Tarot card use in the u
Tarot card use in the u.sDial 1-800-99-Tarot, look familiar? From Kenny Kingston and his group of psychics to Dionne Warwicks psychic friends, we have all seen or heard of the infamous psychic hotlines. Palm readers, to Psychic Advisors, to Tarot readers, they are taking the country by storm. At this point in time, the majority of the urban population have either consulted a psychic advisor, or know of someone who has. The question is, “why?”. Why has this section of astrology reached this level of popularity in the United States?
To answer the question, many aspects and sections of astrology and “fortune telling” must be examined. Fortune Telling is the practice of predicting the future through psychic means, such as the interpretation of signs and/or communication with supernatural forces. Many people use astrology as a method of fortune telling. Other methods include palmistry, the practice of interpreting the lines in hands; cartomancy, the prediction of the future using special cards such as Tarot cards: and necromancy, in which people predict the future through communication with the
spirits of the deceased. Some methods of fortune telling involve clairvoyance, the ability to perceive events or objects beyond the range of the senses. Although fortune telling has little support in science, it remains popular in many countries, including the United States.
People have practiced various forms of fortune telling for thousands of years. It became a widespread practice in many ancient societies, particularly among rulers, who often sought advice from fortune tellers. In ancient China, for example, emperors had court astrologers and special diviners who predicted the future using a set of sticks called the I Ching, which are used in a way
similar to Tarot cards.
Tarot is the name given to the oldest playing cards still in common use, both for card games and as the basis of a branch of the fortune telling art. The tarot was brought from the east to Italy in the 14th century by gypsies or returning crusaders. The origin of the cards is obscure, and theories that the tarot is based on the Hebrew alphabet or on Egyptian or Hindu mythology have not been conclusively proved.
The Tarot deck consists of 78 cards, which are divided into two distinct groups. The Minor, or ‘lesser’, Arcana, the precursor of the modern deck, is made up of 56 cards divided into four suits. The suit corresponds with the modern clubs suit; cups with hearts; swords with spades; and pentacles (or sometimes coins in certain decks) with diamonds. Each suit has 14 cards, with
numbered cards from ace to ten and four unnumbered face cards: king, queen, knight, and knave. (the four knight cards have been eliminated in the modern deck.)
The Major, or Greater, Arcana consists of 22 cards, each bearing a title and a picture. The symbolism of the Major Arcana has fascinated writers and psychologists, who assume that such pictures as the Hanged Man, the Wheel of Fortune,...
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