcana being a word for secrets. The Major Arcana consist of archetypal figures which speak to the collective conscious of man. We will go into the symbolism of each card on our Major Arcana page. The Minor Arcana consist of 4 suits; wands, swords, pentacles and cups, and go from ace to 10 with court cards consisting of page, knight, queen and king. We will go into the meanings of these further on the Minor Arcana page of this Tarot index.