Tarot of Marseilles

The history of the Tarot of Marseilles is very old, dating back to the late 15th century or the end of the middle Ages. It is studied in areas of France and Northern Italy, is advocated as the oldest tarot Europe and to me personally is one of my favorites for its symbolism, colors and simplicity.

The name of the Tarot of Marseilles was coined by Paul Marteau in the 30s, it was a cartomancer with French origin and Marseille was a playing cards manufacturing center. The Marseille tarot deck we know today and its drawings of medieval origin, derived from a design made industrially by woodcut. And since the nineteenth century were printed and expanded to our present age. The prints are supposedly inspired by the iconography of the Gothic windows, its forms and colors.

The Major Arcana are 22 cards and are the most important in the tarot deck, are those with more symbolism and are numbered from 0 to 21 and illustrated with figures and archetypes that connect with the collective subconscious.

Starting with the Fool and other major arcana, I write their interpretation in a much summarized way:

1. The Magician or The Juggler representa la iniciativa, el comienzo de algo.
2. The High Priestess is the accumulation of experience.
3. The Empress symbolizes power, wisdom, is a burst of creativity without knowing where it goes.
4. The Emperor represents material stability.
5. The Pope represents a step beyond material stability and attain spirituality.
6. The Lovers represent the time we go out to the world to do what we like and take action.
7. The Chariot represents action in the world.
8. The Justice represents give ourselves what we deserve.
9. The Hermit is entering a crisis to find oneself and to make inner life.
10. The Wheel of Fortune is a cycle that is completed, we need something to help us move to another dimension.
11. The Strength represents when it enters deeply into animal forces to perform them.
12. The Hanged is when we enter deeply into the spiritual side, I mean we separated a moment from the world, to enter oneself.
13. Death represents transformation. It does not represents Death as such. It is the great revolution into something new.
14. The Temperance let’s say it's the tarot nurse, represents something like heal oneself.
15. The Devil not very friendly, but it represents enter deeply into creativity without fear of seeing ourselves, I mean is enter our inner self, to do them.
16. The Tower represents what was locked and opens, leaving the emotional limits, leaving all limits and open up.
17. The Star symbolizes what comes from the cosmos, what we receive from the cosmos and what we give to the earth, is when we find a place in the world and once you find it, you act in the world, receiving from the cosmos and give to the land, purify water, purify life.
18. The Moon is perception, represents the mother goddess, poetry, madness.
19. The Sun represents the beginning of a new life, total love.
20. The judgment this card means that has finally been discovered the inside of your soul, your female and male part, to create an androgynous thought and this leads to a super mind. It represents that something ends, when we fulfill ourselves as individuals.
21. The World goes a little beyond the Judgment card, but is very similar, it is also the complete realization of male and female part, sexual, earthly and also the connection with the world around you.
22. The Fool can see that has no numbers and represents freedom without limits. Therefore we have gone from the Fool freedom to union we have with the world.