Tarot types: most famous decks, differences and meanings

Each year, more than 100 new types of Tarot arrive in stores around the world. They are versions of old decks, artistic creations from known decks and even an oracle totally different from the one we know as Tarot.

In this article, you will understand why there are so many types of Tarot, what are the differences and even understand if there are better and worse ones.

Tarot Cards: Every Tarot has 78 Arcana

What should be very clear is that Tarot is a set of 78 cards that are divided into two groups. That is, in 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana, 16 of which are the four cards of the four Courts — Clubs, Hearts, Swords and Diamonds.

This is the structure considered traditional, since since the Middle Ages, packs were marketed with this specific number of cards.

22 Major Arcana — Cards from 1 to 21 + Unnumbered Arcana, “The Fool“56 Minor Arcana — Four suits: Clubs, Hearts, Spades and Diamonds40 numbered cards of each suit — From 1 (Ace) to 104 Court Cards of each suit — Page (or Princess), Knight (Prince), Queen and King

Over time, with the massive dissemination of Tarot as a forecasting tool, several introductory and training courses were and still are offered.

A good part of these activities adopts only the 22 Major Arcana and leaves aside the 56 Minor Arcana, as if this nomenclature diminished their importance.

Regardless of whether they use the Minors or not, according to the difficulty of memorization or combination that may arise, for the oracle to be considered Tarot, the deck must necessarily have these 78 cards — not one more or less.

The most famous types of Tarot in the world

The first Tarot decks known to date date back to the 14th century. At that time, production was quite simple. This is because the technology existing between the Renaissance and the 18th century allowed printing with just a few colors.

In the 19th century, with the advancement of graphic processes, new versions of the old decks ended up being developed, published and popularized. In addition, new artists, new impressions and new interpretation possibilities that opened the doors of the publishing market.

However, despite so many decks available on the market, it is important to note that the classic structure remains in most of them.

Among the most varied types of Tarot available on the market, these are the four most important in esoteric literature and most used of all time:

Tarot de Marseille

Known all over the world, the Tarot de Marseille is one of the oldest decks and is still used today.

His birth probably took place in northern Italy. However, there are no documents attesting to its existence before the 14th century.

Soon after, the Tarot de Marseille was introduced in the south of France, where it started to be copied and marketed as a ludic instrument.

His images are medieval, as well as his primary colors, due to the graphic resources of the time.

Being a classic, structural and conceptual deck, most Tarot decks released since the 18th century derive from it. The Tarot (which you can try here) is a version of the traditional Marseilles.

Rider-Waite Tarot

The English occultist Arthur Edward Waite conceived the best-selling Tarot on the entire planet. It was Pamela Colman Smith, a prolific English writer and illustrator, who did the work.

The complete deck was published in 1910, the same year as his book, “The Pictorial Key to the Tarot”, edited by “Rider&Son” in London.

Among all the changes that its creators made to the traditional structure are:

change the number of Arcana 8, “Justice” and 11, “Strength”)40 illustrations of numbered Minor Arcana

Where only three cups were seen in the arcane “Three of Cups” of traditional decks, in Waite’s Tarot we see a scene of celebration between three maidens toasting with their respective chalices.

Due to this innovation, with several clones being developed and marketed, most of the decks released so far receive their influences.

Thoth Tarot

One of the most controversial personalities in the esoteric universe who created his own Tarot was the English writer and magician Aleister Crowley.

Between 1938 and 1943, he joined forces with the artist Frieda Harris to compose the 78 cards of his Tarot deck.

This type of Tarot is considered by scholars to be the legacy of all Crowley’s knowledge.

The Tarot of Thoth, also the title of a book published in 1944, brought descriptions and correspondences of the arcana with Astrology. And, in addition, poems and hymns related to each of the cards and some suggestions for use.

The deck is attributed to Thoth, Egyptian god of writing and knowledge, who is said to have left a book with all his knowledge. Although many esotericists even today believe that this book gave rise to the Tarot, historical researches rule out this hypothesis.

Crowley’s Revamping

The redesign designed by Crowley and executed by Harris impresses Tarot collectors and readers around the world. This is because they make associations between traditional images and mythological figures. For example, “The Priestess” is represented as the Roman goddess Diana, protector of virgins and great lady of the hunt.

The nomenclatures of the arcana undergo some considerable changes. The most striking is the exchange of Pages for Princesses, Knights for Princes and Kings for Knights.

These changes led to many decks influenced by Crowley’s associations being designed and released with these changes. However, almost always the exchange of the King for the Knight does not hold.

Decks derived from those of Waite and Crowley commonly feature Kings, Queens, Princes (or Knights) and Princesses (Pages).

In addition to the aesthetic alterations that Crowley and Harris successfully undertook, the Minor Arcana, with the exception of the four Aces, were given titles in tune with their respective oracular attributes. Examples: The “Two of Cups” is called “Love” and the “Five of Spades” is called “Defeat”.

IMPORTANT: In the Tarot, we call the Page Princess, but this in no way interferes with the meanings of the arcane. For the other figures (Knight, Queen and King), we keep the original nomenclature.

Mythological Tarot

Astrologer Liz Greene and tarot reader Juliette Sharman-Burk developed The Mythological Tarot. And it was the plastic artist Tricia Newell who conceived it.

Since its launch by Fireside in 1986, the deck is also one of the most translated and sold in the world.

Adapting medieval images to different characters and passages from Greek mythology, the wrong idea is still propagated today that this is the “easiest” Tarot to learn.

What are the differences between the types of Tarot?

Although it is a relevant contribution to the artistic universe of Tarot, no professional who researches the history and symbology of the oracle suggests strictly following the associations offered.

Keeping the symbolic framework of the Tarot and the depth of a myth linked ends up confusing laymen and limiting both the oracle and the Greek narrative. It is a sales phenomenon that deserves attention and care.

Despite the rich symbolism and innovations of these types of Tarot that deserve equally long and arduous study, little changes in a reading. Since in essence these decks preserve the traditional structure of the Marseille pattern.

Both Waite and Crowley, in their own ways, were faithful to the classic attributes of the cards. What really matters is the use made of a certain deck.

The only condition, as we have already seen, is that a Tarot is only in fact a Tarot if it has the 22 Major Arcana and the 56 Minor Arcana. Today, with the ever-widening market, it is possible to choose the Tarot that best adapts to the visual taste of the interpreter.

After all, which type of Tarot is the best?

The constant remodeling of the Tarot must be seen as a technological advance, an artistic advent and also an editorial lode, since the possibilities for creation based on the traditional structure are practically endless.

What is difficult is to resist the most varied themes and styles, as some offer stronger colors and more pleasant lines than others.

However, regardless of the beauty or sophistication of the images, the truth is that every Tarot works quite successfully if there is a long and arduous study of its symbols and true respect for its images.

It is prudent to always opt for a professional who follows the traditional structure, as is the case with the Tarot used in . The best Tarot will always depend on who interprets it.