The History and Uses of Tarot Cards

TLDR Tarot cards were originally created for playing games and later became associated with divination. They have a long history, with the most famous deck being the Waite Smith deck. Tarot cards can be used for self-reflection and have even been incorporated into psychotherapy practices.

Timestamped Summary

00:00 Tarot cards were originally used for playing games and only later became associated with divination and reflection on life.
04:58 Tarot cards were originally used for playing complex games and were spread from China to Egypt, where the Mamluk Empire made their own version with flourishes like polo sticks, and then the cards were brought to Italy where they were first created and used for games before becoming associated with divination.
09:59 Tarot cards have a long history of being used for divination, known as Cartomancy.
15:17 Tarot cards were originally used for divination by the French in the 1700s, and tarotology is specifically using tarot cards for divination, while Cartomancy refers to using any other kind of cards for divination; the idea that tarot is ancient and mystical is actually a fabrication, as it was invented by a couple of French guys in the 18th century.
20:52 The idea that tarot is ancient and mystical is actually a fabrication, as it was invented by a couple of French guys in the 18th century and various people added to it over time.
25:37 Tarot cards were created by people interested in spiritualism and the occult, and Alistair Crowley played a significant role in their development, but it was A.E. Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith who popularized the most famous deck, the Waite Smith deck, in 1910.
30:29 The deck of tarot cards consists of 78 cards, with 56 being the Minor Arcana divided into four suits, and the remaining 22 being the Major Arcana, which are the money divination cards.
35:54 The tower card and the 10 of swords are considered to be the worst cards in a tarot deck, indicating destruction, chaos, betrayal, and hitting rock bottom, while the full card represents a fresh start and new beginnings.
40:44 Tarot cards can be used as a tool for self-reflection and introspection, and have even been incorporated into psychotherapy practices.
45:17 Tarot cards can be helpful for patients in psychotherapy to delve deeper into their own psyche, as long as the psychotherapist benefits financially too, and science can explain the effects of tarot readings through cold readings and the Forer effect.
49:55 No relevant information related to the topic of "How Tarot Works?" is provided in this section.
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