Dreams and Visions: An Introduction to Tarot

The origins of the Tarot are shrouded in mystery. Some believe the Tarot originated from the
Egyptians; some do not. Some believe the Tarot originated in Italy, based on a card game called
tarrochi. The history of the Tarot is beyond the scope of this site; for you history buffs (which I
confess, I am not), there are plenty of sites that go into the history of Tarot in-depth.
What I do know is that the Tarot consist of two "books," if you will: the Major Arcana (Arcana
means "secrets"), 22 cards that speak of our spiritual journey through this thing we call life; and
the Minor Arcana, 56 cards that reflect the more mundane (everyday) aspects of our lives. It is the
56 Minor Arcana cards that are connected to playing cards (Where does that seem familiar?
That's right...the dream that got me into Tarot to begin with). The suit of Wands in Tarot
correspond to Clubs; the suit of Swords to Spades; the suit of Cups to Hearts; and the suit of
Pentacles to Diamonds.
I often refer to them as such: the Major Arcana shows us the spiritual life lessons we are here to
learn, and the Minor Arcana shows us the way in which we apply those lessons.