Tarot cards first originated in Italy in the early fifteenth century. The cards were originally developed for playing games. French esotericists in the late eighteenth century began utilizing the cards for divination.

In the 1920s, the Rider Waite Smith Tarot was created by Pamela Coleman-Smith and Arthur Waite. Coleman-Smith and Waite were members of the esoteric society, The Order of The Golden Dawn. Many modern tarot decks are based on the Rider Waite Smith Tarot which is also known as the Smith Waite Tarot Deck.

I am an avid collector of tarot decks. They are beautiful works of art to me, wrapped up in a tiny (but mighty!) package. Here are a few of my favorite decks and some of the books that I highly recommend.