I've been attracted to the Tarot since my first spiritual reassessment as a pre-teen. Being raised in a clan of devout Italian-Catholics, this was the logical succession of teenage (pseudo)defiance. However the world of tarot is not far removed from many practices that characterize devout Catholicism; the older, female generations in my family all keep laminated Saint 'trading cards'; you can find them in their wallets, used as bookmarks, or decorating shrines that they've erected for the deceased. I also happen to come from a humble background of
Italian folk magic called
Christian Stregoneria. My paternal grandmother is understood to have 'cured' an infant grandchild with oils, herbs, and ...
magic. In good tradition, I kept my Tarot divergence under wraps, inciting ceremonies in the comfort of my carpeted bedroom.
I don't believe in mystic shit, though I wish I did, and still find myself piqued by various mystic practices the same way I'm attracted to Catholic iconography. And there is one undeniable facet to these cards, which is that they are, in many cases, works of Art. There are thousands of decks
archived online , spanning from their believed inception in the 15th century to the present day.
A few of my favourite illustrations after the jump...
