Tarot

The tarot is a pack of playing cards, used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play games such as Italian tarocchini, French tarot and Austrian Königrufen.

By the 19th century, the Tarot came to be regarded as a »bible of bibles«, an esoteric repository of all the significant truths of creation.

The trend was started by prominent freemason and Protestant cleric Antoine Court de Gébelin who suggested that the Tarot had an ancient Egyptian origin, and mystic divine and kabbalastic significance. A contemporary of his, the Comte de Mellet, added to Court de Gébelin's claims by suggesting that the Tarot was associated with Gypsies and was in fact the imprinted book of Hermes Trismegistus.

The Thoth Tarot is a divinatory tarot deck painted by Lady Frieda Harris according to instructions from Aleister Crowley. Crowley referred to this deck as »The Book of Thoth«, and also wrote a book of that title intended for use with the deck.

Like common playing cards, the tarot has four suits. Each suit has 14 cards, ten pip cards numbering from one (or Ace) to ten and four face cards (King, Queen, Knight, and Knave). In addition, the tarot has a separate 21-card trump suit and a single card known as the Fool. Depending on the game, the Fool may act as the top trump or may be played to avoid following suit.

These tarot cards, without occult symbology, are still used throughout much of Europe to play card games.