A set of cards is a Tarot, rich in symbolical meaning that clairvoyants use for divinatory or occult intentions or for trick games. It consists of 21 trump cards, a fool, 1 extra face card (per suit) and suit cards, that is, pip and face cards. The other names by which tarot is known are tarock, tarocchi and such similar sounding words.



Tarot cards are popular throughout Europe and are used for playing (tarot) card trick games. But people in English speaking countries are largely unaware of trick tarot card games.

There tarot cards are used for common ordinary fortune-telling, a great fall from the noble use that it was put into , at the beginning of civilization, when tarots were pressed into use to determine events of the highest importance to agricultural civilizations the rising of the waters.

Even T.S. Eliot's magnum opus THE WASTE LAND revolves around the divinatory functions of tarot. There are 22 major arcana cards including the fool and the trump cards and 56 minor arcana cards including the 4 face cards and the pip.

The modern tarot deck has its roots in a game of trick-taking known as TRIUMPHS in a fifteenth century Italy. TAROT is the French name of TRIUMPHS. The major arcana in a conventional tarot deck, has cards like DEATH, the HANGED MAN, the LOVERS, the SUN, the HERMIT, the DEVIL, the FOOL, TEMPERANCE etc. This is the first set of cards. The minor arcana consists of coins, cups, swords, knights, ladies or queens, lords or kings, knaves/servants/pages of sticks/batons/cudgels/wands.

Common men have the misconception that fortune telling through tarot cards is synonymous with gypsies, but in reality, this is an ancient occult practice that dates back to the beginning of human civilization, as said earlier and gypsies were introduced to tarot only recently, in the 20th century. New Agers and occultists are the ones who use tarots for divinatory purposes in contemporary times.

Grillot de Givry considers tarot as one of the most spectacular of human inventions. Tarot cards and fortune telling through it have their fair share of critics. Skeptics, who are guided only by logic, decry this fortune telling practice through tarot cards and tarot has been slammed by austere detractors in all the ages, and continues till date. The tarot set of cards is basically a pack of picture cards. These pictures are mirrors that reflect destiny/fate in multiple facets. Tarots are popular for they appeal to the romantic imagination of human beings who are always curious to know what fate has preordained for them.

This fascinating branch of visionary mysticism, where a picture on a card will mirror the soul or expose what is to come has a romantic irresistibility to hardcore believers.

Advocates of tarot have found connections between other mystical and occult practices like I CHING, ASTROLOGY, CABALA and tarot. Traces of tarot card fortune telling have been found in ancient Egypt and in tenth century China, and 14th century Islamic empires.