No one knows for sure when tarot cards were originally invented, although many believe the first cards were created in northern Italy between 1410 and 1430. Others will argue their origins are from Egypt. With 78 cards in total, a typical deck consists of 22 major arcana cards and 56 minor arcana cards.
Interest in the tarot climbed in 1909 with the publication of the Rider-Waite Tarot Deck. This deck continues to be one of the most popular today, although there is a numerous amount of other decks to choose from. Here is just a brief look at some of the interesting decks available today.
Rock and Roll Tarot Cards
Created by Chris Paradis, the Rock and Roll Tarot deck features music icons from the 1950's through the 1990's. Cards include Elvis Presley as The Emperor, Tina Turner as The High Priestess, Diana Ross as The Star, Frank Zappa as The Magician, and Michael Jackson as The World. This deck was self published in both 2000 and 2002.
Gay Tarot Cards
Rather than showing gay men in a stereotypical lifestyle, the Gay Tarot Deck, created by Lee Bursten and Antonella Platano, depicts multicultural gay men in their everyday lives. Encompassing different ages and body types, this deck shows gay men going about their daily routines whether it be working as a judge or a gardener, taking care of a child, or practicing sports.
Lord Of The Rings Tarot Cards
The Lord of the Rings Tarot set combines characters and scenes from J. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy. Developed by Terry Donaldson with artwork by Peter Pracownik, each card contains text to help explain the meaning of the card. This deck can also be used as a card game for people 10-years-old and over.
Native American Tarot Cards
The Native American Tarot deck combines Native American teachings along with history and symbolism of Native American tribes. Created by husband and wife team Magda and J.A. Gonzalez, the cards show different aspects of everyday life in various tribes including Apache, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Sioux, Comanche, and Hopi.
Tarot Of Atlantis
Bepi Vigna's Tarot of Atlantis shows people and tells stories of the alleged lost city of Atlantis, described by Plato. While some cards in the majors show the destruction of Atlantis, such as The Tower representing a giant tidal wave, cards in the minor arcana represent the daily lives of Atlantians.
This is merely a quick glimpse into the world of the tarot and all of the unique decks that are available.
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