Were The Mayan Tarot Cards Accurate?

Mayan astrology is a unique and ancient practice that has its roots in the Mayan civilization, which flourished from 2000 BCE to 900 CE. The Mayans were skilled astronomers who meticulously observed the movements of stars and seasons, and their astrological system includes day signs, the Mayan year, and the trecena.

Daykeepers, known as “daykeepers”, interpret an individual’s day sign and birth date to provide astrological readings. The Mayan Tarot is not just a reading deck but a mini archaeological experience and doorway into another culture. It is inspired by the pre-Columbian, Central American culture of the Mayas and features colorful majors with the familiar cartoonish look of Mayan art.

The Mayan Tarot is a doorway into another world, into a culture, and into the past. It explores the archetypes and alchemy of the major arcana of the Xultun Tarot through indigenous teachings and the analytical psychology of CG Jung. As the tarot cards are laid out before us, and the Mayan calendar casts its guiding light, it is important to remember that we are part of a grand cosmic design.

In summary, the Mayan Tarot is a powerful tool for understanding the archetypes and alchemy of the Mayan astrology system, offering a holistic view of an individual’s place within the grand cosmic design.

Do Catholics believe in tarot cards?

Tarot cards and fortunetellers are practices that aim to discover the future, but only God knows the future. The Catholic Church teaches that God can reveal the future to prophets or saints, but a sound Christian attitude involves putting oneself in the hands of Providence and giving up unhealthy curiosity about it. The Catechism of the Catholic Church prohibits all forms of divination, including horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, omen interpretation, clairvoyance, and mediums, which conceal a desire for power over time, history, and other human beings, as well as a desire to conciliate hidden powers. These practices contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear owed to God alone.

People seeking guidance from tarot cards, Ouija boards, and fortunetellers may be dabbling in something forbidden by God, as they may open themselves up to demonic influence. The only way these practices can be “real” is if a demon works through them, giving false guidance about the future. This “real” practice is a real danger and can negatively influence us.

What is the oldest tarot cards?

The Visconti Tarot is one of the oldest sets of playing cards, commissioned in the 15th century by the Viscontis family, a Milanese family that dominated northern Italy’s cultural life in the 14th and 15th centuries. The deck includes eleven trump cards, six court cards, and the three Theological Virtues, Faith, Hope, and Charity. The first major deposit of playing cards in the Yale Library was in 1945 when Mrs. Samuel H. Fisher gave her extensive collection, documenting five centuries of playing card development.

Melbert B. Cary, Jr., an importer and fine printing enthusiast, developed a passion for collecting playing cards in partnership with his wife, Mary Flagler Cary. They collected together until Cary’s death in 1941, and Mrs. Cary continued adding examples from around the world. Following Cary’s death in 1967, the collection was presented to Yale, along with funds for its maintenance. The Visconti Tarot is one example from many in the Cary Colelction of Playing Cards.

What country is tarot from?

Tarot decks were invented in Italy in the 1430s, adding a fifth suit of 21 specially illustrated cards called trionfi (“triumphs”) and an odd card called il matto (“the fool”). These cards bore Italian suitmarks and belonged to an experimental period of card design when queens were often added to the series of court cards previously consisting of only a king and two male figures. In standard cards, the four figures were subsequently reduced to three again by suppressing the queen, except in French cards, which suppressed the cavalier (knight).

The trionfi each bore a different allegorical illustration instead of a common suitmark, possibly representing characters in medieval reenactments of Roman triumphal processions. They were originally unnumbered, so it was necessary to remember their order. When added to the pack, trionfi functioned as a suit superior in power to the other four, acting as a suit of triumphs or “trumps”.

Who first read tarot cards?

Tarot card reading is a form of cartomancy where practitioners use tarot cards to gain insight into the past, present, or future. The first to assign divinatory meanings to tarot cards was cartomancer Jean-Baptiste Alliette (also known as Etteilla) in 1783. A traditional tarot deck consists of 78 cards, divided into the Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. French-suited playing cards can also be used. The first written references to tarot packs occurred between 1440 and 1450 in northern Italy, where additional cards with allegorical illustrations were added to the common four-suit pack.

These new packs were called carte da trionfi, triumph packs, and the additional cards known simply as trionfi, which became “trumps” in English. One of the earliest references to tarot triumphs is given c. 1450–1470 by a Dominican preacher in a sermon against dice, playing cards, and ‘triumphs’. References to the tarot as a social plague or exempt from bans that affected other games continue throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, but there are no indications that the cards were used for anything but games.

