TAROT as 11th Century Central European

[Fulgour]

I'd say at least there's Tarot in Europe by the time the Cathars
are obliterated, or shall we say scattered to the winds..?

""Pope"" anybody the #Zip and his sycophantic gang are losing control...

Tarot walks, head high, the length and breadth of Europe. And yet, with the stench of the Inquisition still in the air, here we are today, walking along like it's a holiday on the graves of millions murdered as "witches" with no thought of Tarot as the living language of revolution and freedom.

Let's rock'n'roll boys and girls. Tarot is here to stay, and we can shuffle
our cards while the King of the Dogma-house burns. 78 times "Alive!"

[Fulgour]

OK. The argument usually goes, Tarot is Christian.
If you ask is Tarot something other than Christian
it gets buggered off into... is Tarot PRE Christian.

Tarot, is UR Christian
Tarot is yes Christian
Tarot is non Christian
Tarot is pre-Christian
and, it is POST X-ian.

[Óttar]

Was geht ab, bru? *hiccup* [pink elephants]

[Curtis24]

I love the Tarot, I do an online test almost compulsively. I'll do one now...

Eight of Pentacles (Prudence): Dedicating yourself fully to a task. Learning a new craft or skill. Applying painstaking attention to detail. Industriousness and the efficient completion of tasks. Sticking with a project long enough to see it through.

Means I have to finish my homework :/

[Psychonaut]

OK. The argument usually goes, Tarot is Christian.

Who argues that? The standard Tarot theory of just about every occult group that sprung up after Eliphas Levi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliphas_Levi) is that the the twenty two major arcana represent the twenty two paths (and thus the twenty two letters of the Hebrew alphabet) on the Tree of Life. The paths connect the ten Sephirot (which are manifested in four worlds); these are represented by the fifty two numbered minor arcana and court cards. This is definitely Kabbalistic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalah) not Christian.

[Brynhild]

Who argues that? The standard Tarot theory of just about every occult group that sprung up after Eliphas Levi (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eliphas_Levi) is that the the twenty two major arcana represent the twenty two paths (and thus the twenty two letters of the Hebrew alphabet) on the Tree of Life. The paths connect the ten Sephirot (which are manifested in four worlds); these are represented by the fifty two numbered minor arcana and court cards. This is definitely Kabbalistic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalah) not Christian.

This theory has emphasis based on the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Tarot is much older than that and there is still doubt as to the whereabouts of its origins. The deck compiled by Arthur Waite and Pamela Colman Smith is very much influenced by Hebrew tales but there are also other influences, including Egyptian. Waite also reversed the Strength and Justice cards. While Justice was originally the 8th card, Strength was the 11th. Therefore, it's been a relatively recent change and so is the concept on which the Golden Dawn based it. The 22 Major Arcana cards could, indeed, be seen as separate paths, but since they comprise of the deck of 78 cards, they are seen to be read as significant markers in the overall use of the deck - not strictly as separate entities. I've not studied Kabbala so I can't comment on this. I've used the cards for divinatory purposes and while the cards are relatively self-explanatory, they are interchangeable in regards to the issues of each querent.

There are, in fact, 56 Minor Arcana cards, not 52. It is, however, from the Minor Arcana cards that we have the standard deck of 52 cards, with the pages of each suit taken out. Otherwise, the standard deck can be read in exactly the same fashion as that of the Minor cards. Cups are Hearts, Pentacles Clubs, Swords Spades and Wands Diamonds. If they are to be read that way, though, it's more for the mundane occurrances rather than any significant changes you would see in the Majors.

[Wyn]

the graves of millions murdered as "witches

I really hope you're joking.

And yes, I've read/heard the "calculations" that produce the xmillion figure that nobody takes seriously.