Tarot History & Symbolism
A figure stands at the edge of a journey. A wheel turns. A star shines above the landscape.
Tarot invites us to look at pictures and ask questions. What is happening here? What catches my attention? Why does this image feel familiar?
The cards also have a history of their own. Across centuries, people have used tarot for games, divination, artistic expression and personal exploration. Understanding these different uses can make the experience richer—and help you find your own way into the cards.
Original Tarot World artwork. Explore each card and its meaning.
Where did tarot begin?
The earliest documented references to tarot come from northern Italy in the 1440s and 1450s. Tarot was used for a trick-taking card game, with illustrated trump cards alongside suited cards and a Fool.
Some surviving decks were luxury objects associated with the Visconti and Sforza courts. Their painted figures and gold backgrounds offer a glimpse into the artistic world in which early tarot developed. The cards’ familiar association with fortune-telling came later. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Before Fortune-Telling
This distinction helps us understand tarot: the history of the cards and the history of their interpretations are connected, but they are not identical.
How has tarot changed through the centuries?
From card games to divination
In the late eighteenth century, tarot acquired new divinatory interpretations. Writers also proposed that the cards preserved ancient Egyptian wisdom, although those origin claims remain unproven. During the nineteenth century, occult traditions developed further symbolic associations around the deck. V&A: A History of Tarot Cards
These developments added new layers of meaning. They should not be mistaken for evidence that Renaissance players understood the cards in exactly the same way as modern readers.
An influential visual language
Published in 1909, the Rider–Waite–Smith deck brought together Arthur Edward Waite and illustrator Pamela Colman Smith. Smith’s images became highly influential, shaping the visual language of many later decks. Her contribution deserves recognition whenever this tradition is discussed. V&A: A History of Tarot Cards
New artists, new purposes
Tarot has also become a framework for creative reinvention. Niki de Saint Phalle transformed Major Arcana imagery into sculptures for her Tarot Garden. Photographer Alice Smeets collaborated with Haitian artists to reinterpret familiar tarot scenes. The Black School’s Process Deck adapted the card format to support creative activism projects. The Metropolitan Museum of Art: It’s in the Cards
Across these examples, the cards become a way to arrange ideas and tell stories. Tarot’s history contains many overlapping traditions rather than one unchanged practice passed through every generation.
What is inside a tarot deck?
A standard tarot deck contains 78 cards: 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana. Its four suits commonly carry these associations in modern readings:
| Suit | Common symbolic association |
|---|---|
| Cups | Emotions and relationships |
| Swords | Thought and ideas |
| Wands or batons | Action and energy |
| Coins or pentacles | Material life and resources |
These associations are interpretive conventions. Different decks and traditions may use different names, images or emphases. V&A: A History of Tarot Cards
Mindelune focuses on the 22 Major Arcana, using original artwork and upright interpretations for one- and three-card readings. You can learn more about this particular approach on our About the Deck page.
Where do a card’s meanings come from?
When you explore a card, it helps to distinguish three layers.
The image itself. Start with what is visible: a gesture, an object, a colour, a relationship between figures. Describe it before interpreting it.
The deck’s interpretation. Read the explanation accompanying that card. What theme does it suggest, and how does the artwork express it?
Your response. Notice what the image brings to mind. Your response may connect with the interpretation, challenge it or lead somewhere unexpected.
Keeping these layers separate gives you room to explore. A personal association can be meaningful without being the card’s original historical meaning. An established interpretation can offer a starting point without determining what you must think.
For individual explanations, explore the Mindelune card library.
Sources and further reading
- Tim Husband, The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Before Fortune-Telling: The History and Structure of Tarot Cards — early documentation, deck structure and tarot as a game.
- Victoria and Albert Museum: A History of Tarot Cards — changing uses, symbolic traditions and the Rider–Waite–Smith deck.
- Maria Schurr, The Metropolitan Museum of Art: It’s in the Cards (Catalog) — artistic reinterpretations and alternative uses.
- Mindelune: About the Tarot Deck and Tarot World — the scope and operation of this reading experience.