Based in the occult, tarot cards are used predominantly for cartomancy, divination or fortune telling.
The modern history of the tarot, according to the New Age Almanac,
can be traced to a French Huguenot pastor named Antoine Court de
Gebelin (1719-1784). De Gebelin became active in Parisian freemasonry
circles, and joined the Philalethes, a French Masonic occult order. He
became an accomplished occult scholar and, through his various social
connections, discovered the tarot
De Gebelin believed the occult symbolism of the cards tied them to ancient Egypt, although that has never been substantiated.
In 1783, a fortune teller known only as Etteilla published a book
detailing a methodology for tarot cartomancy, and the use of the cards
for fortune telling continues to this day.
Father Saunders
describes the composition of the 78 cards in the tarot deck this way:
"The pack of cards — known as the "Tarocco" — is made up of 22 major
"enigmas," whose figures represent a synthesis of the mysteries of life,
and 56 minor images incorporating 14 figures in four series (gold,
clubs, swords and goblets)."
The gold series symbolizes
intellectual activity; the club series symbolizes government; the sword
series symbolizes the military; and the goblet series symbolizes the
priesthood.
"Practitioners of Tarot believe that these enigmas,
images and series represent the sum of the knowledge of all sciences,
particularly astrology, and that the permutations in "dealing with the
cards" is capable of revealing the future and solving all problems,"
Father Saunders writes.
The occult links of ouija boards and
tarot cards may not be immediately obvious to some individuals,
especially when they are sold as children’s games. Some people fall
unwittingly into the habit of using the divining devices without
realizing they have exposed themselves to the influence of demonic
spirits.
Because of such hidden dangers, strong warnings
against all forms of divination are found throughout Scripture and in
the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
One such admonition is
found in the book of Deuteronomy: "Let no one be found among you who
sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or
sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or
who is a medium or spiritist [spiritualist] or who consults the dead.
Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord." (18:10-12)
The Catechism
also notes that, along with breaking the first commandment, the use of
divination devices is wrong because they "conceal a desire for power
over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as
well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers." (No. 2116)
"To
invoke Satan or any other power, to enter the darkness [the occult] for
any assistance, or to attempt to usurp powers which belong to God alone
is a defiance of the authority of almighty God," warns Father Saunders.
"To commit such acts is to turn away from God and place our own souls in
jeopardy."
(This article originally appeared in The Catholic Standar