Do tarot cards go against the Bible?

The Bible warns against sorceries, divination, soothsaying, fortunetelling, mediums, and spiritists. Tarot cards can be used for divination and fortunetelling, but they can also be used for meditation or exploring archetypes. The modern Tarot began as tarocchi, sets of playing cards and learning devices, and fortunetelling was not involved. Early Biblical mentions against such practices include not eating pork, trimming beards, getting tattoos, cutting hair, eating oysters, going to church within 40 days of giving birth, working on the Sabbath, eating fat, touching a goat, or selling land permanently. Some scholars believe these rules were put in place to prevent women from having an active role in spiritual leadership.

In modern American churches, an attitude against astrology is common. Genesis 1:14 indicates that God’s people are meant to use heavenly bodies as signs, guides, and portents. The practice of astrology involves using stars as signs, as the three wise men used this practice to follow the Star in the East.

Do Japanese use tarot?

This essay examines selected images from tarot decks designed in Japan, which reflect a deliberate adaptation process across cultural and temporal borders. The focus is on the under-analyzed and mostly female-gendered domain, focusing on the substitution of medieval European people and elements with images from Japanese art, history, and popular culture. These substitutions either gloss over gaps between Western and Japanese world views or meld them into a new form, allowing the tarot to enter into a different or hybrid metaphysical culture. Tarot cards are important because of their great economic and cultural impact in contemporary Japan, providing insight into domains of pleasure, spiritual exploration, and fandom.

Did tarot cards originate in Africa?

The provenance of the tarot deck has been a topic of scholarly interest for two centuries, with the consensus being that it originated in the Renaissance court of northern Italy. However, the precise connection with Egypt remains elusive.

Where did Tarot reading come from?

In English-speaking countries, cartomantic tarot cards are available for novelty and divination. Early French occultists claimed tarot cards had esoteric links to ancient Egypt, Kabbalah, the Indic Tantra, or I Ching. However, scholarly research shows that tarot cards were invented in northern Italy in the mid-15th century and no significant use of tarot cards for divination until the late 18th century. Historians describe western views of the Tarot pack as a “successful propaganda campaign”.

The earliest evidence of a tarot deck used for cartomancy comes from an anonymous manuscript from around 1750. The popularization of esoteric tarot started with Antoine Court and Jean-Baptiste Alliette (Etteilla) in Paris during the 1780s, using the Tarot of Marseilles. French tarot players abandoned the Marseilles tarot in favor of the Tarot Nouveau around 1900, and the Marseilles pattern is now mostly used by cartomancers. Etteilla was the first to produce a bespoke tarot deck specifically designed for occult purposes around 1789, containing themes related to ancient Egypt.

Did tarot originate in Egypt?

The popular belief that tarot originated in ancient Egypt is, in fact, a myth. Tarot decks were utilized for card games for centuries prior to the late 1700s, when French pastor Antoine Court de Gebelin became the first documented professional tarot reader. He employed the cards for divination purposes.

What culture is tarot from?

Tarot cards originated in Europe during the mid-15th century, with the earliest known decks being created in Italy for a game called tarocchi. These decks, like the Visconti-Sforza deck, were hand-painted and commissioned by wealthy families as symbols of their status. The Major Arcana, consisting of 22 cards, represents life lessons, spiritual themes, and archetypal energies, with each card having its own unique symbolism.

The Minor Arcana, consisting of four suits (Wands, Cups, Swords, and Pentacles) corresponds to the elements of fire, water, air, and earth, focusing on everyday matters, personal experiences, and challenges and opportunities encountered in life.

Did tarot originate from Romani?

The author emphasizes the importance of recognizing the cultural context of tarot, a traditional practice originating from the Romani trade. Despite the trade’s origins, Roma are often excluded from popular discourse around tarot, despite their heritage with the practice. The author explains that while tarot was not invented by Roma, they did incorporate Italian playing cards into the practice. In the US, laws restricting fortune telling were implemented to persecute Roma, and they are still the most likely group targeted by police for fortune telling.

When non-Romani fortune tellers use the slur Gypsy or use Romani dress to market their work, it becomes a strange area of cultural appropriation and privilege. Some Roma have responded by insisting that tarot should be a closed practice, but the author prefers to educate people about the cultural context of tarot divination, how to engage with it respectfully and authentically as a non-Romani person, and how to support Romani culture and readers. The author’s book, Secrets of Romani Fortune Telling, provides more information on the Romani cultural context of fortune telling.