In a previous post I promised to follow up on how the 4 power objects of  Vishnu were related to the 4  card suits of the Tarot Minor Arcana. Well, after doing a bit of research I discovered that not only are there are several Hindu gods with four arms, but I also could find no research saying that Vishnu’s power objects were related to the Tarot card suits, so what follows is simply my best guess.

First of all, who is Vishnu? Vishnu is one of the major Hindu Gods, each of whom have a distinct role in the world. While Brahma is the creator god and Shiva is the destroyer, Vishnu is known as the preserver. His job is to maintain the balance between good and evil that gets us through our daily lives. This is interesting since the Minor Arcana cards represent everyday people and events.

Vishnu’s power objects are the mace, the conch, the discus and the lotus. Here are my guesses as to how they might relate to the Tarot suits of wands, swords, coins and cups.

• The Mace matches visually with the suit of Wands. Vishnu’s mace stands for physical and mental strength. In the Tarot, wands represent the element of fire and the qualities of energy, optimism and eagerness.
• Vishnu’s Conch shell is blown to produce the primordial sound of creation: OM. Though it is not visually similar, since it’s operated by the element of air that might link it to the Tarot suit of swords (air) which rule thought and direction.
• Vishnu’s Discus is a weapon with the ability to destroy evil. It is also associated with the wheel of time. Visually it certainly matches up with the Tarot suit of coins. Coins are associated with the element of earth and the material world, and of course, money. I can’t find an easy link here, but the phrase that “money is the root of all evil” springs to mind- and the wheel of time is a reminder that everything in the material world will eventually pass away - perhaps Vishnu’s discus can protect us from the destructive side of materialism.
• ​Vishnu’s Lotus and the suit of cups seem like a perfect match. The lotus represents Vishnu’s abode on the water, creativity, purity, divinity, spiritual liberation, creation and birth. The Tarot suit of cups represents the element of water: feeling, depth, divine inspiration, nourishment and fertility. 

So maybe there’s a connection and maybe there isn’t. In doing the research for this post I learned that there have been so many versions and interpretations of the card suits through the centuries that any direct connection between Vishnu and today’s Tarot is probably not a thing. But that does not make it any less fascinating to consider.

​Thanks for reading. I’d love to hear if you have any further ideas and information on this subject.
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The Hermit Constellation from left to right, begins with the 9th card of the Major Arcana, The Hermit, and travels through the 9's in the Minor Arcana over to the 18th card, the Moon. (Numerologically, 18 reduces: 1 + 8 = 9)

The Hermit, represents introspection and solitude. ​

The 9 of Swords is the self critical thinking that can arise during time spent alone. 

The 9 of Swords is strength of spirit, the ability to respond with creativity and wisdom that can save us from negative thinking.

Nine of Cups, the happiness, opportunity and good luck result from creative action.

Nine of Coins, gain, the bodily physical experience of feeling better.

The Moon Card, authenticity, being our true selves, following our dreams.

This Hermit Constellation concept was adapted from The Tarot Handbook: Practical Applications of Ancient Visual Symbols by Angeles Arrien.

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In my previous post I repeated the Eurocentric story that the cards originated in 15th century Italy, but I have since learned more. Let's take a trip back to the land where the very paper on which they were printed was invented.
According to The History of Information website, "there is little doubt that both playing cards and dominoes originated in China and that both games were influenced by certain forms of divination and the drawing of lots." These cards were probably first produced in the 9th century. 

Playing cards, along with countless other cultural treasures, were brought to the West by Silk Road merchants. They were then brought up into Europe by the North African Moors who ruled the kingdom of al-Andalus on the Iberian Peninsula (modern day Spain and Portugal) from 711 until 1492.

The practice of playing with cards was already popular enough in 14th century Europe to have been banned by the Christian church (mostly due to the dangers of gambling!)
These early decks, like our modern playing cards, were divided into four suits, which in the tarot deck are called the minor arcana. I learned from an occult historian that the four card suits probably evolved from the four artifacts or weapons that are held by the four armed Hindu deity, Lord Vishnu.

Lord Vishnu is the Hindu deity who is most involved in the day to day affairs of the world. The meanings of the minor arcana card concern minor, everyday events, so it makes perfect sense that they may have evolved from Vishnu's four power objects. 
In the next post we'll take a look at the symbolism of Vishnu's power objects and how they relate to the meanings of the tarot's minor arcana cards.

Tarot decks originated in Northern Italy in the 15th century. The 78 card decks were originally used to play card games. The Minor Arcana cards of swords, wands, cups and coins are the predecessors of our modern playing card suits: spades, clubs, hearts and diamonds. As early as the 18th century there are records of Tarot cards being used to “fortell the future.” The modern day popularity of Tarot cards can be traced to a group of magicians and occultists in early 20th century England who were responsible for creating two of the most popular Tarot decks in use today: the Rider-Wait-Smith Tarot and the Thoth Tarot. 

The Fern Forest Tarot is my humble contribution to this tradition. May your time with the cards be fun, relaxing and inspirational!  -Rebecca