edit: lol..I see Roy is on the same page as me with this one... so I'll expand a bit.... Spiritual literature is a fairly broad term. but I'm positive tarot developed from much more basic forms of "spirit lit". I would go as far as saying runes could be considered a part of this "genre"... what say yay?
Yes they appeared publicly in Europe in the 14-15 century, but I like to think its still possible they were part of ancient religious ritual and secret dogma, recovered perhaps from the east by crusaders or early Renaissance traders.
Runes was an interesting idea, yes Runes may go back 40,000 years or more, as far back as cave painting i would guess
Tarot was not anything spiritual when it first came out and is not spiritual now. It was the way for the royals or government of the day to communicate with the peasants. You have to remember that, in those days, very few people could read or write, Most of the world was illiterate. Tarot were the newspapers of the day. It only became 'magical' in later years.
edit: I'll guess your wondering what I'm talking about... "luncheon" meat is a processed canned meat which often comes in a blue can with yellow lettering.. one of the popular brand names is Spam..but there are other brands.. I hear the french cavemen loved it!
Wow! what an incredible response. Thank you everyone who commented your words are very powerful. The project we have ongoing over here in Milwaukee is one of a collaborative effort where every card that has been created is by a different person. We are currently 38 cards deep and always expanding with new artists being scouted every day. It is my personal passion to see art in our community become more of a prevalent source of knowledge. I have found that through the tarot people are able to express thoughts and ideas otherwise bottled up inside them. For example when someone pulls a card and then reads the meaning of the card to themselves you can see a spark go off in their eyes or their body language. Every time. Every time since I pulled my first card two years ago. Every time. Not just some of the times, but every single time. It has brought me to this conclusion: The Tarot is a legitimate source of knowledge for individuals to expand their self awareness.
Sincerely,
Tyler Rudzinski
Organizer of People for Peace Art Collective
Tyler, no...tarot cards being used for divination was around the 1440's ish...Divination and Spiritual are not synonyms. This is not a put down of tarot, I have two decks myself and always thought it would be fun to design a deck :o) I'm sure it's been a fun project to do.
LOOK WHO I FOUND! Don't tell me it doesn't resemble someone you know.....maybe an ancestor....;o)
Isn't it interesting on how these symbols and images stay with us through the years? The Tarot is something that is gaining momentum in waves. It almost seems as if there is a group from each generation that is specializing in research and development of the Tarot.
