Theories of the origins of the tarot vary greatly. The cards in their present forms seem to be a medieval creation, although the images and designs are much older. The bibliotheque national in Paris has 17 ornate cards, 16 of them tarot trumps. Its believed gypsies brought the tarot with them in their long track from India, via the middle east in 1781 when Egypt was seen as the source of all knowledge. Antone Cort Gebelin, a French Protestant clergyman who became fascinated with the occult, believed the cards contained the secrets of the priests of Egypt, the lost Egyptian magical wisdom written by Thoth.
Eliphas Levi says from his book magic, the origin of the tarot is lost and no one knows where or when it was invented but everything leads us to believe that it is of indo -tantric origin and modified among ancient nations.
Eliphas Levi made the first connections between the tarot and the cabbala. He believed that through the merging of the tarot and kabbala he discovered a powerful source of knowledge and magik. By linking the 22 major arcana cards with the 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet and each possessed inherit, esoteric, significance he strongly believed that it was still possible to aquire knowledge through the tarot including wisdom associated with the kabbala and the bible.
To Levi the tarot was the entire world. He once told associates that if he were ever imprisoned regardless of how many years the only "book" he would need is a pack of tarot cards.
One of the greatest influence on the modern tarot reading is author Edward Waite who, in 1891, joined the order of the golden dawn who can trace their traditions back to the rosicrucians of the 17th century who in turn drew on alcemical and kabalistic tradition traceable it is said back to Mosses.
It was Waite who associated the four suites with the four sacred objects of true holy grail quest. From the book Rosslyn and the grail by Mark Oxbrow and Ian Robinson. A Robert D. Baron explains that the grail was the chalice used in the last supper or a serving platter with a bleeding decapitated head but we are also told that the genuine grail was in fact a magical stone.
Some tarot practitioners identify the tarot with the quest for the grail. The emperor is seen as the fisher king, (the name may have arisen from a play on French term pecheur fisherman, and pecheur sinner) whose wounds had caused the lands to become barren. The high priestess is the female guardian of the grail and the fool as the seeker, the hermit and charioteer and lovers also feature in early grail myths.
Cassandra Eason mentions in her book, magic 0f ancient wisdom that the tarot pack comprises of 78 cards, 22 major cards are trumps as they are traditionally called 40 number cards in four suites with 16 court cards, the 22 cards form the major arcana (arcana meaning hidden wisdom). The minor arcana includes 40 numbered cards incorporating the four suites made up of pentacles/coins or disks, cups/ chalice, wands/ spears or staves and swords. The numbers begin at ace/ one through to number 10 and correspond with the four traditional playing card suit's diamonds, hearts, clubs and spades. These suites also represent the four basic elements Earth, water fire and air.
