For those of you who missed my thread about the history of tarot, I've reformatted it as a post. You can read it here! (Finding this is a case where too much knowledge doesn't always relay well in snippet form. Meh) #WitchyWednesdaywww.flamesrising.com/origins-of-m...
Anyone can create their own tarot cards and their own book. Because of this, the popularity of tarot is not only guaranteed, it will continue to evolve to reflect contemporary themes and artistic styles. Now, we can even enjoy a new take on RWS--like The Modern Witch tarot! #WitchyWednesday
The popularity of tarot exists in waves. Most notably, in the 1970s coinciding with the rise of second wave feminism, again in the late 80s and 90s, and today. It remains prominent, however, not just because of Rider-Waite-Smith, but because tarot as a concept, is not exclusive. #WitchyWednesday
Despite the two examples, it's the Rider-Waite-Smith deck and advances in card printing that enabled mass production and distribution to multiple countries. That kicked off interest in tarot and established the deck as a contemporary baseline for anyone's use. #WitchyWednesday
Pausing here to say that the Order of the Golden Dawn had a lot of very wealthy members who did culturally appropriate from other faiths and peoples for their benefit. Sometimes, going back to the original means uncovering problematic works. That is part of research. #WitchyWednesday
The Thoth tarot (1944) is directly tied to Aleister Crowley, who was also a member of the Order of the Golden Dawn. This deck is attributed to the Kabbalah's influences. It is pretty "dense," divination-wise, and is more esoteric than Rider-Waite-Smith. #WitchyWednesday
Rider-Waite-Smith is a deck that reinvents tarot for modern usage by drawing on the Italian decks, which included Christian iconography, astrology (also found in the Minchiate deck), and Waite's guidance from his involvement with the Order of the Golden Dawn. #WitchyWednesday
Marie Lenormand's influence occured on the cusp of modern occultism. Often, however, the Rider-Waite-Smith and Thoth decks are perceived as the icons of modern tarot. Let's start with Rider-Waite-Smith, which was published in 1909. #WitchyWednesday
Her prominence was so widely-recognized that, after she passed, several decks were named and designed to honor her. Pausing to point out the intersection between divination and storytelling. There's power in personal stories! Marie Lenormand navigated those waters for ~40 years. #WitchyWednesday