A Brief History of the Tarot

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

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