| The tradition of tarot is estimated to be over five | | | | card decks. These cards are designed on the basis of |
| hundred years old with archetypal roots that can be | | | | the historical cards and considered as ideal choices fro |
| traced back to almost two thousand years. The | | | | beginners. Rider-Waite Tarot was designed in 1909 |
| traditional tarot has given way to the modern | | | | by artist Pamela Coleman Smith, according to the |
| methods of divination, but it still remains a reservoir | | | | specifications provided by Arthur Edward Waite. This |
| of ancient wisdom. The traditional tarot decks are | | | | deck contains seventy-eight cards with 56 minor |
| the source of origin of the modern playing cards. | | | | arcana cards and 22 major arcana cards. However, |
| The history and origin of tarot is not very clear, | | | | this deck revolutionized the traditional decks by |
| though there are numerous theories supporting | | | | assigning pictures to the minor arcana cards. This |
| beliefs of its origin from various places such as China, | | | | deck is the world's most popular Tarot deck, which is |
| India or Egypt. However, the oldest Tarot cards that | | | | preferred by beginners as well as advanced students |
| are found date back to the fifteenth century and | | | | of Tarot. |
| were found in Spain, Italy and France. According to | | | | However, most of the Tarot historians consider all |
| historical evidence, traditionally, tarot cards were used | | | | the tarot decks that were in practice used before |
| as playing cards with pictures depicting conditions of | | | | the nineteenth century as historical decks. Traditional |
| life, liberal arts and virtues such as temperance and | | | | tarot decks are considered to be closely based on |
| prudence. It is widely believed that initially tarot was | | | | the decks that were prevalent in the Golden Dawn |
| not used as a means of divination. | | | | era. The A. E. Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith's |
| The traditional tarot was adapted to contemporary | | | | deck is a fine example of traditional tarot decks. |
| styles and Rider-Waite Tarot, Aquarian Tarot, | | | | These tarot decks further gave rise to the more |
| Crowley Thoth Tarot and Cagliostro Tarot are now | | | | popular Rider-Waite deck and Thoth deck. |
| considered the most elementary and traditional tarot | | | | |