Tarot cards originated as far back as 1440 in Italy with the original 22 cards of the Major Arcana when the first deck appeared. In most cases, the Italian decks were called "Visconti Trumps" and are often considered the forefathers of the decks which are now available. Whereas, readers often now use a number of different decks to gain as much insight out of tarot card readings as possible.

Rumors have suggested that the Italian cards with all the beauty and symbolism were created with royalty in mind. Whereas, it was not until much later that the cards became popular and associated with psychic readings and divination. Once the cards were more accepted and used for divination, readings and personal insight became associated with entertainment as much as the occult.

Eventually, the Trumps became the standard playing cards among the Nobles. Before this time, those whom played the Trump cards in various games often had to decide whether to hold, discard or substitute other cards. Most nobles of the time saw the Tower, Devil and Death cards as being offensive, thus these cards were often discarded. For, it was believed that the souls of those playing such cards would be won by the Devil.

It was not so much the meaning tied to the cards but the images which caused religious leaders of the time to attempt to banish the Trump cards. In fact, the first specific reference to these cards was in a sermon. The sermon provided by an Italian Franciscan Friar some time in the mid-1400s contended that the Tower, Death and Devil cards were invented and named by the devil, with the latter being a namesake.

Even when only using the cards in game play, the Friar suggested that the devil was merely using the cards in an attempt to steal the souls of those whom played such games. As such, while the sermon condemned the use of the cards whether being used for games or other purposes, religious leaders failed to banish the cards which have since become popular with psychics and spiritualists around the globe.

Tarot readings and the use of decks for divination was in large part brought about by Antoine Court de Gebelin in the late 1700s. For, de Gebelin believed the cards to be of Egyptian origin while containing knowledge of Egyptian mystical lore. In addition, Antoine believed that the imagery was intentionally included and placed on specific cards in association with this lore and wisdom. For, unlike the Friar, Antoine saw no connection between tarot and Satan.

Antoine held a strong belief that tarot cards were keys to the lost mystical wisdom of the ages, originally produced and written by the Egyptian God of writing, Thoth. It was from this point that the Major Arcana started to evolve into cards which would later be produced and distributed by secret societies. Since that time, a number of psychics, mediums, mystics, and spiritualists have created decks on a number of topics.

In the beginning of tarot, regular playing cards were often used as a means of separating the suits. Whereas, later there were several decks which only used the Trumps or Major Arcana. Whereas, there are so many different creators and decks available now that it can often be difficult for readers to know which one to choose. While this is the case, as most readers believe cards should be a gift rather than purchased, the decision is often made by someone other than the reader.