[Lonely Stairwell by Blue Dot Sessions]
HAVE YOU EVER HAD YOUR PALM READ? OR TRIED TO TELL THE FUTURE WITH TEA LEAVES? MAYBE YOU’VE EVEN VISITED A PSYCHIC BEFORE. BUT CHANCES ARE, IF YOU WANTED YOUR FUTURE TOLD, YOU GOT SOMEONE TO READ YOUR TAROT.
FROM THE TOWER TO THE TWO OF CUPS, I TOOK A LOOK INTO THE HISTORY OF TAROT, THE WAY IT’S USED TODAY, AND EVEN GOT MY OWN FORTUNE TOLD A FEW TIMES.
[Barbara Newman] These are called the Visconti-Sforza cards.
THAT WAS ENGLISH PROFESSOR BARBARA NEWMAN, WHO STUDIES THE MEDIEVAL ORIGINS OF TAROT.
[BN] The tarot cards were wedding gift. There are 78 cards in the deck. There are, I think, 22 court cards. And then there are the four suits which are swords, wands, cups and coins, and they’re the ancestors of our modern suits of clubs, spades, hearts and diamonds.
TAROT CARDS HAVE BEEN AROUND SINCE MEDIEVAL TIMES, BUT IT’S ONLY FAIRLY RECENTLY THAT THEY’VE BEEN USED TO TELL THE FUTURE.
PROFESSOR NEWMAN SHOWED ME HER COPIES OF THE VISCONTI SFORZA CARDS.
[BN] This card is very interesting. This is La Papessa, and I’m going to tell you about her in a while.
THE ORIGINAL TAROT CARDS WERE MADE AT A PARTICULAR MOMENT IN HISTORY, AND THEIR IMAGERY REFLECTS THIS. ONE OF THE ORIGINAL CARDS, LA PAPESSA, WAS IN FACT BASED ON A MEDIEVAL FEMALE HERETIC, WHO BRIEFLY CREATED A FEMALE CHURCH AND ORDAINED A NUN AS A PRIEST. HER IMAGE SURVIVES TODAY AS THE CARD OF THE HIGH PRIESTESS.
PROFESSOR NEWMAN EXPLAINED THAT THE ORIGINAL TAROT CARDS WERE MOST LIKELY USED FOR GAMES AS NORMAL PLAYING CARDS, NOT FORTUNE TELLING. IT WASN’T UNTIL THE NINETEENTH CENTURY THAT THE TAROT BECAME ASSOCIATED WITH THE OCCULT.
[BN] the more modern playing cards became, you know, secular, profane, the more these came to seem special.
THE “CLASSIC” CARDS MANY PEOPLE USE TODAY ARE THE RIDER-WAITE TAROT, CREATED BY A. E. WAITE AND ILLUSTRATED BY PAMELA COLMAN SMITH.
[BN] He was an important figure in the revival of English magic in the late 19th, early 20th century. And he came up with the concept for these cards that he didn’t actually design that design them that was writer and a woman who was name isn’t on here.
TAROT CARDS HAVE COME A LONG WAY FROM THEIR GOLD-PLATED MEDIEVAL ROOTS. TAROT DECKS CAN COME WITH ILLUSTRATIONS OF EVERYTHING FROM POKEMON TO DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS CHARACTERS. YOU CAN GET YOUR TAROT READ IN A STORE, OVER ZOOM, AND EVEN ON TIK TOK. I DECIDED TO ASK SOME MODERN PRACTICERS OF TAROT WHAT IT’S LIKE.
[CC Barfield] It’s really based around like the energy of that person. So I’m usually come with like, some kind of like, intention or question. And you, of course, like, you internalize that and you like, really internalize the question. And when I do someone’s like, I personally have to, like knock on the deck, and I just like shuffle the cards. Some people have you pull cards, some people will just like, pull cards from the top, and then lay them out. Personally, I just like shuffle them ever falls out? That’s what I personally do.
BIENEN JUNIOR CC BARFIELD STARTED READING TAROT CARDS LAST YEAR. THEY USE IT AS A WAY TO FEEL MORE CONNECTED TO NATURE AND THEIR ANCESTRY, AND USE RESOURCES LIKE FRIENDS AND THE INTERNET TO HELP THEIR READINGS, WHICH THEY MIGHT DO FOR OTHERS, OR EVEN FOR THEMSELVES.
[CB] whenever I’m like, going through my day, of course, it’s like, I kind of want to understand what’s going on around me or like what it is I should be expecting. a lot of people sometimes they would do tarot readings. And they do it to look for a specific answer, which I don’t believe is like super productive, especially in order like, the art of Tarot is like really like a reflective practice. So it’s like if you’re looking for a certain answer is not really helpful for you.
JIMMY HE IS A MEDILL SENIOR. HE GOT INTO TAROT AFTER SEEING A DECK ON TIK TOK ILLUSTRATED WITH FABLES AND FAIRY TALES. AFTER OVER A YEAR USING THAT DECK, HE SAYS HE’S FORMED AN EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO IT.
[Jimmy He] I feel like if I just got like a brand new deck and cracked it open, it wouldn’t have the same feel. But I sort of I’ve used this deck a lot. It’s given me a lot of great times. I trust the deck to at least like sort of pointing me in the right direction for stuff.
IN FACT, TAROT READINGS ARE KIND OF JIMMY’S PARTY TRICK– HE USES IT TO GET TO KNOW PEOPLE.
[JH] I love talking to people and like just chatting with people and asking people questions. And it’s honestly a great icebreaker. Sometimes it’s just like, you want a Tarot reading?
ALTHOUGH HE STARTED OUT A NONBELIEVER, JIMMY’S FOUND THAT TAROT CAN BE USEFUL IN EVERYDAY LIFE.
[JH] It’s more to sometimes give you clarity to give you advice and just to guide you through whatever path you’re going down.
SO NATURALLY, I ASKED HIM TO GIVE ME A TAROT READING.
[JH]
IT WAS REASONABLY ACCURATE.
IT’S NO DOUBT THAT THE ART OF TAROT HAS CAPTIVATED PEOPLE. THEY SHOW UP IN BOOKS, MOVIES, AND EVEN AT COLLEGE PARTIES. EVERYONE KNOWS A LITTLE ABOUT TAROT, AND EVERYONE I TALKED TO HAD A STORY ABOUT TAROT CARDS POSSIBLY PREDICTING A BREAKUP– EVEN PROFESSOR NEWMAN. I ASKED HER WHY SHE THINKS THE TAROT TAKE UP SO MUCH SPACE IN OUR COLLECTIVE CONSCIOUSNESS, AND WHY THEY’VE ENDURED FOR SO LONG. SHE HAD A SIMPLE ANSWER.
[BN] They’re beautiful.
FOR WNUR NEWS, I’M MIKA ELLISON.
