For centuries, seekers had looked to Tarot for guidance in their present day circumstances. It’s an incredibly beautiful and touching glimpse into their lives. With roots going back to 15th century Italy, Tarot decks first manifested as richly colorful, hand-painted playing cards played with by nobility. This democratic practice has changed dramatically through the centuries. It has inspired the minds of millions and evolved into an incredible creative outlet for personal expression and discovery.
The history of Tarot traces back to the courts of Renaissance Italy, and that’s where the first decks we have much record of were created. These decks weren’t originally used for divination, but rather served as elaborate playing cards for the aristocracy. By the 18th century, Tarot found its way to Paris. Two young clergymen, hungry for a new expression of spirituality, were attracted to it. Antoine Court de Gébelin was one of those who ascribed great power to tarot. He professed to have dreamt that tarot cards came from Ancient Egypt. He theorized that these cards held the keys to an even older scripture called The Book of Thoth.
This radical reimagining of Tarot quickly gained popularity and abruptly caused division, creating the basis for the contemporary practices of Tarot. By the early 20th century, the Rider-Waite Tarot deck would make Tarot widely accessible and introduce a new adaptability into the field. Arthur Edward Waite was the one who commissioned this deck, and Pamela Colman Smith was the one who illustrated it. They created it for their own esoteric Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Its multi-layered allegorical imagery allowed Tarot to be more visually hypnotic and mysterious, attracting a much wider audience.
“The Rider-Waite deck illustrated the Minor Arcana for the first time,” said Melissa, a contemporary Tarot reader. “Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Colman Smith were the first people that decided the Minor Arcana should be illustrated.”
As Tarot passed hands over the years, many interpretations and decks were created that reshaped the moral meanings while adapting to new cultural perceptions. Now, younger generations are helping to inspire a new cultural obsession with Tarot. Social media platforms such as TikTok are at the forefront of this thrilling revolution. More than 13 million posts with the hashtag #tarot underscore this trend and growing interest.
A 2021 survey indicated that 51 percent of individuals aged 13 to 25 in the U.S. have engaged with Tarot or fortune-telling practices. This is a remarkable statistic, signaling that Tarot has become increasingly correspondingly popular among younger generations. Perhaps more importantly, it highlights Tarot’s connection to broader cultural trends such as astrology and manifestation.
“Tarot reflects that people still want to leave space in society and in culture for a kind of magic,” explained Phoebe Cripps, a Tarot historian. “Something that is unknowable, that can’t be neatly ordered.”
Today, practitioners of all kinds of experience levels come to Tarot as a curiosity playground. It gives them space to engage mysticism without being fully trapped in mysticism. As Melissa noted, “I would encourage anyone who’s interested to pick up a tarot deck. It doesn’t have to be one of the old school ones — it can be something that you relate to, like a Buffy the Vampire Slayer deck.”
The personal inner work of seeking Tarot advice usually veers into the territory of self-empowerment and growth. Melissa noted a common question she receives during readings: “Especially on TikTok, I’ve noticed the question I get asked most in my readings is: ‘Is my ex coming back? How can I get my ex back?’ And I won’t answer that question. Let me state this differently. As a team, we’ll develop a full understanding of what’s going on in their world and equip them to take the next steps with strength and assurance.
The multidimensional quality of Tarot offers many different interpretations. Phoebe Cripps emphasized that while many occultists attach themselves to Tarot, it simultaneously forms its own connections with those who engage with it. This kind of relationship is a perfect representation for what attracts people to Tarot’s magical spell.
“What we now know as the Major Arcana, which includes more symbolic cards like The Hanged Man, The Star and The World, were used as trump cards within different forms of play,” Cripps explained. This background provides valuable insight into modern interpretations and practices.
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