A tool of the devil?

Sir Michael Dummett
Image from Wikipedia

Tarot has an evil reputation. Some people even call it a tool of the Devil. Most of this reputation stems from the Tarot being associated with fortune telling and “divination” (the art of discovering hidden knowledge by supernatural means).

Apart from gypsies and other psychics predicting the future, Tarot cards have also been associated with “magicians”, with various esoteric societies, and with occult systems such as the Kabbalah, astrology, and numerology.

According to Tarot historian Michael Dummett, the truth is that Tarot cards were originally devised for playing a card game similar to Bridge, and that the occult associations were added roughly 350 years after the first recorded Tarot decks appeared.

However, as Tarot historian Dr Robert O'Neill points out, the milieu within which the Tarot was created was steeped in magic and esotericism, and early Tarot symbols seem consistent with other contemporary esoteric systems. It is possible that these systems may have influenced the design of these cards. Jim Revak, author of the Tarot-related website Villa Revak, comments: “Although it should be remembered that all of the symbolism of the tarot has close analogs in the conventional Christian culture of the time, many scholars today believe that these philosophies [Hermeticism, astrology, Neoplatonism, Pythagorean philosophy and heterodox Christianity], which are foundations of occultism, were important in the design of the tarot.”

Revak also notes that although records from a trial in Venice in 1589 suggest that some may have associated Tarot with witchcraft at this date—about 150 years after the appearance of the Tarot—there are no other references linking Tarot cards with magic or divination until the 18th century.

Tarot usage today includes divination, but this is by no means the only application for Tarot cards. As SynTAROTis and many other Tarot websites show, Tarot cards are used for self-exploration, psychotherapy, decision-making, brainstorming, problem solving and more. My view is that Tarot cards are simply too useful as an instrument for these applications to be thrown out merely because they are also being used for purposes that religious people may find uncomfortable or even evil.