Tarot consists of a 78-card deck, each card featuring a different symbolic picture. The standard 78-card deck has a set of 22 cards, known as the Major Arcana (trump cards), and 56 cards – 4 suits of 14 cards each – which are similar to the normal playing cards, and are called the Minor Arcana (pip cards).

Tarot is used for divination and fortune telling, in addition to being used for creative visualization, problem solving, and meditation, among other uses.

The Origin Of Tarot
The origin of Tarot is lost in the mists of time. There are many theories regarding Tarot, some facts, some myths, but one thing seems to be clear – Tarot cards, at least their medieval version, date back to the late 1300s or the early 1400s. Theories exist as to their Chinese, Indian, or Egyptian origins, and according to some, Gypsies – long associated with fortune telling – may have had a hand in their creation.

Many believe that the Tarot cards have an Italian origin, as the pictures on the cards seem to have an Italian imagery. Prior to 1375, there is no mention of ordinary playing cards in Europe, and after 1377, there are numerous references. Around 1420, there was a reference to playing cards with symbolic references to animals, but only in 1442 was a reference made of the acquisition of the ‘triumph’ cards for use at the royal court at Ferrara.

By 1450, it became clear that two types of cards existed – the triumph cards and the normal playing cards. The reference, distinguishing the two, was found in a letter from the Duke of Milan, Francesco Sforza, to one of his underlings to acquire several decks of the triumph cards. This makes things clear that cards, known as triumph cards, were generally known in Milan and Ferrara in the 1940s. In addition, art historians have dated the oldest known surviving cards to the reign of Filippo Maria Visconti, Duke of Milan from 1412 to 1447.

Milan, Ferrara, Venice, Bologna, and Florence were the cities where the early cards were made, and all surviving triumph cards are from the 15th century Northern Italy. Triumph cards spread to France in the early 16th century, and the first reference to the Italian word ‘tarocchi,’ a precursor to the French word ‘Tarot’ appeared in 1530. Until this time, Tarot cards were used to play games, and the Game of Triumphs became very popular among the upper classes of the northern Italy and eastern France.

Jean-Baptiste Alliette, a cartomancer also known as "Etteilla," (the reverse of his name Alliette) was said to use cards for divination, around 1770. He published the divinatory meaning of cards, though only 32 regular playing cards, plus one extra representing the querent, were used. His popularity as a diviner and an occultist contributed to the growth of the Tarot as a divination tool. The use of Tarot cards for the purpose of divination is attributed to Antoine Court de Gébelin in 1781. The famous occultist in the 19th century, Eliphas Lévi, whose real name was Alphonse Louis Constant, developed a relation between the Tarot and the Kabbalah - the Hebrew system of mysticism, and brought all 78 cards together. A.E. Waite realized in late 1800s that Tarot cards could be used to predict future occurrences, and based on the beliefs of Eliphas Lévi, introduced the Rider-Waite deck in 1896.

Today, a variety of Tarot cards is available to cater to every interest and belief. There are many different interpretations of Tarot cards, with new ones being conceived. People, expert in reading Tarot cards, add their own perspective to the thousands of different Tarot cards available that cater to many diverse interests.