tarot

Fortune-teller's cards

Tarot is a deck of 78 cards used for fortune-telling and divination.

The deck includes 22 major arcana cards depicting archetypal figures like the Fool, the Lovers, and Death, plus 56 minor arcana in four suits.

A tarot reading interprets cards drawn or laid out in patterns: She consulted the tarot before making her decision.

Originally a Renaissance card game, tarot's occult associations developed later.

cards

deck

Ship's flat surface

  • suitsFormal business clothing
  • cupsSmall drinking containers
  • wandsSlender implements for conjuring

pentacles · swords · fool · magician · empress · emperor · hierophant · lovers · chariot · strength

practice

shuffle

Randomize by mixing

  • cutSeverance or reduction
  • drawCreate with pencil
  • layPlace down flat

spread · deck · cards · ritual · altar · candles · incense · cloth · consecration · cleansing

divination

reading

Interpreting written text

prediction · oracle · querent · reversed · upright · interpretation · guidance · intuition · psychic · medium

symbolism

imagery

Vivid descriptive language

fire · water · air · earth · colors · animals · figures · iconography · allegory · esoteric

game

trick-taking

Winning dealt card rounds

twenty-one · bid · deal · hand · points · partners · Austrian · Italian · scoring · gaming

Categories
Opposites
divination vs. empirical knowledge

tarotscientific method

Structured process for investigation

empiricism · science · statistics · empirical evidence · data analysis

esoteric vs. mainstream belief systems

tarotscripture

Sacred religious writings

catechism · church doctrine · rationalism · materialism · skepticism

card deck type

tarotpoker deck

Standard fifty-two card collection

bridge deck · French deck

Phrases
Family

tarots

Familiarity
Top 100,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G